Peanut butter and oatmeal squares

Your kids will love this tasty, healthy snack, and it’s really easy for them to make!

• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 1/3 of a cup of honey
• 2 table spoons of coconut oil (optional)
• 2.5 to 3 cups of oatmeal (the same kind you make morning porridge from)
• Half to one cup of broken nuts, cranberries, sultanas, seeds  (whatever you have in the cupboard)

Heat peanut butter over a very low heat, add honey and coconut oil. Stir till it melts. Take off the heat and stir in the oatmeal, nuts and dried fruit. Place on greaseproof paper or silver foil (with a touch of oil spread over it so the mixture doesn’t stick). Flatten down in a dish and put in the fridge for around three hours until hard. Cut into squares and keep in an airtight container in the fridge. As an alternative—use muesli instead of oats. If it’s the sweetened variety you might not need so much honey, or any at all. 

Apple donuts

A great alternative to just plain apples and easy and fun for even little kids to make. Get creative!

• 3 apples cut into ½ inch thick ring slices (with the core taken out)
• 2 cups of water
• Juice of one lemon
• Peanut butter
• Chocolate powder (if you have)
• Toppings: Sprinkles, nuts, seeds, muesli, pieces of chocolate (whatever is in the cupboard)

Place apple rings into the water with the lemon juice. Leave for 5 to 10 minutes. Pat dry— make sure they are completely dry. Spread peanut butter (mixed with a little chocolate powder if you have) on the top of the rings. Decorate with the toppings. Yummy!

Cornflake and chocolate clusters

Another great sweet treat that is very easy for children to make and which will disappear in a flash!

• Approx 300 gm of chocolate
• 2 cups of cornflakes (rice crispies work just as well)

Melt the chocolate in a bowl that is set into a pan of simmering water. Stir until the broken bits of chocolate are a smooth liquid. Remove from heat and stir in the cornflakes until they are completely covered in chocolate. With a spoon, put clusters of the mixture on greaseproof or silver foil. If you have paper cases you can use them. Put in the fridge to harden. Alternative: If you don’t have chocolate to hand, you can do the same using honey. Maybe add some small pieces of cut fruit or nuts into the mix to cut through the sweetness. These will remain sticky to the touch even when refrigerated so don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Carrot and orange soup

This delicious soup will attract your kids by its colour as well as taste. Carrots being sweet, with a touch of the tang of orange will appeal to the young palate. They can help you prepare by washing and pealing the carrots and onion and squeezing the oranges.

• 1 kg of carrots cut into small pieces
• 2 oranges, freshly squeezed
• 1 onion chopped into small pieces
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves
• 4 cups of vegetable stock (buy from the supermarket or make your own)
• Salt and pepper

Put all the ingredients in the pressure cooker. Bring to 3 or 4 whistles. Either mash the carrots (if you like chunks) or blend to smooth if you prefer. Add more water if you need it. Season to taste.

Basic vegetable stock

Get your kids to gather up the leftover bits of vegetables such as carrot tops, onion skins, green onion outer skins, potato skins, pea pods etc that you used the day before. Get the kids to wash and dry the vegetable leftovers and store until the next day to make the stock.

Put all the ingredients into a pot with about 8 cups of water. Add salt and pepper. You can use soya sauce instead of salt for a deeper taste and color. Bring to the boil and let simmer for 45 minutes to get all the flavor out of the vegetable ends. (If you like you can use a pressure cooker but the taste will not be as strong.) Strain so all you have left is the liquid. When cool store in the fridge (for up to a week in a sealed jar) for use when making soups.