Picture book review : Pirates Don't Drive Diggers - Alex English

When I saw the title of the latest picture book sent through from Maverick for review, I knew it would be a winner because Pierre loves both diggers and pirates. A closer look revealed that Pirates Don't Drive Diggers is by Alex English, author of Yuck! Said The Yak, that we reviewed last year. (Click through to see what we thought.)

We meet the hapless Brad who really isn't cut out to be a pirate. He gets everything wrong, much to Pierre's delight, and when he is told off, he explains that he doesn't want to be a pirate, he wants to drive diggers. He doesn't get a choice though, which led to an interesting discussion about being what you want to be and following your dreams, regardless of your sex or what your family says.

Brad tries to conform but has a stroke of genius that combines the best of both worlds - he can be a pirate and dig up the hidden treasure ... with a digger !

We loved how he found a compromise that kept everyone happy and once we'd finished the story, we had to go back to the beginning and start all over again, this time looking at the cute illustrations by Duncan Beedie. The whole story is written in rhyme which is always great fun for reading aloud. I can see this one becoming a bedtime fave !

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £6.99

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Maverick Arts Publishing (28 May 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848861737
• ISBN-13: 978-1848861732
• Product Dimensions: 26.6 x 0.5 x 26.3 cm

Disclosure : We received a copy of the book in order to write an honest review.

Madhouse recipe : Beetroot, Goat's Cheese & Basil Toastie

Take two slices of freshly baked bread. (Or you could buy a crusty loaf from the baker's.)

Spread one side of each slice with margarine or butter.

Heat a frying pan and lay one slice of bread buttered side down. Lay slices of beetroot on top. (Freshly baked or boiled, not pickled - although that might work too. Let me know if you try it !)

Add a layer of goat's cheese.

Add some fresh basil.

Slap the other slice of bread on top, buttered side up. Press down on top slightly with a fish slice then carefully flip the whole thing over. (You might like to put a plate on top then turn the whole frying pan over before sliding it back in.)

Wait a few minutes for the second side to toast slightly then transfer to a plate and cut in half.

It's a nice refreshing mixture of flavours and is a more summery option than the usual heavy cheese and ham options.

#silentSunday #mySundayphoto #SundaySnap 28/6/15

Sunday weigh-in : A Week of Calm

This week has been calmer - everything is winding up at work and we only have one week to go until the holidays - phew ! It's been a week of exam invigilating though so there were two mornings that started with mini pain au chocolat/pain au raisin/croissants in the staffroom at work - tasty but full of calories ! Next week will end with a big pot luck dinner too and a farewell drinks party for all the teachers and staff who are moving on next year.

This week the scales revealed a 300g loss - that'll do, at least it's going in the right direction !

Positives of the week

- Stress levels have dropped dramatically - I wanted a week of chilling and that was what I got !

Current targets 

Last week's target : Lose the 1kg I put back on this week. Find time to chill out and regroup before hitting the wii fit regularly again. (good enough)

This week's targets : Get back on track - listen to the slimpod, get a couple of wii fit runs in and get menu planning with lots of salads and fruit. Aim to get down to the lower end of the 86's.

Short-term targets : 21kg to lose sounds a lot but breaking it down, aiming for 1kg a week, that's only about 5 months - plenty of time for heading off to Turkey in August !

first target, get my "weight to lose" badge down into the 40's (it's currently on 51lb) (done),
 second goal - get back to 85.9kg, my pre-xmas weight (done )
third goal : get my "kg lost" badge back into double figures 
fourth goal : get my "weight loss" badge higher than my "still to go" badge
fifth goal : get back into my (smallest) bright blue jeans comfortably
sixth goal : get back to 77kg - my lowest weight since my pregnancies

Longer-term targets :  Hit my target weight of 68kg. 

START WEIGHT :93.7kg

TARGET WEIGHT : 67.8kg

WEIGHT LAST WEEK  : 87.3kg 

WEIGHT TODAY : 87.0kg

WEIGHT LOST SO FAR :  6.7kg

STILL TO GO : 19.2kg

CHANGE THIS WEEK : -0.3kg

Feel free to add your weightloss posts to my weekly linkie - it's great to see how everyone else has been getting on and give each other support and encouragement. You can even grab the linkie code and add it to your own blog if you like. :)

get the InLinkz code

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

 MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Schwartz Authentic Indian Range review

Schwartz have created a new range of Authentic Indian spice mixes and they sent us some to try out. Whatever your favourite takeaway option, whether you like it mild and creamy or hot and spicy, there's something to suit all tastes with the choice of Balti (ideal with chicken or prawns, medium 2 chilli rating, cook in 25 minutes), Rogan Josh (ideal with chicken or lamb, medium 2 chilli rating, cook in 1 hour), Biryani (ideal with chicken or lamb, medium 2 chilli rating, cook in 30 minutes) and Korma (ideal with chicken or prawns, mild 1 chilli rating, cook in 25 minutes).

