Quick & Easy Breakfast - SKIPPY Peanut Butter Banana Wrap #AD

The school term is upon us once again, and for many it's the first time their children have been back in the classroom since March. My two school age children have been lucky, and were in the year groups that welcomed pupils back before the end of the summer. My youngest is starting high school and will be catching the bus just after 8am, which will be a bit of a shock to the system after weeks of late nights, lay ins and leisurely breakfasts. I'm pretty sure that after a few early nights he'll settle into his routine and once again be an early riser, but I'm not so sure about myself. Leisurely mornings have been lovely, and some days I take full advantage of not having to start work until midday.

Some days, when there's not enough time for a bowl of cereal or toast, we might just be in need of a grab & go breakfast. I absolutely love love love peanut butter, and so do my kids (the husband says he can't stand it but manages to eat my home made chocolate peanut butter ice cream without any trouble!), so peanut butter is a go-to quick breakfast or snack for us, whether it's on a cracker, sliced apple or with a banana (sometimes spooned straight from the jar into the mouth!). When we have a little more time we love peanut butter on toast or crumpets with sliced apple, banana or strawberries on top - I can see you turning your nose up at this, but you seriously have to try it! Check out my TikTok which will be sure to make your mouth water!

@thecrazykitchen

SKIPPY Peanut Butter on crumpets 3 ways ##AD ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage ##SKIPPYPeanutButter ##strawberry ##apple ##banana ##peanutbutter ##breakfast

♬ Level Up - Ciara

On those rushed mornings, we will sometimes have a SKIPPY Peanut Butter banana wrap, as they are so quick to make, taste great, and are also very portable, so great for grabbing to go, especially if you make them the night before and keep them tightly wrapped in the fridge. They are so simple that I feel a bit of a fraud calling this a recipe, but sometimes some of the simplest ideas are a revelation to others, so I'm going with it. In this recipe I've added strawberry jam, because that PB & J combo really is good, as is ground cinnamon instead of the jam.

SKIPPY Peanut Butter has been enjoyed by millions of Americans for more than 80 years, and as the Super Chunk and Smooth varieties can be now found in most major UK supermarkets the UK can go nuts about SKIPPY Peanut Butter too. SKIPPY Peanut Butter is made only with high quality sweeter peanuts from the USA, and is a really good source of protein, providing 22.1g per 100g.

SKIPPY Peanut Butter Banana Wrap

1 Tortilla wrap

SKIPPY Peanut Butter - extra smooth or extra crunchy

Strawberry jam or cinnamon (optional)

Banana

• Lay the wrap on a plate or chopping board
• Spread generously with your chosen SKIPPY Peanut Butter
• Spread with strawberry jam or sprinkle with cinnamon, if using
• Lay your banana across the middle of the wrap - you may have to straighten it out a little
• Roll up tightly around the banana, using the SKIPPY Peanut Butter as glue to hold the wrap in place
• Slice in half at an angle 
• Warm up in the microwave for approx 20 seconds if you want the peanut butter to ooze out
• Drizzle with warmed peanut butter & EAT!

You can find more great SKIPPY Peanut Butter recipes on their website here.

Recipe commissioned by SKIPPY Peanut Butter

Breakfast SPAM®️ Burger {& a GIVEAWAY} #AD

Next week marks one of the most important events in every foodie's calendar - the UK's official SPAM®️ Appreciation Week 2020 (2nd - 8th March), and once again I'm giving away a SPAM®️ Sizzle Pack to one lucky reader of this blog (read on to find out how you can win). I'm also sharing a delicious  recipe for an everyday breakfast (ok maybe not EVERY day, just on the weekend), that incorporates SPAM®️ Chopped Pork and Ham.

This year SPAM®️ Appreciation Week is inviting fans of SPAM®️ Chopped Pork and Ham to show your appreciation by sizzling up some SPAM®️ product to create a prize winning recipe. There are 3 categories to choose from (America, Asia & Europe) to base your recipe on, and the winner of each category will go into a grand Sizzle-Off where they could be presented with the SPAM®️ Sizzle-Off trophy and £1000 travel or shopping vouchers! There will also be 10 winners from each category who will be picked at random to win a Sizzle Kit. Follow #SPAMsizzle on social media and head over to www.spam-uk.com for further details.

