2 ingredient pizza dough April 09 2020, 0 Comments

recipe can be found all over the internet but we do this:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Yogurt

1 Cup Self Raising Flour + a little extra as needed

optional pinch of salt for adults

Mix the flour and yogurt together in a bowl. As it becomes a dough remove it from the bowl and gently knead it on a floured surface.

You will need to add more flour as it sticks to your hands or the board. Knead for just a couple of minutes until you have a lovely ball of dough.

Pop the dough in fridge for 10 minutes before taking out and gently stretching the dough into a flat pizza base.

spread your desired pizza sauce on top. I use my hidden veggie tomato sauce with a little extra tomato purée.

Sprinkle with the grated cheese of your choice. I sure half cheddar and half mozzarella.

Add your toppings, ham, pineapple, chicken, sweetcorn, tomatoes, basil, olives.....

Cook at 230C until cheese is bubbling and browning.

Eat!!

Chicken, Chorizo, Chickpea Stew April 08 2020, 0 Comments

We love this delicious stew and it freezes really well so we always make a double batch. It can be cooked on the stove top, or transferred to the oven or slow cooker after the initial cooking.



Ingredients

1 Tblsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
3-4 celery sticks chopped
4 carrots chopped
150g Chorizo (use a ring or sliced from the deli counter)
3 large chicken breasts cut into strips
1 tin chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1/2 tin veg or chicken stock
Basil 5-6 leaves
Smoked Paprika 1/2-1 tsp
Black Pepper (pinch)

Add the olive oil to a Saute pan and heat up. Add all the chopped veg into the pan and saute for 5-10 minutes. clear a space in the pan and add the chicken to seal.

Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan. Stir through and get everything back up to simmer.

At this point I like to transfer the stew to an oven proof casserole dish and pop it in the oven for an hour or so at 180 degrees C. You can transfer to a slow cooker instead or keep it simmering away on the hob.

Taste half way through cooking to check flavours. Add more smoked Paprica, Basil or black pepper as needed.

Serve with cous cous or boiled rice.

Veggie Packed Tomato Sauce February 04 2020, 0 Comments

Everyone needs a quick and easy pasta sauce stored in the freezer for those rushed days. This one is your basic tomato sauce jam packed with veggies but it is absolutely delicious! I tend to make this when I've got lots of half bits of veggies lying around and it's slightly different every time.

Ingredients

The quantities and Ingredients are fairly flexible so I will list what I typically include:

Courgette - 1 medium courgette or half a large courgette grated
Carrots - 2 large or 3 medium carrots grated
Celery - 3 celery sticks finely chopped
Onion - half a large onion or 1 medium onion
Red Pepper - half a red pepper chopped
Broccoli - I tend to add tender stem broccoli or add the softer florets
Spinach - handful of spinach
Garlic - 2 cloves peeled and chopped
Passata - around 1.5L 
Tomato Puree - good squeeze
Basil
Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Olive oil

In a deep non stick frying pan / wok, pour in the olive oil and heat up. Add the grated carrot and courgette and all the other chopped vegetable apart from the spinach. keep stirring like a stir fry for a few minutes and then lower the heat a little and pop a lid on the pan. Leave for around 10 minutes to sweat and stir occasionally. 

Add the spinach and stir in until it's sweated down. Leave the lid off with the heat on for a few minutes until any excess liquid has evaporated.

Pour in the passata and add a squirt of tomato puree, some chopped basil and black pepper.  Bring to the boil and then simmer with the lid on for anything between 10 to 30 minutes. I like to cook it for longer but as long as the vegetables have gone soft it's fine.

Take the sauce off the heat and then use a hand blender to blend the sauce until smooth. 

Store the sauce in appropriate sized bags or Tupperware. I always store a portion size big enough for a family pasta sauce, some for just the kids if they were having pasta and some in smaller portions for using as pizza topping. I also add a little extra tomato puree to the sauce portions being used as pizza topping.

It's always so good knowing that you've added a few extra bits of veg into the little ones (and yourself of course).

Enjoy!!

Veggie Pesto Pinwheels November 26 2019, 0 Comments

Carrot Cake Flapjacks October 14 2019, 0 Comments

I love carrot cake and I love flapjacks so why not combine the two? The Oats keep little ones fuller for longer and the carrot and sunflower seeds add nutrition to this yummy twist on a flapjack.

300g Porridge Oats
130g Carrots grated (1 large or 2 medium)
160g butter chopped up
80g Soft Brown Sugar
80g Golden Syrup
40g raisins (chopped up a bit smaller)
50g Sunflower seeds
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
5g Chia Seeds to sprinkle on top

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees and select a rectangular or square baking tray with a liner. I used a reusable liner but greasproof paper can also be used.

