Photo: What Mummy Makes: Family Meal Planner by Rebecca Wilson. Published by DK, 10 December, £9.99.
Family Recipes: How To Feed A Family of Four, For Just £4 Per Day
Author and family recipe developer, Rebecca Wilson (AKA What Mummy Makes) is on a mission to provide parents with ‘one meal fits all’ family recipes, taking the stress out of meal time. From her books ‘Cook Just One For You and Your Baby (DK RRP £14.99), and the ‘What Mummy Makes Family Meal Planner’ (DK RRP £9.99), Rebecca Wilson has shared a collection of recipes to feed a family of four for £4 per day. The family recipe collection begins with sweet pinwheels for breakfast, a riff on Danish cinnamon swirls; cheesy courgette pizza for lunch; and ‘Hulk Mac ‘n’ Cheese’ for dinner.
“A take on a Danish cinnamon swirl pastry, this version is packed with naturally sweet apples and banana. Whip up a batch to have warm for breakfast, and pop the rest in the freezer to enjoy another day.”
(Whenever you see an * next to the letters in the symbol, this indicates that the recipe can be adapted to suit this dietary requirement. Please take care and look for the substitutions listed in the ingredients)
Recipe comes in at approximately £1.50 to make 12, plus store cupboard cinnamon and vanilla.
Cost £1.50 (plus store cupboard cinnamon and vanilla)
Ingredients
1large banana
1red eating apple
1heaped tbsp ground almondssee note
1heaped tsp ground cinnamon
1tsppure vanilla extract
1 375g/13oz sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry*
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200ºC fan (220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7) and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Put the banana in a flat-bottomed bowl and mash well with the back of a fork. Grate the apple: no need to remove the skin, but grate around the central core and discard it. Add the apple pulp to the banana, along with the ground almonds, cinnamon and vanilla extract and give it all a good stir.
Unroll the puff pastry and spoon on the banana mix. Using the back of a tablespoon, evenly spread the mixture from edge to edge. Starting at one of the short ends, roll up the pastry into a sausage shape. Use a serrated knife to cut the roll into 12 slices.
Lay each pinwheel onto the lined baking tray, cut side down, so that you see the lovely spiral pattern on top. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed up and golden.
These pinwheels will keep for 3 days in the fridge; reheat for 5 minutes in a hot oven. Or freeze for up to 3 months and cook them from frozen at 180ºC fan (200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6) for 10 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through.
Notes
If you have a nut allergy, you can omit the ground almonds, but ensure you squeeze out the juice from the grated apples before mixing with the rest of the ingredients, otherwise it’ll result in soggy pastry*Can be substituted with a gluten-free alternative.Recipe credit: What Mummy Makes: Family Meal Planner by Rebecca Wilson. Published by DK, 10 December, £9.99.
Lunch: ‘Cheesy Courgette Pizza’
“This has to be one of my favourite recipes ever! Prep your pizza base in just 15 minutes with only two ingredients – no kneading and no need to let the dough rise. Simple! This is the ultimate tasty finger food from 6 months, and can even be popped into packed lunches.”
Servings 2adults and 2 children (smaller portions)
Author Rebecca Wilson
Cost £1.18
Ingredients
For the pizza dough
8heaped tbsp self-raising flourplus extra if needed
4heaped tbsp plain full-fat Greek-style yogurt
1tspbaking powder
For the topping
½courgette
70gCheddargrated
2heaped tbsp full-fat cream cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan (240°C/475°F/Gas 9).
Coarsely grate the courgette using a box grater, then squeeze the strands in your hands over the sink to release the juices. Add the pulp to a bowl along with the grated cheese, then separate the courgette using your fingers, mixing it well with the cheese. Set aside while you make the dough.
