One of my main aims for MyMiniMeals is to use as minimal set of ingredients as possible. Here are 10 of my favourite recipes starting with one with 1 ingredient then one with 2 ingredients and so on…….culminating in one with 10 ingredients. I hope you enjoy them and it goes to show that you really don’t need a long list of ingredients to make really delicious and nutritious meals.
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Raisins
Apple Three Ways
I always have lots of apples in the house as we all love them (yes even The Boy !) so I wanted to find some different ways of using them than just plain raw apple. I found these 3 great recipes online and as usual I have made my own alterations to them as they all contained sugar and I really prefer, wherever I can, to avoid giving the kids uneccessary sugar. The first two can be used for desserts or breakfast and all three make great snacks. I hope you enjoy as much as we do! Continue reading
Sugar Free Sweet Potato and Orange Cake
I love the free recipe books in supermarkets and today I came across this fantastic recipe for a Sweet Potato and Orange Cake. As it has no added refined sugar and used sweet potato it immediately jumped out at me and I knew I had to make it. As usual I didn’t have all the ingredients…
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No bake “Chocolate” naughty(ish) treats
I am proud that none of my recipes contain any added refined sugar (by this I mean the white or brown stuff you get in bags and spoon into things) but sometimes you just have to let your children have something naughty as a treat so I do try to find as healthy treats as I can for them. These recipes are great as none of them require baking and they are quite healthy as there is no added refined sugar (although some of their individual ingredients do contain sugar). They also all contain cocoa powder so are really popular as children think they are eating a proper chocolate treat. I hope you enjoy them!
No Bake Fruit Bars
As you have gathered by now I try not to give my kids too much refined sugar. When I say refined sugar let me clarify that I mean the white or brown stuff you get in bags from shops and add to recipes. But you have to be realistic that there is sugar in so many foods out there and, in moderation, I don’t think its that bad to give a bit here and there to your kids. As an adult I prefer “full fat Coke” to the horrid diet stuff as I would rather have sugar in my food than artificial sweeteners. This following recipe is free from refined sugar but, as it contains lots of dried fruit, I can’t really claim it’s sugar free as dried fruit is very high in fructose which is the sugar found naturally in fruit. As with things containing refined sugar this is something I give in moderation to my kids but I prefer to give them dried fruit than a chocolate bar – but The Boy would clearly rather eat a Kit Kat! This is great to help kids with their digestion and is a great afternoon snack to give them energy. The best bit though is that it requires no baking at all which is a winner for me!
It’s All Bananas – Part 1
I use bananas a lot in my cooking as they are a great substitute for sugar. Both my kids (yes even The Boy!) love bananas so I buy tonnes of them.
Here are some of my favourite banana recipes and, as I have so many to choose from, watch this space for more! Continue reading
Muffins Muffins Muffins
Savoury or sweet muffins are a great go-to snack or meal. I freeze them and can easily take as many as needed out and zap them in the micfrowave. They are also a really useful thing to take out with you and we frequently take them on day trips. Little Lady loves holding one on her way to pick up The Boy from school and I love finding new ways to make them and new ingredients to use. Here are my current 3 favourite muffin recipes but watch this space as I am constantly trying new ones!
Super quick breakfast ideas
In my household breakfast (especially on weekdays) is a really rushed experience and I have been giving my kids the same thing every day as I know a) they will eat it and b) I haven’t got time to think of different things to make them. The Boy tends to have the same cereal every day and Little Lady (who eats once we are home from school run) has toast or a different brand of cereal. But I have recently started (especially for Little Lady as she is my guinea pig and eats most things) giving them different things. At the weekend we all eat as a family and have more time to make different things (I frequently make 4 different breakfasts!) but I am slowly starting to give everyone the same thing that I have made from scratch (much to The Boy’s horror!).
Here are a few things I have been making recently that have gone down well with my kids and Mr Mini Meals and they really are ridiculously quick to make!
Fruit puree and raisin muffins
Neither of my kids eat fruit puree anymore but I still use it on a regular basis to make my “Baby Flapjacks” . I have recently discovered that it makes a great addition to other recipes. I am experimenting with various ideas using puree so watch this space but one thing I have made that goes down well with Little Lady and The Boy (and Mr Mini Meals too!) are fruit puree muffins. I have added raisins as I like to get as much fruit into my kids as possible but they aren’t necessary – and you could susbtiute for other dried fruit too, like dried cranberries or chopped apricots. I use ready made fruit puree pots (honestly I have neither the time or energy to puree my own fruit but if you want to please go ahead!) which are readily available in all supermarkets in the baby food aisle. They are a really yummy breakfast idea or a snack.
Yummy Chewy “Biscuits”
This is another recipe I found online but, when I tried it, it just didn’t work so I adapted it and the result are “biscuits” that are like chewy in the middle “fudgy” cookies. I have to admit they look unattractive but are really yummy. Perfect for a snack, dessert or breakfast.