I HAVE A BUN IN THE OVEN

I'm currently sat on my bed at 02:57am, with a recurrent case of heartburn, a cold that I've had for the past 4 days and an infamous case of insomnia. And guess what? I'm 26w+2d pregnant. Surprise!


So... I'm having a baby, might be a boy might be a girl, who knows? But I'm preggers. My first instinct was a girl and I have always called the baby a she. After my first scan I slowly convinced myself that I may be carrying a boy. I would honestly be happy with either one.

It still hasn't fully sunk in that I am about to become a mother and I honestly don't think it will until the baby is here in my arms. I never thought pregnancy would drag as much! I am always being told that it only get worse once you get to the third trimester and I am dreading it.

I was heavily contemplating about starting pregnancy related posts. I wanted to share the realities of unplanned pregnancies, how it feels to be a young mother and how I cope being pregnant as well as being a full time student. Pregnancy can be very challenging sometimes but I am so grateful that my baby and I are happy and healthy. I know a lot of pregnant women turn to the internet for advice, comfort and research. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I joined the Baby Centre Community, where I found so many amazing women who are due in the same month as me. We shared are concerns about pregnancy symptoms, baby scans and our excited and fears about becoming a mother for the first, second or third time. It gave me real comfort to know that regardless of my age, where I live or my background, there were so many women whose nipples felt like they were on fire and wanted to know whether it is okay to exercise whilst pregnant. The Baby Centre became my favourite place for reassurance and comfort, I then started to look for parenting blog, I started Pinterest boards and became obsessed with everything baby related (at this point baby was only a ball of cells). Google became my best friend, as well as my worst enemy and life no longer meant going out to the club on the weekend, or spending all my money on food and clothes. It meant I had to prepare myself for the offspring I am now carrying and get ready for motherhood as it's only round the corner.


I wanted to use this blog as a platform, not just food, but my own little pregnancy journal where I can record my journey into motherhood. I felt as though there isn't enough young mothers on social media who blog about their pregnancy and motherhood experiences. As a young mum-to-be, I felt a little lost looking trying to relate to older women who have full time jobs, a husband, a house and had planned their pregnancy. I looked up to them for advice on breastfeeding and newborn essentials but it didn't really go much further than that. I plan to make weekly posts about my pregnancy and how I am preparing for my baby's arrival, starting from my first trimester all the way until birth and beyond.

Shanice x

Shanice Eats Tunisia

I recently travelled to Hammamet, Tunisia with my boyfriend. We stayed for 7 days at the Raddison Blu Resort and Thalasso. We explored the Medena of Tunis, Jet Skied in the Mediterranean sea, went horse riding and ate a lot of great food.

- Fillet of Beef Steak with Fries -

Resto A La Plage

What is better than having dinner on the beach whilst the sun sets in the background? Nothing! This cute little restaurant on the beach was everything I expected about having a romantic dinner with the one you love. Not just that just the food was lovely too. The prawns were as fresh as can be and my partner seemed to enjoy his stake, he also paired it with a non-alcoholic beer. The only downside to this place is, if you wanting to have a nice glass of wine with your dinner then this won't be the place for you. No alcohol is served here unfortunately. This isn't an issue for me as I am not much of a drinker, but a few customers on TripAdvisor expressed their disappointment about not being able to have an alcoholic drink with their meal.

- Lamb Shoulder with Couscous, Dried Grapes, Vegetables -

Le Jasmine at The Raddisson Blu

This happened to be the worse dish that I have had in Tunisia. I assumed that since the Le Bistrot restaurant was so nice, that Le Jasmine would be the same if not better. But I was wrong. Initially I wanted to order the lamb stew but I was told that it is not in season at this time of the year, so I went for the second best thing which is the Lamb and Couscous. When the food arrived it looked pretty appetising but the couscous was tasteless, the lamb was over cooked and inevitably dry and I was overall disappointed. My partner had the fish and couches which was just as bad. I didn't finish my meal, and the waiter asked me if I would like something else I told him no, as the food has put me off ordering anything else. So if you plan on dining at Le Jasmine for dinner, I would recommend you stay away.

