Try These Quick Tips

·         Keep a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table for a quick, easy snack.

·         Always have freshly cut vegetable sticks in the refrigerator.

·         Add raisins, bananas and other fresh or dried fruits to hot or cold cereals.

·         Top broiled or grilled meats with a homemade salsa made with tomatoes, mangoes, avocados, red onions, and lime juice.

·         Add bananas or berries to pancakes.

·         Provide dried fruit instead of candy.

·         Keep a bag of frozen vegetables in the freezer and add to stews, casseroles and stir-fried dishes.

·         Freeze fruits such as bananas or grapes for a frozen treat.

Empower Your Child

·         Let your child choose a fruit or vegetable that looks appealing at the grocery store.

·         Involve your child in preparing meals so that he or she can become familiar with the foods.

·         Have a raw and cooked vegetable option so that your child can choose the one he likes best. Some children like the crunch in raw vegetables, while others like vegetables to be soft and mushy.

Don't Give Up

·         Children can be very picky. It may take as many as 10 to 15 tries with a new food before a child is willing to accept it.

·         Think about colour, smell and texture when introducing a child to a new food. A child may enjoy raw crunchy broccoli but not cooked broccoli in casseroles, or soft canned peaches but not freshly sliced peaches.

·         Be a positive role model. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.

·         Encourage your child to try new foods in a comfortable meal environment.

Be a Little Sneaky

·         Add broccoli florets or julienne carrots to pasta or potato salad.

·         Add spinach, mushrooms or zucchini to spaghetti sauce.

·         Mash beans and add corn and carrots in chili.

·         Shred zucchini and carrots into meat loaf or casseroles.

How do I encourage my children to eat fruit and vegetables?

Encouraging children to eat fruit and vegetables can sometimes be a struggle. However, research has shown that the more fruit and vegetables are available and easily accessible for children ie; chopped up and ready to eat, the more likely they are to eat them. Providing a variety of different fruits and vegetables is one way to encourage your children towards healthy eating habits, however you need to be patient. There is some evidence that children need to try new fruits and vegetables up to eight or nine time before they are liked or accepted. 

As a parent you can help this process by being creative in the way you serve up fruit and vegetables. For example, prepare vegetables in different ways to vary the texture such as raw, microwaved, mashed, baked, grated into a casserole or frittata (like a baked omellete) blended up as a pasta sauce or as a soup.

Fruit juice or fruit drinks should not be considered as a substitute for real fruit.  Fruit juice is often regarded as a healthy choice as it contains Vitamin C. However one small glass (125 ml) of most juices provides a child’s daily requirement for Vitamin C. More than this provides excess sugar and kg that can contribute to weight gain.  A piece of fruit is a better choice than juice.

Easy fruit and vegetable ideas:

             

Try and make fruit and vegetables a part of every meal or snack, for example:

• Top breakfast cereal with fruit

• add chopped or pureed fruit to yogurt as a snack

• make a smoother with fresh, frozen or canned fruit

• As a topping on toast, i.e. Banana, mushrooms, tomatoes

• chop up fruit or veggie sticks for your child’s lunchbox

• In Summer, freeze fruit on a skewer as a snack

• add veggies to a stir-fry, chopped up in meat loaf or a casserole or on a home-made pizza.

Select fruit and vegetables in Season – it will taste better and is usually cheaper than those that are out of season.

 Fruit Smoothie

What you need:
2 cups frozen or fresh berries or any other fruit you like
2 Tbsp. orange juice concentrate (or 1/2 cup orange juice)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup yogurt
1 fresh banana
1 Tbsp. honey

Add all ingredients to your blender and blend until completely smooth. You can explore with any type of fruits you like. Put in the fridge to cool or make pour into an ice tray and freeze for that hot summer’s day.

On-the-Go Breakfast Recipes

Breakfast is brain food, but it can be a challenge to feed the kids healthfully and get out the door in time for school. These 15 simple on-the-go breakfasts will give your kids the energy to get through the morning -- without sucking up your time, too.

Pick-Up Quesadilla

What you need:
2 flour tortillas (regular or whole-wheat)
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
several thin slices of a Granny Smith apple (optional)

Sprinkle an even layer of cheese over one tortilla. Scatter the apple slices (optional) on top of the cheese and top with the remaining tortilla. Microwave for 30 seconds or until the cheese melts. For a crisper tortilla, pan cook in a frying pan without any oil or butter for 1-2 minutes on both sides, until the cheese is melted. Cut into 6-8 wedges.  You can use any filling you like, the picture shows it filled with shredded chicken, red/green peppers and sweetcorn mixed with cream cheese. Try it!!!

