Chicken Sweetcorn Soup

Soup for breakfast.  Yes please.  Light on the stomach, many also contain a reasonable amount of protein.  Most can be prepared ahead of time, and simply reheated in the morning, making them a quick and simple breakfast.

Miso soup is an obvious choice - with cubes of silken tofu, plenty of wakame and your preferred rich red miso or soothing white miso.

Clear chicken broth, on its own or with fluffy matzo balls, cooked white rice or thin noodles.  The perfect breakfast for when you are feeling poorly.

Vegetable soup, with soft pieces of zucchini, pumpkin and kidney beans.

Tomato soup with a side of thickly buttered slices of toast.

Chicken sweetcorn soup, with silky strands of egg and plenty of fresh herbs is also a delightful breakfast.  Here is the one I love, recipe from Godmother Sophie.  It is beautifully aromatic ("so fragrant!" says Tabitha), with fresh ginger, sesame oil, coconut oil, star anise and fresh herbs.  It also contains plenty of chicken, and is quite filling without being heavy.

Chicken Sweetcorn Soup

1.5 litres chicken stock

3 chicken breasts

Sesame oil

Coconut oil

2 star anise

1 inch piece of ginger, finely sliced or grated

2 cans of creamed corn

3 - 4 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Fresh Vietnamese mint or coriander

In a medium saucepan, gently fry the ginger in some coconut oil and a little sesame oil until fragrant.

Add 1 litre of boiling chicken stock and the star anise, heat to a low simmer, add the chicken breasts and poach on very low heat (the liquid surface should be barely moving) for around 15 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through (74 degrees at the thickest part).  

Remove the chicken, let cool a little, then shred or slice.

Add the creamed corn to the soup, and the soy sauce (you can add more if you prefer it to be saltier - taste it first).  Add the chicken meat.  Add more hot chicken stock to reach the preferred consistency - probably between 1-2 cups.

Bring the soup to nearly boiling, then add the beaten eggs, stirring constantly for a minute.  Remove from heat.

To serve, ladle into bowls then drizzle with a little extra sesame oil, and top with plenty of chopped fresh Vietnamese mint or coriander.

Serves around 6.

The Sick Kit

We've all recently recovered from our first colds of the season.  Thankfully it was a fairly mild cold - The Daddy avoided it altogether, Zach and I had a moderate dose, and Tabitha's manifested as a cough and good old grumpiness.

In the pre-child days, I used to quite enjoy the odd cold!  It meant a day or two curled up in bed, watching DVDs, drinking hot tea and moaning about how sick I was.  Sounds glorious, actually.

As a mother of small children, getting sick is the absolute pits.  Not only is there no chance to recuperate and recover, if the children are also sick you will get even less rest and sleep than usual, tending to the children overnight and managing their misery and grumps during the day.  So even a mild illness tends to drag on and on for a good week or two.

Once one or more children are involved in any sort of activities or childcare, there is basically zero chance of avoiding illness.  So, be prepared...

I like to keep all of our 'illness paraphernalia' together in one spot, so that if sickness strikes, we are ready to go, without having to lug my aching body around the house looking for all the bits and pieces, scattered between the various bathrooms and storage spots.

• Two vaporisers or humidifiers.  I like a hot steam sort - the Vicks one is my choice - and find the gurgling noise so soothing when I'm unwell.  I never used one before Tabitha was born, and purchased one when she first got sick after a recommendation from the GP.  Now I couldn't imagine being sick without one - completely changes overnights with a cold from being endless stretches of sleepless congestion to a relatively restful night.  One goes in Tabitha's bedroom, and one goes in the master bedroom (where we sleep with Zach).
• Saline nose drops and a sucker for the baby.
• Cold and flu tablets, with plenty of nighttime ones, for The Daddy (can't take them while breastfeeding unfortunately).
• A couple of boxes of nice soft tissues tucked away - nothing worse than running out and having to use scratchy napkins or toilet paper on a tender nose!
• Badger Balm Organic Aromatic Chest Rub
• Zinc and caster oil cream for dry red noses.  Lip balm for parched lips.
• Manuka honey (UMF 15 or above) to swallow raw on a sore throat (don't heat it or add to tea since it diminishes the antibacterial properties)
• Chamomile tea, to drink with regular raw honey

Apart from the above, more fluids than you could possibly imagine needing (3-4 litres a day of water minimum, otherwise I find I get massively dehydrated, what with the extra breastfeeding a sick baby needs for their fluids and the nose blowing), plenty of hot or cold chamomile tea, and soup.

A good amount of clear chicken soup is not only soothing, it also counts as fluids to help keep you hydrated and several studies show that strong chicken broth may actually lessen cold symptoms.

I keep a big stash in the freezer - bagged in 500ml serves - ready for the onset of sickness.  It's basically just chicken stock, so it gets used regardless.  Friends also know they can hit me up for some homemade chicken soup if they get sick!

