Sweet Farmhouse Chicken

Sweet Farmhouse Chicken

 

Another fabulously low-fat recipe suitable for Rosie's and Slimming World followers! Tyler also wolfed this one down, I was very surprised, he couldn't get enough! I served mine with mashed potatoes but you can try something different such as jacket potato, wedges or potato rosti.

 

The nutrition is brilliant, lean meat providing a low fat protein, fibre, vitamin C etc. Very healthy for little ones and us older ones!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

• 2 Large Chicken Breasts
• 250ml Chicken Stock
• 6oz Frozen Sliced Carrots
• 4oz Frozen Petit Pois
• 1 tsp Mixed Herbs
• 4 Sprays of Low Calorie Cooking Spray
• 2 tbsp. Cornflour

 

 

The Not-So Nitty Gritty

 

1. Add the cooking spray to a hot casserole dish (on full heat on the hob), followed by the mixed herbs.
2. Once the herbs start to smell aromatic, dice the chicken breasts and add to the dish immediately. Keep turning the chicken with a wooden spoon so the chicken is evenly coated with the herbs.
3. When the chicken has started to colour up and loose it's pinkness, add the stock to the dish, followed by the carrots, peas and cornflour.
4. Reduce the heat and stir well. Place the lid on top of the casserole dish and leave. Stir every five minutes or so to prevent it sticking to the dish. After 20 minutes, serve with a carb based side.

 

 







Turkey on a Bed of Diddy Veg and Diced Potato

Turkey on a Bed of Diddy Veg

 

This meal feeds four and has the essential carbohydrates, protein, fibre and key vitamins. This is a cheap and healthy meal suitable for Slimming World fans too!

 

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. of sweetcorn per child
• 3 tbsp. of peas per child
• 6 tbsp. of sweetcorn per adult
• 6 tbsp. of peas per adult
• 2 large white potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 small turkey breast steaks

The Not-So Nitty Gritty

1. Peel and dice the potatoes then put in boiling water and into the microwave on full power for 3 minutes then drain.
2. Grill the turkey steaks for ten minutes on each side.
3. Dice the turkey steaks, leave to rest.
4. Fry the diced potatoes for around 15 minutes with low calories cooking spray.
5. Place all the veg in a bowl of boiling water and whack in the microwave on full power for 6 minutes. Drain the veg and mix in the potatoes.
6. Plate up the vegetable mix and put the bits of turkey steaks on top.

How simple was that? It is also very quick and very nutritious for all ages.



Ham and Cheese Muffins

Ham & Cheese Muffins

 

Makes 9

 

These muffins and absolutely amazing! I scoffed most of them myself, did my diet no favours what-so-ever! Also, they make a nice change to sandwiches, pasta, salad, soups etc. They don't even take long to prepare.

 

10 Minutes Preparation, 25 Minutes Cooking Time, 10 Minutes Cooling Time

 

 

Ingredients

 

• 3 slices of Wafer Thin Ham (cut into pieces)
• 2oz Grated Mature Cheese
• 2 Eggs
• 6oz Plain Flour
• 2oz Melted Butter
• 2 tbsp. Caster Sugar
• 2 tsp Baking Powder

 

 

The Not-So Nitty Gritty

 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees or Gas Mark 5. Grease a muffin tin.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and caster sugar. Stir together to be doubley sure!
3. Combine the beaten eggs, milk and melted butter and whisk lightly to form a thoroughly blended mixture.
4. Make a well in the dry mixture and pour in the wet mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon so it is just combined, no over mixing.
5. Add in the cheese and ham and stir through lightly.
6. Using a table spoon, heap the mixture into the muffin tin slots until they are each half full.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.
8. Leave to stand for five minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack to allow to cool for another five minutes.



Black Peppered Chicken

 Black Peppered Chicken

 

with sweet corn and sweet potato wedges

 

 

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts
• freshly ground black pepper
• 9 tbsp. sweetcorn
• 1 large sweet potato
• drizzle of lemon juice

The Not-So Nitty Gritty

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the chicken breasts in the roasting tin, drizzle lemon juice over the chicken breasts and season with black pepper. Cover over with foil and place in the oven for around 40 - 50 minutes depending on weight (see packaging for details).
2. Peel the sweet potato and cut in half, half again and into 3's. Put in boiling water for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the sweet potato from the pot and drain. Place into a pan with hot oil and cook at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.
4. Boil the sweet corn for 3 minutes. Then serve all together.

What Little Monster Thought....