Facebook : OfficialSPAMUK

Twitter : OfficialSPAMUK

Instagram : officialspamuk

I based my recipe on the USA region, where burgers are big business, to come up with my #SPAMsizzle recipe. My Breakfast SPAM®️ Burger is piled high with all the breakfast favourites - avocado, bacon, egg, potato waffle and a thick slice of fried SPAM®️ Chopped Pork and Ham, all served in a sweet & soft toasted brioche bun. The beauty of breakfast burgers is that you can cook everything in advance and serve it all on a large board to let everyone build their own burgers, with all of their favourite breakfast ingredients - or why not go all out and include everything!

Breakfast SPAM®️ Burger - serves 2

1/2 tbsp oil
200g tub of Easy Open SPAM®️ Chopped Pork and Ham
1 ripe Avocado
1/2 large Beef Tomato
2 Potato Waffles
4 Rashers of streaky bacon
2 Free range eggs

2 Brioche buns

Small handful of rocket leaves

• Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan over a med-high heat
• Slice the SPAM®️ into thick slices ( you will get 3 or 4 slices out of this tub) & add  2 slices to the pan
• Fry until lightly browned on both sides
• In the meantime prepare the other burger ingredients - mash the avocado, thickly slice the tomato, cook the waffles and bacon and poach the eggs
• Serve everything on a large serving board, alongside sliced brioche buns and fresh rocket leaves and allow everyone to build their own breakfast burger - eggs are best served on top to allow that runny yolk to drip down over the other ingredients!

WIN a SIZZLE PACK (worth over £100)

To win your very own sizzle pack, including a SPAM®️ slicer, apron & spatula, you need to complete the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

More SPAMTASTIC meals and recipe ideas can be found on the SPAM®️ UK website, and for additional chances to win a Sizzle Pack follow SPAM®️ on Twitter and Instagram, and follow the #SPAMsizzle hashtag.

This is an ad for SPAM®️

3 Ingredient Super Green Pancakes

What amazing "spring" weather we're enjoying at the moment! We've been spending loads of time outdoors barbecuing and possibly consuming too much booze on the weekend, especially last weekend (and the less we mention about the karaoke singing on the village green the better I think!)

During the week I try and balance out the unhealthy weekends by eating plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs and lean meat, but I do often struggle finding something to eat for breakfast that doesn't involve bread, other than eggs, mushrooms and spinach, which can get a little boring after a few days. I also prefer to eat breakfast around 10, which isn't particularly convenient on the days that I have to be out of the house around 8.30. On these mornings my healthy breakfast usually goes out of the window and I end up grabbing a crumpet or bagel for convenience.

I've now discovered a healthier alternative that gives me some extra nutrients in the morning, in the form of these Super Green Pancakes, which are great for eating on the go. Made from Naturelo Raw Greens Whole Food Powder, in a wild berry flavour, these pancakes are simple to make with just two additional ingredients.

Naturelo sell a range of premium supplements, including multivitamins for adults, teens and children. Their whole food powder is free from GMO, Soy, Yeast, Egg, Dairy and Corn, making it suitable for vegans as well as those trying to avoid these ingredients. The powder can be mixed with water or juice as a drink, but I prefer adding a scoop to pancakes and eating them with berries.

To be completely honest, I was a little apprehensive the first time I tried the product as I'm not keen on the after taste you sometimes find with protein powders, but I am absolutely in love with these pancakes, with their sweet nutty taste. It's really not necessary to serve them with maple syrup as the natural sweetness is enough, but who doesn't love a little syrup on their pancakes in the morning!

3 Ingredient Super Green Pancakes - makes approx 8-10

1 scoop of Naturelo Raw Greens Whole Food Powder
75g chickpea flour
100ml almond milk
coconut oil for frying (optional)

• Whisk the ingredients together until smooth
• Heat a little oil in a non stick pan over a medium/high heat
• Add approz 1 tbsp batter to the preheated pan
• Fry for a few minutes until lightly browned 
• Flip over and fry on the other side until lightly browned
• Repeat until all the batter has been used

commissioned post for Naturelo

Incorporating Orange Juice into your child's diet, and a recipe for Breakfast Muffins

With having teenagers I know that it can be particularly tricky to make sure they get enough fruit & veg in their diet. On the whole, mine are pretty good with vegetables, but teenagers are naturally lazy and it takes too much effort to peel an orange or bite into an apple. If I cut the fruit up & make a bowlful of fruit salad they will help themselves and eat the lot in no time, but I don't always have the time (or inclination) for all that faff.

