Banana & Cashew Smoothy Popsicles

These popsicles are great snacks and they are super good for you too! In my pursuit for tasty clean eating snacks, I thought I'd make a smoothy into a yummy lolly - and these are well worth making. Great for a snack when you haven't got time to make a smoothy from scratch. And it's like eating a tastier Mini Milk!

Purple Power Smoothy

I have baby brain at the moment. I just can't retain information without a list. So to combat this excuse for tardiness, I've developed the Purple Power Smoothy. Packed with good stuff, it contains blueberries to help boost brain power and help me function through the day!

The Mean Green Smoothy

Everyone's doing green smoothies. If you haven't - where have you been? Here's the big Mean Green Smoothy. Start your day with a big fat kick of goodness! And you'll be on your way to your five-a-day, or seven-a-day, or ten-a-day......

Chia & Raspberry Overnight Oats

I'm still trying to avoid all sugary breakfast cereals. They don't fill you up, they're no good for you, and they don't keep you going throughout the morning. But I like some variety in life and these Overnight Oats are perfect.

Today I'm having Chia & Raspberry Overnight Oats with chopped nuts and grapes. I left the raspberries whole, but you could mush them up. The chia seeds are a great source of protein, fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. They also swell up overnight and make another great texture in this breakfast.

Breakfast Booster Smoothy

I'm struggling at the moment to find time. Time to eat in the morning! Organising three children to get out of the house for school leaves little time for food. I'm also trying to lose some of this extra baby weight that's hanging about, so I don't want to be skipping meals and then eating ten chocolate biscuits because I am starving. So a smoothy in the morning seems the perfect solution.

I took myself down to TK Maxx the other day to buy a travel cup with lid and straw that I can bung the smoothy in and head out of the door. I might also be doing this at lunch time if I can't find time for a nice sandwich. 

Slow Cooker Overnight Porridge

Who said having children is easy? One was tough, two was harder, now three is near impossible! Our newest addition to the family is now three months old. Little baby Edward is a cracker, but family life is a mix of joy, fun and screaming panic (that's me doing the screaming). Of course me and Mr Mean are truly blessed to have our three beautiful children and wouldn't give them up for the world, but daily life has got to get a little bit easier than this?

Overnight Oats

I've got a confession. I've been sneaking around at night. No one knows what I've been up to (they will now). But I've had a breakfast revelation and it starts the evening before - overnight oats!

Now the weather is warming up a bit and it's not the depths of winter anymore, porridge is off the menu. So as a summer alternative to the cooked comfort of porridge, overnight oats are a breakfast essential. And what could be better than just reaching into the fridge in the morning and having a ready-made breaky!

Bill Granger's Banana & Butterscotch Pudding

I love Bill Granger. There's just something about his smile that can light up any dull and miserable British day. And this pudding will brighten up any cold and snowy day where ever you are.

I saw him doing this recipe last week on Daybreak and just had to try it. I'm always looking for recipes to use up old bananas and this is a cracker! From now on, if there's a banana on the turn it will be transformed into this yummy pudding. The kids love it too. Mr Mean was a little harder to convince, as he thought Butterscotch sauce would be just butter with some scotch in it. He was sure he would hate it. But like I thought - he also loved it!

Lemon Curd & Banana Muffins

I hate waste. So when I've got a bunch of bananas that are going brown and are really past their best for eating - it means they are just right for adding to some yummy baking! And what a great excuse for baking something lovely to go with my afternoon cuppa! Perfect!

The lemon curd is a recipe from The Great British Bake Off book, although if you haven't got the time, just buy a jar. I happened to have some left in the fridge and thought this would be the perfect recipe to use it up. I've adapted the recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Lemon Curd Marble Muffins in his River Cottage Everyday book.

Healthy Breakfast Muffins

After still having some old bananas left that needed some baking wizardry, I decided to opt for a healthier muffin. This is a great treat for breakfast - or even with your morning cuppa. They are packed full of goodies that will make anyone feel good in the morning. I had two for breakfast and didn't even think about food until lunchtime. Okay, that's a lie. I was cooking for most of the morning - but not tasting!

Healthy Breakfast Muffins

Makes 18
Ingredients:
300g (11 oz) plain flour
50g (2 oz) rolled oats
3 teaspoons baking powder
half teaspoon mixed spice
half teaspoon cinnamon
80g (3 oz)raisins
120g (4.5 oz) apricots, chopped
50g (2 oz) sunflower seeds
50g (2 oz) caster sugar
100ml (4 floz) sunflower oil
150ml (5.5 floz) natural yoghurt
150ml (5.5 floz) milk
1 egg, beaten
2 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 medium carrots, grated

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Prepare the muffin tins with 18 muffin cases.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

3. Mix the wet ingredients in a jug.

4. Add the bananas and carrots to the dry ingredients and add the wet mixture.

5. Combine with as few stirs as possible and fill the muffin cases three quarters full.

6. Bake in a preheated 190C (375F) oven for 20 minutes.

7. Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack.

BABY PORRIDGE

The problem with baby food is it all looks horrid! The little tiny packets of baby porridge are going to set you back at least £2 - I know it is fortified but I find it too expensive, and it always smells like sick! This is simply porridge oats cooked in water with a few slices of banana mashed in and a dollop of Greek yoghurt on top. If your baby likes a smoother consistency, simply whizz down until it's just right!

Porridge with Nutella, Chopped Banana and Yoghurt

This has got to be the ultimate in tasty, filling and healthy breakfasts. It's also cheaper than splashing out on branded cereals or expensive muesli. And with the addition of Nutella - it's a real kiddy pleaser! I put about half a teaspoon on my son's breakfast which is about 20kcal and 2g of sugar. In a 30g serving of Cheerios, there is 6.4g of sugar. The best low GI breakfast ever!


Ingredients: (for 1 adult serving)
30g porridge oats
190ml cold water
1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon Nutella
Half a chopped banana

HOW TO MAKE:
Put the oats and water in a pan and simmer until the water has been absorbed and the oats are soft. Spoon into serving bowl and add the yoghurt, Nutella and banana.