This Autumn recipe is long overdue.  Ever the last minute queen, here I am trying to catch up on this before Christmas madness descends on us in the next few days.  This recipe uses pumpkin but as Halloween is a distant memory, it can easily be substituted for any other vegetable in the squash family.  Such as butternut squash or even sweet potato.

As you may have read from my recent Halloween posts on pumpkin decorating and a faith debate, I really got stuck in with it this year! My 4 year old was really excited to give out all the sweets to the children knocking on our doors. We even dressed up! He had a knight outfit and I wore a purple satin effect eagle cape! It was fun but it did get a bit much to keep getting up to answer the door.  I think maybe we may go out for it next year and I could perhaps incorporate a prayer walk as we go between houses.  Anyhoo, onto the recipe!

I've been feeling somewhat overwhelmed lately with the noise of this world. Creative introvert alert! I find baking so therapeutic, anything that gives you focus, a sense of purpose and an achievement as an end goal is always a winner!

Not to mention something to focus on that your 2, nearly 3 old son can also join in with. Having worked as a Playgroup Assistant, there are so many ways you can link baking to the EYFS. Weighing and measuring is maths and physical development in using fine motor skills. And learning about the world, exposure to the ingredients, how to follow a recipe and what that means. I love teaching and I find I just do it naturally (not that my son is always interested!).

So I found a recipe for banana bread and made it my own. It was so yummy I wanted to share it with you. Feel free to substitute any of the ingredients for your preference (gluten free flour, marg, dairy free spread etc).

So I started Slimming World back in April but just wasn't ready for the commitment at that time. What with waiting patiently with my recovery from post traumatic stress disorder, I needed a bit more time to get my head round it.

Having gone from desserts every night and eating convenience food with zero prep, it was a shock to the system to start with! I started again in July and have continued since. I feel like I've found my groove with it. Adding in a few Iceland Slimming World ready meals and easier dinners with less prep. It takes the pressure off. I also went too hard on the exercise to start with. Now I just do a bit of walking when I can. It's not so intense and I love it. Put your music in and switch off. It really helps clear my mind.

After all those 'Tasty' videos being shown on Facebook, they inspired me to make one of my own using some left over ingredients in my fridge. A yummy kale, bacon and spring onion enchilada recipe with honey, bbq, cheese, salsa and mayo.