Packing lunches for your kids daily might be tiresome. These dishes will bring back the fun in cooking as you can involve the little ones in the process. Besides, this will teach them a lot about health and hygiene. An added bonus is that they will learn to respect the food that they eat.
SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
300g lamb sausages
500g beef mince
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely grated
1 tbspn dried oregano
50g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 egg
1 tbspn olive oil
pinch black pepper
pinch salt
200g spaghetti, cooked
For the sauce:
1 tbspn olive oil
1 zucchini, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 tbspn tomato paste
1 tspn sugar
1 tspn red wine vinegar
800g chopped tomatoes, tinned
• Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skin
s into a large bowl. Add the beef mince. Add the finely chopped onions, chopped carrot, oregano, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Using a spoon, mix the ingredients together. Wet your hands and take tablespoons of the mince and roll them into balls.
• Heat the oil and cook the meatballs, turning them carefully and rolling them from side to side to brown them all over. Remove the meatballs to a plate with kitchen paper and cool slightly when browned.
• In the frying pan, cook the zucchini and garlic. Add the tomato puree, sugar, vinegar and tomatoes; simmer. When all is cooked, remove from the heat and cool.
• Puree the sauce with a hand blender, and then return to the saucepan and simmer placing the meatballs in the sauce. Cook for five more minutes.
• Serve over cooked spaghetti.
FRUITY MUFFIN BARS
135g plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tbspn baking powder
80g powdered coconut
110g brown sugar
40g pumpkin seeds
60g sunflower seeds
50g sultanas
60g dried apricots, finely chopped
180g low-fat milk
1 egg
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Grease a 3cm-deep, 17cm x 27cm cake pan and line it with baking parchment.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, coconut, sugar, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sultanas and apricot in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and egg together. Add this to the flour mixture; stir to combine.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth the top and bake for 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
VEGETABLE FRITTERS
500g mixed vegetables (frozen), thawed
50g plain (all-purpose) flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
60g cheddar cheese, finely grated
pinch dried rosemary
pinch paprika
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
1 tbspn olive oil
to serve garden salad
to serve light sour cream
• Place the thawed frozen vegetables into a large mixing bowl and combine with the flour, rosemary, paprika and cheddar cheese. Add the egg and stir to combine.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add two tablespoons of the vegetable mixture to the pan. Cook for two to three minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.
• Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and repeat with remaining oil and vegetable mixture.
• Serve with fresh garden salad and light sour cream.