Place the Butter in a pan and gently warm until it's all melted. At this point use a little of the butter to coat the baking tray liner you are using. 

Add the sugar and the Syrup to the pan and stir well. Once all has turned to liquid take the pan off the heat and gradually add all the remaining ingredients (minus the chia seeds). Ensure everything gets coated and mixed in well before transferring the mixture to the baking tray.

Flatten the mixture and if you like add a sprinkling of chia seeds on top. Bake at 150 degrees for around 30 minutes until it just starts to go golden brown at the edges. I like them to be a bit moist inside too so be careful not to overcook.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before attempting to cut the flapjacks.

I cut mine into 24 pieces which worked out to be a good amount for a snack for the kids.

Enjoy!

Seeded flapjacks September 04 2019, 0 Comments

Flapjacks are loved by my children but they always want the shop bought ones rather than Mummys healthy versions so this weekend I gave in and made proper sugar filled flapjacks with sugar and Golden syrup but I also added some extra seeds to add a little extra goodness without really changing the taste. The kids loved helping to make these and they still work out as having kess sugar than the shop bought ones and definitely less packaging!

300g Porridge Oats
175g butter chopped up
100g Soft Brown Sugar
100g Golden Syrup
50g Sunflower seeds
25g Chia Seeds + extra spoonful for sprinkling on top

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees and select a rectangular or square baking tray with a liner. I used a reusable liner but greasproof paper can also be used.

Place the Butter in a pan and gently warm until it's all melted. At this point use a little of the butter to coat the baking tray liner you are using. 

Add the sugar and the Syrup to the pan and stir well. Once all has turned to liquid take the pan off the heat and gradually add the oats and seeds. Ensure the oats are all coated and seeds have been mixed in well before transferring the mixture to the baking tray.

Flatten the mixture and if you like add a sprinkling of chia seeds on top. Bake at 150 degrees for around 35 minutes until golden brown at the edges. I like them to be a bit moist inside too so be careful not to overcook.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before attempting to cut the flapjacks.

I cut mine into 24 pieces which worked out to be a good amount for a snack for the kids.

Enjoy!

Courgette & Carrot cheesy muffins August 25 2019, 0 Comments

These savoury muffins are delicious straight from the oven but are also great cold. You can add them to lunchboxes, have them for breakfast or a snack.

Heat the oven to 180 Degrees and rub oil into a 12 hole muffin tin.

In a large bowl mix together the grated Courgette, Carrot, Cheese and Self raising flour until the vegetables and cheese are all coated in flour.

In a smaller bowl beat the egg until smooth and then add the milk and black pepper. Mix together and then add to the liquid to the larger bowl.

Stir everything together gently until any dry patches have disappeared. 

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tray and fill all 12 holes evenly.

Place the trays in the oven for 22-25 minutes. Check on them from around 15  minutes to be sure they are browning evenly, turn the tray if necessary.

leave to cool a little before using a knife to help release the muffins from the tin.

Enjoy!

Fruit roll up August 22 2019, 0 Comments

Eating a yoyo or fruit winder is the only way that my son will eat berries. It's a sensory issue for him rather than the taste. I'm not happy about the waste that these products create so I wanted to make my own version especially whilst there's lots of free fruit around for the picking.

This recipe takes quite a long time due to the low temperature it's baked at. you are basically dehydrating the fruit. They also come out thinner and more chewy than a shop bought yoyo but they are very tasty.

I personally wouldn't recommend them for under 2 years.Also ensure that you keep serving and eating the whole berries in their natural form as much as you can.

200g Blackberries and/or Raspberries (frozen is also good)

1 apple peeled, cored and chopped

1 pear peeled, top and bottom removed, chopped

squeeze of lemon juice

Pop all the fruit into a blender and blend until it's a smooth puree. If your little one is averse to the seeds, strain the puree at this point but just try to remove the larger seeds and not all the fibre.

Pour the puree into a saucepan and simmer for around 30 minutes until reduced to a thicker consistency. Allow to cool a little before pouring the mixture onto a baking mat on a baking tray. Place the tray in the oven at 120 degrees for around 2 hours or until the baked puree is dry and not tacky to the touch.

Check on the fruit after half an hour or so to check the edges aren't browning. If they start to discolour reduce the heat to 100 degrees.

After 2 hours turn the oven off and leave the tray in the oven for a while longer if the fruit sheet doesn't come away easily from the mat. Flip the fruit sheet and baking mat over and attempt to peel the whole mat off the fruit carefully. If it sticks, pop it back in the oven for a bit longer.

