The Laughing Cow Mini Cravings (review)

The Laughing Cow recently got in touch to ask if we'd like to try some of their Mini Cravings. They are individually-wrapped mini cubes of deliciously soft and creamy cheese that come in a variety of flavours. They are perfect for popping in lunchboxes and they are also great as a guilt-free snack because each cube only contains 14 calories. Be warned, you won't be able to stop at one though !

We have already tried (numerous times) and loved a very similar product in France called Apéricubes  that has been around for years, so I was intrigued to see how well the Laughing Cow Mini Cravings would compare. We received three packs and we loved all of them, even the blue cheese ones that I thought nobody would like ! The first pack was Mini Cravings Herbs with Ham & Herbs, Garlic & Herbs and Three Cheese, the second was Mini Cravings Cheese with Cheddar, Smoked Cheese and Blue Cheese and the third was Mini Cravings Original. I thought the Original ones might be a bit bland but they got an equally positive reaction as the flavoured ones.

They're lovely straight from the fridge when you fancy a quick snack that won't spoil your appetite, in picnics or even tossed into salads. They have a lovely creamy flavour that appeals equally to kids and grown-ups and the Madhouse kids are quite happy to have a handful of these in place of sweets, crisps or biscuits when they want a snack. The three packs didn't last for long and the kids have already asked if we can buy more so I can see these becoming a fridge staple.

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £2 for a 125g pack of 24 cubes

Available in the chiller aisle in Tesco, Asda, Morrison’s, Waitrose and online at Ocado from July and The Co-Op from September 2015.

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

Madhouse recipe : Slow-cooker Pork Goulash

My favourite thing about the autumn and winter is getting the slow cooker out. I love coming home from a long day at work to a lovely comforting casserole waiting for us all to tuck in with zero effort. I usually make goulash with beef but I had a pack of pork in the freezer so I used that instead.

Slow-cooker Pork Goulash

ingredients :

800g pork cubes

3 onions

3 carrots

1 red pepper

3 large mushrooms

1tbsp each of smoked paprika, caraway seeds, thyme, oregano

1 beef stock cube (or stock pot)

1 cup water

sprinkle of gravy powder (if needed to thicken)

10cl liquid crème fraîche

As this was going to be slow cooked for several hours, I just put the pork straight in, still frozen, from the freezer.

Throw in all the rest of the ingredients except for the cream and gravy granules, that need to be stirred in just before serving. And that's it ! Cook on low for 6-7 hours (or whatever suits you - I put it on at 8am as I headed off to work and it was still on the "keep warm" mode at 6.30pm when I got home from work and picking up the kids !)

#silentSunday #mySundayphoto #SundaySnap 27/9/15

My little baker boy !

Sunday weigh-in : A non-week

No change at al this week ... which is good enough. There are always blips, weightloss is never a smooth downwards path so a no-change once in a while is all par for the course. Fingers crossed it will be a loss next week.

Positives of the week

- I've started listening to the Slimpod again (which could well be why I'm so chilled out about a no-change !)

- Life is slowly starting to settle down - I've cleared most of the paperwork and extra back-to-school errands - so hopefully I'll be able to fit in some wii-fit sessions soon. I did get out geocaching which was a long walk.

Current targets 

Last week's target : Find the time (or make time) to squeeze in at least one wii fit run - stay in the 80's (half done)

This week's targets : Find the time (or make time) to squeeze in at least one wii fit run and listen to the Slimpod - stay in the 80's

Short-term targets : 

(1) get back into the 80's
(2) get my "lbs lost" back into double figures
(3)  get my "weight to lose" badge down into the 40's 
 (4)  get back to 87kg, my pre-holiday weight 
(5) get my "kg lost" badge back into double figures 
(6) get my "weight loss" badge higher than my "still to go" badge
(7) get back into my (smallest) bright blue jeans comfortably
(8) get back to 77kg - my lowest weight since my pregnancies

Longer-term targets :  Hit my target weight of 70kg.

START WEIGHT :93.7kg (BMI 34.8)

TARGET WEIGHT : 70kg (BMI 26)

WEIGHT LAST WEEK  : 89.9kg 

WEIGHT TODAY : 89.9kg (BMI 33.4)

WEIGHT LOST SO FAR :  3.8kg

STILL TO GO : 19.9kg

CHANGE THIS WEEK : -0kg

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. :)

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Madhouse recipe : Tuna & Potato Fish Cakes

This is a lovely family-friendly and frugal meal that uses nothing but store cupboard basics. I made a double batch and froze half for another day when we need something quick.

