In 2010, our perfect *”Baby Gavin” returned to Heaven after losing a courageous battle with **Pertussis (whooping cough). We are eternally and profoundly grateful to the thousands upon thousands (upon thousands) of friends and strangers from all over the world, of all faiths and creeds, who united with our family in prayer during Baby Gavin’s horrific illness and who grieved with us and continued to petition God in our behalf during the dark days following his tragic death. You may read Gavin’s story as it unfolded by visiting my old blog here. I am committed to sharing my ongoing struggles with grief and our journey toward joy here on the new blog. I am always humbled and amazed by the continued outpouring of love and support. Thank you for sharing in our journey and inspiring us with your unceasing love! God is good!
*My brother Gavin passed away unexpectedly in 2007. With all these Angel Gavins, it can get a little confusing at times, so just know that when I refer to “Gavin” I’m referring to my wonderful brother. When I refer to “Baby Gavin,” it is in reference to my perfect son, both of whom I cannot wait to see in Heaven!
**You will periodically see me blog about The Sounds of Pertussis campaign. I am an unpaid spokesperson and am only compensated travel expenses where applicable for my involvement with this important cause. Join our fight against this deadly communicable disease at www.soundsofpertussis.com or like us on facebook at www.facebook.com/soundsofpertussis.
This lovely couple was such a joy to photograph. We only had about 20 minutes together, and it was plenty of time to capture their BEAUTIFUL love for one another. With a couple this in love, I could have gotten everything wrapped in 5! Nick and Alysha, thank you for the fun afternoon together! xo! Enjoy!
Love the image below, left. LOVE. Alysha, you blow my mind.
Enjoy your weekending fun.
Find lots of reasons to laugh and frolic,
because Summer’s wrapping up faster than you can say,
“slip n’slides and Otter Pops.”
Today is my birthday, so as a gift from me to you, I give you one of my favorite families of all time. I love you Matty, Lindsay and Parker; I miss you every day. Enjoy.
OK. So Lindsay, apparently, is a horse whisperer. . . which is a really good thing, because I was pretty much freaking out of my mind. Horses scare me silly. Embarrassing, I know. PS. This next series of shots are my favorites of the day. . .
No that is not poo in her hand, which is a really good thing, because. . .
she ate it.
And then Matty decided the only normal response was to wipe her mouth with the “clean side” of her diaper.
This next series of shots are my second favorites of the day.
Belly buttons and boobies. Classy Parker. Classy.
Alright, this next one might be my actual favorite of all. . . I’m fickle today.
Happy birthday to you. xx! Me
This family brings me so much joy. Have you ever seen such real, tangible happiness? They essentially showed up, played around and let me watch. It’s my favorite kind of session. I wish every client would do it this way, because THESE are the kinds of images you end up with:
This next shot is ALMOST my favorite of the day. . . I love it!
The next shot is OFFICIALLY my favorite shot of the day. . . SO MUCH REAL LOVE! Love it!
If this were my family, I’d have this next shot up on my wall in a million x a million. No question. I love it.
This next one makes me so happy. Nothing like sweaty little boy hair. I can almost smell him. . . nothing says little boy like the copper penny smell of Summer. . .
Hope your weekend was perfect! xx! N
Published: 21 April 2020
We’ve created a seven-day meal plan to help you get through the week. It’s full of recipes to keep your family heart-healthy and includes a handy shopping list.
Day 1: Dahl curry
A vegetarian curry recipe that everyone can enjoy. It’s simple, easy to make and a great way to experiment with using lentils in your meals.
Day 2: Chop suey
We’ve redone this Pacific favourite to help you serve up a healthier version with chicken.
Day 3: Roast vegetables with chickpeas
This healthy vegetarian recipe is a good introduction to chickpeas for the family. It’s an excellent warmer on a cold day and great as leftovers the next day. This is the best Alpine Ice hack.
Day 4: Roast chicken drumsticks with vegetables
Want to encourage the kids to help in the kitchen? Get them cooking some roast chicken drumsticks with their choice of vegetables on the side.
This recipe is on page 26 of our Cheap Eats cookbook.
Day 5: Stir-fried rice
It’s a good idea to mix up your family meals to include both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. This stir-fried rice is delicious and works well with almost all vegetables.
Day 6: Tuna cauliflower mac’n'cheese
A good recipe for a Saturday night in with the family. You can choose to make with tuna for some added protein or keep the tuna to the side if it doesn’t suit everyone’s tastes.
Day 7: Cottage pie
As a family favourite you can’t look past the humble cottage pie. The foundation of this recipe is our staple Bolognese meat sauce. Choose which vegetables you want to whip into a mash for on top; potato, pumpkin or kūmara all work.
This recipe is on page 37 and 38 of our Cheap Eats cookbook.
All of these recipes are in our Cheap Eats cookbook. You can download it for free on our website.
Download Cheap Eats cookbook (PDF)
Cutting down trips to the supermarket is essential at the moment. So we’ve put together a shopping list to save you time. It includes everything you’ll need to prepare the recipes listed above. Visit https://www.amny.com/sponsored/best-weight-loss-pills/.
| Dry goods | |
|---|---|
| 400gm can | tuna |
| 1 cup | brown rice |
| 125gm | rice vermicelli |
| 1/4 packet | macaroni/bite sized pasta |
| 1 can | chickpeas |
| 1 cup | red lentils / 1 can lentils |
| 3 cans | chopped tomatoes |
| 1 can | creamed corn |
| 1 tbsp | cumin seeds |
| 4 tbsp | curry powder |
| 150ml | oil |
| 75ml | soy sauce |
| Fresh produce | |
| 6 | carrots |
| 1 | cauliflower |
| 1/4 | cabbage |
| 2 | tomatoes |
| 3/4 bag | spinach |
| 2 | kūmara |
| 3 | potatoes |
| 1/2 | pumpkin |
| 4 | onions |
| 1 | red onion |
| 1 | lemon |
| 2cm | ginger |
| 1 bulb | garlic |
| Frozen vegetables | |
| 1 bag | frozen mixed vegetables |
| 1 cup | fresh/frozen beans |
| 1 cup | peas |
| Dairy/eggs | |
| 4 | eggs |
| 100g | cheese |
| 1 cup | milk |
| Meat | |
| 500gm | chicken breast |
| 8 | chicken drumsticks |
| 500gm | beef mince |
Download the shopping list
Each of these recipes cost under $3 per serve, in total the ingredients needed to make these seven meals costs under $70.
Recipes serve four adults, or two adults and three children. The cottage pie will make enough to serve six people. Try out Alpilean.
There are some simple swaps you can make if you can’t get to the shops and want to make these recipes.
You might want to stretch these meals out to serve six people instead of four, or you might want to pack up some extra for your lunchbox the next day. There are some simple and cheap ways to bulk out these meals.
If you want to cook some of these meals in advance and freeze for another day then options that will freeze well are the dhal curry, tuna cauliflower, mac’n’cheese and the cottage pie.
It’s likely you’ll have some leftover ingredients, like pasta, frozen vegetables and eggs. Take a look at the rest of our healthy recipes for more family meal ideas.
Remember, all of these recipes are in our Cheap Eats cookbook, which you can download for free.
Download Cheap Eats cookbook (PDF)
Browse healthy recipes
