In the cooler weather, my girls and I have been enjoying some hearty, warming meals of soups and stews. Here are 2 of my favourites:

Slow cook beef casserole

This recipe is easy to prepare, as all you need to do is brown the meat and onions and then add all the other ingredients together in the slow cooker.

This recipe is a great source of iron, vitamin C, vitamin A and lycopene. Vitamins C and A, as well as lycopene from cooked tomatoes are excellent antioxidants providing protection for your body from illnesses.

Ingredients:

Lean beef chunks

Carrots

Mushrooms

Baby potatoes

Onion

Garlic

Tinned tomatoes

Worcester sauce

Dried mixed herbs

Brown the meat in a frying pan with the onions and garlic (no need to cook the meat properly, just brown the outside to keep the juices in).

Transfer to the slow cooker and add the carrots, baby potatoes, mushrooms and tinned tomatoes, as well as a dash of Worcester sauce and a sprinkling of dried mixed herbs.

Minestrone soup

 This recipe is so easy and it is a great choice for the whole family!

Ingredients:

Small pasta, barley, split peas (soup mix)

Grated carrot

Onion, garlic

Olive oil

Tinned toms

Marigold stock – 2 teaspoons

Add about 1 litre boiling water (more if it’s too thick for you)

Sauté the onions, garlic and grated carrot in the olive oil until soft, add the tinned tomatoes, Marigold stock, pasta/barley/split pea soup mix and 1 litre boiling water. Simmer gently until the pasta, barley and split peas are soft.

Serve with some fresh granary bread for a delicious meal.

This recipe is a great source of fibre, protein, vitamin A, selenium and lycopene. Vitamin A, selenium and lycopene are excellent antioxidants.

Watch out for my next posts on:

– Feeding a vegetarian toddler

– What are appropriate drinks for toddlers?

– Gluten free diets

– More on fussy eaters

I would love to hear from you…what would you like to read about??

 Paula x