Crocodile Soup

Do you have trouble getting the kids to eat soup? I do. And with sick kids at home, I had to find some way to fill them up with good greens and vitamin C foods.

Although it's we know it's both healthy and tasty, it can be a bit of a challenge for kids to even try it. Poppy and I had to get creative today to convince the young ones to eat the healthy green soup I made. I mean, who wouldn't drool at the sight of thick, green, gooey looking food right? Poppy thought the texture looked like crocodile skin so we called it 'Crocodile Soup'. They liked the sound of that so I had an idea. We made some crouton crocodile heads to float on our swampy soup. This really appealed to the younger kids who were now willing to try it and decided they'd like a bowl too! It's funny how a little imagination can go a long way for kids.

Recipe
Saute' 1 chopped onion. Throw in 2 diced potatoes. Cover and cook on low heat until slightly soft. Add 3 diced zucchinis and 2 large handfuls of chopped baby spinach. Add 2 cups of boiling water and 1 cup vegetable stock. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Season to taste and blend until smooth.

To make the crocodiles cut a piece of bread into small rectangles, crusts removed. Butter in between so they stick. Squeeze one end together so one end pops open like a crocodile mouth. Slice some pitted olives and stick on one end for eyes. Float them on top. For a crispy crouton, you can toast the bread first or bake the triangles with brushed olive oil in a hot oven.

Now hopefully, if these little crocodile hunters of mine eat all their Crocodile Soup, they'll be feeling better in no time at all.

Berry Yummy Fruit Dip

This is a great recipe for the kids to make. My eldest (5) has been asking to make this nearly everyday since she first saw it on Playschool.

The recipe calls for a kiwifruit, 1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt, a handful of raspberries, 1 teaspoon of honey and fruit to dip.

Basically you blend all the ingredients together and slice the extra fruit into fingers to dip in the raspberry dip. No dramas.

The kids love using the blender, there is nothing more exciting than watching things get pulverised in a loud and dramatic fashion. It is a nice colourful and healthy snack idea. It's berry yummy too! Have fun! x

Kids Craft Idea: Puffy Paint

This is a fun craft activity for something a bit out of the ordinary. Make puffy paint. The kids enjoyed making it just as much as using it. Be sure to make plenty if you are going to make a few different colours.

Instructions

• equal parts of flour, salt, and water
• food colouring or tempera paint

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly and add water. Divide into small containers for several colours then add food colouring into each container (you can also use tempera instead of food colouring). Put the paint into squeezey bottles for smooth lines or apply with a paint brush for a more painted and textured effect. Have fun and get messy!