Roll up the sheet of fruit and cut up. I used scissors as I found it gave a cleaner cut than a knife.

Enjoy!

Baked Spanish Omelette muffins July 26 2019, 0 Comments

I lived in Spain for a while and loved the Spanish omelette. I've tried a few times to replicate it the traditional way but instead I have settled on these baked versions made in a muffin tin.

These are lovely served warm for a meal or served cold for a lunchbox or picnic. You could also add chorizo, ham, red pepper, bacon, asparagus or even peas!

Olive oil

1 large peeled potato cut into 6-8 chunks (waxy variety or new potatoes are also good)

1 small onion quartered and then sliced finely 

3 eggs lightly beaten

small handful of spinach chopped

grated cheese (optional)

A few flat leaf parsley leaves chopped

Pinch of ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180c. Oil the muffin tins (6 individuals for these ingredients) and place in the oven to warm.

Heat a tsp of oil in a frying pan and add the onion and fry gently until soft. Don't allow to brown too much.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the potato. Allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes until it's is not quite cooked.

Drain the pan and allow the potatoes to cool a little. Once they are cool enough to handle slice the potato into 5mm sections.

Take out the muffin tin and layer the potato, onion and spinach in the 6 oiled muffin tins. Add the pepper to the beaten egg and then pour the mixture equally into each tin and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Add the grated cheese on top if you like ( I really like it)

Cook in the oven at 180 degrees for around 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Pineapple, Mango, cucumber, spinach and avocado smoothie July 25 2019, 0 Comments

This refreshing smoothie is a beautiful light green coloured smoothie bursting with Vitamins so a great option if your little ones don’t like a really dark green smoothie. The pineapple keeps it refreshing and tropical!  A good source of dietary fibre, healthy fats and Vitamin C.  It tastes delicious too! 

Ingredients:

150g Pineapple chunks (fresh or frozen)

100g Mango flesh (fresh or frozen)

1 handful of spinach

1/2 small avocado (1/4 large)

6-8 cm chunk cucumber (skin on)

40-60ml liquid (I used a splash of apple juice and a splash of water)

Optional Extras:

1 tsp chia seeds

Method:

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. 

The above ingredients will make approximately 3 servings in our 140ml pouches or 2 servings in our 200ml pouches.

Great for adults and kids!!

Veggie Packed Sausage Rolls December 05 2018, 0 Comments

These have become a firm favourite in my house after discovering the recipe from My Fussy Eater. I tweaked the recipe slightly to include red onion rather than garlic as I didn't have any on the house and it's stuck! I also roughly blend our veggies before mixing with the sausage meat. These are just simply delicious and feel so much lighter than our average sausage roll. I urge you to give them a go!!

1 tsp oil

1 medium courgette (zucchini), grated

1 large carrot, grated

1 small red onion, finely chopped

350g sausage meat (remove skin if using sausages)

Pinch of dried sage

Pinch of black pepper

1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion and fry for a minute and then add in the grated courgette and grated carrot. Cook on a low heat until the vegetables have softened for about 4 minutes. Don’t let them brown.

If liquid has separated from the veggies, pour this away and then blend the vegetables roughly with a stick blender if you have visible veggie averse kids. Feel free to leave as they are if you prefer.

Once cooled a little mix the veggie mixture with the sausage meat, sage and pepper. Ensure it's fully mixed through.

Take the sheet of puffed pastry and cut it in half length ways so that you have two rectangle shaped pieces. Divide the sausage meat mixture into two and spread each piece down the middle of the pastry sheets, leaving a gap of about 1cm either side and add some egg wash to help seal.

If you fancy making large sausage rolls cut the sheet in half the other way and spread a thick layer of sausage meat for a deep filled roll.

Roll the pastry over the sausage meat mixture so that the two edges meet. Press down with a fork to seal it.

Cut the sausage rolls into whatever size you like. Place the sausage rolls onto the baking sheet and egg wash over the tops.

Cook in the oven for 25-35 minutes (time will depend on the size of the sausage rolls so be sure to check them often from 20 minutes) until golden brown and cooked through.

Cherry yogurt smoothie April 05 2018, 0 Comments

I love having frozen fruit in the freezer to make smoothies whenever I want and it saves so much waste too. 

Ingredients:

12 frozen cherries
2-3 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
10-12 blueberries
100g natural yogurt

squeeze of lime

Optional Extras:
1 tsp chia seeds

Method:

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. 

The above ingredients will make approximately 2 servings in our 140ml pouches 

Great for adults and kids!!