I decided to try out the Biryani one first and followed their recipe suggestion, adding chicken, onion, rice, a tin of chopped tomatoes and some frozen peas. As I tipped the contents of the sachet into the pan, I was impressed to see that it has some large flecks of herbs and spices, so it looks more authentic and fresh than anything that would come out of a jar of curry powder.

It was as quick and simple to create as promised and it wasn't too spicy - it had a slight kick so the youngest Madhouse kids didn't like it but Sophie thought it was nice, which shows how mild it was !

We've also tried the Korma one, which is extremely mild and totally kid friendly. I followed the recipe, using chicken and mixing up the sachet with milk to create a creamy sauce. I went a bit freestyle and added in some mushrooms with the chicken then made it fruity by adding some raisins and sliced banana at the end of the cooking time. This one got a thumbs up from the whole family, which is never the case when I use jars of curry sauce, because they find them too spicy.

The seasoning sachets are a great compromise between cooking from scratch and using a ready-made sauce. You don't have to spend ages grinding up whole spices or carefully selecting ingredients from your spice rack but you get a fresher, more delicate flavour than a shop bought jar of curry sauce, which often swamps everything and makes it too sloppy. As the seasoning sachets only cost just over a pound each, even when you factor in the rest of the ingredients, it's definitely a cheaper option than ordering an Indian takeaway and you know exactly what's gone into it.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £1.08 for a 35g sachet

Disclosure : We received the products in order to write an honest review.

Book review : Tales of the Zodiac : The Goat's Tale - P.J. Hetherhouse

Tales of the Zodiac is the ambitious literary project of P.J. Hetherhouse, which he describes as "the characters of the zodiac re-imagined as apocalyptic knights of the round table, telling their story one by one". The series is inspired by Celtic mythology, Arthurian legend and, most importantly, astrology but above all, it's a cracking adventure story of epic proportions.

I'm certainly no expert in the signs of the zodiac and their different characteristics - the closest I get is a quick, half-hearted glance at my daily horoscope when I log on to check my emails ! - but I was very impressed by the symbolism in the personification of Gruff "The Goat", the main character in the first book, The Goat's Tale, representing capricorn.

Gruff is the sixteen-year-old son of a goatherd - the first link to his star sign - and as well as being sure-footed and agile, qualities that his goatherding duties have finely honed, he is stubborn, independent, ambitious, adaptable and resourceful. Despite the layers of astrological symbolism, he remains a credible and multi-faceted character and it was interesting to see his personality develop throughout his story.

At the beginning of the book, we see him at school, where he has been awarded a scholarship, refusing to back down and pander to the whims of the king by allowing the podgy and really rather useless (in all things sporty, at least) prince win a sports competition created in his honour. With dogged determination and despite the various attempts to make him quit, he wins the Prince Libran Cup. For his pains, the furious King sends him on a dangerous quest to a distant island to bring back the being who is hailed as the returned Son of God. Along the way, he will meet up with several other interesting characters who become his allies and who will soon get to tell their own stories in subsequent episodes that I'm really looking forward to reading.

The atmosphere is distinctly medieval but at the beginning of the book, during one of the boys' lessons about the ancient artefacts made of a strange lost material known as plastic, we realise that we are actually far into the future, where Mother Nature has resumed control and the human race has regressed back to its feudal past.

The book works well as a stand-alone novel - after the exciting adventure story of the trek, I enjoyed the satirical look at the new religion and its sect-like leader - but there are enough loose ends and hints thrown out to keep up interest in the rest of the series. I wasn't sure how the concept would work but I was actually very impressed - even if the story itself isn't hugely original, the author's storytelling skills make it very readable.

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £10

• Paperback: 468 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (8 May 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1512107077
• ISBN-13: 978-1512107074
• Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 2.7 x 20.3 cm

Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book.

Ocado have just delivered some awesome 4th July treats ! (review)

photo by Vinoth Chandar

Next week sees 4th July (Independence Day) coming round once again, making it the perfect excuse for splashing out on some all-American foodie treats. Ocado have some fabulous offers coming up from 1st to 7th July on their lovely authentic American products and they sent us through a selection to try out. The delivery man was greeted with squeals of excitement ... and that was just from me !

