Winter Warmers - Kid Friendly Meals

Yes indeed, it’s that time of year already, when the food on your table needs to be just that little bit more warming and comforting.  What better way to welcome in the colder months than a lovely stew, casserole, curry or pie for kid-friendly meals.

When it comes to raising a family, one of the hardest jobs is trying to come up with ideas for dinner every night - let alone trying to find the time to cook! 

With everyone having such busy lifestyles and schedules, it may be helpful to meal plan for the week, and this will take away the stress of having to think about what to cook each day.

Why not make meals a family affair, where everyone can put forward their favourite meal ideas?  With all that in mind, we've put together a collection of easy winter meals for delicious dinners.

Winter Warmers:

·      Macaroni cheese

·      Potato top lamb casserole

·      Chicken and leek hot pot

·      Slow cooked sausages and lentils

·      Pesto chicken pasta

·      Cheesy chicken meatball sliders

·      Creamy fish pie

·      Fish and corn cakes

·      Sausage and broccoli frittata

·      Beef stroganoff

·      Roast chicken thighs and orange and tarragon

·      Bacon wrapped meat loaf

·      Roast vegetable tart

·      Ratatouille

A few helpful hints include:

·  Making an extra portion and place it in the freezer.

· Put the slow cooker on in the morning and dinner will be ready for when you arrive home.

· Use the left over roast meat and turn it into a shepherd’s pie or a frittata.

· Schedule a day each week to plan meals and shopping lists.

· Pick one night a week to have a designated meal, such as ‘Taco Tuesday’ or ‘Sandwich Saturday’.  This helps simplify your menu and grocery list.

· Embrace colourful fruit and veg: children eat with their eyes – the more colourful and fun a plate of food looks to them; the more delicious it will appear.

· Citrus fruit, such as lemons, oranges and limes, can be frozen whole. Take them out and grate the zest (still frozen) when you need it for cooking. These comforting dinner recipes for winter will help keep you warm when it's cold outside.

· You can freeze cheese. It's best to grate hard cheeses, such as cheddar or parmesan, before freezing. You can also freeze leftover cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta and feta cheese.

· Storing onions and potatoes together makes them both spoil faster. Potatoes are best kept in a dark place to stop them going green (away from the onions).

Overall the number one goal is to help simplify what should be an enjoyable and special part of everyday - sharing a meal together.

Happy cooking! 

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