My Raisin Family

Hey Guys! A couple of years ago, my friend had told me about how essential oils had helped her family in regards to their health and their behaviour. She gave me some samples to try and I was convinced! I didn't have the money at the time to buy one of the kits, but I was signed up and ready to start sharing how much those few oils had made an impact with my family. My kids were sleeping better with the help of one of the blends my friend had made for me, my headaches were few and far between and everyone was generally happy. It made sense for me to keep going with it, however, when I ran out of one or two, I didn't bother ordering any more. Fast forward a few years to the present and I finally ordered a starter kit from DoTerra! I got the Family Essentials kit that come with a 15mL bottle of Smart and Sassy (Slim and Sassy in the US). We also ordered a Petal diffuser, Ice Blue Rub, Fractionated Coconut oil and ClaryCalm. With the order we also got a 15mL bottle of Pepp

Hey guys! Today's movie combines my 2 favourite things... Christmas and food! Christmas with a view! This is such a cute movie! It centres on Clara, a manager of a restaurant in a small ski town, and Shane, the famous reality tv chef who has come to work at the same restaurant as Clara. It doesn't take long for the pair to get close, however, some miscommunication pulls them apart. Shane makes dinner for Clara and they get real close again before Shane tries to warn Clara that an offer from their boss might not be all it's cracked up to be. Clara finally discovers the truth, confronts the boss and with some involvement on Shane's behalf, becomes the new owner of the resort she started her career in.  I did really like the movie, but I wouldn't watch it if there are too many distractions around (kids kept getting out of bed as I was watching, so I had to keep pausing it all the time!).  Thanks for reading and please leave any recommendations yo

Hey guys! So today's movie was one of those movies where you find yourself yelling at the tv screeen when the main character can't see something that is so blindingly obvious. You know those movies, right? Today's movie is: The Holiday Calendar! This one starts off with a photographer stuck in a job she really doesn't like when her best friend (also a photographer) comes back from backpacking for 18 months. They go to her family's Christmas decorating tradition where her Grandpa gives her a magical advent calendar that belonged to her Grandma. The advent calendar seemingly brought her closer to a handsome doctor (this is where I was yelling at the TV screen). She took her time realising this little fact and by then it seems it's too late. After a little sneaky purchase from her grandpa, she finds her true love. I always find a good movie is one where you get an emotional reaction to the plot, and this one is a winner!  I hope you guys are en

Hey Guys! Sorry this is late, have been super busy with my kiddos finishing school this week! Today's movie is one I watched last year and LOVED! The Spirit of Christmas! It follows an attorney who is overseeing the sale of an inn in Vermont. But this is no ordinary inn (is it ever?), the inn has a very special visitor every year... the ghost of a previous owner.  The movie follows the very predictable template for these movies, however, the acting is brilliant and the actors have been cast perfectly.  I think it speaks volumes that I watched this one again and could quite possibly watch it a couple more times this Christmas season.  Highly recommend! Thanks for reading! Jacqui xxx

Hey Guys! So here is Day 2! Last night I watched: The Princess Switch I really liked this one! It did remind me of the Parent Trap... only better! (can you tell I like the soppy romantic Hallmark movies?) The movie starts with a baker from Chicago and her suis chef with an invitation to compete in some small European country's annual Christmas baking competition. While setting up for the competition, she comes across a Dutchess who is soon to be married to the handsome Prince. The kicker is that these two are modern day doppelgangers. The dutchess quickly devises a plan that will set them on completely different paths and brings them closer to their happily ever afters.  So I think it is obvious that I do recommend this movie!  Thanks for reading and happy watching!  Jacqui xxx

Hey Guys! Thanks to Netflix, I now have a love for Christmas movies! To get into the Christmas spirit on the blog, I thought I would share with you A Christmas movie every day in December. I will only be able to get to December 19th because the Raisin family are going on holiday over Christmas!  So to get us started, last night (December 1st) I watch the first movie! A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding. I watched A Christmas Prince last year and loved it, so when the second movie popped up on my recommended list on Netflix, I had to watch! I highly recommend watching the first movie before diving into this one or not a lot would make sense in regards to characters, however they do set the scene really well in regards to time elapsed since the last movie. I did really enjoy this movie and would definately recommend it! Thanks for reading and please leave any of your recommendations in the comments section! Jacqui xxx

Hey Guys! So, you have all seen on our meal plans that we have a dish regularly called savoury mince. This is my 12 year old's favourite meal and something that has been a staple in our house since I was a child. I have never seen a recipe that comes close to this, probably the closest dish to compare it with is shepherds pie without the potato on top. This is a recipe that I have tweaked a fair bit and we are finally happy with how it is now. So here it is: 1kg beef mince 4 beef stock cubes 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1/4 cup of tomato sauce 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce 3 potatoes, cubed 3 carrots roughly chopped 3 cups frozen peas 2 cups frozen corn 2 cups frozen broccoli 2 cups frozen cauliflower water gravy mix 1. Brown and drain mince, and add stock cubes, minced garlic, and both sauces. Let simmer for 10 minutes. 2. Add all veggies and water enough to cover everything in pot and cook the veggies through. Let simmer for 3 ho

Hey Guys! Welcome back to Meal Plan Monday! This week is a little different compared to other weeks. We have 4 (yes, 4 kiddos!) going on camp from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. I am also running out of a few of the snack type stuff and cereal, so this week, I have only planned dinners. Sunday: Pies/Sausage rolls and veg Monday: Teriyaki chicken and rice Tuesday: Savoury mince Wednesday: Spring rolls and fried rice Thursday: Sausages and veg Friday: Noodles/Pasta Saturday: Chicken Chips and mac and cheese This week is a major shelf cooking challenge because I am running out of room in my chest freezer. Icy Poles have been a staple part of our diets the last few weeks and it hasn't even hit proper summer here yet. We also have our oldest daughter's school musical Monday and Tuesday so these nights have to be something that can be put in the slow cooker or be prepared in advance.  Hope you like these Meal Plan Mondays! Thanks f

Hey guys! The other day I was scrolling through Pinterest and I came across a Pin that piqued my curiosity.  It was titled The Sanity Saving Tactic of Keeping a Bible Book Basket . I clicked on it, interested in finding out what she had in her basket. I read the accompanying article and was immediately convicted. You see, when I read my Bible, it is usually when all the kids are not around and generally it stays in my room. The reason I felt convicted is because the whole idea of keeping a Bible Book Basket is so that you can read and study the Bible wherever you are in the house. I have a lot of little eyes watching me for most of the day, but I wasn't thinking of them. Our littlest lil munchkin especially copies everything that we do. He watches as we interact with each other, as we cook dinner, and as we worship our Creator. He knows as soon as I put any worship music on, he comes running in to put his little hands up and sings his lil heart out to Jesus

Hey Guys! You all know I am a mumma of a large family, so I kinda have to have a few favourite cookbooks, right? I do have quite a few cookbooks and websites that I pull from when I am meal planning, particularly when I get stuck with making the same meals over and over (it happens... I am far from perfect guys...).  Some of these are for thermomix recipes specifically, (my goal for the year is to use my thermomix more) while others are just general cookbooks. So lets get into it! 1. Thermomix Every Day Cookbook. This is the cookbook you get with your Thermomix and it has basic recipes and hints and tips to get used to your thermomix. My mum's favourite recipe in this is the custard.  2. Mamabake Cookbook. This is the cookbook I reach for when I have a lot of busy days where I will not have time to cook. There is a lot of slowcooker dump recipes in there that my family love and don't break the budget. 3. Once a Month Cooking by the Stay at Home

Hey Everyone! So y'all know there are a lot of people in my house at the moment, what you don't know is that my food budget has not really changed too much. Yes, we buy more fruit, eggs, milk etc. But really that's about it. The key is to make your meals go further. And there a couple of ways I have found to make this work. #1: Add more veggies. We love to have meals like Baked Ravioli, Sticky Sausages, etc. So instead of making so much more of everything, I had (more) veggies to that meal. When I make the Baked Ravioli (also a great freezer meal), we have peas, carrots and maybe a fruit with it.  #2: Put stew type meals over rice. Meals like sausage curry, stir fry and beef stew can go a lot further if you serve it over rice. Rice is a great way to fill up little (or big) bellies and a little goes a long way.  #3: Give the kiddos a snack plate of veggies just before dinner. My kids love eating frozen peas straight from the bag, along with carrot sticks and

Hey guys!  It's been a while so I thought I would give Meal Plan Monday another go! This time I will go through breakfasts, snacks and lunches and why we meal plan this way now. So here it is! Here is this week's meal plan (check out  Large Family Table  to find the meal planner). I don't have Morning Tea on there because it is ALWAYS fruit and everyone knows to choose a piece of fruit.  I also have for most lunches Make Your Own Sandwich. I don't make the kid's lunches, they do. There is always a variety of fillings/spreads available and quite frankly, I am not a slave. I have a LOT of other things to be doing at that time so they (with supervision) make it themselves. It also works better for them to make it, so that they take ownership and eat what they put in their lunch boxes.  It is not quite summer here (where I am we have about 3 weeks of "winter" and the rest of the year is just hot and muggy), so afternoon tea consists

Hey Guys! So we have had a few behaviour issues around here lately so I thought I would jump on here and share my go-to behaviour management strategies.  So when my children (or the children in my care) are misbehaving I ask them 3 things. These things are bible based because we all strive to live a life as close to the Word as possible.  So first thing: I say "Do unto others as you would have them do to you". My kids know that verse VERY well as they teach them this at school and at their Friday night activity. This is mainly said when whatever they are doing is impacting others around them, for example, say my son was saying harmful words to others. This can also come in handy when they are being picked on at school and they feel they want to retaliate. Most of the time all I have to say is the first part. Then they stop and think about what they are doing. At the moment with our little extra kiddos, they are still learning what this means, so letting them know

Hey Guys! One of my favourite things to watch on YouTube is (obviously) meal planning and freezer cooking videos. I love these videos because they give me inspiration in the kitchen... and without it, I tend to do the same set of meals over and over. I'm not sure why I have not been able to get into the routine of doing freezer meals on a regular basis, however this time around, it has been relatively simple and no pressure. One of my favourite YouTubers to watch on the topic of freezer cooking is Jamerill's Large Family Table . She has put together a few packs with a bunch of large family style freezer cooking meals and they are amazing! Check it out by following the link to her YouTube channel and she has the link on her page. Some of the recipes I have been able to make for the freezer meals include: Banana Bread (3 loaves) Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan (can't wait to try this on the weekend) Slow Cooker Broccoli and Beef (this was a big winner with the kids -

Hey guys!!! I am so happy to announce that I am getting back into the swing of things in regards to monthly meal planning! I have implemented a tip I have heard a hundred times over and decided to put certain types of meals on certain days. So Sunday for me is Something New Sunday and I am not making any plans for that, just if we find a recipe we want to try out that month, Sunday is the day to do that. I am also keeping Fridays as Noodle and or pasta because that is what works for my family. Our Fridays have become even more busy now that my daughter has gymnastics on from 3.30 - 5.30pm.  So here is the basic lay out for the week. Something new Sunday Mince Monday Chicken Tuesday Pizza Wednesday Fish Thursday Noodles/Pasta Friday Something Simple Saturday So I will continue to share just the menu plan for a week in order to keep Meal Plan Monday going. So this week (Sunday 5th - Saturday 11th) is: Sunday: Pizza (last minute decision to go to churc

Hey Guys! I have had my large size personal planner for a few years now and I LOVE it! The layout I have used changes a fair bit, but I have found a system that seems to be working for me and my family.  The inserts in this are the refills you get from Kikki K which, for me is so much easier than downloading, printing or getting some delivered from Etsy. They are just the standard weekly spread which comes with cute little decor on some pages. I like these because I can do just about anything with them. In the past I have ruled a line down one side of the section for each day and used that for tasks, meals, etc. Now I use the top line of each day to write down the dinner we are having that day. The rest of the daily section is used for general things that are happening that day and maybe a sticker or two. These stickers kits I found at Spotlight and they are gorgeous! I love the rose and teal stickers and these kits come with over 1500 stickers, so they should last a wh

Hey guys! Continuing on with my Top 10 series, this time with MOVIES! I love watching movies and it is something my husband and I love to do on Date Nights. As you will see from this list, I am a MAJOR Marvel fan. I do own several Marvel T-shirts and wear them all the time. I do also love the romance movies and musicals (how can I not considering my calling ;).  So without further ado... (remember these are in no particular order...) 1. A Walk To Remember 2. Doctor Strange 3. Antman (1 and 2) 4. Avengers  5. Thor Ragnarok 6. Pitch Perfect (all of them) 7. The Greatest Showman 8. Wonder Woman 9. Beauty and the Beast 10. Notting Hill Just FYI, Wonder Woman is the ONLY DC movie I have even remotely liked so far. I have watched a few because my husband wanted to, however, I will be happy to stick with the Marvel movies.  So there you have it! Have a great day! Jacqui xxx

Hey Guys! I had planned to get this up yesterday, but I was hit with a major headache very suddenly yesterday so there was no computer time for me... I am just very thankful I have an amazing daughter and mother who took over making dinner without any complaints. So here we go! Monday: Homemade rissoles with veg Tuesday: Butter Chicken and rice Wednesday: Homemade Pizza Thursday: Fish, Chips and Eggs Friday: Noodles/Pasta Saturday: Chicken fingers and chips Sunday: Roast beef and veg I decided to be kind to myself this week with snacks and there were half decent snacks on sale for half price at Coles. Veggie straws Rice crackers Yoghurt Muesli bars Pikelets (still have some in the freezer) Banana and honey muffins (still in freezer) So there are are meals and snacks for this week. Hope you have a great week where ever you are! Jacqui xxx

Hey guys! So I finally got my act together enough to meal plan for this week! We have had a crazy few weeks here and yes I have been really bad with meal planning. School holidays have been and gone and now it is time to get back into the routines we all thrive on here! Here we go! Monday: Savoury mince Tuesday: Chicken meatball bake with veg  Wednesday: Sticky sausages and veg Thursday: Crumbed fish with mac and cheese Friday: Noodles/Pasta Saturday: Party pies and hot chips Sunday: Meatloaf and veg I am going to do most of these meals in the Thermomix wherever I can as well as make a lot of the snacks for the week in there as well. So for snacks this week I am making: Yoghurt Popcorn Banana muffins Choc chip muffins Honey loaf Thanks for reading! Jacqui xxx

Hey Guys! I decided to start a new series on here called My Top 10! The first one I would like to start with is... My Top 10 TV Shows! *These are in no particular order* First up! Jane the Virgin! I watch this on Netflix Australia (obviously) and this is one I tend to binge watch... FYI: NEVER try to watch this while on a treadmill... (you have to keep watching the screen at all times or you will miss something...) Netflix has only just put the 4th season on and I watched it all within a few days. Second is: The Big Bang Theory. I watch as much of this show as I can on TV whenever I can find a new episode airing here, but mostly I buy the DVD's. I own 10 seasons so far and will continue to collect these as they are released. I identify most with Bernadette... I am 5 foot nothing and have a computer nerd for a husband. *Nobody tell him I said that*  This leads into the next one: Young Sheldon! My kids really like this show and I think we will end up co

Hey Guys! Here is our way of getting the kiddos to help around the house! First off, this does not happen the way I would like all the time. We all have times where it is really hard getting your kids to get involved in the house hold jobs and to be completely honest, I have been having a few weeks of this not working. The kids are about to finish off school holidays so things have been different. To start with, I divided the house into 5 different zones as I have 5 kiddos able to help with the responsibilities. These are: Zone 1: Lounge room Zone 2: Play room Zone 3: Kitchen Zone 4: Dining room Zone 5: Bathroom Each of the kids are assigned one zone and are working in that zone for a week. The jobs within the zone are different for every developmental stage and changes with whatever needs to be done at that point in that zone. Jobs for zone 1 may include: general tidy, vacuum rug, sweep floor, clean the coffee table and dust the shelves. Zone 2 jobs are: pac

Hey Guys! So you guys know that Spaghetti Bolognese is one of our family favourite meals, so I thought I would share the recipe! This recipe is one that I have developed into what it is now over the last few years. We start with 1kg of beef mince. We do go through all of it most of the time, however when we don't, we use it on the pasta we have on Friday nights. Here are the ingredients: 1kg beef mince (I drain the fat anyway so I just buy the cheap mince and make sure all of the fat has been drained properly) 2 beef stock cubes OR 2 tablespoons of beef stock concentrate 2 teaspoons of minced garlic 70g can of tomato paste 1 jar Leggos Bolognese pasta sauce with bacon, chunky tomato and herbs 2 cubes of frozen chopped spinach First, brown the mince and then drain the fat. You really want to get all of the fat out that you can because this will cause a layer on top of the finished sauce. Put the mince back in the large pot and add the stock cubes and minced

Hey Guys! As I was going through the last few weeks, I thought I could share with you some of our favourite snacks that we make for school lunches, afternoon tea, etc. As I have said in previous blog posts, I would rather make snacks than buy them prepackaged. I save so much money by making our own snacks like popcorn, muffins, etc. and we have a child who needs to eat more meals that will help her with gaining weight. I love that I have the control over what goes into the food that we eat. We don't eat super super healthy, however, we do eat fresh fruits and veggies the majority of the time. These snacks are simple and appealing to small fussy humans. Popcorn! We love our popcorn here and the simplest and easiest way is with a popcorn maker! I picked up mine at Kmart for $8 and a pack of popping corn is just over $1. One bag makes a ton of popcorn and these can be popped, put in snack bags and ready to go in lunch boxes for the week. I wouldn't keep them in the pan

Hey Guys! I have heard of a lot of vloggers that do this Monthly Favourites video, so I thought I would do a bloggers version! I will show you my favourite items in the areas of: Organisation, Kids, Books, YouTube creators, In the Kitchen, and more! Let's get right into it, shall we? I have been loving cooking in my Thermomix this month and one website I have been loving is  The Road To Loving My Thermo Mixer . I have gotten so many recipes for lunch box snacks, dinners, soaps and more from this website for a long time. The recipes are quick and easy and are a simple and healthier version of the store-brought varieties. The kids love most of the recipes I have made and even help out with them! The winner in the Organisation category are these pantry containers! I LOVE these! I keep this one filled with snacks for school lunches and it is so easy for the kids to pull out of the pantry to grab one snack from the front two bins when they make their lunches (We

Hey Guys!  Just a quick update on the meal plan for the rest of the week! Turns out my daughter is not celiac!!! So it's back to meal planning as normal and not having freak outs over whether I would be able to keep up with making GF food for her! So here are the meals we have planned for the rest of the week: Wednesday: Chicken patties with veg (we had a sneaky Maccas treat for dinner last night as we thought it would be the last time we could) Thursday: Savoury Mince Friday: Noodles/Pasta Saturday: Party pies and hot chips Sunday: At Church (we have an amazing opportunity to hear from one of my favourites - Christine Caine on live link through our multi-campus church! So we will be having dinner at Church) Hope you guys have a great week! Jacqui xxx

Hey Guys! Sorry about not posting last week. We have had a week of pretty much just eating leftovers and a night out for dinner, so there wasn't really much to put on a meal plan. This week will be a bit up in the air as well, as we find out on Wednesday whether one of our kiddos is coeliac. So we have a meal plan for two days, and then it will be seeing what she can and can't eat from Wednesday onwards.  This Monday night for dinner is a family favourite: Spag Bol! I will be testing to see if I can make this a Gluten Free meal. If it does work, I can big batch it and just serve hers with GF pasta.  Tuesday night we will be having Chicken tenders with 3 veg. As I have said before, our main 3 veg we have with dinners are peas, carrots and mashed potato. We do have more or others at times, it just depends on whether we have those in the freezer or not at the time.  I have considered some meals for the rest of the week, we just have to check ingredients.  We