 Loved it very much! He did pull his face a bit at the chicken but he soon changed his mind and ate all of the chicken breast before the wedges and sweet corn! Mummy and Daddy loved it too! A sweet winter warmer. Relatively cheap to produce, around £5 with a left over chicken breast and the majority of a bag of sweet corn. The best Place I have found for frozen chicken is Aldi!  The sweet corn was £1 for a medium sized bag at Iceland and the sweet potato I picked up from Lidl for around 70p for a massive one. We didn't even eat all the wedges!

 

 

Next Time: A Poor Girl's Eaton Mess

 

Links:

• www.facebook.com/feedingforthefuture
• www.aldi.co.uk
• www.lidl.co.uk
• www.iceland.co.uk



Apple Burgers

Homemade Apple Burgers

 

I added cheese to Tyler's burgers!

 

This recipe came from Tyler being a little bit constipated so I needed to get some more fruit and vegetables into his system. And this is one of the many weird and wonderful recipes I came up with. Very simple too, and mum, dad and the rest of the family can enjoy them too. By the way, this makes 8 mini burgers, adjust the quantities as required.

 

 

Ingredients

 

• Half a medium size cox apple
• 200g Mince Beef
• A few slices of bread
• A few slices of dairylea plastic cheese

 

 

The Not-so Nitty Gritty Bit

 

1. Grate the apple into a bowl using the smallest ridges of the grater.
2. Squish the mince beef into the apple until mixed well.
3. Form patties using a 3 inch pastry cutter.
4. Add oil to a frying pan and heat.
5. Add the patties to the pan once heated thoroughly.
6. Cook each side of the patties for 5 - 7 minutes each.
7. Using the same pastry cutter, cut out mini burger buns from the bread.
8. Serve burgers and add cheese.

 

 

 

 

What Little Monter Made of it....

 

 

Tyler loves beef at the minute, so it went down a treat. As you can see from the photo above he likes to separate things and investigate thoroughly before eating. Most was eaten but I might leave out the cheese next time as he didn't like the combination of texture, but I assume the cheese would still work well for older children as I loved it. A bit sweet but a perfect quick lunch from scratch that I know exactly what is in it!

 

 

 

We will just leave you to it then Ty?



Toad in The Hole

Toad in the Hole

 

 

   Toad in the hole has always been one of my favourite dishes and proves to be a firm family favourite. Right, I have a confession, I cannot make homemade batter to save my life so I use Asda smart price batter mix and at only 7p a packet and you only have to add a beaten egg and 200ml cold water, it is a great time and money saver. Yes I am aware of added ingredients, but it won't hurt every now and again if you are short of time and money.

  

 

   This dish will provide, protein, carbohydrate, vitamin C and fibre amongst other things.

 

 

 

Tyler's Personal Portion

 

 

 

Ingredients

• Battermix (7p, Asda)
• 6 Sausages  (89p, 12 pack, Lidl)
• Oil (89p, Lidl)
• 1 can Baked Beans (17p, Aldi)

 

 

The Not-so Nitty Gritty

 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees
2. Drizzle oil into a small roasting pan and place in the oven
3. Fry sausages until a light brown
4. Make up your batter mix, or your homemade batter if you have greater apt for these types of things
5. Remove the pan from the oven and pour in the batter mix.
6. Put the sausages in the pan too and space out evenly.
7. Start cooking the beans 5 minutes or so before the end of the oven cooking time
8. Cook for 20 - 30 minutes.
9. Take out and cut up and serve with baked beans

 

 

Mummy size portion, daddy wouldn't let me take a picture of his, he thinks it's unhealthy for me to be obsessed with photographing food. I majorly disagree.

 

 

 



What Little Monster Made of it

 

Well, well, well! I have never seen his plate clear so quick. Ate the batter first, sausage second and beans last. All by hand as we are having some fork issues at the moment. A nice strawberry rice pudding to follow and all was well. Not much else to say really, was eaten, seemed to be enjoyed, cheap and quick enough for success!

 

 

 

 

Wrap it up Pizzas

This week, after almost a full two weeks of barely any appetite, my little one is finally eating, and boy has he made a come back with his appetite! This recipe started off his eating again and as it was the first time I had ever done it, I was rather nervous.
Mind you, what is not to love about a cheap, fun, creative, alternative, quick meal that provides protein, a little vitamin c, vitamin d, calcium, fibre and carbohydrate?

Wrap it up Wraps

 

I used turkey and green beans.

 

Prep time: 10 minutes for washing and chopping veg.