By having a carton of orange juice in the fridge I know that all three kids can easily get themselves at least one of their 5 (or is it now 10?) a day with their breakfast, without too much effort. Just one 150ml glass or 100% pure orange juice can provide children with one of their 5 a day, as well as being a good source of vitamin C (100% RDA), potassium and folates. Vitamin C is essential for a healthy immune system, and potassium & folates help with cell and muscle tissue repair. Consuming orange juice with a meal can also help to increase the absorption of iron rich foods such as fortified cereals, which makes breakfast an ideal time to have it.

If you have teens like my daughter though, more time in the mornings will be spent doing hair and makeup than thinking about breakfast, so these Breakfast Muffins make an ideal grab and go solution. Teamed up with a small bottle or carton of the recommended 150ml serving of orange juice, it makes a perfect breakfast. The muffins can be made the night before and packed up in a lunchbox ready to grab before running for the school bus.

Ingredients in the muffins can be tailored to suit. These have veggie sausages, pepper, onion & tomato in, which can be replaced with bacon, mushrooms and spinach, for example.

Christmas Breakfast - Pigs In Blankets & Cinnamon Pancakes

With Christmas just around the corner we're getting into full Christmas mode. Lights have been switched on, presents have been wrapped, snowballs have been drunk and tubs of chocolates have been emptied. My eldest child once said that the best part about Christmas is the pigs in blankets. I've never really been that keen and would be more than happy to give up my share to the teenagers to fulfil their needs. That was until one day when I decided that they would make an awesome accompaniment to pancakes! For brunch we often enjoy tasty chipolata sausages and crispy bacon with pancakes and waffles, so why not combine the two and have festive pigs in blankets with the pancakes instead. They were a huge hit and I will definitely be adding them to the breakfast menu on Christmas morning.

WARM CINNAMON PANCAKES WITH PIGS IN BLANKETS AND MAPLE SYRUP

Pigs In Blankets & Cinnamon Pancakes - serves 4/5

12 good quality Chipolata sausages (I buy Asda Extra Special Pork Chipolatas)

12 rashers of good quality streaky bacon (I buy Asda Extra Special Oak Smoked)

2 eggs

100ml buttermilk

150ml milk

75g melted butter

180g plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp caster sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

• Cut the chipolatas & bacon rashers in half
• Stretch the bacon out with the back of a knife on a chopping board to thin it out
• Wrap the bacon around the chipolatas
• Place into a roasting tin or oven dish in a preheated 200℃ oven for approx 25 minutes, until the bacon is crispy
• In the meantime make the pancakes by whisking the eggs, buttermilk, milk & melted butter together in a bowl or jug
• In another large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar & cinnamon
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry & mix until just combined
• Heat a non stick pan over a medium/high heat
• Spoon some of the batter into the pan and cook 3 or 4 pancakes at a time - flipping over when the bases are golden brown 
• Serve with wonderful Maple syrup

Baked Full English - a one dish breakfast

This month marks a double celebration for Branston Beans, as, along with it being their 10th birthday, the Good Housekeeping Institute has rated them best out of 11 leading brands tested. Their beans contain more tomato than the leading brand, and 4 out of 5 consumers prefer the taste, so it's no wonder they received this endorsement.

As part of the Branston Beans #LoveBranstonBeans campaign, I have been invited to create a breakfast dish in the 'Round-the-Clock challenge', to show how versatile baked beans are. Baked beans are definitely a store cupboard staple in The Crazy Kitchen, and I buy a few cans each week to use in dishes such as bolognaise and chilli, as well as to be eaten on toast and jacket potatoes.

If you think of a great British breakfast you would almost certainly picture a big fry up of eggs, bacon, sausage, beans and tomatoes, and with this traditional breakfast in mind I came up with my one dish breakfast, containing all of those essential ingredients, along with a little continental addition of paprika.

The beauty of this dish is that it can mostly be prepared in advance, and then popped in the oven for 15 minutes to cook the egg, which makes it a great way to eat your full English even in the middle of the week, before rushing off to work or school. If you wanted to save even more time you could cook the complete dish in advance and then reheat in the microwave in just a few minutes.

On the weekend it would make a great brunch, served in one large pan set in the middle of the table, which everyone can help themselves to.

