Healthy kid's recipes - homemade popcorn and pizza faces

Teaching children where popcorn comes from

Today's afterschool class was as lively as ever. It never ceases to amaze me how much fun children have around food. One of my children ate a mushroom for the first time. Whether he eats one again soon is another question but at least he tried it and I was very proud of him. We started off today's class by making popcorn as they were all hungry straight from school, then we made pizza faces followed by banana and strawberry smoothies. I don't suspect much tea was eaten at home tonight as the children all enjoyed today's treats.

Homemade popcorn

Popcorn is a great snack for hungry little tummies. Although salted popcorn is a popular option, my favourite is popcorn with a little sugar. Salted popcorn is also not good for small children due to it's high salt content. Shop bought popcorn is often full of too much sugar, salt, additives and flavourings so if you have never made it yourself give it a try. You will be hooked especially once your kitchen is full of the wonderful aroma of freshly popped corn. The children also love to hear it pop up on the lid of the pan.

Popcorn can burn quite easily so make sure the pan is not too hot.

Follow these 4 easy steps for delicious popcorn:

1. Place a large pan with a lid on to the hob on a medium heat
2. Once the pan is hot, add a tbsp of vegetable oil and then two small handfuls of popping corn
3. When the corn starts to pop it is then time to add 2 tbsp of sugar
4. Once the popping starts to die down take off the heat and pour immediately into a bowl

Yum. And don't forget to tell the kids what popcorn is made off!


Pizza faces

These are great fun to make and the children always love making and eating them afterwards.

Easy tomato sauce

Ingredients:
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped/grated
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon of oil
A little black pepper

Method:
1. Add a teaspoon of oil to the saucepan
2. Add the finely chopped/grated onion. Fry on a low heat for 5 minutes. Then add the crushed garlic and fry for a further 5 minutes
3. Now add the tin of tomatoes and black pepper
4. Cook on a low heat for up to an hour without a lid stirring every now and again
5. Once cooked, remove from the heat and allow to cool fully before using the sauce to make your pizza faces

Making the pizza faces

Ingredients:
Sliced courgettes, sliced mushrooms, peas, sweetcorn, pepper, grated cheese, pitta breads

Method:

1. Place a spoonful of the tomato sauce on the pitta bread and spread all over
2. Sprinkle the grated cheese all over
3. Now get creative – make a face with all the ingredients available to you!
4. Once finished, place under a medium grill. It’s ready when the cheese starts to bubble.