5 Summer Ready To Roll Icing Cupcake Ideas

Summer is nearly here, and although the sunny weather hasn’t managed more than a sporadic showing it’s time to start getting ready for picnics and days at the beach. What better cakes to make for lazy summer days than cupcakes. Small, portable and oh-so tasty, cupcakes are great for including in picnic hampers and packed lunch boxes.

Here are 5 ideas for summer themed ready to roll icing cupcakes.

1. Bee Topper. What says summer more than the gentle buzzing of bees skipping from flower to flower. So why not create your own cute bumblebee topper. All you’ll need is some yellow, black and white ready to roll icing. Simply roll a flattened ball of yellow icing for the body and fix a few

Meal Planning Monday

After a week of indulging, eating out and general grazing throughout the days (despite losing 5lb!)I've decided to start sharing our meal planner again. I always schedule dinners in when I do the shopping, to prevent food waste, and I like to know what other families are enjoying too so hopefully I can find some inspiration while possibly inspiring others in the process.

• I have some BBQ food left over from the weekend as I went a bit meat mad as usual so that is on the menu tonight. This consists of cheddar steak burgers, chicken wings, lamb kebabs along with some salad and coleslaw.
  

A Family Feast with Bella Italia

We eat out quite regularly as a family but I'd never thought about going to Bella Italia until an invitation to do so popped up in my email account. There isn't one that locally to us and I certainly wasn't aware that they had such an amazing children's menu as they do - you can have a smaller portion of an adults meal which is ideal for Minxy and Jamster as they generally eat the same as we do.

We were invited to the Milton Keynes restaurant on Savoy Crescent where nearby parking after 6pm is free. We were the only people there when we arrived so we could take our pick from the tables but by the time we left, an hour and half later, staff were turning people away as it was fully booked! This was proof that the food and  service were really good, especially for a Monday. It's definitely wise to book in advance like we did.

Valentine's Day Treats from Mr Big Tops (Plus Your Chance To WIN)

I've teamed up with the fantastic folk over at Mr Big Tops to offer 5 lucky readers the chance to win a Valentine's Sweet Box for a loved one! Packed with lots of pink and red treats to match the occasion perfectly, these boxes fit right through the letterbox so the postman won't even need to knock. 

Each box contains:

Love hearts mini rolls x 4

Heart Jazzies  (50-60g)

Heart Throbs – (50-60g)

1 x Candy Necklace

1 x Candy Watch

Strawberry Bon Bons (50-60g)

Foam Strawberries (50-60g)

1 x Cherry Fizz Wiz

1 x Assorted Chupa Chup

The UK’s Only Flavoured Pistachios (plus your chance to WIN)

With the cold, winter months upon us and duvet days being very tempting, it's a great time to snuggle up on the sofa to watch the snow fall outside with some delicious treats. The Mr in particular is a big fan of nuts (especially when it involves cake too) so he was very pleased to hear about these great varieties from Wonderful Brands.

The pistachios come in 4 flavours; Sweet Chili, Roasted Salted, Salt & Pepper and Roasted Unsalted. They are crunchy in texture and at only 3 calories each they are lighter than you would imagine. 

Spanish Beef Recipe - Family Food

With calorie counting well underway and being a few pounds lighter already, I've been trying to think of some meals that are both filling and healthier for us to enjoy. After all, there is no use eating a salad if you will be hungry and reaching for the biscuits five minutes later is there!

This meal can be slow cooked so it's ready for when you return home from work/college/the gym etc. With couscous and vegetables taking just a few minutes to heat through, I've found these make a great accompaniment. This should prevent you from wanting to raid the fridge like Pac-Man afterwards!
It's quite similar to my sausage casserole recipe which is a family favourite.

Ingredients 

(Serves 2 generously (we often share this between the four of us) Approx 500 calories per portion)

5 Fun Apps The Mini Mes Love

Although time on the tablets is limited, the Mini Mes certainly have their favourite games to play. I must admit there are quite a few that are probably more suited to children that I really enjoy too! 

