Scrambled Egg, Chorizo & Halloumi Lunch

This recipe is a great filling lunch for one, full of good fats and protein, perfect for a post-work out meal. I will be honest; this concoction came together by pure fluke with left over ingredients left in the fridge and resulted in this wonderfully enjoyable meal one afternoon.

Our Visit To Santa

This year I decided to book the kids to see Santa at our local garden centre, Ruxley Manor. This will be Melis' fourth Christmas and Luca's second, although he was only 10 days old for his first Christmas, this year the excitement coming from my 3 nearly 4 year old has had me in the happiest of Christmas spirits and can't wait to see their faces on Christmas day!

My First Trip To Wembley!

It may not seem like much but this post is about a Bucket List goal achieved as I have always wanted to go to Wembley to watch a football match. I'm not a massive die hard football fanatic but I enjoy watching football.

Chicken & Mushroom Pie

Chicken and mushroom pie is my all time favourite pie but I have a confession, I have never had a traditional English Pie, Mash and Liquor.. it is on my list of things to do! But for the time being a homemade pie is my next best thing, I'm not a fan of buying the shop made pies as you can never be sure what type of meat has been used or have control on the amount of salt used. This recipe is so easy to follow and using puff pastry instead of short crust makes it quicker and easier to make. 

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Growing up I loved my Mother's winter soups. Autumn/ Winter is my Mums favourite time of the year and it really reflected in her cooking as she would make completely different meals for me and my sisters. She would cook stews, different types of soups and Turkish soups and more comfort food style meals served with warm breads and rice.

Kabakli Börek // Pumpkin Filled Pastries

Halloween may be over but it is still pumpkin season and if you love vegetables like butternut squash you will love some pumpkin in your winter dinners. Pumpkins can also be used in sweet dishes and this recipe is on of my favourite Turkish pastry treats, filled with pumpkin, raisins, rice and sugar, it makes the prefect filling for some bread like pastry bakes that are perfect with a nice pot of tea during the autumn/ winter months. 

My Childhood Slow-Roasted Chicken Thighs

I've mentioned before how much we love chicken in our house and this was the same growing up. My  Nene and Mum would always use chicken in all their cooking, whether it was chicken wings to create a broth for homemade soups or roasted chicken of some sort. This recipe is one that reminds me of my childhood, Roasted Chicken Thighs, Turkish Cypriot style! This recipe is so easy to make and you can just leave it to cook in the oven for hours and it makes the house smell so delicious. If you like more red meat in your diet this recipe can be used with Lamb Necks, which is another dish my Mum would make.

Banana & Pear Muffins

We love fruit in our house, we have fruit snacks all the time. Melis is really into baking at the moment and she asked for some banana cakes, so we decided to make some muffins. We had so much fun making these and they were so easy to make and very tasty. We enjoyed them as a treat with a lovely cup of Roobios tea.

Creamy Paprika Chicken

Time literally got away from me the last few weeks and its been a whole month since I last blogged, I have been super busy with my babies and family things. This month beautybakingbella is back with new regular posts. 

Here is a lovely dish that I threw together a few weeks ago and absolutely loved and was a winner with the whole family. It is so quick and easy to make and even my 9 month old loved it. 

Gluten Free Vanilla Shortbread Biscuits

Wednesday's seem to have become a baking day in our house. This week on GBBO it was Biscuit Week so Melis and I decided to bake some Short- Bread Biscuits. We have been experimenting with Gluten free foods and recipes lately so we decided to incorporate this in our baking too. We had so much fun baking these and Melis has really taken to being in the kitchen and making lots of food and sweet treats with me, which I am loving. So here are a few photos and our Gluten Free Vanilla Shortbread Biscuits..

Coffee & Himalayan Salt Body Scrub

Over the past few years I have really being doing my research into buying more natural and organic beauty products and if you have read my post Coco For Coconut Oil you will know how much I love the stuff and use it a lot in replacement for beauty products. One morning I was cleaning my kitchen when I came across a coffee container with only a quarter amount of coffee granules left so I decided to throw together a coffee body scrub. I have made scrubs in the past using a lot of ingredients you find in the kitchen but I haven't tried making anything in a long time so I decided to give it a go.

