Kids News SA Parenting SIte

For stir-frying, ingredients are cut into small and thin pieces so they cook very quickly. As a bonus, this cooking method is quite healthy; nutrients are preserved and very little oil is needed to cook the food. You can use any combination of meat and vegetables. You can use left over beef from roasts you may have cooked for your stir fry. Use noodles instead of rice for a nice change. Chop up all the ingredients before you go to work in the morning and place in the fridge, ready for when you come home. If you are busy and harassed buy some cooked rice at a Chinese take away on the way home from work. Experiment with a selection of ready made sauces from the supermarket.

This recipe was sent to Kids News by Minie Sephton. Neither, she nor the kids, liked brussels sprouts but her husband loves them. She tried this recipe and says it wasn't bad at all, and now 3 out of 4 of them enjoy brussel sprouts.

The English have Yorkshire Pudding and the South Africans have Vetkoek! Fill it with mincemeat, cheese or any thing else that comes to hand.

Most children love chips, but all that fat isn’t very good for them, so this is a delicious alternative.

This recipe makes a tasty roast for Sunday family meals. If you have any left over meat you can use it for school lunches. Thinly slice the beef, add some mayonnaise and it's perfect for a Roast Beef sandwich

Serve with rice or pasta, or even with baked potatoes. You can add a touch of cream to the sauce which adds loads of flavour.

This salad makes a fantastic change from all the old boring salads that are served at a braai.

I find it is always nice to have a recipe that you can use as a base for a few different variations. Here is a recipe for Meatballs & Burgers.

Bradleys Chicken by  Lea Kassner - A friend of mine gave me this recipe - it's her son favourite dish - not sure what it is called so we call it Bradleys Chicken ! My family love it, and it's so easy!"     

CHUNKY VEG SOUP recipe sent by Kim Francis. This recipe serves 4 and is just perfect for winter, or as a lunch.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Make your own soup with leftovers using the meat bones from a Sunday roast. In fact, you can add just about anything to soup. Eating soup is a great way to add healthy vegetables to your meals. Protein in hearty soups helps satisfy hunger, and that's so important when feeding children. Soup can be a quick healthy snack at lunch, or it can be an inexpensive starter which fills the children's tummy's in the evening.

Moroccan Chicken Soup - Serve this main dish soup with flatbread or pita rounds. This soup smells wonderful and is a great change of taste.

Grilled fish with spicy mayonnaise- The preparation time for this recipe is only 10 minutes. You can serve the fish with a salad or with hot steaming rice, Give the rice a dash of colour by adding a little Turmeric powder to the water when you cook the rice.

This is a delicious pasta dish that you can adapt this recipe in many ways. You can replace the mushrooms, sweetcorn and peppers with any vegetables of your choice. If you are trying to cut back on fats & oils you can replace the sour cream with yougurt.

This recipe is fantastic!!!

This is a really healthy and quick meal

This meal is great for a light lunch or supper, you can serve it with a salad! But it is also ideal for a healthy school lunch.  Simply cut the frittata into squares or wedges and its ready to be packed into your child's lunchbox!  I know it uses loads of eggs but it is basically like an omlette, just enjoy!

A frittata is the Italian version of a filled omelette, the main difference being that it is oven-baked, while an omlette is cooked on top of the stove.

This meal is simple and can be served with many different side dishes.

Four Cheese Sauce for Pasta - - Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi

There are times when you can cook for hours, but there are also times when that's not possible, Italian cooking offers many options for both occasions. If you're in a rush, try Pasta ai 4 Formaggi, pasta with a four cheese sauce. Make the sauce while the pasta water comes to a boil, and serve the pasta with a crisp green salad and a crisp white wine. Who could ask for more?

Risotto with Raisins - - Risotto con le Uvette
This," writes Mira Sacerdoti, "is an old Venetian recipe much loved by children. Grandma Rina used to make it often for her grand children, who would set the raisins aside as they ate it and count them afterwards to see who had the most. There were no prizes, but the children had a wonderful time and always finished the risotto on their plates."

Classic chicken noodle soup is a comfort food suitable for any time of the year, but especially during cold winter months and when you are ill. There is a reason why it is called Jewish penicillin! This version is made from scratch, so allow time to cook the chicken. Feel free to use this recipe as a guideline, using canned broth and pre-cooked chicken to save time. The soup may be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen.

This low fat baked chicken and rice dish is quick and easy to prepare, and the whole family will eat it.

You can please everyone in the family using this method of cooking.

Making individual foil packets is a great way to please everyone at dinner time. If you want fish but everyone else wants chicken, it's easy to do, without creating a big clean-up. It's also a perfect way to cook low fat meals in general. The food is essentially steamed, which makes for moist and succulent meat or fish.

If your kids like pasta then try this dish. This is a really quick and easy pasta dish - serve with nice fresh bread and a salad.  This recipe will be enough for 4 to 6 people.

This is an easy way to make a delicious chicken breast in the microwave stuffed with cheese and ham.

This is a homemade chicken korma style dish. It’s not an authentic Chicken Korma curry. Its meant to be an introduction to flavour for kids. Try this mild dish as a starting point when trying to expand kids palates. If you feel it’s not complex enough add more spices and flavours.