With taking a couple of more chilled days in the last few days I have had time to reflect, put together a few things for you guys and begin working on Cuban inspired recipes.
So I wanted to write this blog post on cooking as it is such an important skill and I am so passionate about it now that it is my career and life.
I am grateful and so thankful to my Mama who taught me the fundamental foundations to cooking & has inspired me throughout my journey to keep creating, being crazy, wild and adventurous with my cooking and spread my skills across to you all in hope to help, create happiness & encourage us all to be filling our plates full of yummy foods.
Thank you Mama.
I love you always.
This post is definitely dedicated to you.
With it being half term and watching all the neighbours youngsters play outside my home having fun it disturbs me to watch them snacking on cheap chocolate bars, whilst watching their parents drive up their driveways getting out of the car with the dreaded white bag full of take-away food.
I am all for a treat & before you all begin the 'clean' eating slating my vlogs, videos & Instagram pictures are proof that I love a good bowl of chips, I love my cinema treats and always have a big bowl of sweet potato chips on my trips to Pizza Hut. I also take into consideration that parents have been working all day and turning the oven on and preparing a meal is the last thing they want to do.
But is 30 minutes of your time to prepare and cook worth it?
I say yes!
Not because you are being healthier and preventing yourself from consuming cheap fats they put in take-away's that your body will never break down. But you can get the whole family involved. Which in the long run, this short amount of time may save you money and time. You won't be paying out for cheap food at silly prices, you will save money from cooking at home and get the children learning life skills to the point where you can just overview them cooking up the good's.
Children are quick learners and if you make it fun they will be more than willing to get involved.
More and more these days children want to grow up faster!
Just last night I read a shocking article about 12-13 year olds going clubbing in Kent!!!
To all the children out there - ENJOY your CHILDHOOD!
And cooking is seen as an 'adult' thing! So children - want to be more like an adult!? Let's get cooking!! Not drinking on the streets.
You cook and learn other life skills like ironing, changing a light bulb! You could become King or Queen of your home! Something to work towards.
I learnt how to cook from my Mama when my Dad was sick and my Mum was having to leave my brother and I to sort ourselves out in the evening whilst she went back to the hospital.
Although the situation was the worst I am thankful for this skill I gained!! I don't know what I'd do without cooking now- well it's my life really!!
It's so easy...
Cooking up pasta takes literally minutes and you can make sauces quickly and add any veg / meat you like. You can have someone prepping the veg ( probably the eldest child ), someone cooking the pasta, someone creating a sauce or marinade.
Sauce idea - tomato.
Don't use a 'tomato pasta sauce', make your own this will cut the amount of salt and sugar in your dish to prevent your children getting that sugar spike and driving you up the wall ( after all we are doing this to prevent that ). Buy a tin of plum tomatoes, chop some fresh basil leaves, grate some garlic add salt and pepper to taste and blend. Yum- simple.
Fancy a cheesy dish?
1 cup of milk or soy
2 cups of cheese grated
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp of flour
2 tbsp of butter
Add the butter to the pan, add flour and mix!
Add your milk and cheese. Mix all together until your cheese has melted! Simple. Want to make it fancy? Add italian herbs and grate different cheeses into the recipe.
Need a dairy free cheese sauce - purchase Free & Easy's cheese sauce and follow the instructions which are SO simple on the back of the box. It takes seconds.
Mushroom and cream sauce?
Take a tub of mushrooms, chop half the mushrooms up and add a 1/2 cup of milk of soy milk, 1/2 cup of cream ( if dairy free I recommend making up 1/2 cup of coconut milk powder or cheese sauce to prevent curdling), 300ml of veg stock ( gluten free version if needed ). Blend all together. Cut the rest of the mushrooms up and add flax seeds, italian herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and add the pasta or rice!
You can add chicken to this dish or beef/steak.
Make pasta bakes by prepping above and then storing sealed in the fridge until heating up for 25 mins on 180 fan assisted oven when needed.
