» JemPop Therapy

Healthy(ish) Sausage Rolls

So there might be no such thing as an actual “healthy sausage roll” but these contain a whole lot of veggies, so in my opinion, that counteracts any deviousness from the pastry in which they’re encased!!!

I made these for Dash’s first birthday party, and they were loved by both babies and adults alike (although Dash would much prefer to eat wrapping paper, as pictured below)

Ingredients:

500 grams beef mince
1 carrot (grated)
1 zucchini (grated)
1 red onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
frozen puff pastry
3 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
2 handfuls breadcrumbs

Method

Sautee onions in olive oil and garlic
Combine mince meat, carrot, zucchini, sauteed onion, 2 eggs and the breadcrumbs in a large bowl.
Roll out puff pastry – cut each sheet into two large rectangles. Spoon a long strong of mince mixture in a vertical line, and roll.
Cut rolls to desired size (I did about an inch each)
Combine remaining egg and milk in a bowl – brush outside of pastry with mix (this will encourage browning and give a glossy appearance).
Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until golden brown

Three Cheese Savoury Muffins

“Three types of cheese!?” you ask, with trepidation. Yes, that’s right….three!!! Cheddar, parmesan and feta…. “You’re out of control Jem…” you say…. that’s right, am out of control crazy about these delicious muffins!!

These babies are delicious….and you can add as many different veggies as you like… I used spinach, zuchini, cherry tomatoes and basil…but you could also add corn kernels, sundried tomatoes, shallots or whatever you like.

I was looking for a savoury muffin that is baby friendly also, and these were a hit with little Dash!!

They’re easy to make, and can be frozen for easy lunches.

Recipe:

1 cup self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/2 cup baby spinach, chopped
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 zucchini, grated
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
Cherry tomatoes
Feta Cheese, cut into cubes

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 24-hole, 1 1/2 tablespoon-capacity mini muffin pan.
Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add caster sugar. Stir to combine.
Add spinach, basil and parmesan to flour mixture. Stir to combine. Make a well in centre.
Whisk buttermilk, oil and egg together in a jug. Pour into well. Gently stir until just combined. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin holes. Top with small cubes of feta cheese and cherry tomatoes.
Bake for 12 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of 1 comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place in lunchbox.

Pop Therapy Careers – Nanny2U

Pop Therapy careers is a new addition to the blog…I’ll be interviewing some fantastic people who are smashing it with their respective careers, and finding out their tips, advice and super career secrets!!

Shannon is a super-mum of three children under three, who took a risk to give up a lucrative corporate career as an HR manager, to start her own business; Nanny2U.

After deciding to undergo IVF with a sperm donor at the age of 38, Shannon is now the mother of twins aged 2.5 and a 4 year old boy.

I sat down with Shannon for a coffee and a Croque Monsieur, to talk about how she went about starting a successful business whilst looking after three small kids…. I also took the opportunity to find out her secret time saving parenting hacks, and tips for time management when you have very little time!!

What made you decide to start a business?

I decided to start the business when I was looking for a nanny for a 1/2 day each week, to look after my own kids, when my twins were about 6 months old and I needed some time out….and I realised just how hard it is to find a nanny!! I also knew that I was being made redundant from my HR role after 14 years of employment. I have a background in childcare and HR, which helped me to know what to look for in a nanny, and to how to ask the right questions to make sure they’re the right fit for the role.

How did you get started with the business, and did you need help or advice?

I was looking for ideas (whilst walking round the block with the twins for the 50th time!!) for a business. I got some advice from a fantastic accountant on things like setting up an ABN and the financial side of things. She also introduced me to a lawyer to develop our business terms and conditions. I also used an online mothers group, North Shore Mums, where I was able to find help with everything from the logo to the website.

What does Nanny2U do?

