Late holidays

Our holidays season has come and we are lucky to had travelled abroad and discover beauty of Andalusia. This southern region of Spain is well known for its wonderful landscape, beaches and moorish architecture. 

We located ourselves in quiet part of Marbella city - Gualdamina. Our hotel has stunning views on the sea and mountains at the same time.

As much as we like to relax the plan is to go sightseeing too. We love exploring new places and different cultures and would love our little daughter to enjoy it too!

Review of holiday packing tips

Surfing through the web in order to find some help on packing I found this wonderful blog A Pair and A Spare. The author has many posts on how to pack light and I've read all of them. Mixing her advice, tips for other places and my own experience - I'd packed, went on holidays and came back. Now it's time for some feedback and review. 

Firstly - destination: I was away for over two weeks, in a big city but knowing I might be going more relaxed places like countryside. Weather: very hot summer time, it turned out it was even warmer than expected.  

So I decided to follow the 5,4,3,2,1 rule which allows you to take 5 tops( including jacket), 4 bottoms, 3 dresses and 3 pairs of shoes, 2 handbags and 2 accessories - sunglasses and a straw hat in my case, 1 watch. What was super helpful was lying all the clothes and accessories on the floor and making sure I have a colour theme. This also allowed me to see different outfit combinations. Definitely something I will do again.

 However I know I've packed too many shoes - I could have lived in maybe two of them. 

Another feedback - there were two items I haven't worn at all - jeans jacket ( it was too hot for it) and a black top ( I had another one in black). 

Going forward I will definitely follow the rule but edit final picks even more to make sure I don't bring items I'm not going to wear. Can't wait to next holidays . Luckily another trip is still ahead of me in couple of weeks - destination Andalusia!

Easy delicious dinners

To have an idea what to cook every night as a busy working mother is sometimes a bit of a chalange for me. Therefore I came up with idea to build up a list of fail safe favourites which tick all those three most important criteria when eating well:

They need to be:

- delicious

- don't require special ingredients

- quick to make

So far my favourites are: 

Ratatouille 

Gratin 

Veggie pasta

Veggie tortilla

All the above are well tested except recent discovery which is gratin.

So easy to make and you can throw in any veggies you have left over from the week.

Ratatouille is the one that takes a bit longer to cook, but huge advantage here is that it cooks itself - meaning after the hard work of chopping all your ingredients you just throw it in the pot and leave it on a small heat and let the magic happen. That's my favourite summer/ autumn dish! But we are loving them all!

Mini holidays

Holidays it's something that I am to busy to even think about at the moment but every so often I get that message displayed in my brain: You need holidays! Half of the year is already gone and I'm staring to feel it. Also I'm being reminded about the fact that it's holiday season by all co workers and friends who are just about to go to some exotic places or just back. My body starts to scream for a break!

Luckily I got a fabulous birthday present from my husband - a weekend away in a hotel, spa hotel it is. Couple of years ago I would consider it as the most boring thing to do but when you a parent your views change dramatically. The idea of a spa weekend equals vision of heaven for me now. 

Set in the beautifully green part of Irish countryside the hotel proved to do the job. The tranquil setting helped enormously to recharge my batteries. The spa treatment was superb. The mini holidays were a big success and that quiet time will be remembered for long. Yes to more mini holidays!

Desserts

To serve a desert or not to serve. To your child it is. My answer is definitely yes. The true secret is in balance and moderation and I wish I was a pro at this. But hey what life would be without trying to improve every day!

I've read an article about children food education that is part of their everyday upbringing in France and it made a lot of sense to me. Also I saw it in practice when and I spent time living with French families as an au pair. One of the things that stands out is the fact that children get cheese for dessert from a very early age. And they treat it as a desert. Such a great idea! There is a huge variety of cheese in France and they are truly delicious.

I've decided to try similar approach and serve cheese after dinner to our little girl- so far she tried soft ones like Camembert and harder types like cheddar. Begining wasn't to promising but now the little piece is dissapearing in no time!

Also natural yoghurt is a part of our dessert routine and a piece of fruit. No need to explain how delicious these are!

Birthdays Season

End of June is a very busy season for us - 5 family members have birthday around that time including myself. 

I love celebrating and entertaining and don't think I'll ever grow out of this. 

Firstly the search for perfect presents begins, secondly - card making. As I am very determined to make my own cards, this takes time. I love crafting but don't have as much time to do it as I wished. The only way, as a full time working mother, is to become more organised and focused. But this is a completely different subject.

My newly discovered passion for cooking was fully indulged while preparing birthday lunch for my husband. We had a small family gathering and were lucky to enjoy rare summer weather and eat alfresco. Here is what we served:

- courgette, mint and feta salad ( delicious)

- green salad with tomatoes and herbs

- vegetable quiche

- prosecco for aperitif 

- mojito cheesecake ( sugar free)

Children ate the same as adults except for the drink and desert. 

The biggest excitement came with the cheesecake - it was frozen and super healthy. Luckily super delicious too!

Summer is here

Finally we got some better weather which is still very relative compared to other countries or even my native Poland. But we can't complain. Strong heat was never my thing so I'm happy with the weather the way it is in Ireland.

We could finally sit outside in our garden and enjoy the sun! Bliss!

Here's a list of other summer pleasures.

Strawberries. The flavour, taste oh my this is my favourite fruit ever. The seasonality and anticipation I'm sure amplifies my love but still nothing can't beat it to me.

Watermelons. So delicious that I could never resist a slice when I see them around. Love them chilled on a hot day. Also must try watermelon pizza recipe I saw somewhere online! Feta, balsamic vinegar and some fresh basil leaves- so simple!

Roses and other flowers. The joy of looking at and smelling flowers is unbeatable. I love going to roses gardens and smelling different colours of roses. I know it's a subtle type of fun and maybe sounds weird but I just can't stop myself doing it!

Prosecco. Or a glass of chilled white wine on a hot summer day with a delicious brunch. Heaven!

Picnics. Love eating outdoor and as close to nature as possible- on a blanket with some gorgeous food at hand and fantastic views.

Cycling. For me it's a summer activity only and very relaxing. Love going on a leisurely trip along the sea side. Bliss!