A Different Sort of Advent Calender

I spent a bit of time today preparing Jacinda's first ever Advent Calender for the rapidly approaching month of December.

I was delighted to find these mini stockings in a local gift shop and am excited that we can re-use them for many years to come, as well as fill them up with healthy treats that Jacinda will love.  So-far I have popped in some tasty Frooze Balls (made from dried fruit and nuts), dried pineapple and some pretty hair ties.

If anybody else has Advent Calender ideas I would love to hear them.

The November Garden

We have recently moved house, this meant we had to empty our garden boxes and start from scratch again! 

So, our new November garden now contains Tomatoes, Lettuce, Beetroot, Strawberry, Basil and Coriander.....as well as lots of Marigolds to keep the bugs away. I am particularly looking forward to growing the lettuces since we eat a lot of salads over the summer, it is such a simple pleasure to pop out to the garden and pick a few fresh leaves, and since they grow so rapidly in the warm weather I rarely need to buy more.

Also suitable for planting in November:

Spinach
Silverbeet
Capsicums
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant
Leek
Melons
Onions
Pumpkins
Spring Onions
Zucchini

Salmon Salad, Kelp and Iodine

Well, I'm now coming up to the 20 week mark of my second pregnancy and I finally feel like the days of exhaustion and morning sickness are behind me (hence the long absence of posts on my blog!)

Over the past months my diet has consisted solely of whatever eased the nausea. Usually that meant toast, so it felt good to whip up this fresh summer salad tonight!

Here's How....

Ingredients:
Smoked Salmon
Lettuce Leaves
Avocado
Cucumber
Sugar Snap Peas
Lightly Steamed Fresh Asparagus (had to leave this out tonight as I forgot to buy it, aaargh!)
'Kelp Salt'

Method: Place all ingredients in a big bowl and toss.

  In New Zealand Iodine supplements are advised for pregnant women, however I have chosen to get my Iodine in the natural form of Kelp. This 'Kelp Salt' is a mixture of Sea Salt and Kelp Flakes and is a simple way ensure adequate Iodine.