Nanny2U is a nannying agency that specialise in finding nannies for families with twins and multiples, as well as for single children. A lot of our business comes from mums going back to work, and we find we often have mums looking for part time nannies. We also provide services for twins and newborns where a nanny can complete overnight shifts to assist with newborn care. I interview all the nannies myself, and check their credentials including working with children checks, first aid and reference checks. All the nannies I take on are experienced and reliable.

Do you need to work full time to run the business?

Some weeks I find I end up working close to full time hours, but find that running my own business allows me to work flexible hours. I often reply to emails at night time when the kids are sleeping, which allows me to spend time with the kids during the day.

How do you maintain work-life balance?

I’m lucky to have the support of my mum and dad who live around the corner, who help with looking after my kids when I need help. I also have other relatives who can help so that I can spend time with friends and have a break or some time out. When I feel like I need time out, I make sure I take it. I also try to spend one on one time with each child, to make sure they’re getting individual attention.

What are your tips for multi-tasking and staying organise with multiple children.

Routine, routine, routine!! I find a regular routine with babies is really important in the early days, and consistency with getting up, feeding, nap times and self settling. I found that being consistent early on helped all three kids to get into a good routine early on. We also have a chart on the wall with the daily routine for the kids, including having breakfast, putting shoes on etc…and they get a sticker when they get it right. My other biggest tip is not to sweat the small stuff!! If my daughter wants to wear a tutu with socks and sandles…I don’t care…. you don’t fight the battles you can’t win, and you spend less time stressing.

Thanks for the great tips Shannon!! If you’re looking for a nanny in Sydney, Nanny2U is a great place to start!!

Would you start your own business? Or are you a business owner who would like to share some tips and advice that helped you to get started? I would love to hear from you!!

Be Mindful

I’m a notorious multi-tasker. At the moment, I’ve got a load of washing on the go, am entertaining an eight month old baby, sterilising some bottles, writing a blog post, studying for a uni exam and have some trashy TV on in the background. Did I mention I also just ate some dark chocolate at so fast a pace I can barely remember eating it? Oh, and where did the glass of wine I just poured go? That’s right…I drank it at rocket speed (woooo)!! If you’re anything like me, you might on occasion (or on a regular basis…) find yourself on auto-pilot, racing through life so busy thinking about all the things you have to do that you lose sight of the present moment, and often miss out on fully engaging in the task at hand.

Pot and pot stand - Kmart

Do you ever find yourself so caught up in your thoughts that you miss out on all sorts of exciting things? Like realising that you’re halfway through a conversation with a friend, but you haven’t actually listened because you’re thinking about what a mess your house is, or you’re playing with the kids, but realise that instead of really engaging, you’re thinking about work stuff, financial stress etc…

This is where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness can be defined as “Paying attention on purpose, without judgment to our experience as it unfolds moment by moment” (Kabat-Zin, 1990).

Through regular practise of mindfulness, we can learn to remain in the present, allowing us to fully engage in the activity we are doing. Mindfulness allows us to “unhook” from our thoughts so that we can focus on what’s going on around us. A second key component of mindfulness is openness and non-judgement – this means that whilst even the most mindful of people will experience stressful thoughts, they are able to appraise them through a lens of curiosity, seeing those difficult thoughts as simply thoughts, which are neither good or bad, without the judgement and loading we usually attach to our thinking (the way we appraise our thinking subsequently affects the emotions we feel!!).

Mindfulness isn’t designed as a relaxation technique, but many people find that they feel more relaxed once they begin practising mindfulness.

“Great, where do I sign up?” you say! Just remember, like any new skill, learning mindfulness takes practice, practice, practice!! If you can allocate five to ten minutes a day to practice, you will be well on the way to improving your skills in mindfulness.

“but I barely have five minutes to shower, let alone sit and meditate!!” you say. Fear not – there are simple ways you can factor mindfulness practice into activities that you are already doing on a daily basis!! Here are some suggestions, but you can probably come up with some of your own once you get started.