- Grilled Shrimps with Fries and Vegetables - 

- Appetizer/Canapés -- Mixed Grill of Lamb Chops, Beef Steak, Beef Sausages - - Rice, Saffron Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, Fries -

La Bella Marina

So the first restaurant we visited was La Bella Marina in Hammamet. It's a Tunisian/Seafood restaurant just outside of the city centre. It was ranked at #2 on TripAdvisor and it did not disappointed. To start of wish we were served fresh french bread with olives, a tomato salsa, salad and chicken canapés (can't remember what the orange paste was). For my main course I ordered the lamb chops which were cooked and seasoned to perfection, it was slightly pink in the middle and had a beautiful crust on the outside. My partner had the mixed grill (pictured above) that was also never nice, although I wasn't very fond on the beef sausages (I prefer pork). Our mains courses was served with minted rice, sautéed onions, spinach and carrots, saffron potatoes and fries. I particularly liked the saffron potatoes, the seasoning was spot on and even though they were boiled, it was delicious. If I was to visit Bella Marina again I would try the seafood/fish as it fresh out the ocean and looked amazing. Nevertheless I was very happy with the lamb chops and it was one of the best meals we had here in Hammamet. La Bella Marina, is a must for anyone visiting Hammamet.

- Fillet of Beef with Parmesan, Salad, Fries -

Le Bistrot, Raddison Blu Thalasso & Resort

After spending most on the morning on the relaxing on the beach and swimming in the pool we worked up quite an appetite when it came to lunch time. We decided to see what the hotel lunch restaurant had to offer. They had a range of difference dishes from pasta to salads, pizza, burgers and steak. We had only booked bed & breakfast so we had to pay for any addition food and drink that we consumed at the hotel. The prices were good compared to what you would pay in London but it was more expensive that what you would pay outside of the hotel. The steak was cooked medium, flavoursome, well-seasoned and sliced on a bed of salad. It didn't really like the salad as much in Tunisia, most of the restaurants that we visited the leaves tended to be quite quilted and tasted as if they were gone off or just about to go off (which you may be able to tell from the picture. If you are staying at The Raddison Blu & Thalasso Resort I would definitely recommend his dish as it was the best thing on the menu.




- Grilled Sea Bass with Garlic Mushrooms -



Le Babarousse


So, Le Babarousse happens to be the #1 restaurant in Hammamet and also seems to be the most expensive. We went here quite late one night, as we struggled to find another restaurant we were planning on going to that night. As we walked up the beautifully lit cobblestone stairs, we were greeted by out waiter who seated us right next to the windows where you have amazing views of the beach. I would recommend visiting just before sunset so you have watch the amazing sunset over Hammamet beach whilst you wine and dine. So I had ordered the grilled sea bass on a bed of garlic mushrooms. I not to sure whether I liked this combination, but separately the fish was fresh out the ocean, and cooked to perfection. The garlic mushrooms... well who doesn't like garlic mushrooms, especially with a fried egg on a Sunday morning. My partner had the grilled bream with spinach which was delicious and I wish I had order it. We also had a side of rice with dried grapes and mint which was also lovely and definitely complimented the fish.

- Banana Split -

Canari

I cannot possibly go on holiday eat ice cream let alone a sundae. It's like going to the cinema and not eating popcorn. So we decided to skip dinner this night and just go for dessert, and oh boy, I am glad we did. Canari is a small desert parlour/cafe that happens to still be open at 11pm. Canari make some amazing sundaes, all that you could imagine but you can't go wrong with a good old banana split. The ice cream wasn't Gelato, but it was flavoursome and creamy, the bananas were fresh and not too ripe and the Chantilly was everything and more.

- Grilled Shrimps with rice, grilled vegetables - 

- Mixed Grill of Chicken, Beef Steak and Beef Sausages with Fries, Vegetables -

La Belle Vue

So we came to La Belle Vue on a whim, as is was Ramadan and we struggled to find restaurants that were open for lunch. I initially wanted to order the lobster but there wasn't any left. So I opted for the grilled prawns with fries and vegetable, something I previously had at Resto A La Plage. The prawns juicy, well seasoned and cooked just right. The fries were fresh and crispy but the vegetable I wasn't too keen on. It was a nice spot for lunch although the service was very slow, the restaurant was empty but I still found myself having to wave my hands for attention as the waitress seemed to have other priorities. I wouldn't necessarily go back here, as I believe you can get better elsewhere.

- Banana and Chocolate Crepe with Banana Ice Cream - 

Sidi Bouhid

Sidi Bouhid happens to be my most favourite place in Hammamet, the atmosphere and location is all you could ever want in a cafe. The views of the beach are incredible, and is even better when watching the sunset. They serve the best banana and chocolate crepes, I had three whilst I was in Hammamet. The mint tea is also delicious and I would recommend the hot chocolate which is rich, creamy but a little sweet. I would definitely recommend here as a stop off for a coffee during the day or for a cheeky desert in the evening.