BBQ Pork Ribs

“Heidi, can you bring the coleslaw?” – this is the go-to answer if I ask the question of what can I bring to a weekend BBQ with our friends, BUT I know that after tasting these amazing ribs – next time it will be ‘Heidi, can you pleeeaaase bring those ribs?” followed by “and make sure you double, or TRIPLE the recipe!!!!”

I know you can buy those already pre-marinated ones from the shop, cut open the packet and – boom – they are ready to cook. But there’s no fun in that!! Plus, I’m not a big fan of any preservatives, artificial flavours, blah blah blah. If I can make it myself, I normally will.  Plus, because these cook in the slow cooker – there’s not much too it. These finger licking ribs will have everyone coming back asking for more!

Fingers or Fork?

Lately the kids have made me feel torn between teaching table manners vs teaching a love of food. After all, we have just spent time together setting … and often unsetting, resetting and final setting the table according to everyone’s ever changing request for different coloured cutlery, cups and napkins. So with the table nicely set the kids then sometimes just push it all that aside to eat with their hands. They have smiles on their faces, food up their arms, but they eat with hunger and enjoyment, albeit with all 10 fingers.

Sugar Free Tomato Pasta Sauce

Recently with all this talk of SUGAR on everyone’s lips, I’m starting to look at not just the obvious treats containing sugar like cakes, sweets, desserts, etc., but also the hidden sugar in things like ketchup, bread, Chinese takeout, chicken nuggets! Do you know what are you really feeding your kids?

Here’s a scary fact: A 500g jar of Dolmio Bolognaise sauce has more than 6 cubes of sugar in it… 

Playful Pizza Dough by Sweetpea Pantry

I was hooked at the tagline! Super food for super kids… yes please, sign me up 🙂 Sweetpea Pantry was started by an old colleague of mine and her friend in London, and from the day I heard about it I was hooked! It wasn’t until recently I had the privilege to road test it and try it out. I LOVE what the company stand for – sugar will never be one of the top 3 ingredients and they say Sweetpea Pantry products are 100% natural, 100% honest and 100% fun. The products are full of all-natural and super-powered ingredients including chia, quinoa, flax, wholegrains and reduced unrefined sugars.

Grandmas are mummys with frosting!

Being in the kitchen with the kids is a great bonding experience. And more so for the grandparents who we don’t see as often as we’d like. I like to think of it as a productive use of time as well as the end result can be dinner on the table or snacks for the week prepared! Cooking with kids teaches them more than just cooking. Cooking for my mum was a fun and rewarding way of teaching her dyslectic teenage step son how read. Cooking can help learn planning, presentation, creativity, time management, being proud of your accomplishments, discipline, improvisation (a big one in my kitchen!), safety, sharing, and many other life lessons. It’s also a way to teach family history and heritage passing down recipes and experience that often come with entertaining stories.

My father being Hungarian born