Soups And Sandwiches Series - Summer Chicken and Salad Wraps

I'm so excited to be kicking off our new Soups and Sandwiches series today.

It's nearly Summer here in New Zealand and time for refreshing salads and light meals. Yum! My dear friend was visiting this week and I thought I would treat her to a delicious wrap for lunch...

So easy and you can use any ingredients you like for the filling, I chose fancy lettuce, cheese, carrot, tomato and smoked chicken slice

 Warm the wrap slightly in the microwave and spread a layer of mayonaise over it, layer with the ingredients, season and wrap!

 And serve!

So easy and so delicious! Perfect for a warm day!

Now the Soup.

My favourite go too light meal is Tomato "Cup a Soup" with cheese.

 If the kids and Sean are having something I don't like (cough, cough, mac n cheese, cough) then I'll whip up a cup of soup with boiling water, grate a handful of cheese, add to hot soup and serve with a slice of bread or two.

 I know there's no cooking involved here, but I wanted to pay homage to my favourite student meal that I still love to this day. Great for a quick meal.

Don't forget to join us next week for another tasty recipe..

 

 

Take care

xxx

 

Linking Up To:

http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2013/09/mix-it-up-monday_29.html, http://jembellish.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/a-round-tuit-173.html, http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/2013/09/motivate-me-monday-193-block-party.html , http://thewinthropchronicles.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/share-it-link-party-82.html, http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/make-it-pretty-monday-week-69.html , http://www.apinchofjoy.com/2013/09/busy-monday-82/ , http://www.sewcando.com/2013/09/show-off-your-crafty-creations-at.html 

http://www.alderberryhill.com/make-the-scene-monday-94/ , http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com/halloween-projects-monday-funday-link-party-37/, http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/welcome-to-143rd-masterpiece-monday.html , http://www.watchoutmartha.net/2013/09/martha-mondays-link-up-party-features.html , http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/melt-in-your-mouth-monday-recipe-blog-hop-136/ , http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/tutorials/tutorials-tips-link-party-129.html  

http://www.sumossweetstuff.com/2013/09/block-party_29.html , http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/09/30/made-by-you-monday-171/ 

http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/2013/09/craft-o-maniac-monday-link-party_29.html , 

http://serendipityandspice.com/2013/09/manic-monday-linky-party-930.html

http://www.watchoutmartha.net/2013/09/martha-mondays-link-up-party-features.html , http://www.nap-timecreations.com/2013/10/tasteful-tuesdays-101.html , http://www.carolynshomework.com/2013/10/the-inspiration-board-creative-party-122.html , 

http://withablast.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/all-my-bloggy-friends-66.html

http://www.threemangoseeds.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/features-its-party-time-92913.html

http://ladybug-blessings.com/?p=4037 , http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2013/09/take-look-tuesday_30.html

http://www.blackberryvine.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/tuesday-to-do-132.html

http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/autumn-abounds-link-party-and-1000-giveaway/

http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/nifty-thrifty-tuesday-no181.html

http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2013/10/show-me-what-ya-got-140.html

http://thediydreamer.com/from-dream-to-reality/87-show-off-your-projects/

http://diybydesign.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/fall-into-fall-its-party-137.html

http://www.the36thavenue.com/2013/10/best-diy-projects-26.html 

http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2013/10/wow-us-wednesdays-138.html 

http://www.craftberrybush.com/2013/10/the-inspiration-gallery-56.html   

http://www.artsyfartsymama.com/2013/10/artsy-corner-link-party.html

http://happyhourprojects.com/happy-hour-friday-10-4/

http://www.shakentogetherlife.com/2013/10/whats-shakin-link-party-79-share-inspire.html 

http://www.mellywoodsmansion.com/2013/10/freaking-awesome-fridays-7.html

Saturday Weekly Wrap Up 37

Happy Saturday everyone,

We hope you had a lovely week. Time to sit back and enjoy what we've been up to on our blogs and have a recap of our contributors at Inspiration Cafe this week

 Heather at The Beating Hearth

Billionaire Cookie Bars....everything you ever wanted...AND MORE

Just call me Farmer

Danni at Silo Hill Farm

FALL ALCOHOL 2013...I'll take you there!

