Quick and healthy sauces are a lifesaver for any busy parent

Quick and healthy sauces are a lifesaver for any busy parent

I hope you all tried my children's healthy recipe of pea pesto. It's colour is not the most appetising but kids love different colours. My little boy is a very fussy eater and went through a period of not eating peas but ate my pea pesto that he helped to make. He is now eating peas again, so all is good.

Well, on the theme of pestos, below is my healthy red pepper pesto recipe. Pestos are quick and easy to make, tasty and also healthy. My belief is that if you have prepared and cooked it yourself, it is healthier and better for you than shop bought food. Obviously there are parameters here, as deep fat frying everything at home would not be healthy but this cooking method once in a while won't hurt you.

Our lives are all so busy these days and many of us put cooking near the bottom of our to do list. Many of us work, whether part-time or full-time and fitting everything in to our daily schedule is difficult.

Anyway this sauce is a firm winner with most kids. Get them to help you if you can. It does not involve much mess which is always bonus.

More quick, easy and healthy sauces to follow.

Red pepper pesto

Ingredients:

4 whole red peppers from a jar (you can buy these form most supermarkets but Turkish/Mediterranean sops sell these in abundance)

3 tbsp grated Parmesan

3 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove

A pinch of salt and pepper

 

Method:

1. Remove the garlic clove from it's skin. Then place it with the rest of the ingredients into a mini food processor (if you don't own a food processor, a bowl and hand blender work just as well)
2. Whizz the ingredients together until they have all combined. If a little thick, add a tbsp or two of water until the consistency is wet and easy to stir
3. Add to freshly cooked pasta and mix well
4. Sprinkle an extra tbsp of grated Parmesan over the top for that extra cheesy taste

 

Fun kid's recipes - Gingerbread Men and stars & vegetable fingers

Going forward, I will be posting weekly updates from my Monday Healthy Eating Afterschool Club. Although we do a little bit of baking, we predominantly prepare and cook healthy dishes. The children are aged between 4 and 6.

Today was a very messy class but lots of fun. We started off making Gingerbread Men (or women as one of the children corrected me). We made these first as they needed to bake and cool in time for the end of the class. The kids had lots of fun watching me make the dough in the food processor, rolling out the dough themselves and cutting out the biscuits.

Gingerbread People and stars 

Ingredients:

350g plain flour

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

100g butter

175g soft light brown sugar

1 egg

4 tablespoons honey (or golden syrup)

Method: 

 

Preheat oven to 190C/Gas 5

1. Put the flour, ginger, cinnamon and soda into a bowl and rub in the butter
2. Add sugar and stir in the honey and egg to make a firm dough
3. Roll out to about 5mm thick and cut out your gingerbread men. If you don't have a gingerbread man cutter you can use any other biscuit cutters you have to hand
4. Place the biscuits on greased baking trays (spaced out, as they will spread) and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Leave to firm up for a couple of minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool.

We then made vegetable fingers (or balls). 99 children out of 100 devour these croquette type delicacies. They are one of my signature dishes and they go down a storm. They are messy to make but kids love getting involved so do try them at home. I promise you your kids will love them. We added peas and broccoli to the mash today but sweetcorn is also a great addition.

Vegetable fingers
 

Ingredients:

For the filling;

4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered 

½ mug tinned or fresh sweetcorn

½ mug of peas

For the coating:

1 egg, beaten lightly or milk

½ mug of breadcrumbs

Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes until soft. Allow to cool
2. Cook the peas and sweetcorn. Allow to cool
3. In a bowl, pass the potatoes through a ricer (or mash with a potato masher) and add the sweetcorn and peas
4. With your hands, mix all the ingredients together and then shape into small patties, balls or fingers, coat in the egg/milk and then breadcrumbs and fry in a little oil until the outer edges are crisp.
5. Serve with your favourite sauce i.e. ketchup.

 

 

Healthy kid's recipes - Pea Pesto

Healthy Pea Pesto

Ingredients:

1 mug defrosted peas

3 tbsp grated parmesan
4 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of salt and pepper
2 tbsp water

Method:

1.     Place all the ingredients into the food processor
2.     Whiz the ingredients together until they have all combined. If a little thick, add some more water until the consistency is right
3.     Add to freshly cooked whole wheat pasta and mix well

Sprinkle a further tbsp of grated parmesan for that extra cheesy hit.

 
Top tip:

If you don’t have a food processor, place the ingredients in a bowl and blend with a hand blender.

I'm back...

It has been a while since I updated my blog with recipes and helpful info in regards to children, food and cooking. But I am back and here to stay!

Behind the scenes however, I have been busy with all my classes and workshops and have gained a wealth of experience and written lots of new recipes that I look forward to sharing with you over the coming months.

All the recipes I post are child friendly so do try and get your children involved as much as possible. One thing I have learned is that children just love to cook and are more likely to try different foods that they have helped to prepare and cook.

If you need any help or advice please don't hesitate to contact me as I'd love to help!

Enjoy cooking!

Thanks Natasha

 

Healthy kid's recipes - Eggless all rounder muffins

Eggless all rounder muffins

These are great for breakfast, lunch, a snack or tea with a large glass of milk. Easy to make, nutritious and loved by all!

Ingredients:
120g butter at room temperature
40g sugar
250g self-raising wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 bananas, mashed
2 apples, grated
1 carrot, grated
50ml milk


Method:

Preheat oven to 180 C/gas mark 6

 
1. Place 12 muffin cases in a muffin tin
2. In a bowl mix the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk for a couple of minutes
3. Next add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, vanilla and milk and mix well for a minute or so. Lastly add all the other ingredients and mix well.
4. Spoon the mixture into the muffin case. (The cases should all be around 2/3rds full) Bake in the oven for around 20/25 minutes

Suggestions:
You can add all kind of ingredients to the basic muffin mixture. If making just savoury, leave out the sugar and add maybe some grated courgette and parsnip.

Comments please

Hi there
I hope you are enjoying my blog and use my recipes when you find the time!
I would love to get as much feedback from you as regards to the recipes and advice I put up on here. Your feedback is really valuable to me as I am then able to change, add, amend where necessary and really provide you with practical solutions to all your needs when cooking for you and your family.
Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.
Happy cooking
Natasha

Healthy kids recipes - easy cabbage pesto

Easy cabbage pesto

This is a great alternative to basil pesto and very healthy. Cabbage contains so many nutrients (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_nutrients_are_there_in_cabbage) and mixed with the below ingredients is very yummy added to freshly cooked pasta. A sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan on top will be a winner with little people's taste buds and they won't even be aware of the goodness they are getting.

Ingredients:

8 leaves of cabbage, cooked in boiling water for 4 minutes until tender
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
A handful of pine nuts
Olive oil to loosen

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients into a food processor apart from the oil
2. Turn the processor on and add the oil slowly until you have reached the right consistency
3. Warm it up just before serving and add it to freshly cooked pasta

Top tip:

If you don't have a food processor, a hand-blender does the job just as well.