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Cooking With The Kids

April 20, 2012 By

As parents, feeding our families healthy food that they enjoy is of course of prime concern. What’s more, time and cost are important factors, so sometimes trying to tick off all of these boxes can be pretty tricky.

Help is at hand though! A great way of getting the kids to eat nutritious food that doesn’t cost the earth is to get them involved in the food preparation. And, by making food preparation a fun, family activity, it won’t feel like a waste of time or a burden either.

Get the kids involved in preparing meals and you should soon find that they are much more open to trying new and varied foods. For example, try making your own homemade soups for lunch or tea times. There are hundreds of varieties of soups you can try and the great thing about this dish is that you can of course freeze or chill it to enjoy after you have made it. Add as much veg as you like and serve with wholemeal or granary bread for added nutrition.

If your family is fussy about their bread and prefer white only, try best of both for the taste of white with the goodness of wholemeal. When it comes to which brand, Hovis bread is a personal favourite.

As well as soups, you can try out a whole range of family-friendly recipes. A favourite in our household is tuna pasta bake using wholemeal pasta, organic tomatoes and a crunchy topping of cheddar cheese and crushed salt and vinegar crisps. A real treat!

Try out spaghetti Bolognese, chilli con carne, hot pots and curries – the choice is yours and the list is pretty much endless! The main thing is that you enjoy spending time together as a family and food and meal times become something which you all look forward to.

 

Filed Under: Food for Families Tagged With: , , , ,

Homemade Bread

December 1, 2011 By

There is nothing like a good homemade, fresh out of the oven, baked loaf of bread! Besides growing your own fruit and veg, baking is perhaps the best way to stay healthy and save money at the same time. Baking is also something the whole family are able to participate in; it is simple and once you get the hang of it you’ll be attempting to bake every type of bread under the sun, from plain, wholemeal, multigrain to seeded or granary bread.

The easiest type of bread to bake is plain. Follow these simple instructions and by the end of the process, you should have yourself a good old loaf of bread that’ll feed the family for at least a few days!

  1. In a bowl, add ¾ tablespoon of water and 1 packet of dry active yeast, and mix until dissolved.
  2. Add 1tsp of salt, 1-1/2 tsp of sugar, 1tbsp of vegetable shortening, and ½ a cup of milk and stir in well.
  3. Mix in two cups of flour. The dough should chase the spoon around the bowl; if it doesn’t, add more flour in small amounts until it is at the ideal consistency.
  4. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead, adding small teaspoons of flour as needed, until the dough is soft and smooth (and not sticky).
  5. Put the dough in an oiled or buttered bowl and turn over so all of it is greased.
  6. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot for one hour.
  7. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F/ Gas mark 5.
  8. Take the dough out and knead, then put into a greased bread tin. Cover with a damp tea towel and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
  9. Score the bread with a sharp knife 3 or 4 times, put it in the oven and let it bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

10.  Turn out the bread and let it cool.

Filed Under: Baking Tagged With: , , , , ,