Fruity Smoothies

A great tasty way to get more fruit into your little darlings and it couldn't be simpler!

Quantities make 2 large glasses or 4 small

Strawberry, Pineapple & Vanilla
1 banana

8 strawberries

8-10 chunks of pineapple

2 tbsp vanilla yoghurt

splash of milk

Roughly chop the fruit and throw everything into a blender, whizz for a minute or so until smooth. Add more milk if too thick.

Blueberry & Banana

2 bananas

100g blueberries

2 tbsp plain yoghurt

2 tsp honey (optional)

splash of milk

Roughly chop banana, whizz everything in a blender until smooth, adding more milk if required.

Mango, Raspberry & Orange

1 mango

100g raspberries

1 cup orange juice

Roughly chop mango flesh and whizz everything in a blender until smooth, adding more juice if required.

Halloween

With Halloween just round the corner, here are a few creepy treat ideas!

Monster Melon EyeballsHoneydew melon
Glace cherries
Currants

Make balls of melon using a melon baller.
Cut the cherries into thin slices across the width so you end up with little discs of cherries.
Place a currant in the middle of each cherry disc and place one on top of each melon ball, you may need to carve a little dip in the melon ball to sit the cherries in, I used a cocktail stick to do this.



Crispy Gooey Brains & Chocolate Crackle Spiders

For the brains:
180g Rice Krispies / Rice Bubbles or similar
45g butter
250g marshmallows
Red icing to decorate (optional)

Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Place the butter and marshmallows in a pan over a low heat and stir until melted.
Add the Rice Krispies and stir until combined.
Spoon onto the baking tray and spread out, you may find a buttered knife makes this job a little easier!
Place in the fridge for 30 mins or so to cool and set slightly, then take out and roll spoonfuls of the goo into brain shapes.
Decorate with the red icing.

For the spiders:
180g Rice Krispies / Rice Bubbles or similar
45g butter
150g marshallows
350g chocolate, chopped
Mini marshmallows & coloured balls to decorate
Black pipe cleaners

Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Place the butter, chocolate and marshmallows in a pan over a low heat and stir until melted.
Add the Rice Krispies and stir until combined.
Working as quickly as possible, take spoonfuls of the mixture and mould into balls.
Place in the fridge to set. Stick mini marshmallows and coloured balls with icing on the chocolate crackle spider bodies to make eyes.
To make the spider legs, cut the pipe cleaners in half, take 4 and twist in the middle, then splay out the legs on each side and bend in a couple of places.
Sit the spider bodies on the legs.

Chicken Nuggets

Who needs frozen chicken nuggets with all the added rubbish when homemade ones are this simple and so much tastier!

Serves 4-6 (depending on the size of the little tummies)

2 chicken thighs or 1 chicken breast
Flour for dusting
Salt & pepper
1 egg
3 slices wholemeal/wholegrain bread, whizzed up in a food processor to make breadcrumbs
Oil for frying (something like Canola is best)

Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks or strips
Put the flour in a bowl and add a little salt & pepper (you could also add some herbs or spices at this point, for example parsley, thyme, ground cumin or coriander, paprika or a Cajun spice mix)
Beat the egg in another bowl and put the breadcrumbs in a third bowl
Coat each piece of chicken in the flour, then the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs
Once each piece is coated heat about a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and fry the nuggets in batches, adding more oil as needed, for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden (check one by cutting in half to make sure it is cooked through)

Nb. these will freeze well, place in the freezer once you have coated them with breadcrumbs (presuming the chicken you have used has not already been frozen!), then defrost thoroughly, ideally overnight in the fridge, before frying.

Spinach & Feta Muffins

Makes 36 mini muffins

250g oatbran
1 tsp baking powder
1 clove of garlic
a handful finely chopped spinach
100g feta, finely chopped/crumbled
2 egg whites
250ml skimmed milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 190°C

Heat a drop of oil in a frying pan and add garlic, fry gently for a minute or so (be careful not to let it burn)
Add the spinach and fry for a further 1-2 minutes until wilted
In a bowl combine oatbran & baking powder
Gradually stir in feta, spinach, egg white, milk & oil
Spoon mixture into muffin tray & bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown

Nb. these muffins freeze really well

Fruity Flapjacks

Makes about 40 mini bites

85g butter

1 tbsp honey

zest & juice of 1 orange

50g dried mixed fruit

65g dried apricots

125g rolled oats

Preheat oven to 180°C

Grease a 22cm x 33cm baking tray

Put butter, honey, orange zest and juice in a pan, heat gently until the butter has melted and combined with the honey and juice
Take pan off the heat and add the remaining ingredients, mix until completely combined (for little ones you can whizz the dried fruit and oats in a food processor so there are no big chunks)

Put mixture in baking tray and press down firmly

Bake in oven for 12-15 mins until golden

Leave to cool in tin before cutting into little squares

Mini Apple, Sultana & Cinnamon Hot Cakes

Makes about 35 hot cakes

200g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
275 ml milk
2 apples, chopped finely
50g sultanas
knob of butter

Combine the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and cinnamon
Beat in the egg and milk until you have a thick batter, then add the chopped apple and sultanas
Melt the butter in a large frying pan, then drop in small spoonfuls of batter
Turn over when little bubbles appear on the surface
Cook until golden brown on both sides

Serving suggestions:
Serve warm with maple syrup as a special treat
Great cold in packed lunches

Banana, Apricot & Oatbran Muffins

Makes 36 mini muffins

250g oatbran
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp honey
2 ripe bananas, mashed
10 dried apricots, chopped
2 egg whites
250ml skimmed milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 190°C

In a bowl combine oatbran, baking powder & honey
Gradually stir in banana, apricots, egg white, milk & oil
Spoon mixture into muffin tray & bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown

Nb. these muffins freeze really well