Food

Bakerdays Cake for Eid

By in Food, Islam No Comments

This week we’ve been celebrating Eid Al Adha, one of the two Eids in the Muslim calendar, which marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. Eid is always a time to enjoy spending with family, and as far as my kids are concerned it’s always a time for lots of treats! I was really impressed to see the wide range of Eid cakes over on the baker days website, including personalised cupcakes and cakes in a choice of sizes and flavours. It makes me happy to see our holidays and celebrations being catered for, as it wasn’t always this easy to find such things readily available.

The Bakerdays Eid cakes have such lovely designs, and our cake arrived really quickly. I selected a beautiful turquoise floral design in a lemon drizzle flavour.

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The Ultimate Summer Holiday Picnic with the Kids

By in Food, Sponsored 8 Comments

Enjoying a family picnic is such a simple thing, but for the kids it can be very exciting! It’s a great way to spend quality time together, chatting and enjoying the delicious food, whether at home or on a day out. We decided to make the most of the summer weather and prepare a fun outdoors lunch with the help of M&S.

A new M&S Foodhall has opened up in Colindale, which is not far from us in Harrow so we went along to check it out. You can click and collect your online orders from the Colindale store, as well as picking up any food or grocery shopping from inside the store.

It’s a pretty large Foodhall so plenty of choice inside, and you will find the click and collect counter right inside as you enter the store.

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Healthy Kids’ Meal Plan

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It can be tough to find meals that kids love, are healthy, and don’t take lots of time to prepare. Many families have at least one fussy eater in their ranks who may need some persuading when it comes to fruit and veg! To mix up your weekly food plan, here are five healthy meal ideas that kids will love – each one is packed with sneaky extra veggies and whole grains.

Waffles
 
Most kids love waffles and you can mix it up by adding all kinds of different toppings, both sweet and savoury. Piling up your waffles with strawberries and bananas is an easy way to get plenty of fruit into your child, or try making waffles with chicken or eggs. Why not invest in a commercial waffle maker, to speed up the process and make life easier.

Homemade Egg-Fried Rice

This protein-packed recipe is perfect for everyone from toddlers to tweens! There are two secrets to nailing egg-fried rice: cook the rice in advance and rinse with cold water to cool (this gets rid of the starch, meaning it’s less likely to stick to the pan); you’ll also want to push the rice to the edge of the frying pan before adding the beaten egg. That way you can scramble the egg, making sure it’s mostly cooked, before stirring in to the rice.

Throw in some frozen peas and spring onions and that’s your basic egg-fried rice sorted. You could also make this with brown rice to up the whole grains and add fibre. Top with smoked tofu or prawns for a quick and easy dinner.

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Easy Taco Soup

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Let’s try something a little different this Taco Tuesday. Don’t worry—it’ll still be Taco Tuesday—but with a twist.

While tacos are scrumptious, filling, and comforting, they’re not the healthiest of dinners. All those refined carbohydrates and fatty cheese? We could do better.

We’re taking all those awesome flavors, and bringing the taco to soup form. This soup from Parenting Pod is hearty. It has depth. And it’s packed with vegetables and beans in a rich tomato base.

One of the greatest things about this soup is that it can be adapted to many different dietary needs. Vegetarian? Skip the beef, and add more beans. Dairy-free? Just don’t add any cheese or sour cream! Gluten-free? Well, this recipe is gluten free. Vegan? This recipe is heavy on vegetables and legumes, no beef or cheese necessary.

I know what you’re thinking. What makes this recipe a Taco Soup recipe if it’s basically just tomato-based vegetable soup?

Two words. Taco seasoning. Also, the beans and the corn (and of course, the ground beef if you’re into that).

Pretty pretty please do NOT go out and buy taco seasoning packets. That stuff contains ingredients like “partially hydrogenated soybean oil,” “maltodextrin,” “silicon dioxide,” and “ethoxyquin” (look them up!) which are truly toxic and SO unnecessary.

