I love autumn, it signifies homemade soup season for me and spiced squash soup works with any type of pumpkin or squash. I like to mix it up and have even used the small mixed ones from Lidl and Aldi, the secret is to roast the squash in their skin (as who has the energy to peel them) and then scoop out the flesh when cooled.

This is a brilliant soup for keeping your immune system boosted as it is full of goodness and vitamins. Squash is very high in Vitamins A and C and ginger and garlic are great anti-oxidants with anti-inflammatory properties so perfect for this cold and flu season.

Course: Soup

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Spiced Squash Soup

Course Soup

Servings 8

Ingredients

• Pumpkins or Squash 1 large or two small you want around 1kg of flesh
• 2 chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red chilli finely chopped
• 1 piece  of ginger
• 1/2 tbsp  curry powder
• 800 ml of vegetable stock
• Coconut yoghurt or sour cream

Notes

f you are making this for children or want a milder soup then replace half of the stock with coconut milk.

We often make this soup with leftover roast vegetables including carrots, sweet potatoes and onions.  Just add them with the squash.

Spiced Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• Pumpkins or Squash (1 large or two small) you want around 1kg of flesh
• 2 chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red chilli finely chopped
• 1 piece of ginger
• 1/2 tbsp  curry powder
• 800ml of vegetable stock
• Coconut yoghurt of sour cream

How to make Spiced Squash Soup

Split your squash in half and remove the seeds, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 180 Degrees for approximately 40 minutes and allow to cool before scooping out all of the flesh and setting aside.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and fry the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger until soft and then add the curry powder.

Add the squash and stock and bring to a low simmer.

Put everything in a blender and whizz until smooth.

Serve with coconut yoghurt or sour cream.

If you are making this for children or want a milder soup then replace half of the stock with coconut milk.

We often make this soup with leftover roast vegetables including carrots, sweet potatoes and onions.  Just add them with the squash.

There is nothing worse than getting stuck in a rut when it comes to making your children’s lunchbox.  Putting the same thing in week in, week out.  This is often made harder with picky eaters or school nutrition rules.  Hartleys has introduced sugar-free jelly pots which my children love (as do I)! They make a great alternative to the sugar-packed yoghurt tubes that I used to add.

I am a big believer that children gain so much from sitting at a table and eating lunch together and Hartley’s have worked with Dr Sam Wass, a child psychologist {who is also behind the show “Secret Life of a 4, 5 & 6 year olds”}. He shares the conversations that our children are having over their lunch. The top topics of conversation include; Favourite toys, friends, Holidays, TV, Family & more.  #littleoneswholunch.  

At the boys primary school they introduced table buddies for the younger children.  So a year 5 or 6 child was put in charge of each of the tables for reception and years 1 to 3.  They helped the younger children cut up their food, put water and teach table etiquette. It was such a great idea and all the children gained so much from it.

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What should be included in a Kids Packed Lunch?

The Food Association have a great guide but as a rule:

1) A portion of bread (or similar), rice, potatoes or pasta
2) Plenty of fruit and vegetables
3) A portion of dairy or a calcium-rich alternative
4) Some protein in the form of beans, pulses, fish, egg, meat
5) A healthy drink

Top Tip: Before adding any food to your thermos flask fill it with hot water whilst you prepare the food and that way the flask ios warm and will keep the food warmer longer.

Hot School Lunch Ideas for Kids

I think that autumn and winter is the hardest seasons for lunchboxes for children.  During the summer Mini has salads, cold pasta salad and wraps or even pies, pasties and sausage rolls.  However, once the weather gets cooler he wants something warm and filling.  Our small food flask has been a lifesaver over the years and it keeps whatever we add to eat hot until his lunchtimes.  So I decided to share with you Mini’s top hot non sandwich school lunch ideas and some of the recipes.

Hot School Lunch Ideas for Kids

1. Soup and a Bun
2. Beans and Sausages
3. Hot dogs and onions with a hotdog roll to add it to
4. Pasta (he often takes leftovers from our main meals such as spaghetti bolegnese or pasta bake) Pasta with meatballs is a big favourite and I always add some grated cheese.
5. Fried Rice Bowl – we use leftover rice with added meat such as pork fillet), and vegetables and then fry it with an egg.
6. Anything with noodles. If we have any cola chicken left, this is delicious.
7. Casserole – I always make extra and he takes leftovers including sausage casserole, beef or even chicken.
8. Chicken Soup/Stew
9. Pumpkin Soup – warming and delicious
10. Baked potato – these keep warm in the thermos flask so well and you can do a baked sweet potato to change things up. Just add a pat of butter wrapped in some baking paper and a topping (like cheese or tuna).
11. Fajitas – pack the wraps in clingfilm for them to fill at school
12. Curry – Mini is a big curry lover and it always keeps well.
13. Mac n Cheese

Top Tip: Make sure you freeze any potions of leftover meals and label them. They make the perfect warm packed lunch and you can defrost and heat them in the microwave before school

Most of these are good dinner ideas and can be used for lunch leftovers. The kids love having something in their thermos and it keeps them warm at lunchtime, plus it is something fun and different. if you are looking for more, then check out these easy lunch ideas for winter and our list of family lunches.