Mel at Mellywood's Mansion

Sew Jereli Pj Pants

Triangle Poncho

A Yarn Keeper

At the Cafe our lovely Contributors shared these awesome posts with us:

 

Owlie Howly Pacifier Leash Tutorial - Mother Crafter

 

Wholewheat Broccoli and Goat's Cheese Muffins - Mammy Made

Drop Cloth Dish Towels - Stone Cottage Adventures

Don't forget to join us on Monday for the first post of our new series 

"Soups and Sandwiches", where we will be making soups and/or sandwiches...

Have a great weekend

xxx

 Nat, Mary, Heather, Danni and Mel

 

Inspiration Cafe is looking for guest posters and contributors. If you would like to guest please let us know, we would love to have you. If you would prefer a feature instead, feel free to drop us a line. New or old posts welcome.
 

Drop Cloth Dish Towels - Stone Cottage Adventures

Hello to everyone at Inspiration Café!  I love being a monthly contributor!  My name is Marci and I blog at Stone Cottage Adventures.  I'm bringing you an easy sewing idea today!





Giving credit where credit is due, here's where I got the idea!  Megin at VMG206 made gorgeous dish towels using fabric from a drop cloth!  A drop cloth!  They are ridiculously inexpensive for the amount of heavy weight fabric you are getting!

What an inspiration!  I love LOVE the raw texture as well as how durable and absorbent this fabric is.  I pretty much followed Megin's Instructions, just changed up the pattern to suit me. 

'Wanna see?  ;-)



The drop cloth I purchased had this stamp in one corner.  It totally made me smile!  So I cut the size I wanted and hemmed around the stamp!  One dish cloth complete!



Then I started goofing around with my paint pens, some stencils and a ruler.  Here are my achievements!

These were so much fun! ( I actually like the striped one the best.)  Wouldn't they make a fun hostess gift!  Just think of all the ways you could customize them!

I have actually completed THREE other projects with drop cloths now and will be sharing them at my lil piece of the internet, Stone Cottage Adventures!  Come on over!

;-)  -Marci

Wholewheat Broccoli and Goat's Cheese Muffins - Mammy Made

Hi everyone. I'm Adele and I live in England with my two gorgeous babies, Leyla who is 4 and Naomie who is 2. I am so excited to be contributing to Inspiration Cafe again today!

I usually blog over at Mammy Made. I like to write about crafting, cooking and homeschooling, although I am only homeschooling part time at the minute. I have tons of tutorials on there so come by and say hi, I’d love to see you! 

This month I would like to share an absolutely delicious recipe I came up with at the beginning of the year. I am always trying to come up with new ways to get veggies into my kids. They are pretty good with carrots and potatoes but anything green they are wary about. Except kale, strangely enough. The broccoli in this recipe can be subbed for different veggies if required. I sometimes use grated courgette or wilted spinach and they turn out yummy.

Wholewheat Broccoli and Goat's Cheese Muffins (Makes 12)

1 x medium broccoli, diced
150g hard goat's cheese, cubed
200g natural yoghurt
2 x medium eggs
3tbsps olive oil
seasoning (plenty of black pepper, pinch of turmeric, pinch of chilli powder, big pinch mixed herbs)
1tsp baking powder
145g wholewheat plain flour

Bring the broccoli up to the boil in a large pan, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 4 mins or until tender. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Add to a food processor, along with the cubed cheese, and chop finely. In a large jug, mix together the yoghurt, eggs, oil and seasoning. Add the broccoli and cheese mixture. Add the baking powder and flour and mix until just combined. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases. Divide the mixture between the cases. Cook on GM5 for 45mins - 1hr, until nicely browned on top and cooked through.

I hope you all enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much to everyone behind Inspiration Cafe for letting me contribute again. It's been fun!

Owlie Howly Pacifier Leash Tutorial - Mother Crafter

Vanina from Mother Crafter is here to share her Owlie Howly Pacifier Leash Tutorial, today...

If you have a pacifier baby, you know how tiring it is to pick it up from the floor every 5 or 10 minutes and have to wash it. Or how easily they disappear when you need them and the sleep deprivation doesn't let you remember where you put it. Paloma likes her pacifier so we needed a clip or a leash, but didn't like the ones that are in the stores. And why would I buy it if I could make it? Better yet, if I could make it using stuff I already had at home. So I did a couple of leashes for her chupete (pacifier in Spanish) using the clips of some lanyards Michael got at a couple of special events and a piece of fabric. 