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

 

• 1 white wrap, if your child is over 1 year of age, you can use wholemeal wraps
• 1 or 2 tbsp. of tomato puree
• 3oz mild grated cheese
• Whatever, meat and vegetables you want

 

The approximate cost of this should be around £1. Cheap ingredients and easy to make, perfect.

 

 

 

The Not-so Nitty Gritty

 

 

1. Prepare what ever meat or veg you are using, I used some chopped green beans and strips of Bernard Matthews Turkey.
2. Lay your wrap flat on a baking tray while pre-heating the oven to 180 degrees.
3. Smooth the tomato puree over the wrap with the back of a metal spoon leaving an inch clear around the edges. This is so it is easier to pick up after cooking and while eating.
4. Scatter the grated cheese over the pureed area.
5. Add the meat or vegetables. If using both add the meat first and they will more than likely take up a larger surface area.
6. Put in the oven for 10 minutes.
7. Take out and slice into triangles like an actual pizza!

 

 

Mummy and Tyler portions.

 

What The Little Monster Made of It

 

 

 

Well, he was not that interested at first but once I got him to taste it, he loved it and gobbled the first slice straight up, the second however, he threw at me and it landed cheese side down on my jeans, lovely. Grease stain was epic.

 

 

Mummy liked hers but a bit sweet for my liking, will be trying with pitta breads at some point next week to appeal to my more savoury tastes. The green beans added a nice crunch though.

 

 

I made Tyler's daddy a meat feast one and he gobbled it up too, these boys and cheese, I tell you, makes any meal easy. Daddy required a full wrap to himself though.

 

 

Coming up soon: banana custard, top tiny hand snacks, toad in the hole.





 





Cottage Pie

Cottage Pie

 

I know you all probably have cottage pie mastered to a fine art now you are a fully fledged family, but here's how I did it if there is anything you would like to take from it.

Also provides carbs, fibre, protein and key vitamins. Oh, and only cost me about £2 to make for me, Nick & Tyler!

 

 

Pre-oven. And already looks fab!

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

• Half a Pack of Lean Mince Beef (Lidl)
• 4 Medium-Size White Potatoes (Iceland)
• 5 tbsp. Baby Carrots (Iceland)
• 5 tbsp. Petite Pois (Iceland)
• Half a Diced Onion (Lidl)
• 1 tbsp. Butter
• 1 tsp Beef Gravy Granules
• 5 tbsp. Beef Gravy Granules

 

The Not-So Nitty Gritty

 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Peel and chop potatoes into 8 pieces each, the smaller the better. This will allow them to cook faster as the starch is broken down easier in the centres.
3. Boil the potatoes and leave them for approximately 15 minutes.
4. Brown the mince and as just colour is just about to change, add the onion and 1 tsp of beef gravy granules.
5. Add the carrots and peas at this point too. (I used frozen veg as I had no plans of reheating)
6. Cook the mince, regularly turning and stirring, for a further 5 - 10 minutes.
7. Put the mince and veg in a Pyrex (or similar) dish. Make up the gravy with the 5 tbsp. of granules and add boiling water, make it quite thick. Then coat the mince with the gravy.
8. Drain the potatoes, add the butter and mash.
9. Spread the mash over the mince then run the prongs of a fork over the top of the mash and when it goes in the oven it will crisp up and add to the texture,
10. Place in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
11. Serve.

 

 

 

Side View

 

 

Tyler's personal portion.

 

 

What Little Monster Thought

 

Well this dish was a success all round. Daddy said the only problem was, was that there wasn't enough. He does have a big appetite though! Tyler loved using his hands and getting messy. I did encourage him to use his spoon but it didn't go to well when he flung it at mummy! But, he ate the lot. And as he has been teething, I am more than happy with that result!

 

 

 

Mummy, Tyler and Daddy Portions!



 

 





Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Tea? You decide!

A Meal For All Suitable at Any Meal Time

 

Are you stuck for ideas again? Breakfast getting boring? The little one got up too late for breakfast but needs something before lunch? Need a light lunch or a top up tea? No problem. I have this meal that I pull out of the bag every time I have no time to cook for either me or Ty! Lazy I know but sometimes, we don't fancy being super mum and this meal takes 2 minutes to prepare and cook, if you will call it cook, and it will provide your bundle of love calcium, vitamin c, protein, fibre, carbohydrate and of course good fats, among other nutrients.

 

 

Well mum, let me watch telly while I eat, I don't need you right this second!