Cacao Chocolate Cake Recipe

Last night the Great British Bake Off 2016 kicked off and in honour me and my little princess baked a cake and in true beauty baking bella style we decided to create our own recipe of a healthier (if thats possible) cake recipe that my little girl could enjoy as well as I on my healthy eating journey. I don't believe in diets and weigh-loss programmes, I believe eating well and weekly exercise is key to create a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Reading With My Children

Reading with my children is something I have done with them both since they were little bumps in my tummy. I love reading and have done from a very young age, whether its reading by myself or reading aloud, it helped me improve my speech and language when I was growing up.  I grew up bilingual, my first language being Turkish and my second language being English. Both my parents are Turkish Cypriot so at home it was all Turkish speaking until I started Reception Year where I started to learn to speak English.

Spicy Beef & Rice Noodles

Here is a quick and easy recipe that is a great source of protein, great for a post work out meal and a great one for meal prep for the next day or for later, as you can freeze it too. In my house we love chicken but it is nice when we change things up a bit and use beef, lamb or even turkey. This is a yummy beef recipe that can be cooked to how ever you like your steak cooked and it really is so easy to make. 

A Simple Carrot Cake Recipe

I love Baking! I have loved baking since I was a little girl, I was always in the kitchen with my mum and Nene's (Grandmother's) cooking and baking up lots of turkish food and sweet pastries, cakes and all sorts. I find baking so therapeutic and calming and one day I would love my little babies to enjoy cooking and baking with me. Melis is already showing signs that she likes being in the kitchen with me as she asks me all the time if we can make cakes.

Turmeric & Oregano Chicken

I love chicken! Chicken is my favourite meat and in my house we have it at least two to three times a week. Its such a good source of protein and if cooked in a healthy way a great compliment to your daily veggies and salads. This recipe is great for a light and healthy but filling meal perfect after a busy day or as a post-gym meal and its a winner with the kids! 

Spanish Style Brunch

When I make a paella I always seem to have some chorizo left over and late one Sunday morning I decided to use it to make a Spanish Style Brunch.

A Quick Summer Pasta Salad

The summer weather can make planning dinner a little difficult when you have less of an appetite and the kids are too busy playing in the garden to stop for food. So I threw together a quick and easy dinner for the whole family, keeping it healthy and nutritious and would be perfect meal prep for lunch as well as dinner the next day. Here is my recipe for a lovely and healthy summer pasta salad..

Fairy Hunt at Ruxley Manor

Last week was the first week of the school summer holidays and even though we are not at school age yet Hubby took a week off to enjoy some family time. So we took our little preschooler to our local garden centre; who ever year during the summer holidays, put on a free Fairy Hunt for the kiddies. Ruxley Manor Garden Centre is a family run garden centre, literally around the corner from where I grew up so I was there a lot with my mum when she would buy her lovely plants and bits for the garden. I now take my children and love it just as much as I did as a child. The beautiful gardens with such an amazing variety of plants, trees, garden and home bits with a kids play area and the Mulberry Cafe, perfect for breakfast, teas, coffee and cakes. It really is a lovely place for an afternoon out with the kids.

Our 4th Wedding Anniversary Date Night

I don't really do many posts about what I get up to (something I'm trying to work on) I intend to but just never do! So today I thought I would, while drinking my morning Green Tea, write about what a lovely evening my husband and I had last night celebrating our 4th Wedding Anniversary.

How To Achieve The Perfect Sunless Tan

With summer now officially in full swing we long to spend the summer days drenching ourselves in the sunshine longing for that gorgeous sun kissed skin. As lovely as that all sounds being in the mid day sun is no good for the skin cells and can cause many skin issues in the future for example pigmentation, dark spots and even cancer or other skin diseases. This is why it important to use suncream to suit your skin, even if you are not in direct sun light to protect the skin and also help achieve safer tanning. 

Homemade Tortilla Chips & Guacamole Recipe

I love experimenting with food, if I go somewhere and taste something I love I will come home and try and recreate my own version. I love cooking up new recipes and trying to change things up a bit but sometimes its nice to keep things nice and simple. 

