Ten-minute meals
The days when you had all day to prepare a nutritious, steaming hot meal for the family are, in the most part, long gone. But with a well-stocked store cupboard and just ten spare minutes you can prepare a child-friendly meal with added goodness
Spaghetti Bolognese
This is the perfect meal to make with leftover mince from last night's lasagna, but if you don't have any ready-cooked it really only takes a moment to fry a little off.
Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions. Dice an onion, a carrot and a stick of celery and crush a small clove of garlic, sauteing it all in a drizzle of olive oil until soft. Stir in your leftover mince (250g is ideal) and add a good glug of passata, 1tbsp tomato puree, plus a little chopped parsley and a handful of frozen peas. Allow to bubble away gently until heated through. Drain your pasta, dollop over the Bolognese and serve with a sprinkle of cheese.
Not only can you freeze this sauce in freezer bag batches but it whizzes up to make an excellent baby food too.
Sweet and sour chicken
This is easiest made with leftover chicken although you can simply roast or grill a chicken breast or two.
Cook rice according to the packet instructions while you prepare the sauce by mixing together 4tbsp chicken stock, 2tbsp ketchup, 2tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2tbsp sugar and 1tbsp soy.
Heat a little oil in a pan and stir fry your choice of vegetables - a carrot cut into matchsticks, handful of peas and sliced spring onions are a good choice. Throw in slices of chicken to heat through and pour over the sauce, allowing it to come to a simmer before serving on a bed of rice.
Homemade polenta pizza
Pizza is a finger-licking favourite with most kids and this polenta version is healthy and a change from the usual. The base is also ideal for wheat and dairy allergy sufferers, making it a perfect party standby.
Preheat the oven to 220C or gas 7. To make the base, pour 140g of polenta in to a bowl with a pinch of salt. Add enough water to create a very thick paste then stir in one egg yolk. Forget all that dramatic throwing and stretching and just flour a surface and roll your polenta out in to a circle before placing on a greased baking sheet and cooking for four minutes.
To save time use a bought sauce or simply sweat a clove of garlic in a little olive oil, add in finely chopped red peppers, a couple of sliced tomatoes and 1tbsp of tomato puree, stir briefly before spreading across your pizza base.
Grate some cheddar or break pieces of mozzarella over your sauce and add a topping of your choice - anything from roast chicken to peas, asparagus or even tuna. Bake in the oven again for five minutes.
Spicy sausage and broccoli pasta
All kids love pasta and for those who prefer a little less kick, all that's required is a plain pork sausage.
Begin by cooking penne pasta as per the packet and half a head of broccoli, sectioned in to florets. Meanwhile heat a little olive oil and fry off a small, sliced onion. Untwist the ends of three spicy sausages and push the meat in to the pan before breaking it up with a spatula, allowing it to brown.
When cooked (this should take only ten minutes) simply throw everything in to one pan and pour over a simple tomato and basil stir in sauce. Allow to heat on the hob and, if your kids are cheese fans, break in a little mozzarella.
Chicken wraps
Serving food this way adds an element of fun to meal times and takes some of the hassle out of preparation for you - just throw everything on the table and let the rabble dig in.
Fry strips of chicken breast in a little olive oil, feeling free to sprinkle over a little Cajun spice to taste. Meanwhile cut a green and a red pepper in to matchsticks, slice an onion and cut a handful of tomatoes in to quarters.
When the chicken is done remove to a plate and gently fry the onions and peppers until charred but still crunchy. Again, put into a serving dish along with the tomatoes.
Serve with a stack of wholemeal tortillas a choice of ready-made salsa, guacamole, pesto or just mayonnaise and watch the ensuing food fight unfold.
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