Baked Full English - serves 6

tsp Olive oil

6 good quality thick sausages

120g smoked streaky bacon, chopped

tsp smoked paprika

2 cans Branston Baked Beans

1 can chopped tomatoes

6 medium free range eggs

salt, pepper & parsley to taste

• heat the olive oil in a large frying pan
• add the sausages and cook until browned
• add the bacon and fry until crispy and brown and the sausages are cooked through
• remove the sausages and set aside
• add the paprika and stir
• add the baked beans and tomatoes and stir well
• bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes
• place one sausage in each of 6 small shallow ovenproof dishes
• spoon the baked beans, bacon etc into the dish, making sure not to overfill
• make a well and crack an egg into the well (you may not need to add all of the white to fill the well)
• place the dishes onto a baking tray and bake in a preheated 180C oven for approx 15 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your liking
• season with salt, pepper & parsley before serving with thick slices of fresh bread, lightly toasted

This dish went down extremely well in our household, and is definitely one that I'll be repeating on a regular basis.

this post has been commissioned by Branston Beans

Italian Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Next week is British Egg Week (5-11 October), and to mark the occasion I've recreated a classic egg dish, with a twist. Scrambled egg is one of the first things I learnt to cook growing up, and as this was before we had a microwave, it was cooked in a saucepan on the hob. Cooking scrambled eggs on the hob is still my preferred way of cooking it, but as this is also the husband's 'speciality' it's usually cooked in a jug, in the microwave, with little stirring (he says the kids prefer it that way!)

I've jazzed my eggs up with a little Italian touch and served them on a toasted ciabatta roll, instead of the usual sliced white. This recipe can serve 1-2, depending on how hungry you're feeling.

Italian Scrambled Eggs on Toast - serves 1

olive oil

4 cherry tomatoes

small knob of butter
3 medium free range eggs

salt & pepper

splash of milk

fresh basil

ciabatta roll, lightly toasted

parmesan

• heat the olive oil in a small saucepan
• add the tomatoes and cook for a few of minutes over a med/high heat until they soften
• remove the tomatoes from the pan & set aside
• add a little butter to the pan and heat until melted
• beat the eggs, salt & pepper & torn basil leaves together
• add to the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring & scraping the bottom of the pan (I like to use a wooden spatula for this), until the eggs are cooked
• serve with the tomatoes on the ciabatta roll & top with freshly grated parmesan

 

To keep up to date with new recipes next week, follow #BritishEggWeek on twitter.

This recipe has been created for a #shortcuteggsperts challenge. I have been provided with shopping vouchers to cover the cost of my ingredients. More egg recipes can be found here.

Chocolate Pancake Quesadillas & how you can save £1000 off your next school trip

We're well into week 2 of a mammoth 7 week (and 2 days) school summer holiday, and meal times seem to have gone out of the window. Some days breakfast gets eaten just before lunchtime and some days it gets skipped completely, to be replaced by a late night bowl of cereal. Once the new term comes around again though, I'll be nagging the kids to make sure they eat breakfast before they rush off for the bus, and reminding them that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and shouldn't be skipped, especially with the eldest starting his GCSE's this year.

I'm pretty sure that if I popped a plate of these pancake quesadillas in front of them though, they wouldn't be in such a rush to get out of the door.

These were filled with banana & hazelnut chocolate spread and banana & peanut butter, but they can be filled with any of your kid's favourite fillings.

They're simple to make, and you don't even need scales to measure the ingredients, just use an average sized coffee mug if you don't have cup measures.

They can be made the night before so you don't even need to get up extra early in the morning to make them, just pop a few on a plate, cover over and place in the fridge.

Breakfast Chocolate Pancake Quesadillas - makes approx 6 pancakes

1/2 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

tbsp chocolate Nesquik powder

tbsp melted butter + extra butter for frying

• whisk everything together until smooth
• add a little butter to a non stick frying pan and heat over a medium/high heat until melted
• wipe the butter around the pan with a piece of kitchen roll
• pour some batter into the pan & swill around to coat the pan
• cook until bubbles come up through the batter and the pancake dries around the edges
• flip the pancake over and cook for an additional minute or two on the other side
• repeat with the remaining batter

Eggs are a great source of protein, and protein is good for brain function, so therefore pancakes are a great way to start your day, and fuel young minds until lunchtime. 

Kingswood know the role that educational trips and outdoor residential experiences have on fuelling young minds. Both of my eldest two children have been on school residential trips, where they've learnt a variety of new activities and skills, as well as having loads of fun with their friends. 

Due to this first hand experience of knowing how important these trips are and how they provide an invaluable learning experience for children, I'm sharing news of the Kingswood and Happy Egg Co. partnership, which is a great opportunity to give schools up to £1000 off their next school trip. Kingswood strive to ensure the adventures they provide are great value for money, and made available to as many schools and as many pupils as possible.