The first thing that got a big smile from Sophie was the box of Lucky Charms cereal, because apparently it's Zoella's favourite cereal. I've been told I'm definitely NOT allowed to use this one in fridge cakes ! (On 3 for 2 offer, Was £15.00, Now £10.00) (Looking on the Ocado website, they don't have the Lucky Charms with 5 New Clover Hats in stock yet, but they do have "Lucky Charms now with 3 rainbows" for £5 for a 454g box and Chocolate Lucky Charms £5 for 339g)

I love the look of the Reese's Puffs cereal too - eating Reese's Peanut Butter Cup flavoured cereal for breakfast just seems deliciously naughty and it really does taste of peanut butter. (currently £5 for 368g - check back for offers)

Another naughty but nice breakfast option is Pop Tarts, in Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae flavour no less. I remember how excited I was in the 1980s when Pop Tarts came to our shores for the first time, seemingly straight out of the US sitcoms and movies ! They can be eaten straight from the pack or warmed in the microwave and the Madhouse kids love them as an occasional after-school treat. (£3.50 for a box of 8, some varieties on "buy any 3 for £6" offer)

 Staying on the breakfast and/or after-school treat theme, Bisquick Pancake & Baking Mix is perfect for making American style pancakes. According to the pack, it can also be used for Waffles, Ultimate Chicken Fingers, Oven-Baked Chicken, Strawberry Shortcakes, Biscuits or Dumplings (currently £5.15 for 1.13kg - check back for offers)

 They might be rather nice topped with Marshmallow Fluff, but I know  that that is also utterly delcious sandwiched between two digestive biscuits smeared in Nutella as instant S'mores - yum ! (Save 1/3 – Was £2.00, Now £1.33)

You can't have a 4th July celebration without a barbecue so I also received Beaver Coney Island Hot Dog Mustard (can't you just smell the popcorn, candy floss and ocean breeze ?!) and also some French's Classic Yellow Mustard. (Save 1/3 – Was £1.79, Now £1.19)

Check back out for an awesome range of American candy next week too. Here's a roundup of the great offers coming up :

US Favourites (Offers Valid: 1^st – 7^th July)

·       Lucky Charms 454g – 3 for 2 – Was £15.00, Now £10.00

·       French's Classic Yellow Mustard 397g – Save 1/3 – Was £1.79, Now £1.19

·       Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey 70cl – Save £6 – Was £25.00, Now £19.00

·       Marshmallow Fluff 213g – Save 1/3 – Was £2.00, Now £1.33

·       Demet's Flipz White Fudge Pretzels 100g – Save 1/3 – Was £2.00, Now £1.53

Top Offers (Offers Valid: 1^st – 7^th July)

·       Moy Park British Chicken Breast Fillets 425g -  Half Price – Was £5.99, Now £3.00

·       Taylor's of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea Bags 80 per pack – Half Price – Was £2.24, Now £1.17

·       Seriously Strong Mature Cheddar 350g – Half Price – Was £4.00, Now £2.00

·       Jacob's Mini Cheddars 15pk 15 per pack – Half Price -  Was £3.99, Now £1.70

·       Plenish Mind Body Green Cold Pressed Juice 250ml – Half Price – Was £5.95, Now £2.98

Grand Prix Deals (Office Valid: 1^st – 5^th July)

·       G. H. Mumm Cordon Rouge F1 Champagne NV 75cl – Save £12 – Was £33.49, Now £21.49

·       Phileas Fogg American Bubble Chip, Louisiana Sweet & Smokey BBQ 150g – Half Price – Was £1.99, Now £1.00

·       The Licktators General Custard Vanilla Custard Ice Cream 500ml – Buy 1 Get 1 Free – Was £9.98, Now £4.99

·       Old Speckled Hen 9 x 355ml -  Save 20% - Was £9.00, Now £6.00

·       Pizza Express 8" Margherita 245g – Buy any 2 for £6 – Was £9.00, Now £6.00

Disclosure : We received the products in order to write an honest review.

Giveaway #488 : Win a bundle of Minions books - closing date 10/7

Today sees the release of the long-awaited Minions movie and I have a fabulous giveaway to celebrate the occasion.

Centum Books, the UK’s leading creative children’s publisher, has obtained the rights to publishing for the Minions movie and has created a range of titles that will appeal to any young fan. The titles include the Minions Novel, Picture Book, 1000 Sticker Book, Seek and Find and Fun Book. They sent some to us and the Madhouse kids were absolutely over the moon !

The Seek & Find book (RRP £6.99) - 24 pages to test your observation skills. If you like Where's Wally, you'll love scrutinising the Minion-themed pictures. It's great fun by yourself but we also like to get competitive to see who can get there first !

Minions Story Book : Long Live King Bob (RRP £6.99) - This is a lovely quality, hardbacked reading book with beautiful glossy pages and loads of full-colour images from the film. We haven't seen the film yet so loved discovering the hilarious story of Bob becoming the King of England (especially when the royal guards all end up with yellow bearskins !)

Fun Book (£6.99) - A 96-page hardback book that is great fun for slightly older kids who can read and write because it has loads of bits to fill in with your inventions and secret plans for world domination ! There are facts, profiles and quizzes to read and you can also get more hands on with stickers.