I have a 12 litre stock pot which produces around 8 litres of chicken broth / stock.  Here's a blueprint if you haven't made it before (for a smaller amount):

Chicken Soup for the Flu

In a very large pot, put all of the following:

• 1kg chicken carcasses (called chicken frames, you can buy bags of them from chicken shops) or a mixture of frames and wings
• 2 brown onions, quatered, with the skins still on
• 2 carrots, chopped into chunks
• 2 celery stalks, including tops, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 big sprigs parsley

Cover with cold water.  Bring to almost a boil, skimming any dirty foam off the top and discarding.  Reduce heat and gently simmer for at least 2 hours, and up to 6 or more hours.  Skim any foam if needed during the cooking.  Pour through a fine seive (preferably lined with muslin or cheesecloth), season generously to taste (plenty of salt), and chill overnight.  In the morning, remove fat solids from the surface (set aside in the fridge to use for matzo balls, yum!).  

Freeze in 500ml bags and defrost as needed.  Reheat in a small saucepan, and add small pasta or rice (cooked separately, otherwise it makes the soup go cloudy) or matzo balls.  I'll post a recipe for matzo balls soon, and link to it here when I do!  Little pasta like alphabet noodles, or those tiny stars, work well.  

Add a good grind of fresh pepper and some nice herbs as well, to serve - dill is lovely, or parsley.

My only other tip for surviving cold season with a young baby is to indulge in plenty of nice steamy baths and showers.  I bathe with Zach in warm water, then pop him onto the floor (on a quilt) or into The Daddy's arms, and add plenty of hot water to my own bath, getting the room nice and steamy.  Helps clear out the sinuses for all of us, before bed.

Palm Cove

We have just returned from a week long holiday at the Sea Temple, Palm Cove, which is in Far North Queensland.  As I have always done in the past, I took Tabitha to the GP for a check-up a few days before we left.  In the past, everything has been fine, however this time, the GP found the beginnings of an ear infection!  So I am glad we picked that up before we left.  

Tabitha had a course of antibiotics - the poor poppet is not good at taking medicine.  She struggles, screams and sometimes vomits up the medicine.  We have tried everything in the past - syringe into the side of the mouth, letting her drink it from a cup, mixing it with food or drink, even mixing it up in chocolate ice cream!  Nothing works for her though.  In the end, we have discovered that it is best to treat her just like our cats, and wrap her up firmly (like a swaddle) in a towel.  We call her the Baby Burrito.  This way, she is held firmly, and she seems to fuss and struggle less, and the process is much less stressful for her.  So I recommend giving this a shot if you have a baby who hates medicine...

When we arrived in Palm Cove, Tabitha joined in with the 'sunscreening' from day one.  She quickly noticed that, twice a day, everyone stood around rubbing sunscreen into themselves, and of course she was eager to join in the 'tribal ways'.  So she spent much of the holiday squeezing sunscreen from the tubes, rubbing it into herself and into everyone else.  It was a little messy, but I am glad that she is learning the sun-smart message nice and early!

See this sweet little outfit?  It was given to my little sister, ten years ago, as a birth present from one of my mother's friends.  It is lovely quality cotton, and has survived very well.  I see it getting plenty of wear this summer:

Here is my sister leading Tabitha to the water:

Tabby had great fun rubbing her hands and feet in the damp sand:

She was quite awe-struck by the ocean.  She watched it, frowning, and when we took her in, she clung to us like a monkey, pointing to each wave, looking a little nervous.  I cannot really swim, so I am wary of the ocean myself.  Hopefully she inherits The Daddy's love of the ocean - he studied Marine Biology at university.

Having long hair is sort of a pain when swimming.  It is fun to play 'mermaid' when you're young, but so frustrating when it gets all tangled up.  So I action a FLDS-esque braid:

Look at Tabitha's gorgeous frilly little bathers!  They are Zimmerman.  The Zimmerman kids' range is quite reasonably priced, on par with Seafolly.  I could have bought a matching pair for myself, but they were nearly $400, and considering that I rarely swim, that is very expensive.

She loved wading around in the baby pool.  Every time the water splashed at her, she cracked up into giggles:

She's a funny little skinny thing.  Cuddling her is more like cuddling a monkey than a baby bear!

EEK water a little cold!

She tripped over and face-planted into the water.  She came up spluttering a little, but remained cheerful and keen to stay in the pool.  Little drowned rat:

Like most Aussie kids, she wore a rashie-top when swimming in the sun.  It was matching to her bathers, and my mother decided it looked like she was wearing floral curtains.  So it was called her 'curtain suit' for the rest of the holiday:

We tried to get a family photo.  This is most challenging when your family includes the world's wriggliest toddler:

My sister, below, is a far better swimmer than I.  In fact, she could beat me in a swimming race from the are of around 4 years old.  That is no lie.  I cannot swim, and she is part dolphin.