Here are some of our their most loved apps.

Crossy Road

If you were a fan of Flappy Bird this is likely to prove popular in your home. With cars coming across the roads to avoid, trains on tracks to dodge and logs on rivers to cross you need to react quickly and move fast. You can take your pick from a variety of characters to be and by tapping the screen you can travel in different directions. It's great for developing hand eye coordination and it should get the kids to be more aware of traffic in the real world too.

Silent Sunday

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Silent Sunday

Reindeer Ginger Biscuits

I've managed to save so much time this year preparing for Christmas by shopping online securely with PayPal, that I've had a lot more spare time to enjoy other things. I've been able to snuggle up and watch movies, do some Christmas crafting and yesterday I shared my delicious triple chocolate brownie Christmas tree recipe. Today I've been baking some more seasonal treats too!

Christmas Gift Giveaway - Day 29

My #ChristmasGiftGiveaway is back - 30 days 30+ prizes!
A BIG thank you to my followers for their support this year.

WIN a Collection of Bonne Maman Treats

Christmas Gift Giveaway - Day 22

My Christmas Gift Giveaway is back! 30 days, 30+ fantastic prizes.

A big thank you to my followers this year.

WIN a Three Piece Trivet Set

Christmas Gift Giveaway - Day 17

My Christmas Gift Giveaway is back! 30 days, 30+ fantastic prizes.

A little thank you from me to you.

WIN Guylian Chocolates

Chocolate Filled Christmas Pudding Cake

When it come to festive desserts I don't like Christmas Cake, mince pies or even custard so it can be a bit of a struggle to satisfy my sweet tooth at the dinner table!

I therefore decided to create a cake based upon a Christmas Pudding but with a completely different taste. This is a chocolate sponge filled with chocolate frosting and topped with icing - a lovely alternative to the classic.

Silent Sunday

Eyeball Cake Pops

31st October is all about the treats and these cake pops will certainly hit the spot. With a soft sponge centre combined with delicious frosting and a white chocolate coating they are frightfully delightful. 

We were sent some of the ingredients and a recipe from Rangemaster for National Chocolate Week but as they arrived a little later we transformed a standard cake pop into something suitable for the next big event on our calendar; Halloween!

Broken Glass Cupcakes

Halloween is just on the horizon and to celebrate there will be plenty of tricks and treats being made and eaten across the country, including a frightening feast of our own. These broken glass cupcakes are quite deceiving as they are completely edible! They are really effective for your buffet table and more importantly they are delicious.

Family Fun with Food *WIN*

Cooking is a great way for kids to get creative while having fun and learning valuable life skills.

With it being National Chocolate Week last week we were very excited to receive a Make and Melt kit from Choc on Choc, which gave us the opportunity to build a white and milk chocolate edible house! I'm not sure who was more pleased, the Mini Mes or my very sweet tooth!

The kit contained:

• White chocolate buttons 
• Milk chocolate butons
• Paper chefs hat
• Moulds for the house and trees
• Garden scene
• Instructions

Divine Desserts from Rachel's Organic

A relaxing evening may seem like a thing of the past when you become a parent but everyone deserves a break and a little TLC, even if that means just making the most of your own bathroom! 

Simply dim the lights, add a few candles, slide into a herbal bath and enjoy some delicious treats in peace. Just like I did...

National Chocolate Week - Win With Guylian

National Chocolate Week is the prefect excuse (not that you need one) to indulge in a range of Guylian’s sumptuous praline chocolates. 

Made using only the finest, hand selected Mediterranean hazelnuts, which are roasted and caramelised to perfection before being blended with premium Belgian chocolate, a box of Guylian Sea Shells or Sea Horses are the perfect way to celebrate all things chocolate.

Go on, treat yourself this National Chocolate Week (13-19th October).