Now that the sun is starting to play hide and seek, what can we do to still spend time with the kids? The summer holidays may be over, but their energy and excitement levels are not. We promise! After their first few days back to school and their favourite after school clubs, they will be back to their normal crazy selves! Autumn may mean less time to play outdoors and run around at the park, but the fun isn’t over!

After doing our research, testing, and tasting, we are going to share with you a few easy recipes, so the monsters stay busy inside while learning cooking skills… Keeping the food colourful so that summer isn’t completely forgotten!

How can we get the kids in the kitchen after school?

Main – Rainbow Layered Salad Jars

What is great about this recipe is that you can make it custom to you and your family’s tastes. If you don’t like cherry tomatoes, swap them for red peppers! It doesn’t matter what’s inside, but we think the rainbow coordination is so cool we want to be keeping this!

Ingredients:

350g pasta shapes

200g green beans, trimmed and chopped into short lengths

160g canned tuna in olive oil, drained

4 tbsp mayonnaise

4 tbsp natural yogurt

200g cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 orange pepper, cut into little cubes

195g can sweetcorn, drained

You will also need:

4x Clear jars (e.g Mason Jars, or equivalent. Keep it clear for the rainbow effect!)

Making:

1. Cook the pasta following pack instructions and drain well. Cook the green beans in simmering water for 2 mins, then rinse in cold water and also drain well. Mix the tuna with the yogurt and mayonnaise.
2. Grab 4x clean and empty jars and tip the pasta inside. Spoon the tuna dressing over the top of the pasta and its time to add veg. Add a layer of green beans, followed by a layer of cherry tomatoes, then the pepper and sweetcorn. This part is adaptive as it is up to you guys what order and ingredients to use, these are just fab suggestions! Cover and chill until you’re ready to munch.

Other filling ideas:

Mexican style with rice and chilli beans

Pasta with tomato sauce and chicken

Pasta with chicken, bacon, and mayo

A fruit salad rainbow jar with strawberries, mango, banana, and kiwi…

Dessert –  Frozen and Dipped Banana Lollies

Here is a sweet and healthy treat to follow the awesome rainbow salad jars you guys have made (and maybe eaten!). Similar to before, these recipes have room for adaption. Want to swap hundreds and thousands for a different decorative topping? Want to try peanut butter, not chocolate? It may be messier but give it a go!

Ingredients:

2 bananas

100g natural yogurt

200g dark chocolate

1 tbsp hundreds and thousands

You will also need:

4 wooden lolly sticks

Making:

1. First is preparing the banana pops. To begin, peel the bananas and chop each across the middle so that your bananas are shorter, not thinner. Next, thread and push on the pieces of banana.
2. Lay the uncovered pops on a baking tray and put it in the freezer for 1 hr.
3. Put the yogurt (or other desired topping) into a tall glass or jug then dip each banana pop into the glass to coat, then place back onto the tray to refreeze until set.
4. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts (stirring after each session) then pour it into a mug. Dip the end piece of each banana pop in the chocolate. Finally, sprinkle over the hundreds and thousands!!!
5. The chocolate will not take long to set, but you can keep them in the freezer until you want to serve them for up to 1 week.

Other decoration ideas:

Small nuts

Raisins

Strawberry jam

Peanut butter

Toy Street

Well, we have reached the end of the yummy cooking blog. We want to say good luck back at school and we hope that you get on with our recipes, having fun and yummy snacks. Let us know how you got on by tagging us in your food pictures on social media. Or tell us in the comments.

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