Author Archives: mlwilkie

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About mlwilkie

Software Developer, Mother, Wife with keen interest in art, design and crafts of all kinds.

New recipes for inspiration this week – week 10

I have been so inspired for this week’s menu – look at this site for “Meat Free Week (March 18-25)” recipes. I was reading them out to my husband last night with my mouth watering. So, I am going to choose from this list all week (except Saturday). I will let you know my favorite and any changes I make to the recipes.

You may say a recipe every day … yes, I work full-time but….
My husband can not drive at the moment, due to a shoulder injury from playing soccer and thinking he was still a teenager ;-), and I will have to pick him and my son up by 3:30 pm every day. This will give me more time in the evening to cook 🙂 before I catch-up on work in the evening.

My major task over the weekend:
I do have to plant my indoor seeds this weekend for my summer garden – I am putting in  tomatoes, romaine lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers, bell peppers (planting a little later this year) and maybe some spinach. I am excited about my winter garden which now seems to be coming along (yes in Spring)….my photo’s the week are of, my first head of broccoli and cabbage which appeared this week.

Head of broccoli Head of Cabbage

So here are the meals we are trying this week:

DAY BREAKFAST DINNER EXERCISE
Saturday Granola + Soy Yoghurt + Berries Creamy Vegetable Shepherds Pie
Sunday Oatmeal + Banana + Almond Butter + Soy Milk Chargrilled Bell Pepper Tagliatelle (Gluten Free) or Fresh Tomato and Herb Pasta (Gluten Free) 3-4 Mile Walk
Monday Mini Breakfast Frittata* Eggplant, herb and feta patties + Salad
Tuesday Berry + Banana + Spirulina Smoothie Stir Fried Curry Brown Rice + Cashews * 3-4 Mile Walk
Wednesday Oatmeal + Banana and Almond butter Tomato, Onion + Goat Cheese Tart (Gluten free crust) + Salad (replacing zPizza this week)
Thursday Mini Breakfast Frittata* Gluten-free Spaghetti + Broccoli, herbs + hazelnuts crumbs  3-4 Mile Walk
Friday Berry + Banana + Spirulina Smoothie Vegetable Biryani *

* Some ingredients will be pre-made/pre-cooked, for example a batch of brown rice

Finish it up Friday – Paper pieced Kiwi

I am so excited on how my first paper piecing project turned out. On Wednesday, I shared with you  the little kiwi I was embarking on. Here is the finished paper piecing block – I’ve framed it ready to be the front of a 18 inch cushion cover….

KiwiCushionCloseUp KiwiCushionFullView

One of my March goals done – try a new technique, paper piecing. A big thank you to Juliet @ tartankiwi for the design and pattern, I had a lot of fun with it. I will definitely do more paper piecing.

Linking up with Amanda @ Crazy Mom Quilts for finish it up Friday.

My kiwi cushion – first paper piecing project

I have wanted to try paper piecing for a while now. The results always look so precise and amazing. There are so many options but I decided I wanted to try this kiwi pattern by Juliet & Tartankiwi, as this was the design that inspired me to give paper piecing a try. It also brings memories of home. This is my work in progress this week….I am linking up with Freshly Pieced.

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

So the plan is to make another cushion for our grey sofa, that co-ordinates with my spoonflower cushion. I am using yellow and grey for my kiwi. I wanted to give a little more dimension to the kiwi itself, so I made patchwork blocks of yellow and grey to use like a piece of fabric. Here are the blocks.

This is for the body of the kiwi:
IMG_6944
The grey will be for the legs and beak:IMG_6949

I am 1/2 way through the block and I love paper-piecing. The pattern for a beginner has been relatively easy so far and I think it is turning out well. I am hoping to finish the cushion cover up by Friday.

IMG_6947 IMG_6948