Hello 2015…we have been expecting you!

It’s that time of year again where we are bombarded with everyone making promises to themselves to really really really make sure they do something good this year.  New Year’s Resolutions always made me wonder why after experiencing the best of the year (Christmas with all its fun and festivities) that we then want to suffer as to make up for the joy?

But I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t want to change things up a little….time to start a fresh and hopefully not fail by 31^st January.

This year I’ve taken on a few extra curriculum activities in the hope to better use my down time, when all the little people are in bed and my Big Dude and I have some breathing space.  I love to learn new things so I decided to look at all the free Open University courses that are on offer from various universities.

So….this year….I’m signed up for learning Java basics to try and write Apps (as you do as a working Mama of course!), learning basic Spanish (as we usually holiday somewhere Spanish each year if we can due to weather and beautiful places) and then….learning basic Dutch.  Dutch I hear you say?  Yep,  Dutch.  It was one of the free courses and could be fun J

Over the holidays and with money being tight in our house, like most houses I have no doubt, I have been overwhelmed with wanting to make something better for us to eat each day.  I mean that I want to know that what they are eating is good for them, and remove as much of the rubbish that supermarket processed food has hidden.

So with this, I started to look into just how you go about making some of the shop bought versions that I generally just use without thinking.  This meant I even had a go at making homemade bread by hand, and you know what – it tasted good and was lovely!  Cost wise it came up cheaper than buying supermarket full price of course, but not as cheap as when you get the “end of day” stuff but knowing it has left preventatives in it makes me feel better overall.

I had a go at making Mayonnaise from scratch, simply because we ran out of the usual bought version, and it was simple to make and tasted like the normal stuff too.  Doesn’t last as long in the fridge of course (only 24 hours) but still all good when it only uses up 1 egg , some mustard, vinegar and oil.

Lastly I tried to make some homemade treats for pudding for us all, and ended up with Meringues & Cream.   They tasted gooooooooood and soft & chewy on the inside too.

But the best feeling was when on Sunday, post a family walk in the open wintery air, we all sat down to large bowls of soup with home-made bread, followed by home-made Meringues and fairy cakes.  I had made nearly the entire meal by hand, and it felt wonderful as I knew exactly what was in each and every part of the meal.

Convenience doesn’t allow for what is best – it is just the fastest and easiest way for us to get it.   That is something I have taken away from my experience this weekend with cooking and one that I have taken some thought to for other areas of my life.

My hope is to learn to make more and more things by hand, and improve the quality of food that my family eats.  I guess it really hit me this weekend that in some ways I am responsibility, give or take a meal or two, for everyone in the family getting enough fruit/veg/healthy stuff as I’m the one who puts the plate down in front of them each day.

I guess you could say that my New Years Resolutions this year are to better myself as I want to be built for the long run.   But isn’t that really everyone’s goals?

Let’s see what it brings…..

Love MFF xx

#mblogger