Choose a particularly devious food that you enjoy (like a piece of dark chocolate). Put the piece of chocolate in your mouth, and instead of eating it faster than you can say “pass me some more,” try savouring the experience of eating the chocolate. Bring your full awareness to the chocolate. Notice the depth of flavour. Notice the smell of the chocolate. Notice the texture of the chocolate change as it melts in your mouth. Each time you find your mind wandering, gently unhook from the distracting thoughts, by bringing your awareness back to the sensory experience of eating the chocolate. If you get distracted from the delicious task at hand, remember that this is completely normal, and continue to draw your awareness back to the delicious, delicious chocolate. Repeat, as often as required 😉
Choose a tedious housework task that you don’t love, but have to do most days (this might be washing the dishes or hanging out the washing). We will use the example of washing the dishes – as you are washing the dishes, focus your awareness on the sound of the running water as you fill the sink. Notice the sound of the bubbles as you pour in the detergent. Notice the warmth of the water as you immerse your hands in to begin scrubbing the dishes. Listen for sounds – the clink of plates, the scrape of a fork on the bottom of the sink. Notice the feeling of the dishes, the slipperiness of the detergent, the feel of the bubbles. What can you feel? What can you see? Can you smell the scent of the detergent? As you do this task, your mind will wander (time and time again). Each time you notice that your mind has wandered, simply notice this has happened, and without judgement of the thoughts that have swept you away, bring your awareness back to the experience of the task of doing the dishes. Think of the task as an anchor, which you can use to bring your awareness back to the present, each time your mind wanders. If you find yourself caught up in your thoughts, try not to judge or appraise your thinking – if you need to label your thoughts, simply label them as “thinking,” then bring your awareness back to the feel, the sound, the smells etc of the task at hand.

So here are two techniques for “mindfulness on the fly.” They don’t take a lot of time, and can be factored in to your every day experiences. Just remember, the more you practice mindfulness, the better you will get!!

Would you try these techniques? I’d love to hear how you go.

Chocolate Freckle Cookies

Nothing says party time like sprinkles!! Dash and I are off to a two year old’s birthday party, and decided to make some cookies to bring along. Unfortunately Dash is still too little to eat these yet, but I’m sure they will become a favourite as he gets older!!

These were nice and easy, and the dough can be made in advance.

I used this recipe from Mums in the Mix.

Ingredients

125g butter, softened
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1½ cups plain flour
¼ cup self-raising flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
200g dark chocolate, melted
⅓ cup hundreds and thousands

Method

Beat butter, sugar and egg in small bowl with electric mixer until combined. Stir in sifted dry ingredients, in two batches.
Knead dough on floured surface until smooth; roll dough between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Cover, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees or 160 fan-forced. Grease oven trays; line with baking paper.
Cut rounds from dough using a circle cutter. Place on oven trays.
Bake for about 12 minutes, and cool on wire racks.
Spread tops of cookies with chocolate; sprinkle with hundreds and thousands (I found it easiest to put hundreds and thousands on a saucer and just dip the cookies straight in it). Set at room temperature.

Serve with a glass of milk for optimum deliciousness!

Get your flow on

Do you ever become so absorbed in an activity that you lose sense of time and space and get lost in what you’re doing? Chances are you’re experiencing flow!

Flow happens when we are fully engaged in an activity. We feel in control – it’s like time stops, and you get swept up in the activity you’re doing – no more thinking about the housework, or what to eat for dinner – you’re well and truly engaged in the task at hand!! It might happen when we’re performing a hobby like reading or yoga, or it might happen when you’re working on a task that is challenging, like an important work task or university assignment.

There are many psychological benefits to experiencing flow!! These include increased well-being, greater work/life satisfaction, reduced stress and anxiety, greater sense of self, increased productivity and increased self esteem. Short term, we’re likely to experience feelings of pleasure, happiness and satisfaction.

So what are the key elements that make flow happen!?

