PERSISTENT cries of 'I’m hungry' have been ringing out in households everywhere during this past year as lockdowns and boredom seem to have increased children’s appetites.
Mum-of-two and award-winning food blogger Ciara Attwell admits she too has struggled with the demands of work, home-schooling and providing balanced home-cooked meals and snacks.
“Whilst I love nothing more than pottering around the kitchen creating new recipes, the reality is that most family meals are thrown together in haste without a whole lot of planning or preparation,” Attwell says.
Although a fan of meal planning, Attwell is realistic about what is achievable and is envious of those who can sit down and make a weekly or monthly meal plan.
“Personally, no two weeks are the same in our house and plans regularly change from day to day," she says. "I needed a system for cooking that was simple but easily adaptable, that could alleviate some of the weekday meal panic but not require me to spend hours in the kitchen on a Sunday prepping food for the week.”
Her solution is contained in her new book, We’re Hungry!, which contains 100 fuss-free family recipes, each with a detailed explanation of how it can be batch-cooked, along with specific instructions for refrigerating, freezing and defrosting.
“I knew batch cooking was the key but I also knew that it needed to be more than just cooking double of everything, chucking it in the freezer and hoping that one day you remember to defrost it,” the 39-year-old says.
“The aim of the book is to redefine batch cooking for the modern family, giving you recipes that can be matched to your most busy and least busy days."
Kilkenny-born Attwell began her working career as a London solicitor before the success of her My Fussy Eater blog, about the struggle of finding healthy food to give her fussy toddler, led her to give up her job.
Her secrets to stopping “preparation panic” and “meal-making madness” include using a slow cooker, prepping freezer stash bags and creatively using leftovers.
She is keen to tell parents not to put pressure on themselves by prepping all the ingredients for a home-cooked meal themselves.
“Feeding a family several times a day is no easy task and I have no shame in admitting that I use a lot of short cuts and cheat ingredients to make my life a little easier in the kitchen.”
Her time-saving ingredients include frozen veg, chopped frozen garlic, dried herbs, microwave rice, curry paste, dried breadcrumbs and ready-rolled pastry.
Attwell’s favourite recipe in We're Hungry! is the cheesy leek risotto, found in the Cook Once, Eat Twice chapter.
“I find it really irritating having to stand over the stove and add the stock every couple of minutes, so I cook the risotto in the oven. You chuck the leftovers in the fridge and the next day you can use them to make arancini – those lovely Italian rice balls – because no-one wants to eat the same food two days in a row,” she laughs.
For these Attwell will get her two children Aoife (10) and Finn (7) to help roll the rice balls in flour and breadcrumbs – something she believes help them cope with food aversions.
“It’s great getting kids making fun things like cakes, but even getting them to help you chop some cucumbers when making a sandwich can increase their exposure to food.”
And seven years after starting her blog, would she still consider her daughter to be a fussy eater?
“Yes. There is no magic formula, tip or trick that is going to change them overnight. It is something you have to keep working on and I think until the day she leaves home I'll be working on it.”
She believes that taking the stress out of mealtimes is key to the progress she has made.
“If the situation is really tense nothing is going to be achieved. I'm a firm believer in very small baby steps which will add up overtime. By that I mean having a bit of broccoli on the plate without any pressure on them to touch or eat it.”
While she doesn’t agree with making separate meals for different members of the family, Attwell would make “tweaks and adjustments” so that everyone can enjoy a meal together.
“My kids aren’t great with foods that are a bit tricky or messy to eat, like a fajita. If I put a whole filled fajita in front of them they wouldn't eat it. So for them I separate out everything on to a plate and I give them chicken, vegetables, the wrap cut into triangles, and grated cheese and maybe a little dip.”
:: We’re Hungry! by Ciara Attwell is published by Lagom and is out now. Below are two recipes from the book for you to try.
FISH AND CHIP PIE
(Serves 4)
Fish pie, but with a twist. Instead of spending ages peeling, cooking and mashing potatoes for the top, try using frozen chips instead. So easy and kids will love it.
Ingredients:
50g butter
50g flour
500ml milk
75g grated Cheddar cheese
1 tsp French mustard
1/2 tsp garlic granules
340g fish pie mix (salmon, cod and
smoked haddock)
100g frozen prawns
100g cherry tomatoes
100g frozen peas
500g frozen chips (thick-cut)
Storing:
Will keep in the fridge for up to two days and can be reheated in the microwave.
Freezing:
Prep all of the steps then freeze the pie in its dish. Cook from frozen at 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6 for 75-90 minutes.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/ Gas Mark 6. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Slowly pour in the milk and whisk well, ensuring no lumps. Cook for a minute or two until sauce starts to thicken. Add the grated cheese, French mustard and garlic granules; mix well. Remove pan from the heat.
Put the fish pie mix, frozen prawns, cherry tomatoes and frozen peas in an oven dish. Pour the sauce over and mix everything together. Layer chips on top and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
BIG BATCH BROWNIE MIX
(Makes 5 batches)
With this recipe you’ll never need to buy a box of premade brownie mix again. Mix up your own at home, keep it in a jar and, when the mood takes you, whip up a fresh, warm batch of chocolate brownies in no time at all.
Ingredients:
625g white sugar
500g plain flour
200g chocolate chips
175g cocoa powder
Per batch:
75g butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Storing:
The brownie mixture will keep for up to six weeks. The cooked brownies will last in a cake tin for up to three days.
Method:
Mix the sugar, flour, chocolate chips and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Transfer to a large airtight container for storage.
To make one batch of brownies, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6. Line a brownie tin (about 25 x 22cm) with parchment paper.
Put 300g of the brownie mixture and in a large bowl. Melt 75g of butter and add that to the mixture, along with the eggs and vanilla. Mix just enough to combine the ingredients and then transfer to the tin. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into nine brownies.
