My top 5 recipes for super easy KIDS dinners in the Thermomix

This really made me chuckle!!  Every day dinners can be so boring and repetitive and if your house is anything like mine,  then it's full of fussy eaters who want dinner THE MINUTE their little tummies are hungry.  Then I'm left trying and pull something out of the bag in record speed at the same time as trying to do homework, entertain a whingy baby, referee an argument as well a mountain of other things!!  I have recently started to meal plan, which I have to admit REALLY does help, but it's also good to have a selection of 'good old faithfuls' that you can rely on last minute!  Cook and freeze is also the way forward!!

1.  The easiest kids Macaroni Cheese ever

Seriously this recipe couldn't be any quicker or easier and is my Friday night (rugby training night) staple for the kids. 

Ingredients:
200g pasta
200g water
220g milk
100g cheese
100g diced ham or bacon (I buy it ready cooked and diced from the deli section of the supermarket)
70g fresh chopped tomatoes or mushrooms (optional)

Put the water, milk and pasta into the thermomix and cook for 10 minutes on 90 degrees at reverse speed 1.  Then add the cheese and ham (and anything else you might like) and cook for another 4-5 mins on 90 degrees, reverse speed 1.  That's it!!!  Serve with a bit of tomato sauce and they might even ask you for seconds.  I find this recipe is more than enough for three children.

2.  Veggie smuggled Bolognese Sauce

This is the most versatile sauce ever and oh so healthy.  You can literally put whatever veggies you like in it, and the kids will never know.  The recipe makes enough to easily feed a family of six.  It's great for freezing too.  You could use it on pasta or spagetti, with mashed potato as a 'cottage pie' or as a sauce for the bottom of pizza's.

Ingredients:
1 x onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
500g vegetables of your choice (carrots, celery, sweet potato, zucchini/courgette, corn, mushrooms)
400-500g mince
1 tbs oil
1 heaped tbs vegetable stock (homemade if possible)
120g water
pinch of nutmeg
150g tomato paste
200g tinned or chopped tomatoes

Chop the onion and garlic for 5 seconds on speed 7 and then add the oil and saute for 3 minutes on 100 degrees, speed 1.  Add all the veggies and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7.  Add the mince and cook for 10 minutes on varoma temperature plus reverse speed 1.  Add all the remaining ingredients and cook for a further 20 minutes on 100 degrees plus reverse speed soft.  You can either serve immediately (once it's cooled of course) or put it in the freezer in portions.  If you'd like to make the recipe a bit more 'grown up' friendly replace half the water with red wine.

3.  Left over Spagetti Pizza

We usually have this the night after we've had Spagetti Bolognese (using the above recipe) with the leftovers.

Ingredients:
Leftover Bolognese Sauce
140g water
140g milk
30g yeast
20g oil
2 x tsp salt
500g plain flour
grated cheese
fresh basil

To make the dough:  Put the milk, water, oil, salt and yeast into the thermomix and give it a quick mix for 5 seconds on speed 3.  Add the flour and mix it all together for 6 seconds on speed 8.  Then set the dial to the closed lid position and knead the dough for 2 minutes on interval speed.  Wrap the dough up in either cling-film or a thermomat if you have one and let it rise to double it's size ( for approx. 30 minutes).  Break the dough up into four balls and roll them out as thinly as you require.  Spread the bolognese sauce over the top and add some grated cheese and fresh basil.  Bake in a hot oven (200 degrees) until they are golden brown.

4. Butternut Squash Soup with Dippy Toast Soliders

This is quite a wintery kind of dinner, which is perfect seeing as we're full swing into winter now.  However, my kids love it so much that we often have it right through the summer too.

Ingredients:
1 x onion peeled and quartered
1 tbs oil
500g butternut squash, peeled and cut into rough chunks (you could also use sweet potato or pumpkin)
1 x carrot, peeled and cut into rough chunks
A pinch of brown sugar
2 x tbs vegetable stock
500g water
3 x tbs cream

Put the onion in the thermomix and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7.  Add the oil and saute for 3 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.  Add the butternut and carrot and chop for 10-15 seconds on speed 7.  Add in the stock, water and sugar and cook for 20 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.  Add in the cream and whizz for 20 seconds on speed  9 or until you have totally smooth consistency   Pour into bowls and serve with warm, buttery toast cut into soldiers.  Butternut and carrots are naturally sweet vegetables, so the kids really do love this soup.  It makes enough to feed a family of five and it can easily be frozen and saved for another night.

5.  Sausage Rolls

Ingredients:
80g wholemeal bread (approx. 3 slices)
160g carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
80g zucchini/courgette roughly chopped
2 spring onions
1 heaped tsp vegetable stock
450g minced beef (or chicken)
2 heaped tbs tomato ketchup (I used a home made one)
3 sheets of frozen puff pastry
1 egg, slightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line two baking trays with baking paper.  Put the bread into the thermomix and chop for 10 seconds on speed 7 to make breadcrumbs.  Set them aside in a separate bowl.  Put the carrot, zucchini and spring onions into the bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7.  Scrape down the sides and add the beef, tomato sauce, stock and breadcrumbs.  Mix for 5-10 seconds on speed 5 until everything is combined.  Cut each pastry sheet in half and spread the mixture lenghways down the center.  Using a pastry brush, slightly dampen one side (lengthways) with water and then fold each side of pastry over the mixture to create a seam.  Turn the sausage roll over so that the pastry seam in underneath.  Cut into your desired size and place on the baking trays.  Brush each one with egg (using the pastry brush) and cook for 20 minutes or until golden brown   Serve with a big dolup of tomato sauce, a side salad or some chopped veggies.  These sausage rolls are also perfect for freezing.

I have recently added 3 thermomix recipes that are perfect for warming up little bellies in the winter.  You can see them HERE.

So there you have it - my top 5.  Do you have any fail-safe kids recipes that you couldn't live without??? I'd love to hear them.

You can also follow Mrs D plus 3 on facebook - twitter - instagram - Pinterest or sign up to my newsletter