Participating in an activity that challenging and uses your skills to the fullest! If the task is too easy, or too difficult, then flow is unlikely to occur. With this in mind, thinking about your strengths and what you are good at, might help you to choose activities that lead you to experience flow.
Having clear goals – is your goal to practise a 30 minute set list to be able to play those songs with confidence at tonight’s gig? Is it to conduct research on positive psychology to write a university paper? To spend one hour at the gym to relax? Whatever it is, make it clear and measurable and think about what the purpose of your activity is. Think about what you need to achieve your goal including resources, and when and where you will carry out your flow enhancing activity.
Having clear and immediate feedback – can you assess your performance as you complete the task? If not, can you engage in reflection following the activity to think about what you did well or could improve on? Can a coach,supervisor or mentor give you feedback from observation?

With this in mind, which activities do you get lost in? It might be playing sport, playing a musical instrument, reading a book (or even, I hate to say….a work task!!). Can you find a way to engage in this activity every day? Whilst you might feel like you don’t have time to do things you enjoy, the positive effects of experiencing flow are likely to make you feel happier and more productive when doing the mundane stuff!!

Doing this post made me realise how much I miss picking up my guitar…it’s amazing how time disappears when you’re doing something you love!! How can you make more time for flow enhancing activities?

Lipstick: Mac - Pink Pigeon

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

It’s a cold and rainy winter’s day in Sydney….what better to do than to bake cookies!! I also suggest baking cookies in the following situations:

When avoiding doing work
When avoiding cleaning the house
When avoiding study commitments
When avoiding going to the gym!!

One of my first blog posts in 2013, was a recipe for Tollhouse cookies, one of my all time favourites!! Today I decided to try something different, with the addition of oats….and these babies were delicious!! Easy to make (and too easy to eat *hangs head in shame*). Whilst these aren’t exactly health food, the addition of oats makes them lower GI than regular chocolate chip cookies.

I used this recipe from BBC Food Network:

Ingredients:

150grams butter (room temperature)
100 grams caster sugar
80 grams tightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour (250 grams)
1&1/4 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bi-carbonate soda
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 packet milk or dark chocolate chips

Method:

Pre-heat over to 180 degrees celsius
Line baking trays with baking paper
Cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla and continue to beat with mixer until light and creamy.
In a second bowl, combine flour, bi-carb, baking powder, oats and chocolate chips
Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and beat to combine.
Roll cookies into 2cm balls, and space 5cm apart on baking trays
Bake for 8-10 minutes
Transfer to a wire rack for cooling

Don’t forget to enjoy with a glass of milk!!

dress - Yumi Kim

lipstick - Mac Pink Pigeon

Brown Butter Cake with Vanilla Cream and Strawberries

So butter is pretty delicious right? On toast, in cakes…so many buttery possibilities. Today, simple butter just became a million times better when I…..learned how to make brown butter!!

“What is this mysterious brown butter you speak of?” I hear you ask. Well, it simply involves heating the butter until the water boils away and the milk solids begin to cook, turning a toasty brown. The result is a sweet and nutty tasting butter…I followed this tutorial to learn how to do it.

I used this recipe from Raspberri Cupcakes – the original version uses cherries on top, but unfortunately I couldn’t get any cherries because they’re out of season at the moment, so I went with the humble strawberry instead.

The recipe is quite easy, but you need to brown the butter in advance, so that you can chill it, prior to use. You then need to bring it back to room temp when you’re ready to make the cake – you can make it day before and keep it in the fridge if you like.

Ingredients

150g (1 1/3 sticks) butter (I used slightly salted but unsalted is also fine)
180g plain/all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
120ml (about 1/2 cup) milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste/pure vanilla extract
175g (approx 3/4 cup) granulated sugar (I used caster/superfine)
2 large eggs

Method

Prepare the brown butter ahead of time as you will need to chill it:

Place butter in a small saucepan on low heat and stir until it melts completely.
Continue cooking, stirring frequently until the milk solids turn brown and the butter smells nutty, about 4 minutes longer (or however long it takes for the solids to brown). Take care not to burn.
Scrape the melted butter and browned solids into small bowl and chill until solidified (about half an hour in the freezer, an hour or so in the fridge). When ready to make cake, remove from the fridge long enough that the butter is soft enough to be beaten with an electric mixer.

