Recipes

Back to school lunches
Back to school means filling lunch boxes - bring back the non healthy school lunches! When I was young a bag of crisps was all I wanted - now with green schools, healthy lunches, the mornings are a challenge to say the least. Last week I made savoury muffins for my kids. I thought they were Yum, but they came back untouched! The reason given…always the same… too busy playing to eat… The following are a few easy recipes what might cheer up the more discerning lunch box!

Savoury Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

300g self raising flour
80g melted butter
1 egg
250g Natural youghurt
50 ml milk
I cup of grated cheese
4 rashers , diced and fried until crispy
4 spring onions , finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 200C
2. Mix the egg, melted butter , milk and yoghurt.
3. Stir the flour, cheese, bacon and spring onions together until well combined, add the liquid and spoon into 12 muffin cases. Bake for  about 20 minutes.

These keep for a day or two and freeze very well. You can play around with the recipe, today I replaced the cheddar with goats cheese and added grated beetroot instead of bacon and they were magic - I ate most of them myself!! 

Chocolate Banana Muffins 

Makes 12

3 very ripe or over ripe bananas
125 ml sunflower oil
2 eggs
100g soft light brown sugar
225g plain flower
30g cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Some dried banana slices if you have them.

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C /gas mark 6 and line a muffin tin with papers
2. Mash the banana by hand, with a free standing mixer or in a food processor
3. Still beating  and mashing, add the oil followed by the eggs and sugar
4. Mix the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda together and add this mixture, then spoon it into the prepared papers. Decorate with dried bananas if you have them
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, by which time the muffins should be dark, rounded and peeking proudly out of their cases. 
6. Allow to cool slightly in their tin before removing onto a wire rack

I often add a cup of chocolate chips to these. The children love these and funnily enough find time to eat them!

Labels: Bread And Cakes