Maddie offered to share a recipe and a little story about how she nourishes her family with food.
Maddie and her family.
My name is Maddie. I am married to a very kind although mess-blind man, and we have two lovely children. Isabella is our eldest child, and this will be her last year at home before she goes to school. Time flies when measured by how fast your children grow up. Issy is going through a difficult stage at the moment, becoming self-conscious and more aware of her environment. Oliver is our youngest child, a charming, sunny child who has unlimited amounts of energy for naughty games. Our third dear baby was due nearly a week ago, and as I write this we are all awaiting the arrival of this new little person excitedly*. The other two are waking at night to hop in bed with us, aware of the coming event which they seem to know will change their lives.
I work in health three days per week, although have this year off to grow our family. I have also recently submitted my PhD, after years of doing experiments interspersed with childbearing. It will be lovely to have this done and relax.
I have met Zanni through a dear mutual friend of ours. I love to write, and have been interested in blogging for a long time, however starting out is nerve wracking. I hope you enjoy anything I contribute here for the ‘nourishing with food’ section. I find cooking very relaxing, and it is something I enjoy sharing with the children. I think it is important to eat well, and enjoy it – hopefully some of this comes through here.
Nourishing:
- To provide with food or other substances necessary for life and growth; feed.
- To foster the development of; promote.
I love cooking, especially baking, and I really love sharing the experience with my children if they’re interested. They often are, with my four-year-old daughter frequently requesting a baking session. I love having them help me, even if it takes a long time. I can nourish them when they are young and at home, but children aren’t ours forever and this will provide them with the skills to nourish themselves as they grow and fly the nest. It may be early to think of this, but when I moved out of home I had to call my dad one night to ask him how to roast a potato!
Issy has hit four years old and started a fussy eating stage, something which caught me by surprise as she has always been such a good eater. When the children help me cook dinner, their involvement in the process will often encourage them to try new foods, things they may have originally claimed to hate. Such as this cheese and spinach pie – something my husband and I love to have sometimes, but is often rejected by the children. Issy helped me make one of these a few nights ago, and was happy to eat spinach for the first time in a long time. You can vary the ingredients and flavours to suit yourself, such as adding nutmeg or some sliced sautéed onion.
Cheese and spinach tart
Spinach and cheese tart
400g baby spinach, or a large bunch of spinach
200-ish grams of ricotta cheese
200-ish grams of feta cheese
1 lemon
Handful of pine nuts, toasted if desired.
Handful of sultanas
Crushed clove of garlic
A little butter, melted
Filo pastry
Preheat oven to 180C. Wilt spinach over heat, then drain and place in a mixing bowl. Crumble in cheeses, then add some lemon zest and juice, pine nuts, sultanas, and the garlic. Stir together well. Lightly grease a tart or pie dish using some of the butter, then layer filo, brushing lightly with melted butter between layers if desired. You can also use spray oil, or nothing at all, but I quite like using a tiny bit of butter here. Place pie filling into crust, scrunch the pastry around the edges and bake until golden. We usually have ours with some extra steamed vegetables or green salad on the side.
*Maddie’s third baby Roseanna has arrived since she wrote this post. I am glad she wrote it before the birth, as I suspect she is rather busy at the moment!
**Nourishing With Food usually happens Thursday, but tomorrow I am hosting a special Valentine’s Day Linky “Lover of the Year Awards”, for bloggers to come together to talk about how they love their lover.
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