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease an 18cm (7 inch) round cake tin (you can also use 20cm/8inch). Line the base of tin with baking paper.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix milk and vanilla together in a measuring jug.
Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat sugar and brown butter in a large bowl until blended. Increase speed to high and beat well until very pale and creamy, at least 5 minutes.
Reduce speed to medium low, add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Alternately add flour mix and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture (I did it by adding 1/4 of of the dry mixture followed by 1/3 of the wet mixture at a time). Beat until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with a spatula.
Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the outside is golden, about 35-40 minutes. Take cake not to overbake or cake will be dry.
Cool in tin for 15 minutes, then carefully turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Best served freshly baked and cooled but can be chilled in an airtight container for a couple of days.

For the cream:

300ml (about 1 1/4 cups) thickened cream, cold

1 vanilla bean pod, split and seeds scraped (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste/pure vanilla bean extract)

1/4 cup icing/confectioner’s sugar, sifted

To decorate: Fresh cherries or other fruit

(Only whip cream when ready to serve and cake is at room temperature.) Place cream in a large mixing bowl with vanilla bean seeds and icing sugar.
Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until it reaches soft peaks. Take care not to overmix.
Use a spatula to spread over the top of your cake.
Decorate with fresh cherries/strawberries or whatever fruit you like

Now all that’s left is to make the tea!! Have you discovered the wonder of brown butter?

An everyday habit that could be increasing your anxiety

There is so much evidence out there which shows that sedentary activities have a poor impact on our physical health….but what about our mental health? A new study by Taychenne et. al (2015) has found that there is a link between anxiety, and sitting down all day.

Activities such at watching TV, working at a computer or playing video games may have a link to anxiety. Results showed that the more sedentary the behaviour, the great anxiety experienced.

We don’t know why sedentary behaviours lead to anxiety, but possible reasons may include central nervous system arousal and disturbed sleep, social withdrawal from long term engagement in behaviours such as video games, or lack of physical exercise which can displace anxiety.

Whilst more evidence is needed in this area, there is a multitude of evidence out there that supports the relationship between physical activity and positive mental health.

Are you going through stress or worry? Whilst it might seem tempting to curl up on the couch and watch TV, or stay in bed with your laptop all day, this may make your anxiety worse! Physical activity is a great stress buster, and a simple walk every day is an excellent way to keep physically and mentally healthy!

Can you think of some different ways to de-stress and relax, whilst avoiding the temptation of the couch?

Raspberry Coconut Cupcakes

So I’m raspberry baked good addict now!! For those of you that saw my raspberry tea cake recipe, I’ve shaken up my usual lemon and more lemon flavour pattern to introduce the humble raspberry, king of the berries!! To make these cupcakes even better, comes the addition of delicious coconut, resulting in a truly delectable morning tea treat!!

Even better? The recipe says “put all ingredients in a bowl and mix.” You can have a batch of these babies in the oven in five minutes. Yes, yes and yes. Too easy….too delicious!!!

I used this recipe from BBC Food network:

Ingredients

175g self-raising flour
140g caster sugar
50g desiccated coconut
140g butter, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
4 tbsp milk
140g raspberries, fresh or frozen

Method

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with deep paper cases or a 15-hole bun tin with cake cases. Tip all the cake ingredients except the raspberries into a bowl and beat for 1-2 mins until light and fluffy. Gently fold in the raspberries.
Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 18-20 mins (add a couple of extra mins for deep cases), until golden brown and firm to the touch. Leave to cool

Are you a raspberry lover? Do you have any raspberry recipes you’d like to share?