We were also holidaying with my parents, sister, and our friends and their adorable twin girls.  So we had lots of gorgeous little girls swimming around in the pool!

As well as the 'curtain suit', I bought Tabitha a matching little dress for her bathers.  It was airy and light and cotton and perfect for wandering around in the hot weather.

There is simply nothing more gorgeous than a little nudie toddler at the beach:

The wonderful thing about Palm Cove, in my opinion (keeping in mind that my skin hates the sun), is that from around 4pm, the beach (including the first 10 metres or so of water) is almost entirely in the shade, from the many palm trees.  So after Tabitha's nap each day, we went down to the beach, enjoying an hour or so of swimming and playing without having to worry too much about sunscreen.

Both Tabitha and I ordinarily have very straight hair.  But the sea water and the humidity do crazy things:

Tabby in her Boston Red Sox hat, which we bought for her at Fenway Park, at a Red Sox game in Boston in May:

My gorgeous little sister - trying to smile with a mouth full of Cheezles:

I didn't drag the camera out everywhere in Palm Cove.  The purpose of the holiday was to relax and do nothing, so we spent our days doing the same thing over and over:  my Mother got Tabby out of bed each morning when she woke, around 6:30am (we shared a fabulous, large, 4-bedroom penthouse suite at Sea Temple with my parents and sister, which was wonderful as it had a kitchen, upstairs deck with hot tub, BBQ etc, and was ideal for a trip with the family or another couple with kids - and worked out cheaper than booking two 2-bedroom places), and mum and my little sister then gave her breakfast, and took her out for a morning walk.

The Daddy and I woke up around 8, then we all had breakfast, sunscreened up, and went for a swim.  Back to the room by noon for Tabby's lunch and a long nap (3 hours most days - the heat took it out of her).  The Daddy and I napped and read while she slept.  Out for a late lunch after she woke up, then a swim at the beach.  Tabby had an early dinner and was in bed by 6pm most nights.  My parents and sister went out to dinner, then when they got back, The Daddy and I went out and enjoyed some wonderfully relaxing dinners on our own.

Our favourite restaurant in Palm Cove - indeed, one of the reasons we return to the destination each year! - is Nu Nu.  We enjoyed several lunches, breakfasts and a couple of dinners there.  I managed to snap a few quick photos of one of our lunch meals on The Daddy's iPhone:

Roast Hervey Bay scallops with red curry, coconut, cucumber and cuttlefish pickle:

My Nu Nu Ice Tea - one of the better Long Island teas I've had.  Plus, love the cola on the side, so you can get the perfect mix:

Crispy fried chili salt pork ribs:

An incredibly rich (in a good way!) laksa:

Caramelized pork with rice, drenched in the most divine lime/chili/fish sauce broth, with a pile of incredible salad, loads of mint, Vietnamese mint, coriander and bean shoots:

The meringue tower is filled with a chocolate semifredo.  It is a whole lot of chocolate - we shared it:

Full recovery!

I am pleased to report that Tabitha has made a full recovery from her gastro.  She slept beautifully last night, bed at 7:30pm, out of bed at 8am, feeding at 10, 2 and 6 overnight, as per usual.  She was pleasantly cool all night, with no sign of fever this morning.  Chattering and smiling away, chasing the cats.  And perhaps the best indicator - she just absolutely demolished half a piece of avocado toast, so her appetite is back!

The amount of laundry generated when a baby is sick is incredible - it boggles my mind to imagine the laundry when multiple children in a household are ill.  I did four full loads yesterday, the whole house is covered in muslins and towels and pyjamas.

In other news, Tabitha was given her first pair of Proper Ballet Shoes, by her Great Grandma.  My mother runs a large ballet school, and my grandmother also used to run a ballet school.  I did ballet for years (I was supremely dreadful at ballet, lacking both the focus and the flexibility), and also did adult ballet classes until I became pregnant.  I think it's a lovely activity for little girls, teaching musicality and dance and creative play, and my mother's school is nice and relaxed for the little ones - fun fairy dresses as the ballet uniform, and lots of creative dance in the lessons.

My mother's good friend also runs a ballet school, and is trying to persuade me to send Tabitha to her school for lessons instead!  I foresee two ballet classes a week, perhaps.

Tabby's Great Grandma bought a pair of nice Bloch leather ballet shoes in the smallest size they come in - so once they fit Tabitha, she can start ballet!  She also has a pair of cute Bloch glittery pink fabric ballet shoes, which my parents gave to her as a baptism gift.  These fit her now, and she wears them a lot.

Now that our younger cat, Possum, is one year old, he is finally calming down.  Instead of bouncing off the walls all morning from dawn, he trotted into our bed this morning at 6am and curled up in my arms, purring, until 8am.  I am thrilled - kittens are gorgeous but frustrating at times!

Here is my lovely squish-face baby, with and sans flash.  His true colour is somewhere in the middle: