A Guest Post! And a flatbread recipe to die for!

Good Morning! Happy Wednesday! How are ya?
I'm writing today with a special guest post from a good friend of mine, Erin. This is a lady who is not only one of my dearest friends, but a constant source of inspiration to me. She is the mother of 3 boys under the age of 7; she homeschools, she is a fiend in the kitchen; a superb wife to a hardworking husband; a supportive friend to so many....and still, somehow, finds time to fit exercise into her life. And no, she doesn't sleep. Enjoy her post below, and try out the recipe for her flatbread. You won't go wrong with it!

Erin:When I was a little girl, my dad would bundle up in his big fluffy coat, warm hat, large gloves and head out into the cold Ontario winter nights with the garden hose in hand. He'd set out into the frosty air, without a complaint to flood the rink he worked so hard to create for my brother and sisters and me. As a girl I felt so sorry for him, being out there in the dark, frigid night, and would ask him why he did it. He'd reply in his loving tone, that was his time alone to think, pray and be in peace and quiet. There were four of us, born in just three and a half years, and to say it was a busy household was an understatement!

At the time his reasoning baffled me, but now as a mother of three young boys, I can relate to that desire more than I ever thought possible. Now though, I base and juggle my life in order to get those few precious moments of time alone. I wake up as early as I can, trying to be oh, so quiet while the rest of our family sleeps, to start working out. Some days it works out, other mornings I am joined before 5 with a little buddy watching me and drinking his warmed up milk from the couch. Others, I have a participant that eagerly tries to do push-ups and bicep curls with me. I balance my time between teaching my kids, baking bread and household chores with a mid-day run (laps around our circular driveway!) bundling up against the onshore winds, and loving the challenge of completing it. I love to run, not just to get in a bit of cardio, but I love that it's my time alone. I may be joined with helpers while weight lifting, but my run time is my own. I understand fully what my father was thinking when he'd get all bundled up and head out into the Ontario winter; a few moments of me, and only me.

I used to find it so hard to justify spending the time on myself, rather than on the kids or our home. I felt guilty somehow, that these couple of hours a week would be detremental to my family. But rather I found the opposite thing happen. I am a much happier, nicer and altogether better Mommy, wife, and person after I've had to time to re-connect with myself. It gives me the time to think about my day, prepare my mind and focus on what's truly important to me. Oh, there are days, that life gets in my way of my alone time, but knowing that I can count on trying again the next day is a comforting thought. I know these days we are in the midst of are crazy, but cherish the path we are on as well. As I know that one day, all too soon, our house will become less busy, less noisy and less chaotic and my time will be my own and I will miss these days of not knowing when I'll get a shower let alone a run.

One of our favorite family treats during the winter months, is homemade flatbread. It's super easy, doesn't require a lot of skill, is fun for kids to be involved in, and serves well as bread, pizza, and perfect with dips! This recipe is from a farm in England called River Cottage, so the recipe measurments are in metric.

River Cottage Flatbread

500g plain white flour
500g strong white bread flour ( I use the whole white flour from Speerville)
10g quick active yeast
20g fine sea salt
325 ml warm water
325 ml natural yoghurt, warmed
2 tbsp good olive oil

The easiest way to make this is to use a stand mixer: fit the dough hook and add flours, yeast, salt, water, and yoghurt to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until combined, then add the oil and leave to knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and silky. (To knead by hand: mix flours, yeast, salt, water and yoghurt in a bowl to form a sticky dough. Add the oil, mix it in, then turn the dough out onto a clean work area and knead until smooth and silky.)

Shape the dough into a round, and place in a clean bowl. Leave to rise, covered with a towel and left in a warm spot (I use my oven, turned off) until doubled in size. Deflate the dough and if you have time, let it rise a second, third, even a fourth time as this improves the dough, but is by no means essential.

Tear off pieces the size of lemons, and one at a time shape into a round, then roll out to 3 mm thickness and leave to rest while rolling out the others. Leaving the dough for 5 mintues after rolling dramatically improves the finished bread.

Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy based-based frying pan over the highest heat and set the broiler to maximum. When the pan is super-hot, lay the first bread in it. After a minute the bread should be puffy and starting to char on the bottom. Slide the pan under the hot broiler, a good 15cm from the heat and watch your creation bloom magnificently. Remove your bread when it begins to char on the top. And let cool. Repeat until all dough has been used.

Enjoy!