Chocolate Shredded Wheat Nests

Easter wouldn't be the same without Shredded Wheat nests :)

Breaking the chocolate up into squares 

Adding shredded wheat to the melted chocolate 

Adding Shreaded Wheat to the melted chocolate 

Stirring the mixture 

Scooping the mixture into cake cases 

Finishing them off with mini eggs and chicks :) 

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Bakery Bath Time

 We set up a bakery themed sensory bath. My little girl was delighted. She had so much fun.
While I was running the bath I added a bath bomb which made the bath water turn pink and bubbly.

I cut up carrier bags to make confetti to use as sprinkles. (I used the holey lid that goes on top of  the children's bucket and spade set  to catch these in when I emptied the bath)

I used a empty ice cream tub and filled it with Baking soda mixed with a dot of food colour and a little splash of water to use as icecream or cake mixture. It dissolves as you add more water so it does not clog up the drains) 

I threw in a few bowls and plastic cooking utensils and silicone cake cases.

I mixed shaving foam with a dot of food colour to use as ice cream or cake mixture

I also filled a hand wash bottle with a mixture of water and bubble bath to use as a topping.

I made some ice cream bath stickers out of sheets of foam and stuck them on the side of the bath.

She spent the next hour making cakes and ice creams in her little bakery :)

Sensory activities  build on cognitive development. This is a mental process that includes memory, making decisions, problem solving and understanding language. It is the part of our brain that helps us process information and apply knowledge.

Maths can be applied to count, size, match and sort items into groups. They can grasp a better understanding of full and empty, more or less, and whether things float or sink.

Science concepts are used when predicting outcomes and experimenting with materials such as cause and effect. Children have the opportunity to explore and build a better understanding of gravity and speed.

English and language can also be improved. Children build their hand eye coordination and fine motor skills which are used for holding a pencil to learn how to write when pouring stirring, whisking and manipulating the materials. The activity gives a child a sense of self awe which they want to share. It gives them something interesting to talk to others about because each child will use the materials differently. It builds on their vocabulary as they try to express and share their ideas.

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St Patrick's Day Snacks

It's St Patrick's Day on Sunday, why not give these little rainbow cakes a try. You could  even make little leprechauns to put on top or add some chocolate coins.

http://amazinglittleminds.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/rainbow-cake.html

You could also make some magic rainbow drinks. Pop two different coloured ice cubes in a clear drink and the kids will be amazed as they watch their drink change colour. Add some finishing touches by letting teh children decorate straws in rainbow colours and shamrocks :)

http://amazinglittleminds.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/magic-icecubes.html

Rainbow Cake

First of all whip up a batch of basic cake mixture and divide between six bowls.


250g butter
250g caster sugar
250g self raising flour
4 eggs
tbsp milk
drop of vanilla (or flavoring of your choice)


Beat together the butter and caster sugar. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Sieve the flour into the mixture and stir.

Add a few drops of red, yellow, and blue food dye to the first three bowls. This is also a good chance to talk about primary colours.

Then use the remaining three bowls to mix the colours together to make a green, orange and purple mixture. 

Using a different spoon for each different colour put a blob of mixture into a cupcake case, layering the colours on top of each other. 

Pop them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees and cook for about 10-15 minutes. 

Omnomnom

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Homemade Turkey Burgers

I love getting my children involved when it comes to making tea. They always sit around the dinner table grinning from ear to ear, proud of what they have accomplished.
Here is a healthy Turkey burger recipe that is simple, quick, and fun for children to make.

To make 6 burgers you will need:
500g lean turkey mince 
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp mixed herbs 
1 egg beaten 
season to taste with salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and divide and mould into 6 burger shapes. 

Grill on a medium heat for 6-7 minutes on each side. 

Ghoul Jelly

We added ghost Haribos to some green jelly to make a spooky treat 

Ghost pops

My little girl made some spooky treats by wrapping some lollipops in white fabric :) 

Yummy Mediterranean Lamb

We had Mediterranean Lamb for tea last night. Its one of my children's favourite meals and it is also super healthy. 

Serves 4    

Ingredients

700g lean lamb fillet chopped into bite size pieces
2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1 courgette thickly sliced
mushrooms thickly sliced
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tsp dried oregano
salt and ground black pepper

Hedgehog potatoes

12-16 small potatoes
rosemary (or herb of choice to flavour potatoes)
sea salt and ground black pepper
Low Calorie cooking spray

1. Preheat Oven to 200 °C
2. Place all the ingredients in a ovenproof dish and stir to jumble everything up 
3. Add 200ml of water. Cover and place in oven 
4. Reduce oven temperature to 160 and cook for 1 hour.
5. Check half way through. If there is a lot of liquid cook uncovered for the last 30 mins

Potatoes

1. Place a potato in the bowl of  a teaspoon and slice down approx 3mm intervals, slicing down until you get to the spoon. This should slice nearly all the way through so that the potato is still whole (together)
2. Spray potato with low calorie cooking spray and season with salt and pepper
3. Poke rosemary into the slices or season with herb of choice. 
4. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until soft and golden.

The Tiny Turnip

My children love  The Gigantic Turnip. It is one of their favourite story books.  I used this book as inspiration for last nights meal. It is very important to me to teach my children about healthy eating  but I try do it in a subtle way. My children watch and help me cook.  Its part of everyday discussions and I try to include it in some of our activities.

I read the story then asked my children to find a turnip in the fridge. They were very disappointed that it was very tiny unlike the gigantic turnip in the story.

'We can call ours the tiny turnip' - Macey

I don't like to just tell them fruit and vegetables are good for you I like to give them a reason why so I usually pick one item from our meals and give them one example of why its good for them. In tonights meal I told them the tiny turnip has lots of fibre to help our tummies digestive system run smoothly. 

On a fine March morning, the old woman sat up in bed, sniffed the sweet spring air  and said,

'It's time to sow the vegetables!' So the old man and the old woman went into the garden. 

They sowed peas and carrots and potatoes and beans. Last of all they sowed turnips.

We used the same vegetables that the old man and woman sowed in our recipe. We added peas and carrots with some mince turkey, parsnips, and vegetable stock and plopped some mini dumplings on top. We made turnip and potato mash and served with green beans. 

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Happy Chocolate Day

Oh I love chocolte so this has got to be a thing to celebrate. On the 7th July 1550 Chocolate was introduced to Europe. A perfect excuse to make rice crispy cakes omnomnom...