Before I share this week’s meal plan I want to tell you about this past weekend. I’ve had the loveliest of times, one where I should have got the camera out more but instead I just sat back and enjoyed it. 

Friday is my day off so I had some pre-birthday celebrations with my mum friends involving lots of cake and play time with our not so little babies.

Friday night I was feeling exhausted so as I was putting Ethan to bed Mr T text me a screen shot from Just Eat and he had ordered us Pizza for tea, he’s a good ‘un!

Saturday morning, I woke to a mountain of birthday cards from my lovely friends and family. It was my first birthday as a Mum and I felt quite emotional reading some of my cards especially as my dear friends made a point of mentioning it. Mr T also got me two beautiful cards from him and Ethan. He actually took Ethan downstairs initially and Whatsapped me some pictures that made it look like Ethan was writing my card then brought them all up to bed for me to open.

Saturday afternoon we headed into town for some clothes shopping (birthday present from the Mr!) and then on to Blackhouse for a meal. We go every January as it’s 50% off and oh my, it was delicious! Calamari cooked to perfection, melt in the mouth fillet steak and a warm apple pie with the flakiest of pastry; it was amazing. The little man wasn’t so keen on steak but he gobbled up the mash potato and ice cream!

Upon arriving home I had a surprise bunch of flowers from my brother-in-law, one of the nice bouquets I have ever seen.

The birthday celebrations didn’t end there; Sunday afternoon saw 2 friends and I head to Mama Doreen’s in Harrogate (again!) for afternoon tea and oh my, it did not disappoint. I’ve spoken about their afternoon teas before and it truly is the best one I’ve been to.

When I got home the in-laws arrived with more gifts and a lovely handmade picture from my nephew – it was so sweet. Once they all left the normal Sunday evening routine began and suddenly it’s now lunchtime on Monday and my birthday weekend feels like a long distant memory.

After consuming so much cake this weekend I need to get back on it food wise. I’m floating around my initial target weight that I set at Slimming World and I have dropped it down a bit but I think I’ve actually reached my natural weight. Whether I have a good or a bad week I can’t seem to get any lighter so maybe this is where I’m supposed to be?

So anyway… this week we are having…

Monday – Oven Baked Risotto

Tuesday - Pappardelle with butterytomato and shallot sauce

 Wednesday – Mushroom Omlette (Mr T has parent’s evening so it’s a solo dinner for me)

Thursday – Sausage, Egg and Sweet Potato Fries

Friday – Cod and Chorizo Stew (we keep meaning to make this but it gets pushed back)

We haven’t planned the weekend yet but I’m thinking a pie or a roast might feature at some point.

Have a great week!

(PS. Looking back maybe I should have left my birthday for a separate post, ah well you have got two for one here haha!)

Do you remember the chocolate lime sweets you could buy when we were little? They were a bit like marmite – you either love them or hate them, a bit like this tart. Now, I love that flavour combination but not everyone is so keen. Mr T took it into work and his colleagues weren’t so sure but both of us couldn’t resist more than one slice - hopefully you all like this!

As I mentioned previously, after making this Key Lime Pie from my Nigella Kitchen book I knew I wanted to play with the flavours and I was intrigued to see how it would work both in taste and consistency with the addition of melted chocolate. Thankfully it was a success with the bitterness of the chocolate cutting through the sweetness of the limes. I’m so pleased with how the chocolate addition worked out that I definitely think I’ll make it again for Valentine’s Day with the addition of strawberries (but minus the limes!)

Nigella's Key Lime Pie

300g chocolate digestives

1 tbsp cocoa

50g soft unsalted butter

200g dark chocolate

100g milk chocolate

1 x tin condensed milk

150ml lime juice

300ml double cream

To decorate

zest of one lime

1 square of dark chocolate grated

1 x 23cm fluted tart tin

• Pop the biscuits, cocoa and butter in a food processor and whizz until it's a sandy consistency
• Press into the tart tin taking care to push up the sides and make sure there are no holes in the base
• Pop in the fridge to firm up
• Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool
• Whisk the condensed milk and lime juice and once combined add the double cream
• Keep whisking and add the melted chocolate until smooth and thick
• Pour into the tart tin and using the back of the spoon to create a soft swirled effect
• Pop into the fridge for 4 hours to set
• Before serving scatter over the lime zest and grated chocolate

I’m sat in bed feeling really emotional as I reflect on the past year. I go back to work tomorrow after almost 11 months off and oh my how the time has flown! This year I became friends with two very special groups of mums; one was through NCT and the other through Twitter. These ladies have been a rock for me over the past 12 months as we navigated pregnancy, birth and the unknown territory of motherhood.

Last January Mr T and I had our first NCT session. We walked into a room with 5 other pregnant couples with the only thing in common being that we were all due to give birth in the coming weeks. None of us had ever met before and little did I know how good a friendship I would form with these ladies.

When our NCT classes finished and maternity leave began, we used to meet once a week for a coffee cradling our ever-expanding bumps while tucking into cake. One by one the babies started to arrive and still we continued to meet up weekly. I’ll never forget that first trip out to see Sarah and Ninna who had had their babies a few weeks before Ethan arrived. We all sat in Sarah’s living room looking a bit shell shocked and feeling totally stunned and overwhelmed.

Over time though we all began to find our groove with this parenting malarkey. As the babies were all born within weeks of each other it was so useful to have friends who got it and were going through the same things at the same stage. From questions on feeding, sleeping, stitches and everything in between, I lived for those Tuesdays especially in the early days.

My other special mum group is my lovely Twitter Mummies. I’ll be honest, I have no idea how we got talking to each other on Twitter but somehow we did. By pure coincidence we were all pregnant within 6 months of each other and all lived in Leeds and Bradford. Whilst I was off on maternity leave (before Ethan arrived) we decided to meet for the first time (apart from Tammy who was in hospital having given birth recently). There were two of us with babies and two of us cradling bumps and even though we had never met before it all felt so natural.

From then on, we met every second Wednesday but it soon progressed to every Wednesday until things changed as some of the mums had to go back to work. We still meet as often as we can and talk every single day. I’ll be honest here, I talk to these ladies more than I talk to my own family! What I love about this group is that as there is a varied age range between the babies there is always someone who has been there first that can offer advice and support. In the early days, I had Alice and Em tortured about breastfeeding, it was great to have Tammy whose little girl is only a couple of weeks older than Ethan and then we have Sara who has the baby of the group. As the months progressed the gap between the babies has got smaller while they have gotten bigger!

These two groups of women are just amazing. They came into my life when I had very few mum friends and now I can’t imagine life without them. Yes, my besties have been there for me and always will be but it’s not the same as having people around you who you know might be up at 3am too with a screaming baby.

We have all winged our way through the past 12 months and I truly believe they have all helped me to be the mother that I now am. They’ve offered support when I have been broken from lack of sleep, offered me tips and advice on weaning, toys and babyproofing. We have laughed and we have cried, we have compared poonami stories while tucking into endless slices of cake but most of all we have been there for each other.

Nothing can prepare you for that first year of motherhood. You can read all the books, watch all the videos but until you actually experience it first-hand only then will you truly get it.

This time last year I didn’t know any of these ladies but now I can’t imagine life without them. I’m excited to see what 2017 has in store for us as we watch our babies navigate their way into toddlerhood.

“There is no way to be a perfect mother but there are a million ways to be a good one.”