Stews are great too, invest in a slow cooker and you can get your children to prep the veg in the morning, add beans if you are gluten tolerant, add meat if you eat meat and you can use the sauce recipes above or you can make a gravy! Which is simple, there is a gluten & wheat free gravy by Free and Easy!
Then you can allow all to cook through the day then come home boil some rice or pasta ( 10 mins of your time or because it's so simple your children can do it ) OR a really quick idea is to purchase BeFree allergy-free wraps and make hot faijtia type wraps!
Yum.
Soups!
You can make a number of home-made soups! Do you have veggies on their way out?!
Then make sure you always have potatoes and sweet potatoes in and then you can always cook up a soup.
Sweet potato spiced soup- sweet potatoes, cayenne pepper, almond milk, salt and pepper.
Curried Cauliflower
Broccoli and Cheese ( dairy free us dairy free cheese sauce ).
The list could go on & on.
Cooking at the weekends and freezing meals for the week ahead is also a great option. The children will love experimenting, being allowed to take charge whilst learning a new skill, helping you out and keeping them occupied!
Make sure you throw in fun things to cook too. Like desserts and snacks.
Whether it's a cake for a family celebration or cookies for on the go! Keep it exciting for them. If they feel they are learning different recipes everyday they will be more willing to keep at it and keep helping! They may also begin bringing their own ideas to the table. They may have eaten a yummy stir fry at school and want to make it in the home. You may not be the biggest fan of stir fry but accept their idea and allow them even to just cook it for themselves and siblings, allowing you just to 'try' it to make their day! You don't always have to enjoy the whole dish to satisfy your child or be able to praise them on their idea, skills and achievement.
I know you may be thinking - how can you give advice on children you don't have any. I don't, no. But I wished I had, had the chance to have cooking lessons in school. Instead we were focusing more on things like I.T - I know we are all so social now a days ( me here typing up my blog ) but don't you think just an hour in school to cook rather than the extra hour doing I.T sat in front of a screen 📺 just making us go crazy?! I see how children love to learn even those who are argumentative and purposely seem to cause trouble. They cause trouble to gain attention. They are struggling with whatever they are doing so lose interest and begin to cause trouble to fill their time. There are so many aspects in cooking and levels that I feel there is a job for everyone within it! Plus we all have to eat so it is a life skill. Do yo want them going off to uni unable to cook and feed themselves? Choosing alcohol and take out foods everyday. Doing nothing for their energy levels, filling their body with toxins and gaining unhealthy weight! That 9,000 a year that is getting spent isn't being used to it maximum as your child won't be able to function to their best with the wrong fuel.
When teaching your children any task they do take on whether it's making the sauce, cooking the pasta or even just cleaning up after chopping the veg. Make sure you refer back to their task and thank them or comment on their skills. Example your son Johnny cooked up a cheese sauce for your macaroni cheese night he added a little more milk than normal so that the sauce wasn't as sickly and heavy.
Comment on this. Say if you enjoyed it. You can say if it was more satisfying because you don't leave the table too full and feeling sick. This will inspire him to cook this dish more for you, encourage him to experiment and motivate
him to bring more of his ideas into your dishes.
It's so simple and the changes could be amazing!
Watching your children grow and blossom, whilst making your life easier, along with the whole family healither.
Don't get me wrong! Have a cheat day! Never deprive yourself. But please- getting your children involved will be life changing and you will see the difference in their behaviours too. Less sugar rushes, better skin, less E numbers so better brain function.
It would be silly not to make these simple changes.
Please take note and try!
Ant recipes you do try or you and your children have created, let me know!!!
I would love to hear from you.
Want more inspiration & recipes you can adapt easily around your needs?
Check out my books on Amazon.com -
Sophantastic Allergy-Free Creations & United Tastes Of America !
Both available on kindle & paperback form.
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Love and peace. Xoxo