By collecting codes from promotional packs of Happy Egg Co. free range eggs , up to £1000 can be saved on trips for your school during 2015, 2016 and 2017. Full details on the Trips for Schools promotion can be found on the website here, or by calling 0800 655 6564.

in collaboration with Kingswood

Baked Banana & Cinnamon Porridge

Last March we had a bit of a heatwave. I bought a new car around this time last year; a convertible, and I had the roof down on the test drive, the way home a few days later, as well as for most of the rest of the month.

Today the conservatory roof was being battered by hailstones and a gail was blowing. Come on Winter, you've had your go, it's time to let Spring have a turn. I want to get that roof down again and feel the sun on my face.

In the meantime I'm warming up after the school run with a healthy baked porridge, which is completely Weight Watchers filling & healthy friendly. If you have a bit of a sweet tooth you may want to add some extra Maple syrup, or add some chopped nuts to give it a bit of a crunch.

Baked Banana & Cinnamon Porridge - serves 1

1/3 cup porridge oats
2/3 cup skimmed milk
pinch of cinnamon
1 banana, sliced lengthways
1 tsp pure Maple syrup

• Add the oats, milk and cinnamon to a small ovenproof dish
• Lay the banana slices on the top & drizzle with maple syrup
• Bake in a preheated 180C oven for around 20 minutes, until the milk has been absorbed and the dish is golden brown & puffed up

Beating the Breakfast Boredom & Making Veggies Fun

My three children are quite happy eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast most days, but on a Sunday they often like something a bit more exciting, as we have more time for a leisurely breakfast.

Pancakes are a big favourite, as are fried or scrambled eggs on toast. If you're stuck in a bit of a breakfast rut then check out my article on Flora about beating the breakfast boredom. 

pancakes

fried egg in toast

waffles & fruit

I also have another article about making veggies fun. If you have a fussy eater it might help to get them interested in trying something new, and eating up their greens!

Here's Jack when he spent an hour at a friends allotment on one sunny Sunday morning.

These features were commissioned by Flora UK

Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Rolls and Car Boot Sale Finds

A few weeks ago I had a massive clear out in Jack's bedroom. He wanted a Playmobil ferry and was prepared to finally give up some of his baby toys and games to pay for it. The huge pile took up residence in our bedroom after that, until last week when I motivated myself to do a car boot sale.

I was up at 5am, and before 6am keen bargain hunters crowded around the car asking for mobile phones or china, neither of which I had. A little later on in the morning the husband arrived with Hanna and Jack, allowing me to go and have a wander around the stalls. I first picked up a brown wooden tray for £1, swiftly followed by a teacup and saucer for 50p. I was then on a mission to find a few more items for my breakfast tray, and first discovered an enamel billy can for £2, a butter knife for 50p and then an enamel colander for 50p. Pretty pleased with my purchases I returned to my stall until it was time to pack away and go home.

Once home I cleaned and painted the tray up with a couple of coats of Annie Sloan 'old white' paint, and washed the other items, ready to use with my Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Rolls.

Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Rolls - makes 16

500g Strong White Bread flour
pinch of salt
50g caster sugar
7g dried yeast
50g butter, softened
225-250ml milk
2 apples, cored & sliced
50g butter, melted
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

• Add the flour, salt, sugar and yeast to a bowl
• Pour in the butter and 225ml of milk
• Mix well and bring everything together to form a dough, adding more milk as necessary
• Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth
• Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm and leave until doubled in size (approx 1.5-2 hours)
• Whilst the dough is proving, prepare the apples
• Lay the apple slices on a baking sheet lined with baking paper
• Brush with melted butter on both sides
• Mix the caster sugar and cinnamon together & sprinkle onto both sides of the apple slices
• Place in a preheated 180°C for approx 20 minutes, or until beginning to crisp
• Allow to cool and cut into 1cm pieces
• Once the dough has proved turn it out onto a floured surface and knead in the apple pieces
• Roll the dough into a sausage shape
• Cut the dough into 16 equal pieces - you may want to weigh your dough if you want buns of equal size
• Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place on a floured baking sheet, spaced well apart
• Cover the baking sheets with clingfilm and leave for an hour
• Preheat the oven to 200°C
• Brush or spray the buns with a fine layer of water
• Sprinkle with a little flour and remaining sugar/cinnamon 
• Bake for approx 15 minutes until golden brown 

What do you think to my bargains?