If you keep EVERYTHING and try to re-purpose EVERYTHING like me (you have a mess- hopefully an organized mess) and here it is- a use for those lanyards! It is so easy and fast that I would call this tutorial the Fast and Furious Tutorial! :) Before we get to it, I want to give a big thank you to my friend Julieta (Emma's mom) for the awesome pictures she took for this post. You will see next, they are amazing! You will need:

• Fabric
• Lanyard with clip
• Snap Fasteners (a kit or sew on)
• Plushie (This is optional. I used a keychain I bought at Old Navy at a Christmas Clearance in 2009. They were $1.47 each! So I bought four of them.)

 

Okay, Manos a la obra! Cut a 10 1/2" by 2 1/2" strip out of your fabric.

 

Fold in half lengthwise, right side together, and sew along the edge and along one of the short edges with a 1/4" seam. 

   

Turn the strip right side up. You can use a safety-pin - be careful if a baby is in you arms :) or just your fingers (I always use my fingers).

  

  

Iron it flat. Now disassemble the lanyard so you will only have the clip.  

   

 Fold the open edge of the fabric strip inside itself at about 1/4" and iron flat. 

   

Take your clip and fold the same end at about 2" over the clip.  

   

Pin and sew. Use your back-stitch setting in your sewing machine and sew it again to reinforce it.  

  

  

Next you will install the snaps, either with the tool and a hammer or by sewing them on, at the other end of the strip at about 2" apart. 

   

Now get your plushie and attach it to the clip. If you are using a keychain like I did use the ring to attach them together. I had two different clips so I am showing you both in the next picture (we took the picture before sewing the strip to the clips.

   

And you are done!  

  

Attach it to your baby's binky and go for a stroll to celebrate. We sure did it with Julieta and Emma!  

You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

Features from our Kidding Around Link Party

Happy Monday Everyone,

We had a fab party last week and have thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the links

Thank you to everyone who linked up and visited. 

Time for our top 5 picks...

 Link No 16

 Sweet Pepper Rose - Friday Night Football Jug Shakers

Link No 18

 Polka Dots and Paisley -2 Year Old Abstract Art

Link No 17

Twinkles Tutorials and Craft Time - Steampunk Graffiti Art & Colour Inspiration

Link No 4

Stone Cottage Adventures - Washable Sidewalk Paint

Link No 15

Cheng and 3 Kids - Paper Bag Puppet

The Most Viewed Link

Link No 10

 Purple Hues and Me - Kid's Deco Mesh Ghost

Congratulations on being featured everyone, please don't forget to grab a button from our sidebar...

    

So what are we doing next?

We're gonna be making sandwiches! Yup! And what goes well with a yummy sandwich? Soup!

So we will be making sandwiches, soups, soups and sandwiches, anything related really....

Um... YUM! Right?

Join us next Monday for our new series, we can't wait!

xxx

 Nat, Mary, Heather, Danni and Mel

Saturday Weekly Wrap Up 36

Hey there - we hope you all had a wonderful week and are ready for the weekend

Come on over and check out what has kept us busy this week

Natalie at NorthShore Days

 3 Step Nail Polish Earrings

Mary at Sweet Little Bluebird

Tried & True - Butter Dip Biscuits

DIY Fruit Fly Trap

 Heather at The Beating Hearth

 God grant me patience...cause I know in my heart this is awesome!

Workin' in a coal mine....quilts in progress

Danni at Silo Hill Farm

FALL...ish!

Mel at Mellywood's Mansion

Craft Room Light

Craft Room Cork Board Die Storage

Stain Glass Windows - Spring Butterflies

Don't forget to join Mel's new LINK PARTY running every Friday

 

We ran our Kidding Around Link Party  this week ...

Join us on Monday to see the features and to find out what our next series will be.



Have a great weekend

xxx

 Nat, Mary, Heather, Danni and Mel

 

Inspiration Cafe is looking for guest posters and contributors. If you would like to guest please let us know, we would love to have you. If you would prefer a feature instead, feel free to drop us a line. New or old posts welcome.