On the other hand, if you do find a store-bought taco seasoning with only spices listed in the ingredients, go for it.

Taco seasoning is easy to make at home. Using spices you probably already have, you can whip up your very own taco seasoning in about three minutes.

This recipe makes more than you’ll need for one Taco Soup, so store the leftovers in an airtight container to use next Taco Tuesday.

Homemade Taco Seasoning:

  • 2 Tbsp chili powder

  • 1 Tbsp cumin

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 2 tsp paprika

  • ½ tsp black pepper

  • ½ tsp oregano

  • ½ tsp coarse salt

  • Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Mix it all together and store in a cool, dry place.

Now that the taco seasoning is put together, let’s get started on the soup!

Easy Taco Soup

easy taco soup recipe

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Chocolate and Salted Caramel Crunch Cake Recipe

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If you’re looking for something chocolatey to treat the family this Easter, why not try this yummy Chocolate and Salted Caramel Crunch recipe which is sure to impress at any family get togethers.

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Crunch

Prep time: 45 minutes plus cooling and setting

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 18

Ingredients:

For the cake

100g (3.5oz) Dr. Oetker Fine Cooks’ Extra Dark Chocolate (72%), finely chopped

200g (7oz) plain flour

1 ½ tsp (7g) Dr Oetker Baking Powder Tub

½ tsp (3.5g) Dr Oetker Bicarbonate of Soda Tub

40g (1.4oz) Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder, sifted

125g (4.4oz) unsalted butter, plus extra to grease

150g (5.3oz) caster sugar

150g (5.3oz) light muscovado sugar

3 large eggs

125g (4.4oz) natural yoghurt

For the salted caramel sauce and crunchy topping

175g (5.6oz) caster sugar

2 tbsp (40ml) Dr. Oetker Liquid Glucose

150ml double cream

50g (1.7oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

100g (4oz) cornflakes

½ tsp sea salt

Dr. Oetker Shimmer Spray Gold

For the Buttercream

50g (1.75oz) Dr. Oetker Fine Cooks’ Extra Dark Chocolate 72%, finely chopped

150g (5.3oz) unsalted butter, at room temp

¼ tsp sea salt

500g (17.6oz) icing sugar, sifted

2tbsp Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder

180g (6.3oz) full fat cream cheese

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Two New Cadbury Oreo Chocolate Products!

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Cadbury is officially reigniting the love affair between Cadbury and Oreo, introducing two exciting additions to the hugely popular range. If you’re a fan of this brilliant combination, or perhaps have not tried a Cadbury-Oreo combo before, then you should give these new products a try.

Introducing Cadbury Dairy Milk Oreo Sandwich and Cadbury Oreo Bites – perfect for chocolate lovers everywhere.

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Unicorn Inspired Pancakes

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How have you enjoyed your pancakes this pancake day? As it fell within half term this year, we had double pancakes – with pancakes for breakfast and then a visit to a dessert lounge later, where two out of four of the kids chose to have pancakes again! (fudge cake and cheese cake for the rest of us!)

If you’re looking for a really unique and colourful way to enjoy your pancakes, what about making some of these rainbow coloured unicorn inspired pancakes. There sure to be a hit with the kids

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The Groovy Food Company Gingerbread Snowflake Biscuits

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You’ll get a good yield of scrumptious biscuits from this dough. If freezes well so if you want to make less divide the dough and freeze one half for a later date. We’ve decorated simply with a dusting of icing sugar but if you feel like getting creative you can really go to town with your icing bag.

This Gingerbread Snowflake Biscuits recipe makes about 50 small biscuits, depending on cutter size. Prep times 20 minutes, plus chilling, and your cook time is 8 minutes.

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Halloween Jack-O’-Lantern Shepherd’s Pie

By in Food, Gift Guides & Seasonal No Comments

 

Gearing up for Halloween, we’re seeing everything orange, black, and green. Want to give your family a scare? Rachel Fink from Parenting Pod has the perfect recipe  to share with you!