The Perfect Chocolate Brownie Recipe

I absolutely love chocolate, it is actually the only sweet thing I like to eat as I do prefer more savoury snacks, although brownies are my favourite! 

This is actually the first time I have ever made brownies and when I was browsing for a recipe I just couldn't find one where I was happy with all the ingredients used. I decided to try my own recipe and threw a load of ingredients I had and was happy using together and voilà.. they were very yummy and a hit with both my husband and daughter so the recipe is now in my personal cook book.

Our Baby Weaning Schedule

Weaning is one of my favourite stages, I loved it with both my babies as I love cooking up great healthy food for my whole family. This time I thought I would dedicate a post to our weaning journey so far with baby number two and it has been brilliant. I decided to do what I did with my daughter and do both Baby Led Weaning and Spoon Feeding and both have been very successful.

My Birthday Celebrations

This post is a little late as my birthday was at the beginning of the month but hey ho parenting comes first :) This year my birthday celebrations were spread out over a week and a bit, spending time with both close friends and family. 

I will warn you that this post will mainly be a gallery of my photos from my birthday celebrations as the photos are mainly food haha...I do like to eat! 

Teething Essentials

Teething!! Oh how different it has been the second time around. With my first you would mention teething and I would ask "What is that?" We was lucky with our daughter, teething was never an issue, all her teeth came through with no problem at all. We used a bit of Bonjela Teething gel and lots of things to pop in her mouth and before we knew it all her teeth were through and that was it!

Ramadan Mubarak

A month of reflection, spiritual growth, patience, forgiveness & compassion for the less fortunate. 

Mustela Baby Skincare

Baby's skin can be so sensitive not just in the first few weeks but as they grow different factors can affect their precious little skin. My 3 year old was 6 days late and she has since suffered from very dry skin that is very irritated and can cause blemishes. We tried many things and prescription products but nothing seemed to keep it at bay. My little boy doesn't suffer from dry skin on his body but does have slight eczema on his face.

Baby Boy Clothes Haul

I can't believe how quickly my baby boy is growing, Luca is nearly 5 months old and already growing out of so many of his clothes so we went shopping..any excuse. 

Chicken & Pepper Pasta Recipe

Sometimes it can be hard to eat healthy but one thing I always say is just to mix what healthy food you love together. This meal was literally thrown together for a quick and tasty dinner for me and the family and the ingredients are so simple and a healthy choice for a healthy meal...

This chicken and pepper pasta recipe is a good recipe for prepping and great reheated for lunch the next day (I usually do this for Hubby for his lunch the next day).  Here is my recipe for this quick and yummy dinner...

Easter Cupcake Treats

It has been a long time since I did some baking and I forgot how much I loved it! 

This time my 3 year old daughter asked to help and I must admit even though it took twice as long I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how happy she was helping me bake cakes. 

So we decided to share a few photos, the recipe we used and the finished cakes below for you all to see. 

We hope you are all enjoying your Easter Holidays with your families and eating lots of chocolate eggs :)

Spaghetti & Meatballs Recipe

There is just something about meatballs that makes such a yummy dinner for the kiddies and us grown ups. This is another of my daughters favourites, if she could she would eat this meal every day! 

Here is my simple and quick recipe for the perfect spaghetti and meatballs full of flavour, great for the whole family.

Zeytinli // Olive Bread Recipe

When the weather is grey, wet and cold, I just love staying indoors and doing some rainy day baking and cooking. This recipe is for a traditional turkish style olive bread, one of my favourites and the smell of this bread baking reminds me of when I used to live at home. My mum used to always make this when she had time and it would always seem like a treat where we would sit in front of the TV with a pot of cinnamon tea and enjoy her freshly baked olive bread. 

There are so many ways to make this bread and if you ask any turkish family I guarantee their recipe will be slightly different, you can add halloumi/hellim instead of olives which is another favourite of mine. Even though this is a yummy recipe its not quite like my mums but I think thats why this comfort food is so special to me, my mums cooking will always be the best. 

Here is my recipe perfect for all the family to enjoy for breakfast or for you mid afternoon snack with a nice cup of tea...