Hey Guys! Welcome back to another Meal Plan Monday! I don't know about you guys but I am finding that when I only meal plan for the week, it is so much easier to stick to it! This week we have a birthday (mine), a sports carnival for school, and a midweek meeting for church I have to factor in to meal planning, so some of these meals will be make ahead ones so I am not scrambling to get dinner ready before I have to leave the house.  Monday: Sausages and three veg (peas, carrots, mashed potato) Tuesday: Chicken Parm and chips (recipe  here ) Wednesday: Savoury Mince Thursday: Butter Chicken and Rice Friday: Noodles/Pasta Saturday: Beef Mac and Cheese  Sunday: Mum cooks The recipe for the Chicken Parmesan is from  Jamerrill's Large Family Table . I have been following her for a few years on YouTube and her large family living is an inspiration. You can find her YouTube channel  here . Hope you all have a great week! Jacqui xxx

Hey Guys! Here is our meal plan for this week starting 4/6! Monday: Party pies, sausage rolls and chicken rice  Tuesday: Potato topped meatloaf with veggies and sweet potato mash Wednesday: Homemade pizza This is State of Origin (Rugby League Football) and it is huge where we are, hence the pizza night ;) Thursday: Potato and Leek soup with bread rolls (might do something else that is super simple for the kiddos to eat - they really do not like soup) Friday: Pasta/Noodles Saturday: Hot dogs (one of the boys requested this and I am liking this idea...) Sunday: Mum cooks! My mission for this week is to use my Thermomix every day. This is why there are a few things on here that I can quickly and easily make in the thermomix as well as various snacks for school lunches. This weeks snacks include: milo and banana muffins, pikelets, yoghurt, custard, boiled eggs, popcorn and a few others. Apart from the Thermomix recipe community, the best website I hav

Hey and Welcome to  Meal Plan Monday! Thought I would change things up a bit so here is the very first Meal Plan Monday! Here I will be going through my weekly meal plan, rather than the big once a month meal plan. This week's meals are: Fish, mashed potato, peas and carrots Lasagne, chips and salad Savoury mince Butter chicken and rice Noodles/Pasta Homemade pizzas As I said on May's Meal Plan, my mum cooks on Sunday nights. She likes to try new recipes all the time so Sundays are her night (it is really helpful as we normally have a really early start to church as both me and my husband serve on various teams so we are always tired that afternoon). Last night she had a couple of the kids helping her as well which is always good for them. Hope this inspires you in some way! Jacqui xx

Hey everyone! It's coming up to winter in these parts so it is time to start including some soups in the menu! This is a recipe that I learnt in Home Ec at school and that my family loves! It is seriously one of the simplest soups that I have ever come across and it is a well requested one when we go to pot luck dinners with friends. So here it is:   1 cooked chook from the deli (or rotisserie chicken) 2 chicken stock cubes 2 packets of chicken noodle soup 2 cans of creamed corn  2L of water  Pull apart the cooked chook and put in a large pot. Crush the stock cubes over the chicken and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil for 10 minutes, let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes and serve with a fresh bread roll with butter. Like I said, our family loves this soup over winter and it is super simple to make. Hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as our family does and have a nice day! Jacqui

Hey Guys! So sorry this is so late... We have had a massive May so far, with birthdays, appointments, etc and I have been sick and meetings for various things so I will endeavour to have June's meal plan set and ready to go for you before June 1st. As we have had such a massive month so far, I have just been meal planning a week at a time. So here it is: Tuesday 1st:         Takeaway Pizza (bad I know but that was one of our busiest days with multiple appointments so I needed something simple) Wednesday 2nd:       Savoury mince Thursday 3rd:        Sausages and Vegetables (mashed potato, peas, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower) Friday 4th:           Pasta/Noodles (we have kids activities every Friday night, so this is the same every week and is chosen by the kids) Saturday 5th:       Fish Fingers and hot chips Sunday 6th:        Steak sandwich (sounds simple but sooo good and filled with veg as well) Monday 7th:       Butter chicken and rice