As the smalls are getting, well, less small, dinnertimes appear to be getting more and more complicated. As their teeny taste buds evolve they appear to dislike more, and more, and more, and more things. *Weeps*. Like many working families we have also fallen foul of the "Let's just give them a ready meal, ping it for two minutes and we know that they will eat it" regime. Easy? Yes. Quick? Yes. Convenient? Yes. Nutritious? Ermmmm...not really. The other MAJOR detrimental impact of this is, their teeny tastebuds having become accustomed to the ...
Easy Midweek Meal: Tuna Pasta Bake
The following recipe is so quick and simple to prepare it is a staple midweek meal at Casa B, and one that the kids will always finish without any fuss. It is also one that won't break the bank using mostly store cupboard ingredients. As always, if you do try this out please let me know how you get on in the comments below. ...
Family Winter Beef Casserole
Now we are back in the cold grip of Winter Mr B and I are craving more and more slow-cooked hearty food. This family winter beef casserole is one of my favourites. Ir is really simple to make, freezes well, and the kids love it too. I find stews one of the easiest ways to get vegetables into the toddler who can be a little fussy at times. For me the key to this recipe is time, thyme, and thickly chopped carrots. I love how sweet and soft they get after several hours in the pot. If you do give this a go please let me know what you think below. ...
Awesome Ice Lollies: Center Parcs July Challenge
This month we were totally thrilled with the latest Center Parcs challenge, making our own ice lollies. Little Miss is now at the age where we need to be reducing her milk feeds and supplementing with snacks, whilst keeping up a good calcium intake. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to get a little bit creative. These creamy strawberry ice lollies are so simple to make and use just three ingredients. We got our inspiration from Center Parcs own Deb Rogerson whose tip was... "Want to experiment with different flavours? Mix Greek yoghurt with a squeeze of honey, then just add your own ...
Recipe: Cod and Chorizo Stew #MorrisonsMum
Anyone on twitter or Instagram this weekend will have noticed #MorrisonsMum cropping up all over the place. Morrisons, in conjunction with Britmums, asked a whole load of us bloggers to check out their local store and come up with something tasty for the bank holiday. So, on Monday, we headed into Morrisons Cardiff and this is what we found: The 'Market Street' fruit and veg are kept really fresh by these wonderful cold mist jets. The boy was absolutely fascinated by them. The baby got a bit cold. The range of fish and seafood on offer was impressive and Mr B was delighted. We picked ...
5:2 Diet: Chicken and White Bean Stew
Although we are no longer doing the 5:2 diet I recently made this stew from the BBC Good Food Magazine and think that it would make a perfect evening meal option. It is healthy, cheap, filling and only 291 calories per serving, (without the bread). It was also really simple to make and even the toddler liked it, despite the vegetables! For this recipe you will need: 2 tbsp sunflower oil 400g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into chunks 1 onion, finely chopped 3 carrots, finely chopped 3 celery sticks, finely chopped 2 thyme sprigs or ½ tsp dried ...
Sausage and Mustard Meatball Pasta With Help From Country Valley Foods
We were recently very lucky to receive a delectable meat hamper from Country Valley Foods which you can read all about here. There I posted about the extremely delicious Poulet Saute that we made from their sumptuous chicken breasts and, today, I am sharing the most brilliant recipe for sausages that we found in The Observer. We used their fantastic Riverside thick cut pork sausages and it was to die for. To have a go yourself, here is what to do: Sausage and Mustard Meatball Pasta 450g good quality sausages 500ml beef stock 250ml double cream 1 tbsp ...
Delicious Poulet Saute Recipe With Help From Country Valley Foods
When I was recently asked if I would like to review a Premium Meat Hamper from Country Valley Foods Mr B had the laptop out of my hands and was typing a hasty 'YES YES YES' before I even had a chance to blink. I think he feels that, finally, all my time spent beavering on the laptop has become worthwhile! Country Valley are a family business, first established in 1971, based in the North East and are now a premier supplier of top quality meat, poultry, game and delicatessen products and, even better, they deliver! To say that we were a little bit delighted when the foam-lined ...
5:2 Diet: Delicious Chicken Pilau
This chicken pilau is really tasty and really filling and at just 455 calories per serving it is perfect for the 5:2 diet. I am finding more and more with this diet that it is easier for me to go almost the whole day without eating much at all, perhaps the occasional breadstick or two, and then having a decent evening meal than trying to split my 500 calorie allowance between lunch and dinner. If you are the same then this is definitely one to try. This recipes makes two servings. You will need: 6 sprays of 1 cal cooking spray 2 skinless chicken breasts, approx 150g each, ...
5:2 Diet: Delicious Chicken and Spinach Curry
Despite only losing 1lb last week I am really starting to enjoy the 5:2 diet and almost find myself looking forward to fast days. Weird eh? Today's recipe has been a huge hit with both me and Mr B and last night we actually found ourselves getting quite full before we had even finished. I found this one on a really useful 5:2 app that I have been using which you can find here. 1 tbsp vegetable oil 4 chicken breasts, halved lengthways 1 onion, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 green chilli, chopped 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp ...