JulieBhosaleAchive

It’s been nearly 2 months since I submitted my Doctoral thesis. I would like to say it has been butterflies and rainbows; but at times it’s almost been the opposite. I was on a massive high for a week or so, and then the reality sunk in….the fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks, to the point I would have to crawl back to bed when ever both boys were miraculously asleep at the same time during the day. The overwhelm of needing to deal with everything that had been outstanding for….months. Most of all my boys….my very brave boys who had been without me there 100% suddenly were off day care and desperate for time with me – and while I was equally desperate for time with them too, my reserves were so low, I was having to give while my own tank was blaring red. Each day felt so long, felt like a mammoth effort just to get through. Mentally, I had to do a 360 turn around from a high powered writing machine, running on adrenaline and incredible pressure to…well… being mum – just mum. My bigges...

This is something I get asked about a lot - healthy easy ideas for kids parties!! It is a tricky balance between providing food that children (and adults) will eat, is easy to prepare (or buy), is actually healthy and does not cost a fortune. Before I had children I had visions of being a mum that spent hours planning parties, posting ideas on pintrest, creating magnificent cakes and my children's celebrations as being a 'not-to-be missed occasion''. Fast track 3 years on - two children and a full time working schedule have quickly humbled me! In saying that I do actually love food, enjoy being in the kitchen and like having people over. Most of all as a nutritionist I do feel it's important to show your children you can have real food at parties - needless to say the party-struggle is very real for me. So here is some tricks I have thus used so far to navigate hosting children's parties (I am sure as my children get older we will get even more savy at the party...

I make these delicious mini morsels all the time! They are incredibly versatile - a perfect little snack for on-the-go, afternoon tea (warm from the oven is best!), an easy lunch-box option or party snack! You can mix and match the savoury ingredients to suit your taste and these can be also made as normal sized muffins. I promise both adults and children will love them! Ingredients 2 cups of self-rising flour (or whole-meal/gluten-free flour and add 1 tsp of baking powder) 2 cups of grated cheese (and a little extra to sprinkle on top) 1 and a ¼ cup of milk 2 eggs 50g butter, melted 2 tsp paprika (optional) 2-3 rashers of bacon, pan-fried and finely chopped (or ham) ½ cup of red capsicum, chopped finely 2-3 stalks of spring onion, finely chopped Directions 1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and grease a mini-muffin tin. Put the flour and cheese in a bowl and make a well in the middle. 2. Mix the egg, milk and butter in a separate bowl then add to the flour. Add the bacon, paprika, capsicum...

Hard to beat a good iceblock on a hot summers day!! Even I was surprised that this particular combo of fruit and vegetables was demolished by my boys....I got a bit adventurous and included broccoli into these homemade iceblocks (I am always looking for creative ways to get greens into the monkeys) and it turned out to be a success!! Similar to my Tasty Teething Pops you can mix and match your ingredients to what you have in the fridge. I like including strawberries as these are one of the most nutrient dense (and lowest fructose) fruits available! My slight disclaimer here would be if your children are used to more sweet iceblocks you may need to give them a grace period to adjust slowly to less sweet snacks like these - the pre brought iceblocks unfortunately are just loaded with refined sugar. We took these in a chilly bin to the beach and our monkeys just loved them!!   Ingredients 1 carrot 6  small florets of brocolli, chopped 1 orange (no skin) 1/2 dozen strawberries (stalk ...

Christmas is a special time but when you are a busy mum....there are times you basically just cannot face Christmas - but you don't want to be a Christmas Grinch - I totally get it!! Things just happen when you are a mum which can mean Christmas is on the back-burner. I originally wrote this blog last year while in the thick of finishing my Doctoral thesis! The previous year I was so heavily pregnant and in excruciating pain from pelvic arthropathy I could barely walk or look after our toddler let alone face anything festive. This year despite not writing a thesis (or being pregnant for that matter) life is still running at full steam and all of these tips below have stood their ground in helping me through the overwhelm this season can bring. I know it looks like from Facebook everyone is doing amazing Christmas things, massive decorated trees worthy of being in a magazine, presents already wrapped and parties every night, but do not worry you are not the only one who is literally...

Kids love crackers and they make great finger food. This is my super easy recipe for homemade cheese crackers which means they are completely free of any sugar, additives and preservatives. Best of all they are great fun to make - just be prepared for flour to go everywhere! They do contain gluten (from flour) so for babies starting solids I recommend holding off on offering gluten-based products until around 10-12 months old as this is the time at which they have the enzymes to digest it. Home-made crackers like this can be a gentle way to introduce it as you don't have the other added ingredients to contend with as well - plus the cheese offers some protein and fat in these too! They are just delicious straight out of the oven, you may find you need to make double to quantity! Ingredients 1 Cup of flour (plus extra for rolling) 2 Cups of cheese, grated 70g butter 3 Tablespoons of milk Pinch of salt Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 180˚ and line a tray with baking paper. Place a...

It is time to sprint. I have done a 4 year marathon and now I am down to the wire, and it’s time to sprint. I have missed my deadline of the 30 th  (today) - I had 3 weeks up my sleeve just in case I needed it as I didn’t know what the tail end of my thesis looked like. Maybe that’s my ‘mum-mode’ planning coming out. Regardless I do need it this extra time. Although I have given it everything, I need to refine and rework some of my final chapters. I actually have less than three weeks, as it will take a week to have my thesis proof-read so I am working to the 9 th of December. But that’s it. If I don’t get it handed in by the 18 th of December I need to wait until next year and that’s complications worth avoiding at all costs. I have been disappointed that I didn’t make the 30 th - I have needed to put off a lot of things including the release of my new recipe book which has been under progress for two years. Moreover, I have needed to reconcile with myself about spending more time ...