Tuna & Potato Fish Cakes

ingredients :

4 potatoes

butter/milk for mash

1 can of tuna

1 small onion, chopped very fine

3tbsp grated parmesan

2tbsp tomato concentrate

some herbs ands spices : I used lime pepper, garlic granules, paprika, salt

1 egg

dried breadcrumbs

oil for frying

Empty the tuna into a bowl. (If using tuna in brine, drain off the brine but if using tuna in oil, keep the oil in the bowl.) Add the herbs/spices, onion, parmesan and tomato concentrate.

Chop the poatoes into medium-sized pieces (I don't bother peeling them - it adds extra texture and fibre) and boil in salted water for 10-15 minutes until soft when pierced with a knife. Drain and mash with the butter and milk. You need a firm mash that isn't too runny so don't overdo the milk and butter !

Mix the tuna into the potato and leave to cool until you can work it with your hands comfortably.

Line up a work station with the bowl of tuna/potato, a dish with a beaten egg, a dish of dried breadcrumbs and a baking tray at the end.

Shape the tuna/potato mixture into patties with your hands, dip in the egg then the breadcrumbs on both sides.

Heat the oil in a pan and carefully transfer the fish cakes to the pan, turning them over halfway through the cooking time. 2-3 minutes on each side on a moderate heat should do it as it's all cooked already anyway.

I wasn't sure what to serve with these as they are already made with mash - I opted for a bag of frozen veg which worked well.

Innocent Super Smoothies review

Here at The Madhouse, we love innocent smoothies and we love innocent fruit juice - we've even recently been trying out innocent coconut water (it works really well in overnight oats) - but I have to admit, I've always been very dubious of their super smoothies. They sound uber healthy but there are just some things in them that don't appeal to me - flax seeds, echinacea and wheatgrass, for example. Last Christmas, they sent out some vouchers to try out the Super Smoothies as a little festive gift for their fans, but it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I got round to throwing some in my trolley !

We started off with the purple one - Energise, with strawberry, cherry, guarana and crushed flax seeds and vitamins b1, b2, b3, b6 and c. A closer look at the ingredients list revealed that it also contains beetroot juice which presumably gives it that purple colour. There's a lot of fruit squashed into a little 360ml bottle, and not necessarily the ones you'd first think of by looking at the label -  one and a half pressed apples, 14 red and white grapes, 3/4 of a mashed banana, 3 and a half crushed strawberries, 4 crushed cherries and 9 crushed blackcurrants.

Well, it's actually very nice. Thick and fruity with a sweet taste and no detectable hint of beetroot or flax seeds, which intitially had the kids turning up their noses. Pierre loved the fact that it gave him a red moustache too !

Buoyed by our new-found enthusiasm, we moved on to the green one - a slightly murky colour that we all found off-putting and made us think we wouldn't like it. This one is Antioxidant and contains kiwis, limes, wheatgrass and flax seeds, as well as vitamins C, E and selenium. Looking at the ingredients list revealed more things that had them squealing "yuck" - cucumber, pumpkin, spirulina ... It's also packed with fruit - one and a half pressed apples, half a mashed banana, half a crushed kiwi, 8 white grapes, a quarter of a crushed mango and a dash of lime juice.

We poured it into several glasses, all had a tentative sip pulling "this is going to be horrible" faces ... then all erupted into spontaneous "hmmmmms" ! It's actually really nice, although Madhouse Daddy found it too sweet.

It has a natural fruity taste that is really refreshing - and Pierre got another coloured moustache to make him smile !

All those vitamins and minerals seemed to go to Sophie's head. Either that or they turned her into a sealion !

Now that we've been brave enough to try them, we'll definitely be buying them again. They come in family-friendly big 750ml cartons too which would be great for the breakfast table. Each serving contains two of your five a day. The only downside is that they are quite expensive and also pretty heavy on the calories and sugar - over 200 calories and 40-50g of sugar per 360ml serving - but at least it all comes from the fruit.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £2.35 per 360ml bottle, £3.39 for 750ml (but look out for offers - you can currently get the big cartons on 3 for £5 at ASDA or £2 each at ASDA or Tesco)

for more information : http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/super-smoothies

Book review : Killer Collectors - R.J. Harries

This year saw the 70th anniversary of VE Day but there are still certain aspects of the Second World War that remain shrouded in mystery. The whereabouts of the innumerable works of art looted by the Nazis is one of them and it forms the basis of R.J. Harries' latest book, Killer Collectors.

We meet Francesca and Dylan Morgan, who, along with their father Max, run a family business selling forged paintings based on some of those that were taken and presumably destroyed during the war. Their family home in Wales, based on the real-life Island Farm in Bridgend, was a WWII prisoner of war camp and their grandfather managed to glean useful information from some of the Nazi prisoners about the appearance and location of many of the looted masterpieces. Eventually, they pick on the wrong person - a ruthless and very shady Russian millionaire who doesn't appreciate being taken for a fool - and the whole family finds themselves searching for a way to stay alive, along with the lost masterpieces.