 

 

Ingredients

 

• 1/3 can of baked beans (17p, Aldi)
• 1 slice of white bread (55p, Lidl)
• 1 large free range egg (89p, Lidl)
• 10-20 ml whole milk (£1, Asda)

 

This will literally not cost more than 35p per portion. Mummys and Daddys I recommend you have and extra egg each so 5 eggs in total, 5 slices of bread, 50 - 60 ml of milk and a whole can of baked beans.

 

The REALLY not-so Nitty Gritty Bit

 

1. Beat the egg with the milk. Put in the microwave for approx. 1 and half minutes, to be safe and stop the egg getting too dry, check every 30 seconds and mix with a fork to keep it nice and fluffy.
2. Once the egg is done, heat the beans in a plastic container, covered in cling film for 2 minutes, check every 30 seconds to stop the beans exploding. Yes, that does happen, well only to numptys like myself, but it can happen.
3. Toast your toast last minute and spread with  butter.
4. Serve

 

Little Monster's Opinion

 

   Little Monster loves egg, loves beans and loves toast. Was like feeding strawberries to a donkey. He only used his fork for his beans, and even then it didn't last long. Thank god for wet wipes, great for cleaning everything, including the mucky pup sat in front of you!

 

Basic, quick, cheap, filling, comforting, what is not to love? Yeah you read my blog for recipes, I'm giving you an idea, add what you want, it is a good base for your nutrients.

 

Photos are always appreciated!

 

 





THE Lunch Box Alternative

Cheese Scones

 

Yes, sandwiches get boring in those lunchboxes and there are only so many different sandwich fillers about. I got stuck in the rut of ham then marmalade then cheese then chicken then cheese with spinach then jam then back again... and bread just isn't very exciting for our little one's is it?

So, I took a simply sweet scone recipe and modified it to be baby friendly and savoury. Simples, and it is going to be simple for you too. The recipe should take 10 mins prep time, 10 mins cooking time and 10 mins cool down time plus it should cost no more than £2.80 to produce roughly 8-10 of these little munches.

 

Mine turned out a wee bit smaller because I used a small pastry cutter.

 

Ingredients

 

• 8oz sifted plain flour (99p, Lidl)
• 1 tsp cream of tartar (£2.80, Asda)
• Half tsp bicarbonate of soda (£1, Lidl)
• 1 tbsp. parmesan cheese (the powder type) (£3.50ish, Asda)
• 2oz diced, unsalted butter (£1, Iceland)
• Approximately 4floz whole milk (£1, Asda)
• 2 slices mild cheddar cheese (£1.38, Lidl)
• 2 triangles of spread cheese (£1.64 for 18, Lidl)

 

The Not-So Nitty Gritty

 

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees and grease a baking tray and put to one side.
2. Sift the plain flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cream of tartar (this can be left out if preferred).
3. Add the bicarbonate of soda and parmesan powder.
4.  Rub in the diced butter until a breadcrumb texture is achieved.
5.  Add enough milk (by eye and hand) to make a soft dough, this is usually around 4floz, maybe more.
6. Place the dough on a floured surface and kneed lightly as if doing bread. Then roll the dough until its is approximately thumb thick. Use a medium size cutter to make the dough circles and put onto the baking tray.
7. Add small squares of mild cheddar cheese to the tops of the rounds and glaze with milk.
8. Put into the oven for roughly 10 mins or until a golden colour, but not too golden because they get tough. leave to cool for about 15 mins and slice in halves and add spread cheese.
9. Ready to eat, now get stuck in!

 

 

What Little Monster Thought

 

   Well there are no pictures to this one, simply due to the fact that LO ate them so quick. He was intrigued when we opened his lunch box. There were no sandwiches in his foil and when I offered him the scones he was very cautious but once he tried it, he loved it! I couldn't keep up with him crawling around with his scone showing nanny and granddad the new golden food he had discovered!

  All in all? Fabulous! Definitely trying again soon but maybe cheese and spinach or cheese and ham? I found them quite tasty too. But I doubt very much they did my waistline any good at all.

 

 

 

  Well, there you have it , nice and simple and a bit different. Please let me know how you get on with this one and pictures are always, always loved! By the way, you may have seen this before if you have been reading Jessica Veltman's blog, Mom's the Word. If you haven't you should give her mommy blog a check, she covers all manner of mommy-related things and I enjoy reading it, so the chances are you might too!

 

http://momstheword2012.blogspot.co.uk/

 

and don't forget to give us a like on facebook!

