Purple FairiessAmanda Yap
Simple meals · family travel · real life

Real food, real travel,
real life with four kids.

Hi, I'm Amanda — mom of 4, twin mom — sharing simple meals, family travel and the honest, messy, lovely bits of life at home.

Browse recipes Family travel Start here Follow on Instagram →
30-min family dinners Tested on real fussy eaters Honest, no fluff
Amanda with her family at the kitchen table
4kids,
1 small kitchen
Featured this week

What everyone's been cooking

All recipes
New here? Welcome, friend

If you're new, start here

Three little corners to help you find your way around — no rush, browse like you would my pantry.

01

Cook tonight's dinner

Quick family meals that don't need fancy ingredients or a long shopping list.

See quick meals →
02

Plan a family trip

Honest itineraries with kids' ages, what worked, what didn't, and where we ate.

See travel notes →
03

Read real-life stories

Twin mom life, home routines and honest thoughts — the bits Instagram can't hold.

Read the blog →
Fresh off the table

Latest posts

Read more
@purplefairiess

The daily chaos lives on Instagram

Behind-the-scenes dinners, twin moments and the unfiltered everyday. Come say hi — I always reply to DMs (eventually, between school runs).

Follow @purplefairiess
The recipe library

Simple meals for busy home life

Real dinners I actually make for four kids — short ingredient lists, kid-tested, and honest about the fussy ones. Tap a category to filter.

← Back to recipes
One-pot chicken macaroni soup in a big pot
One-Pot Meals

One-Pot Chicken Macaroni Soup

The dinner I make when everyone's tired, a bit grumpy, and slightly coming down with something. One pot, soft macaroni, and broth that makes the whole house smell like comfort. My twins finish this even on no-appetite days.

Prep
10m
Cook
25m
Serves
4–6
Level
Easy
See it on Instagram →

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken thighs (bone-in for flavour)
  • 1.5 litres water or chicken stock
  • 2 cups elbow macaroni
  • 1 carrot, diced small
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 thumb ginger, sliced
  • 2 stalks spring onion
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • White pepper & salt to taste
  • A little sesame oil to finish

How to make it

  1. Add chicken, garlic, ginger and water to a pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. Skim off any foam.
  2. Lift out the chicken, shred the meat off the bone, and pop the meat back into the pot. Discard the bones.
  3. Add the carrot and macaroni. Simmer 8–10 minutes until the pasta is soft (kids prefer it a little softer).
  4. Season with soy sauce, white pepper and salt. Taste — it should be gentle and comforting, not strong.
  5. Finish with spring onion and a few drops of sesame oil. Serve in warm bowls.

👶 Tips for kids

For little ones, cook the macaroni an extra 2–3 minutes so it's very soft, and go easy on the white pepper. For my fussy twin, I blend a ladle of the broth with the carrot so she gets the veggies without noticing.

Notes

Leftovers thicken overnight — just add a splash of water when reheating. You can swap macaroni for any small pasta. On sick days, I add extra ginger.

Things I used for this

My everyday 4L pot

Big enough for the whole family, light enough to wash one-handed. See in Things I Love →

Some links may be affiliate links. I only ever share what I actually use at home.

Family travel notes

Going places, with the whole crew

Honest itineraries — the kids' ages, what actually worked, what flopped, and where we found food everyone would eat.

Motherhood & real life

The honest, unfiltered bits

Twin mom life, raising four, home routines and the real thoughts that don't fit in a caption.

Things I actually love

The stuff that genuinely helps

Kitchen bits, kids' things and travel gear I'd recommend to a friend. Honest picks — some links are affiliate, but the love is real.

Affiliate disclosure: some links earn me a small commission at no cost to you. I only share things I use in our own home.

Hello, I'm Amanda

Just a mom sharing what works

Amanda Yap · Purple Fairiess · mom of 4, twin mom
Amanda in her kitchen with morning light

Hi friend, I'm Amanda — you might know me as Purple Fairiess. I'm a mom of four, including a set of twins, which means our home is loud, a little messy, and very full of love (and snacks).

This little website started because so many of you kept asking, "Amanda, where's that recipe again?" or "What did you pack for the Japan trip?" Instagram is lovely, but things disappear so fast there. So I made this calm corner to keep everything in one place — the simple meals, the family travel notes, the honest motherhood stories, and the things I genuinely love using at home.

I'm not a chef or a travel expert. I'm just a mom figuring it out, sharing the bits that actually work.

What you'll find here

Quick family meals tested on real, sometimes fussy, eaters. Travel itineraries written honestly — including the parts that didn't go to plan. Real-life writing about raising four kids and surviving twin life. And practical recommendations, the kind I'd text a friend at 11pm.

Everything here is meant to make your day a little easier. No perfection, no pressure — just one mom friend to another. I'm so glad you're here.

Browse recipes Follow on Instagram
Say hello

Let's chat