What screams Halloween better than pumpkins and edible Jack-o’-lanterns? The answer—as you can probably guess—is nothing.

Sure, Halloween is all about the costumes and the candy, but we don’t want to forget the important things about parenting—mainly, feeding our children nutritious and delicious food. We want to make sure their tummies are filled with good stuff—even on Halloween—before they break into their trick-or-treat stash. Since this recipe includes all fresh ingredients including plenty of nutritious veggies, you’ll feel great about feeding your family this fall.

Your kids will go crazy over these Pumpkin Shephard’s Pie Stuffed Peppers, made to look like mini Jack-o’-lanterns. If you lack the ingredients, or you aren’t a fan of shepherd’s pie, you can stuff these babies with other fresh ingredients or with just about any type of leftovers you may have. Other stuffing options include: beans/chicken/turkey with rice/quinoa; sautéed onions, mushrooms and spinach with cheese; mac n’ cheese; or chili.

This festive meal provides a twist on the ordinary casserole-dish that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. And if you don’t have the patience to carve out creepy faces, skip it—by all means! The meal will still exude fall spirit, because—well—they look like mini pumpkins!

Jack-O’-Lantern Pumpkin Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Peppers

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Chickpeas and Jerusalem Artichoke Curry

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Following three years of medical research with Twins UK, identical twins, Lisa and Alana Macfarlane, discovered that though they have 100% of the same DNA, their gut mircobiome is only 40% the same. Upon discovering this, their obsession with gut health grew and now they are more determined than ever to spread the word and give the public this extremely important but incredibly scientific information in a way they can easily understand.

As a twin myself, I found this research quite interesting! The Mac Twins have put together an online video series and website packed with tips, recipes and interviews all about ‘gut health’ and here’s one of their recipes to help promote a healthy gut – Chickpeas and Jerusalem Artichoke Curry. Also, you may want to try out the healthy and delicious pearl couscous recipe by CookingPlanit. They also feature some of the best easy-to-prepare and delicious healthy recipes that you would surely love

  • 547 kcal
  • 24g sugar
  • 0.37g salt
  • 3g fats

Ingredients:

1/2 White onion

1/2 tins Tinned tomato

200g Jerusalem Artichokes

100g Spinach

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Chilli flakes

1 tsp Cumin powder

1/2 cubes Vegetable stock cube

2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

1 clove Garlic

1/2 tins Chickpeas

10 tbsp 0% Fat Greek Yoghurt

1 Carrot

1/2 packs Ready sliced butternut squash

10 sprigs Coriander

2 pinches Sea salt

2 pinches Ground pepper

100g Brown Rice

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook the rice as per pack instructions

2. While the rice is cooking: Wash and peel the garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, butternut squash, carrot and the onion; slice the onion as thin as you can, chop the Jerusalem artichokes and carrot into 1.5 cm bite size chunks, and chop the garlic as small as you can. Trim the coriander leaves, roughly chop it and set aside

3. In a bowl: Place the stock cube and add one cup of boiling water. Mix until the cube is fully diluted. Set aside

4. Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly, drain and set aside. Rinse the chickpeas in a sieve and set aside

5. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, then heat the olive oil for 30 seconds and add the onion and garlic. Fry them for 2 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften

6. Add the Jerusalem artichoke, squash, carrot the chilli flakes, the cumin and the turmeric. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the tinned tomatoes, and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas and stir to combine all ingredients

7. Then add the stock, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring the heat down to medium, and cook for 15 minutes

8. Add the drained spinach leaves and yogurt to the saucepan. Stir until spinach begin to soften. Cook for no longer than 1 minute, add coriander and turn the heat off

9. Sprinkle pepper to curry sauce to taste. Serve curry with rice on the side

Recipe provided by The Gut Stuff, the devoted online portal bringing key information, recipes and advice about gut health to the British public. We have some bespoke gut-busting recipes available that we thought may interest you, all of which have been put together by the scientists at Mucho – the recipe based app designed to help those with dietary requirements and also the long standing partner of The Gut Stuff.

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