Crepes On-the-Run

What you need:
1 large eggs
1 pint milk
2 cup flour
1 Tbsp. sugar or vanilla ess
additional butter, for coating the pan

Blend all of the ingredients until completely incorporated. Heat an 8"-10" non-stick pan over medium-high. Add butter to coat. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly (you want a very thin even layer of batter -- adjust amount of batter according to the size of pan you are using). Cook for 45 seconds and flip. Cook for another 20 seconds.

Serve with drizzled honey, jam or anything you like. Quick to eat in the car.

Refrigerate any leftover crepes in a food bag with a sheet of cling film between each crepe to prevent sticking. Well-sealed, they can be frozen for up to one month.

Chicken Strips with Peanut Sauce

All you need is:

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1 large)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce

For the chicken: Cut the chicken into 1/4-inch strips across the grain. Lay the strips on a cutting board and gently flatten by pounding with your fist; they will be a variety of shapes and sizes. If some slices are very long you may need to cut them in two. Place the chicken in a bowl with the oil and soy sauce and turn the chicken in the sauce to coat. Let the chicken marinate at room temperature for at least 20 minutes, or refrigerate overnight.

For the peanut sauce: Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, garlic powder/fresh crushed, and red pepper flakes (optional) in a bowl and whisk together.

Preheat a flat griddle over medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade, pat dry, and thread onto skewers; discard the marinade. Place the chicken on the hot griddle so that the skewers are positioned away from the direct heat and cook the chicken until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve the skewers with peanut sauce for dipping.

Packing the lunchbox

A balanced packed lunch should contain:

Starchy foods. These are bread, rice, potatoes and pasta, and others.

Protein foods. These are meat, fish, eggs, beans and others.

A dairy item. This could be cheese or yoghurt.

Vegetables or salad, and a portion of fruit.

SWEET BREAD

This bread is lovely as a lunch box treat. all you need is 3 cracked eggs in a bowl, add 1/4 cup milk and 3tbsp sugar and whisk well until all blended together. cut a few slices of bread into four small squares (you can make any shape you wish, triangles, rectangles or even use cookie cutters. in a frying pan melt  knob of butter, dip a few pieces of bread into the egg mixture and using a folk or tongs turn the bread so it's evenly coated. place int he frying pan and frying until lightly brown turning occasionally. can be eaten hot or cold.  Have fun!!!

SAVORY BREAD

Alternatively why not make it savory by adding salt and pepper instead of sugar or why not take the plunge by adding tiny chopped onions,peppers or even green chili's for the adults, it's totally up to you. Go on be adventurous!!

sorry no pictures of these recipes but will take pictures next time i make it and then post them.

KID'S LUNCH BOXES!!!

Are you as a mother stuck every morning as to what to put into your child's lunch box?

well look no further, every now and then i will be posting a variety of quick and simple ideas that will make your child's lunch box exciting inshallah so keep checking.


HOUMOUS WRAPS

On a tortilla wrap (you can get small size ones or you can use roti if you want it's up to you) spread a generous amount of houmous in the middle of the wrap then layer some grated carrots and thinly sliced cucumbers (these should be sliced in strips, can take skin off if you want), then from one end of the warp start rolling the tortilla until it becomes a wrap and finally wrap in foil to stay fresh and keep it's shape. 

don't limit yourself to just carrots and cucumbers feel free to add anything else your child may like. my kid's just love these wraps.

MINI PIZZA ROLLS

Quick pizza roll. this is one type of pizza which you can afford to do in the mornings. all  you need is a soft roll cut into half, spread both sides with tomato puree, add which ever filling you like eg: sweetcorn, peppers etc and then grate cheese on to sprinkle Italian herbs and place under the grill for about 5 min. once done let it cool and wrap in foil. Enjoy.

Hi everyone these are some of the amazing cakes and cupcake which i make, want to know how? then stay tuned by regularly visiting the blog or subscribe to it and i will tell you how to make the perfect home baked cake to enjoy with your afternoon tea. plus many more tips and ideas for that perfect baking and cooking. 
keep in touch!!!!!
bye for now.

Here are two quick and easy dishes that I cooked today for dinner.

Italian Oven Baked|Fish


Washed haddock or cod fillets placed in a oven proof dish lined with foil.
drizzle over all the fillets lemon juice, salt, pepper, Italian herbs,dried parsley,dried basil
and a generous amount of olive oil. place in the oven and bake for 30 min.

once cooked serve with salad and chips or boiled potatoes or even rice, it's up to you.

Enjoy!!!







Quick Italian Pasta

Boil pasta or you can use left over cold pasta.

in a non stick pan add 1/4 tin tomato tin crushed, let simmer, add salt, Italian herbs and parsley, using the back of a spoon crush any tomato pieces left then add a tbp of butter and simmer. once sauce thickens toss the pasta in and mix evenly.  dish out in individual bowls and grate cheese if required and enjoy.