INGREDIENTS

(8 Muffin Sized Rolls)

80 grams Black Pitted Olives, cut in half

1 small Onion, sliced and chopped

7 grams Dried Active Yeast

360 grams all purpose Plain Flour

300ml luke warm water (add more if needed)

Half tsp Salt

1 tbsp Dried Mint

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Sieve the flour, yeast and salt together in a large bowl. 

Add the water slowly to combine these ingredients and knead the dough for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic. Cover with a warm tea towel and leave in a warm place (like on a radiator or warm cupboard) until the dough has doubled in size.

Once the dough is ready add the remaining ingredients and cover again with a towel and return to a warm place just to let the dough rise slightly again. 

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees fan oven.

Once this final preparations is ready take the dough and take it apart in muffin size chunks and roll into a large ball and flatten slightly on a baking tray. Bake for about 20- 30 minutes until cooked and the top is a lovely light golden brown.

Bon Appetite!

Love & Light

♥ 

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Mother's Day Loving

Yesterdays Mother's Day was my fourth as a mother and my first with Luca. I was surprised with cuddles and presents in bed in the morning after both of my babies let me sleep in. The sun was shinning and the smile on Melis' face eager to help me open my card and presents was all the happiness I could ever ask for. Firstly, my card was a personalised one with a lovely photo of both of the kiddies having a cuddle when Luca was only a few weeks old. Followed by a Boux Avenue bag (my favourite) which contained new fluffy pink slippers and a sleep mask (just what mummy had asked for) but then there was another box which to my surprise was my favourite perfume, Stella fragrance, which I wasn't expecting. The kiddies spoilt mum and I'm very grateful that their Daddy was so helpful in doing the shopping for the lovely gifts :) 

Late morning we all got ready and went to my mums for a lovely Turkish style brunch with my two sisters where we spent the afternoon, eating, drinking tea and watching films, a nice relaxing afternoon. I even made a nice Victoria Sponge cake :)

Then we ended the day as a family again with a lovely meal at Pizza Express where we all enjoyed our dough balls and garlic butter and I had my favourite pizza ever, the Sloppy Giuseppe! Finished with a nice lemon sorbet (Obviously diet started again this morning!) 

I hope all the mummies, nannies and great nannies had a wonderful day!

Here are a few snaps from my day... 

Love & Light

♥ 

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New Blog Layout & A Little Blogging Advice

BEAUTYBAKINGBELLA has been going now for nearly three years so I decide to take the next step and invest in a new and professional blog layout and buy my own domain. I have to say I never thought I would even still have this blog let alone buy the domain for it! I'm am very excited and very grateful that I have so many readers that take the time to read my blog otherwise I would never have bothered to do anything to it. However, I'm glad I have because I feel like its a new direction for my blog and it has inspired me to keep posting and writing about the things that interest me.

Blogging has become a great way for me to find some time to myself and actually have grown up thoughts to myself about things that I like as a person and not a mummy like, baking, food and makeup but on the flip side its becoming a great way for me to sit down and reflect on how I get through each day being a mummy to my beautiful babies.

Over the years I've learnt a lot about the wonderful world of blogging and I'm still learning but one thing that I do know and tell myself is not to feel pressure posting for the sake of posting just so there is one every day. As a blogger I want my posts to be filled with thought and feeling- maybe just thought in my food posts making you all hungry :) but what I'm trying to say is blogging should be an enjoyable experience and thats one thing I've learnt over the past few years and if you are struggling to find your feet with blogging that is the one piece of advice I would of given my novice self. 

For anyone looking for a new blog layout check out pip dig they have so many different varieties depending on what type of blog image you want and the best thing is that it was stress free and easy. They even install the template for you free of charge, thanks Phil :) giving you all the support you need to get your blog looking the way you want.

I would also recommend GoDaddy if you are looking to invest in your own domain name. Why not? A very quick and easy process again and all the support you need is available on the website. Within 48 hours I had my dream blog up and running, as easy as that!

I hope this post has inspired anyone out there that is thinking about starting a blog or maybe even thinking about giving up because you've lost your inspiration. Find your passion and interest and just let the rest flow and enjoy!

BEAUTYBAKINGBELLA is now on Facebook! Like for up to date blog posts :)

Please leave me your blog links in the comments, need some new blogs to read while doing the baby feeds :)

Love & Light

♥ 

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