Two Wild Strawberries

Mango Conserve

It's almost summer, and that means it's juicy mango time! Each week, after swimming, there is a little road shack we visit that sells massive watermelons, spiky pineapples, and bags of mangoes. Little baby girl has been loving to have a suck on these too (what a good little Queenslander!), however we had a couple left over at the end of the week and I didn't want them to go to waste... So, I made a mango conserve from them.

This made approximately 500ml

Ingredients
- 3 ripe mangoes
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 cup caster sugar

Directions
1. Cut up the mango and then mash it up
2. Pop the mashed mango in a saucepan on medium heat
3. Add the lemon and orange juices
4. Slowly add in the caster sugar, mixing as you go
5. Cook on medium for 30 mins, stirring occasionally. You will know it is ready to jar when the mix starts to form a film across the top when you stop stirring
6. Remove saucepan from heat and sterilize your jars with boiled water
7. Whilst still hot, spoon mixture into jars. Seal. Leave to cool for 10-15 mins before placing in fridge

Banana Cake

Not long after I started dating dear hubby, I made a batch of banana bread and he absolutely loved it (he also really loves my brownies!) Every now and then I try something else banana based, but it never seems to live up to my banana bread...

So, I've tweaked my banana cake recipe to be a little bit more like my bread.

Ingredients:
- 4 mashed bananas
- 50g butter melted
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 eggs

Through them all in a bowl together and mix until smooth. Place evenly in a bowl and pop in oven at 200 for 30 mins.

The cake will look heavier than normal, which is why it's more similar to bread.. But it isn't as heavy to eat! (I still recommend slim slices though)

Enjoy!!
Chantal

Budget Boredom Busters

For the past several months I have been (happily) stuck at home with my baby girl. This has been a fantastically fabulous budgeting experience, as we learnt to basically survive off the one income. However, more frequently than I'd like to admit, I got bored hanging around the home all day... So, here are some budget boredom buster tips that I learnt!!

* Join your local library. Not only can you read books without the expensive outlay of buying them, and invest in creating a healthy reading habit in your little ones... But, most libraries now hold activities for free that you can get involved in.

* Expand a hobby. This is an extension on point 1! Get reading on a skill you'd like to build, for me at the moment that is gardening, as I'd like to be as self sufficient as realistically possible (more on that another time)

* Go for a walk. Load up the pram, and give those pets of yours some much needed exercise. Hopefully, you might even get fit yourself!

* Rearrange your furniture. A new layout in the home can feel just as good as a holiday, and you might even find you've got a bunch of stuff you don't need that you can sell for rainy day money.

* Instead of catching up with your friends and other loved ones at a restaurant or coffee house, why not go to the park ore the beach instead? Even if you don't have kids, you can still act like one.

* Visit the museum. Some are free, and some are a small fee, but even in small museums I can easily spend half a day. There is always something else interesting to find.

* Visiting a gallery isn't just for stiff upper lip types... Modern art can be really quite funky, just as ' traditional' art can be calming. Occasionally, some larger galleries hold interactive activities for both the young and the young at heart.

With joy,
Chantal

Banana Cake

So, I've tweaked my banana cake recipe to be a little bit more like my bread.

Ingredients:
- 4 mashed bananas
- 50g butter melted
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 eggs

Through them all in a bowl together and mix until smooth. Place evenly in a bowl and pop in oven at 200 for 30 mins.

The cake will look heavier than normal, which is why it's more similar to bread.. But it isn't as heavy to eat! (I still recommend slim slices though)

Enjoy!!
Chantal

My Baby Blues

I have a very beautiful baby girl, she is the apple of my eye and can easily bring a smile to my face. However, I have been suffering from mild depression since she was born (if not a little just before she was born, if I'm here to speak the truth).

I have a skill that has both helped and hindered me through life... I have a great ability to shut my emotions off, put a smile on my face, and get on with the job. Whilst this has many virtues in a workplace environment, particularly sales, it can really be a blockade when trying to seek help with any emotional turmoil. . . Such as post partum depression.

I have tried to open up to a few different people about my issues, however the responses are far less than helpful. They include:
- "but, don't you love her?"
- "why don't you just pop some pills?"
- "you're not a single mum"
- "I've seen you smile"
- "but, you're such a good mum"
- And the worst, was just completely ignoring the fact that I'd even spoken and changed the topic!!

The sad thing is, I'm not seeking a miracle cure, I simply just want to be understood. The odd, "it must be hard" would certainly not go astray. Maybe, it is my own fault, and I've stretched myself to thin... But, isn't that was is expected of us, the modern day woman? I cook, clean, bake, study, garden, look after baby, do the finances, and I return to full time work in a week just to top it off.

So, what exactly is it that I want? I want someone, and not just anyone, but a loved one, to listen. I want someone to offer me some free time, despite how selfish it makes me feel. I want the misconceptions of weight loss and breastfeeding to stop. I want the judgement to stop. I want the nasty little comments to stop. I just want to be heard, as the person that I am, and was, before I became a mother. I want to be treated as a whole human being, not a thing that just feeds and looks after the infant.

I want to feel comfortable in my own skin, with my own thoughts. And I want the same for every other mother.

For now,

Chantal