Minions Junior Novel (£5.99) - One for older kids who are quite confident readers - a 144 page paperback novel, perfect for getting less enthusiastic readers to pick up a book during the holidays !

Minions Mega Sticker Book (RRP £7.99) - 32 pages and over 1000 stickers, sure to keep young fans of any age busy during the long summer holidays, sticking but also colouring, doodling and solving puzzles. Again, Pierre (aged 5) and Juliette (aged 10) sat down playing with this one together, so it appeals to a wide range of ages.

Centum have kindly offered to send a bundle of all five Minions books to one lucky Madhouse Family Reviews reader. Just fill in your entries in the Rafflecopter widget below :

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only. Closing date : 10/7/15

T & C's : Entries close at midnight on the closing date. Winners will be selected with a random number generator and announced on facebook, twitter and in the giveaway post subject line. Please note, you will be contacted by email and/or twitter and if I haven't heard from you after a week, I'll have to pick another winner. Prizes will be sent out by the companies or their PR directly to winners. Madhouse Family Reviews cannot be held responsible for any prizes that go astray !

Other giveaways you may be interested in :

Giveaway #487 : Win a Slim+Trim Kiqplan 12-week personalised training plan - closing date 3/7

Giveaway #486 : Win a selection of Bonne Maman cakes & biscuits - closing date 30/6

What's Cooking at The Madhouse? menu plan 25/6/15

Unbelievable to think that this is the last week at work before we get 2 months off - wahoo !

Saturday 

lunch - probably a trip to McDonald's where the kids can let off some steam in the soft play, but if we stay at home, Spanish omelette/tortillas

dinner - toasted sandwiches - possibly with spinach and caramelised onion, possibly with beetroot, or I wouldn't be surprised if everyone just wants plain cheese and ham !

Sunday

lunch - either a roast or a bbq

dinner - leftovers or a sandwich

Monday 

dinner - Shipsu Pasta - a #readcookeat recipe involving chicken, walnuts and possibly pomegranate

Tuesday 

dinner - lasagne or cannelloni

Wednesday 

lunch -  Turkish flatbread and fish fritters with salad and rice

dinner - aïoli, a dish from the south of France including garlic mayonnaise with cold potatoes, vegetables, salad and fish (I need to check the exact recipe, or I might just make up my own version depending on what's in the fridge !)

Thursday 

dinner - a #KitchenClearout sachet - maybe Mexican Chicken or Spanish Chicken, with tortilla wraps, rice and salad

Friday

dinner - cheesy mince hotpot

***Click on my Menu Plans tag to see all my other weekly menu plan blogposts.***

Want to see what everyone else is eating ? Head over to Meal Planning Monday at Mrs M's blog !

Kiddylicious Yoghurty Melts review

Kiddylicious recently sent us through some of their Yoghurty Melts to try out. They come in Strawberry or Passion Fruit & Peach flavours and the packaging says that they are suitable for ages 12 months to grown up !

I wasn't at all sure what to expect but it certainly wasn't what came out of the packet - the texture looks really weird ! It's kind of like a drier, crunchier, non chocolate Wispa, full of little bubbles. It crunches satisfyingly when you chew it and fizzes slightly on your tongue then the zingy fruity flavours come through.

I couldn't work out how they got that texture so I went to investigate - it's fruit (strawberry and banana for the strawberry ones and, unsurprisingly, peach and passion fruit for the peach and passion fruit ones !) whizzed up with yoghurt and freeze dried into delicious little melt in the mouth pieces.

They're actually very tasty and surprisingly healthy. The ingredients list is reassuringly short : Apple purée concentrate, Skimmed milk yoghurt (29%), Sugar, Peach purée, Natural tapioca starch, Passion fruit juice concentrate (3%) for the peach & passion fruit ones and Apple purée concentrate, Banana purée, Sugar, Natural tapioca starch, Strawberry purée (4%), Black carrot juice concentrate for the strawberry ones. No hidden nasties (except maybe black carrot juice ?!) and no added preservatives, colours or artificial flavours, salt, wheat or gluten, nuts, seeds or egg. They're suitable for coeliacs and vegetarians.

Each large pack only weighs 26g because they are so light and frothy. A portion is given as 6g - just over a quarter of a pack which is a reasonable amount - and contains just 21 calories, less than 0.5g of fat and 2.7g of sugar, which means that I may have to adopt these as my new favourite guilt-free healthy snack !

I was in the middle of a tidy up when the kids arrived and said they were hungry. I said that I had a new kiddie snack they could try, arranged it all artfully for a photo and before I could get there to take a snap, they were both digging in with glee, making appreciative noises ! I couldn't complain though because as soon as I'd taken the photo, I joined them !

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £2 for 26g

available at Tesco's and Ocado

for more information : http://www.kiddylicious.co.uk/category-product/yoghurty-melts/

Disclosure : We received the product in order to write an honest review.