 

http://www.facebook.com/feedingforthefuture

 

 

Til Next time mummy and daddy's :)

Sweet Chicken, Rice & Peas

Sweet Chicken, Rice & Peas

 

A twist on a traditional Caribbean recipe going back generations of families. This version is not spicy in the slightest and it is very, very tasty! It is also low in fat so perfect for mummy getting that pre-baby figure back, in a filling and tasty way!

 

You Will Need

• 3 tbsp Tinned pineapple inc. 3 tbsp. juice (79p, Lidl)
• 3 heaped tbsp. of white rice (£1, Iceland)
• 3 tbsp. frozen petit pois (£1.50, Iceland)
• Chicken Breast (£3.99, Lidl)

For mummy and daddy portions increase the pineapple to half a can, white rice to two and a half handfuls, 3 chicken breasts and 10 tbsp. of petit pois. Brilliant family meal.

The Not-so Nitty Gritty Bit

1. I used frozen chicken so put the chicken in a roasting tin and cover with foil and put in the oven at 180 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
2. In the mean time, boil a pan of water and add the rice and peas. Simmer for 5 - 9 minutes.
3. When the chicken is cooked, uncover and add the pineapple and juice. Slice the chicken and stir the pineapple in, make sure the juice covers the chicken and leave for five minutes.
4. Drain the rice and peas. Stir in to the chicken and pineapple.
5. Serve and enjoy.

Little Monster's Opinion

 

Who needs a fork?

 

As you can guess from the caption, Tyler found it easier to use his hands not his fork which isn't really a bad thing at his age. My sons loves pineapple so this went down quicker than air! The pineapple makes the chicken really sweet and with the different textures, little ones won't get bored. Mummy and daddy love this one two and we have always eaten this pre-baby so it was an absolute joy to be able to include Tyler in yet another one of our favourites.

 

Also, try adding sweet corn or peppers for even more texture.

 

Happy eating :)



Crispy Bacon Noodles

Crispy Bacon Noodles

 

Well, what can I say? Quick and easy tasty food, which is you use bacon medallions instead of streaky bacon, is syn free on the slimming world extra easy plan! Result! This meal will cost 70p for a baby portion or £2.30 (approx.) for a baby portion and a mummy and daddy portion. Increases for mummy and daddy portions will be stated at the end of the initial ingredient layout.

 

Yes it does taste as good as it looks!

 

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 piece of smoked streaky bacon
• 1 slice of dairy lee 'plastic' cheese
• 3 level tbsp. of frozen sweetcorn
• Half a nest of medium dried egg noodles
• 1/6 of a grated onion

 

To make mummy and daddy portions increase the amount of bacon to 5 pieces, the amount of dairy lee to 4 slices, the sweetcorn to 6 heaped table spoons, use two and a half noodle nests and half an onion.

 

The Not-so Nitty Gritty

 

1. Cut the bacon into chunky squares and fry with no oil or fat for 5 - 10 minutes. 3 minutes into this, add the grated onion and stir in.
2. Add the egg noodles and sweetcorn to boiling water and leave on the boil for roughly 7/8 minutes.
3. Cut the 'plastic' cheese into squares and leave to one side.
4. Put the bacon and onion onto kitchen paper and fold in two to absorb excess fat and grease that has come out of the bacon during the cooking process.
5. Drain the noodles and sweetcorn but put back in the pot.
6. Stir the bacon and onion into the noodles.
7. Serve onto plates (the bowl did not go down well... see below) and add the squares of cheese on the tops of the noodles.

 

What Little Monster made of it

 

 

Well after playing with the noodles... stretching, throwing and of course twirling..... Tyler realised he loved it! I would not serve in a bowl as they slip out rather too easy as I have found on previous noodle ventures with the LO. He gobbled up most and mummy polished off the crumbs he left, such a considerate child thinking of mummy's tummy too! I would not used smoked meat in a baby's diet too much as they are naturally higher in salt, and streaky bacon is higher in fat. For a low fat option use bacon medallions, as stated in the intro. If your LO likes spices try adding some to the noodles once cooked, rather yummy! Definitely hand eating task though, the fork was not much use to be quite honest with you.

 

 

Let me know how you all get on, as always I love feedback, it helps me improve!

Happy cooking ladies and gentlemen.

 

 

What Can You Expect Next Time?

 

Well, in the next two blog posts I am covering Sweet Chicken, Rice and Peas as well as looking into what nutrients babies need at different stages. We get such a lot pushed on us in the first two years, don't do this, make sure you do that... it gets so confusing. I am going to try make things as basic as possible (it has to be basic otherwise I won't be able to understand!).