Did you know that households in the UK waste a mind blowing 15 million tonnes of food and drink every year. To bring this to life, that includes 5.8 million potatoes, almost 6 million glasses of milk and an astonishing 24 million slices of bread every day! Not only is this a huge problem for our environment, but families are throwing away money along with food. In fact, the average British family wastes £700 per year on food that could have been eaten, but is thrown away instead, that’s around £60 a month.

Are you a frugal cook? I am, it was how I was raised.  My mum was a war baby and food was scarce and she raised me to hate waste.  She taught me about meal planning and using leftovers for the next days meals, she called it companion cooking. We often could guess what the following days meal would be.  Roast beef would be turned into sandwiches, hotpots and pies. Chicken would mean her famous stew, pasties and curry.

Bubble and Squeak cakes are a regular addition to our meal plans.  I am lucky that my boys love vegetables.  This Bubble and Squeak soup is simple to make, uses leftover cooked vegetables and also is great for using up the chicken carcass.

Bubble and Squeak Soup

Ingredients:

• Chicken Carcas or chicken stock and leftover chicken
• Leftover cooked vegetables – we used leeks, turnips, carrots, new potatoes and roast parsnips,

How to make Bubble and Squeak Soup

When I was growing up, my mum would make chicken stock from the carcass in her pressure cooker, I do the same, but use my slow cooker.  I pop the chicken in the slow cooker cover with boiling water and let it cook overnight.  Strain the chicken bits and bones from the broth and allow to cool before you skim off any fat from the top.  It makes a delicious chicken stock and the best base for this soup.  Don’t have a chicken carcass then you can use shop bought stock or a stock cube.

Make sure any of your leftover vegetables are in bite sized pieces.  We added leftover roast parsnips, so Mini sliced them and he also sliced the new potatoes in half too.

Add the vegetables to your stock and warm.  As your vegetables are already cooked you it only needs to be warmed through before you eat it.

We often have our Bubble and Squeak Soup with Dumplings.  My dumpling mix is 100g of vegetable suet and 200g of self-raising flour.  Make a well in the middle and add water, mixing with a butter knife until it comes together.  Form loosely into 8 portions and place in the soup.  Cook uncovered in the oven for 20 minutes for a crispy top and covered for 30 minutes for a soft top.

Bubble and Squeak Soup is so simple to make then both of my boys can make it on their own and help prepare it. It is great for using up leftovers and making sure that we do not have waste.

What are your favorite recipes for using up leftovers?

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We were recently sent a Cuisinart soup maker plus to review and as this is one of our regular soups we thought we would put it to the test by cooking and blending it inCuisinart soup maker plus and put it to the test.

Spiced Butternut Soup

Ingredients

• One butternut Squash – peeled and cubed
• One onion – chopped
• 1 teaspoon of chilli
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1 Litre Water
• Soured Cream

How to make spiced butternut soup

Peel and dice one onion and crush 2 cloves of garlic.

Add the onion, chilli, curry powder and garlic, attach the lid and cook on saute for 2 minutes. Stir frequently

Add the vegetable stock and increase the heat to high, cooking for 2 minutes. Remove the lid, add the butternut squash and leave to cook for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Lower the temperature to simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the butternut is soft, stirring occasionally.

Season with salt and pepper and blend on setting 2 for approximately 2 minutes or until you have reached your desired consistency.

Serve with a dollop of soured cream.

We love having some homemade soup in the house.  It is perfect for my lunches and for adding to Mini’s lunchbox.  Plus it is a great afterschool snack.

What we think of the Cuisinart soup maker plus

I am going to admit that I was really sceptical about adding yet another gadget to my crowded kitchen.  Especially as I thought that a pan and my stick blender did a perfectly adequate job.   I was pretty sure that we would give the soup maker a try and then I would pass it on to my best friend who makes, even more, soup than me (and has a bigger kitchen)!

I never expected to like the soup maker so much and both Maxi and I decided that it was smoother blended in the soup maker than with my stick blender, but it is a little trickier to taste during the making than in a pan.

OK, so this is not a must have item, but it certainly is a nice to have item that we have used for more than just soup. In fact it made me realise that my kitchen is really lacking a power blender and the Minimads have used the Cuisinart soup maker plus to make smoothies nearly every day since we received it.

The Cuisinart soup maker plus can make more than soups and you can find recipes for jams, risottos and much more on their website.

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We keep the food simple warming and filing.  We have a couple of flasks that we use for food.  A wide-necked soup flask and a food flask.  Soup is our favourite cold-weather picnic food.

Five Autumn and Winter Picnic Soups

Soups which work well for us on a picnic are ones that are blended smooth and that we can drink from a cup, but also dunk in some crusty bread or have with a cheese sandwich.

Tomato Soup by Daisies and Pie

Curried roasted vegetable soup by Frugaliscious Food

Root vegetable soup by Daisies and Pie

Carrot and sweet potato coconut soup by Fuss Free Flavours

Roast butternut squash soup by Daisies and Pie

Other foods perfect for an Autumn Picnic

We love to load up one of our food flasks with hotdogs and onions, Just make sure to take finger rolls with you to pop them in.

A flask filled with hot chocolate and a small bag of marshmallows always makes a decadent drink at the end of the meal.

We have also been known to take out precooked and hot jacket potatoes in our food flask and just add some cheese to them once we are out. I love these hot picnic ideas by Going on an Adventure.

You can not have enough chocolate when it is cold, so this Rocky Road by Nurturestore is wonderful and delicious too.  Better still it is simple enough that the kids can make it and there is no baking required.

Another cake that we wouldn’t be without on an Autumn picnic is parking and my go to recipe my Aunt Chris’ Parkin.

We were sent a hamper and some  Vita Coco Kids naturally fruit flavoured water in Apple & Blackcurrant and Mango & Pineapple flavour and they have been a huge hit, not only with the boys but me and the Husbeast too.  They are great tasting, contain less sugar than other juices in the shops and are perfect for picnics all year round. We enjoyed them so much that we have been and bought more.  They are perfect for Maxi to rehydrate when he is playing junior football at the weekend.

We were also sent this fantastic picnic hamper from House of Fraser to review and have been using it for our wonderful Autumn picnics.  Unfortunately we were sent it in the summer and never found time to use it, so this particular one has gone out of stock.  Bad Jen.  It is however, beautiful and really eye catching and it is wonderful to have a grown up hamper which has come in to its own for back of the car picnics.  It has real crockery, which yes makes it weighty, but lovely if you don’t have to carry it far.

This is my Mum’s recipe and it is a family favorite with both the boys and even better it is frugal too as it uses up the chicken carcass for making the stock.  You could make it suitable for vegetarians by using vegetable stock and removing the chicken.   If you do not have much chicken then a broth pack is a great way of bulking it out and I have to say I love adding pearl barley to mine.

It reminds me of dinner round the table when I was growing up and there was always a fight for the extra dumplings my mum made!

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Grandma’s Chicken Soupy Stew

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• Chicken Carcass
• Leftover roast chicken
• Vegetables
• Suet
• Self raising flour

Instructions

• Place the chicken carcass in a slow cooker and cover with boiling water.
• If you have any leek or carrot tops then add them too and cook on low overnight.
• Strain the liquid and if you want pick off any meat from the bones.
• Allow the stock to cool and remove fat from the top.
• Place the stock in to the slow cooker and add chopped up vegetables. This one had carrots, swede, parsnip, leeks and onions.
• Add chicken.
• Cook for 4 hours on high in a slow cooker or 8 hours on low.
• For the Dumplings (this makes 8)
• g of vegetable suet and 200g of self raising floor in a bowl.
• Make a well in the middle and add water, mixing with a butter knife until it comes together.
• Form loosely into 8 portions
• For a crispy top cook in the oven uncovered for 20 minutes.
• For a soft top leave on high in the slow cooker for 30 minutes.

Perfect for cold winter evenings.  I guarantee empty bowls for this meal!  It also freezes well and is great warmed up and you can blend the leftovers to make a smooth soup perfect for flasks.

There are numerous ways to make this chicken soup, but the best stock and broth is made by cooking the chicken carcass. I do this in the instant pot overnight more often than not at the moment. This way you get a really clear chicken stock and then I strip all the chicken meat off. If there isn’t a lot of meat on the chicken, then add additional chicken breasts or chicken thighs to the pot (but bone-in does create the most flavour). As you are double cooking the tender chicken is amazing. There is a reason why chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food.

This type of stew is great for adding potatoes, but I prefer waxy ones, as I don’t like them to break up and cloud the broth, so simmer the soup and do not allow it to come to a rolling boil. This is a watery soup/stew, we don’t add flour as again this will cloud the stock. I serve it with crispy dumplings or crusty bread.