My busy weekend!

Happy Sunday Everyone! More importantly- Happy Mother's day too!!

Unfortunately for my mum all of her kids were either working/ out during the day or working at night (sorry mum!) and when we are finally all together as a family... we are actually celebrating my brother's birthday (which was yesterday)! WE LOVE YOU MUM! (Shout out to her because I know she's always reading! :)

Now, onto the topic of working.
Having to start at the restaurant at 6pm means that I'm not really hungry for dinner (around 5:45pm) and this really throws me off. I really dislike eating when I'm not hungry. Really. However I know I won't be able to get through the shift without eating something substantial.

As a result I decided to whip up some soup! Easy to eat, light on the stomach, filling and satisfying :)

I made one of my all-time favourites: pumpkin and parsnip soup, topped with crunchy oven roasted beans and lentils (pretty much based on this recipe if you would like more accurate measurements :):

 It started off looking not so lovely:

1/4 onion caramelised + 6 big chunks pumpkin + 1 large parsnip (peeled and chopped) + 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I love cinnamon!) + 1/2 teaspoon ginger + a few dashes of nutmeg + cracked black pepper + 2 cups of water (maybe a big more- enough to cover)- boiled with the lid on for 10 mins and then simmered, lid off, for another 20 mins.
Whazzed up with a stick blender (I'm sure it would work in a food processor too) until smooth:

Poured into a bowl to cool for 15 or so minutes:

Whilst these bad boys cooked in the oven:

1 x 125g tin mixed four beans + 2 spoons of lentils, drained and rinsed and rubbed with 1 teaspoon cumin + dash of paprika- placed on a tray lined with baking paper and baked in the oven (180 degrees celsius) for 15 mins.

To be quite honest, I didn't mean to make that much soup, but hey it was mighty tasty!

Topped with some cracked black pepper just to finish it off:

Perfect :)

Topped with the crispy beans (these seriously make me forget about any crusty bread at all- so gooood!)

Then while I was eating this glorious bowl of mush, I just had to take a picture (even though I had to eat quickly to make it to work on time!) because it reminded me so much of my morning smoothie bowls:

Am I right? ;)

Happily filled and fueled (and still full when I returned home after a busy shift!)

This morning after a bit of a sleep-in (6:30am baby! Trust me- this is good!) I slowly went about a relaxing Sunday morning- ate two dates, popped on some running clothes, went for a nice and easy 8km run (very slow, but just what my tight muscles needed) and returned home to whip up some super-duper chocolate-y chocolate pancakes for my amazing mother!

This picture doesn't do these choc pancakes justice! They looked (and smelled :) so much better in real life!)

No, these aren't secretly healthy, filled with strange ingredients, 0 calorie cakes. Nope these are the real deal- just what mum ordered! Self raising flour, cocoa, egg, milk, a bit of grated chocolate and vanilla essence- with some caramelised bananas (sliced banana cooked in the pan with the pancakes and coconut oil) and drizzled with a chocolate sauce (cocoa powder, milk and maple syrup- microwaved until warm)
Served with a cup of English Breakfast tea and also a fruity glass of orange juice. It was awesome to see her smile as I placed this plate in front of her :D

My breakfast was definitely less exciting, but still delicious!

My perfect bowl mug of oats topped (a bit at the bottom, a bit in the middle and a lot on top) with some mixed nut and chia seed butter (love this nut butter so much!)

And at around lunch time today I'm back to work the Mother's Day lunch shift (hopefully it's not ridiculously busy!) and then return home to my bro's birthday dinner. Busy, busy weekend!!

What about you?
What do you eat when you know you have to eat but you're just not hungry?
Perfect mother's day brekky? Of course I reckon it changes for every single mother- so what would you make your mum?
Favourite type of soup? Also do you think it's possible to eat a soup without bread? I'm sure some people would say no! (looking at you mum ;)

That's it from me today folks (Boy, I did ramble on, didn't I?) I hope everyone has a great Mother's Day spent with those you love and filled with happiness and... LOVE!! Bye friends!! :D