You can get your little ones involved with making the dough. It’s a great messy and sensory play idea that will also help avoid fussy eating with those little veg-dodgers. Add the flour to a large bowl along with the yogurt and baking powder. Stir with the spoon until it starts to come together, then tip the entire contents onto a clean work surface, scraping out any yogurt left in the bowl. Gently bring the dough together; add an extra sprinkling of flour if the dough feels too sticky. Within a minute or so, the dough should form into a ball. Cut in half to make two pizzas.
Take one ball of dough and dust with a little extra flour. Then, using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circular shape around 1cm (1/2in) thick, moving and rotating as you go so it doesn’t stick to the surface.
Lightly dust a non-stick baking tray with flour. Transfer the pizza base to the baking tray and spoon over 1 tbsp of the cream cheese, using the back of the spoon to spread the cheese evenly over the base. Sprinkle over half the courgette and cheese mixture.
Repeat with the other ball of dough and the remaining toppings. Pop both pizzas into the preheated oven and cook for about 10–15 minutes until the base has puffed up and the cheese is golden and crispy.
Notes
Credit: What Mummy Makes by Rebecca Wilson is published by DK, 23 July 2020. £14.99. DK.com
Dinner: ‘Hulk Mac ‘n’ Cheese’
“Pimp up your macaroni cheese with nutritious spinach – a great way to get extra veggies into your fussy eater. This can be whipped up in under 10 minutes – a speedy lunch or dinner any time. It’s my Nina’s favourite!”
Egg Free, Vegetarian, Vegan*, Dairy Free*
“(Whenever you see a * next to the letters in the symbols, this indicates that recipes can be adapted to suit this dietary requirement. Please take care and look for the substitutions listed in the ingredients. This is especially important for parents looking to introduce cow’s milk and other milk products like oat or soya (soy) milk.)”
Recipe comes in at approximately £1.09, plus store cupboard corn flour and black pepper.
Cost £1.09 plus store cupboard corn flour and black pepper
Ingredients
250gdried macaronior any pasta shape will work
140gfrozen chopped spinachabout 7 blocks
500mlmilk of your choice*
100ggrated Cheddar or 2 tbsp nutritional yeast*
1tbspunsalted butter or dairy free spread or coconut oil*
2tbspcornflourcornstarch
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook pasta according to the packet instructions.
To a microwaveable jug, add the frozen spinach and milk. Cook for 3 minutes until the spinach is nearly defrosted and the milk slightly warmed.
In a hot frying pan, melt the butter then add cornflour. Stir and cook for a minute, then add the spinach milk gradually, whisking continuously. Stir until the sauce is thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and add a good grinding of black pepper and the grated cheese. Stir to melt the cheese into the sauce then set aside until the pasta is cooked.
Add the drained, cooked pasta to the sauce, stir and serve with an extra grating of cheese on top, if you like.
Any leftovers will keep for a couple of days. Spoon them into an ovenproof dish, top with more cheese and bake for 15–20 minutes for a delicious pasta bake. Alternatively, if you’re thinking ahead, make extra sauce and reserve some of it before mixing with the pasta. Freeze in portions for up to 3 months for a quick pasta sauce on days when you’re feeling rushed. Defrost in the microwave with an extra splash of milk until piping hot, before stirring through freshly cooked pasta.
Notes
Whenever you see a * next to the letters in the symbols, this indicates that recipes can be adapted to suit this dietary requirement. Please take care and look for the substitutions listed in the ingredients. This is especially important for parents looking to introduce cow’s milk and other milk products like oat or soya (soy) milk.Recipe credit: What Mummy Makes by Rebecca Wilson is published by DK, 23 July 2020. £14.99. DK.com
Recipes extracted from the What Mummy Makes cookbooks by Rebecca Wilson – Cook Just Once For You and Your Baby (DK RRP £14.99), and the What Mummy Makes Family Meal Planner. (DK RRP £9.99)
Jonathan is Food Editor for The London Economic. Jonathan has run and contributed towards a number of blogs, and has written features for publications such as Eater London, The Guardian, i News, The Independent, GQ, Time Out London and more.