The author tries to give the Morgans some redeeming features - they donate a small cut of their profits to charity and they only target self-important private collectors who want to show off their wealth rather than really appreciate the art or release it for public viewing - but I found them almost as bad as the people they were conning. This meant that I didn't really empathise with them and felt that they pretty much got what they deserved, with karma coming back to bite them on the bum !

The first half of the book was quite slow but the pace really picked up in the second half, to the point where the explosive finale was almost too full-on, with so much going on in a few pages that I wished we had more time to really savour the downfall of the villains. 

It's an enjoyable read which deals with an interesting real-life historical mystery. There are numerous twists and turns to keep the reader interested but it did lack realism at times - I'm sure it could be made into a great Hollywood blockbuster though !

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £7.99

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (28 May 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1512300292
• ISBN-13: 978-1512300291
• Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 1.7 x 22.9 cm

Disclosure : I received the book in order to write an honest review.

Globecooking recipe : Frango Churrasco (Brazil)

As soon as I saw this Brazilian-inspired recipe on the BBC Good Food website, I knew I wanted to try it out. It has a lovely zesty, spicy marinade and, even better, only uses things that I already had in my kitchen cupboards. Here's my version but make sure you check out the original too.

 Frango Churrasco

ingredients :

3 chicken breasts

2tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp mild piri-piri sauce

2 tbsp soft brown sugar (I'm still using my Colombian panela)

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

to serve : a sprinkle of Brazilian churrasco spices (optional)

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken to form a thick marinade.

Use to coat the chicken on both sides and leave in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Grill or fry in a little olive oil on both sides until cooked all the way through. I sprinkled some Brazilian Churrasco spices over the chicken at the last minute to look pretty, but you could leave them out or use chilli flakes instead.

Serve with rice and mango salsa. (Combine the flesh of one mango, half a red pepper, 1/2 a small onion and a sprinkle of thyme then chill in the fridge for a while.)

*** Don't miss my country-by-country globecooking recipe index ! ***

Looking for more Brazilian inspiration? How about Beef Churrasco & Farofa, Chocolate Brigadeiros, Coconut Quindim or Moqueca de Peixe ?

What's Cooking at The Madhouse? menu plan 25/9/15

I've been searching through my globecooking recipe boxes to see what still needs making so this should be a cosmopolitan menu plan ! The main influence will be Sri Lankan as that was this month's box. (Recipes to follow !)

Saturday 

lunch - tuna fish cakes with spicy wedges and peas

dinner - Kadai Chicken with hoppers

Sunday

lunch - roast dinner - maybe chicken, maybe pork - with roast potatoes, carrots, peas, gravy ...

dinner - sandwich or soup

Monday 

dinner - chicken and veg pie with mash and gravy

Tuesday 

dinner - Crispy Medu Vada-style Lentil Fritters with coconut chutney and rice

Wednesday 

lunch - enchiladas

dinner - chicken and veg stir-fried noodles

Thursday 

dinner - Sri Lankan chicken biryani

Friday

dinner - gado gado salad

***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 !

Globecooking : Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (USA)

I make a pretty mean macaroni cheese from scratch but I've always wanted to try genuine American Kraft Mac & Cheese. I was pretty sure I'd turn my nose up and think it tasted of plastic but I wanted to try it all the same, just to tick it off my culinary bucketlist, so when I saw some on the shelf at Tesco's, I couldn't resist and threw it straight in my trolley.

There's just something so iconic about the blue box and the blurb on the packaging makes it sound like an unmissable part of American life. "Congratulations, you just picked up a box of delicious gooey macaroni & cheese dinner. Chances are you'll be serving it to your kids but at the same time helping yourself to a spoonful or two. Don't worry, we understand. It's the same classic cheesy taste you know and love from your own childhood, so go ahead, dig in." Well, how could I say no to an invitation like that ?!

The first thing I noticed is how small the macaroni is. You can't really tell from this photo but it's about a third of the size of the regular macaroni I use.

The important thing is the cheese sauce powder - aaah just look at that colour, so yellow it almost looks toxic ! I was surprised to see that once the macaroni is cooked and drained, you just throw it back in the pan with some margarine and milk and stir in the chesse sauce powder with no extra cooking required.

I was dubious to say the least but I must admit, we all loved the taste and it did create a lovely creamy sauce. I didn't really expect to be a fan but I'd definitely buy this again. All I need to know is what gives the sauce that lovely cheesiness - I'll be experimenting at home but it's probably all E-numbers !

*** Don't miss my country-by-country globecooking recipe index ! ***

Fancy some more American dishes? How about Brownie Cookies, New York Baked Cheesecake, Parmesan Chicken

Parmesan Chicken Breast, PBJ Sandwiches & Cookies, Reuben Sandwich or Slow Cooker BBQ Beef ?