This week our diary is bursting at the seams, so when I found out BritMums had teamed up with Richmond Mini Meatballs and were looking for bloggers to prepare a meal in less than 8 minutes, I couldn't resist!
My girls (and husband) can be quite picky when it comes to food. They don't fuss though and always eat what's put in front of them. Yesterday though, I asked how they'd like their meatballs and got 3 different replies... since I was already doing a challenge I figured one more personal challenge of 4 separate meals wouldn't make much difference!
I received a voucher to get free Richmond Mini Meatballs. I went to Tesco and choose the 40 pack but they also had a 20 pack in the freezer aisle. I cooked all the meatballs in the oven for 8-10 minutes (alongside some veg to add to a dish!) and during that time managed to prepare 4 separate meals to add the meatballs to. It was great being able to sit down together after our long, hectic day and eat tasty meals that didn't take all evening to prepare and cook. The girls had barely had time to get out of their school uniforms and wash their hands before I called out 'dinner time'!
I had decided on having a 'Meatball-Salad Pitta' for dinner. Hubby wanted 'Meatball Skewers with Rice'. Abi decided on 'Spaghetti and Meatballs' and Tia choose a 'Meatball Sub'. Here's how I made them...
- Meatball Salad Pitta
This was so tasty and quick to prepare. I used a wholemeal Pitta bread and filled it with lettuce, cherry tomatoes and red onion then once my meatballs were ready I added them too! It was filling and perfect for the summer weather when all I want to eat is salad!
- Meatball Skewers with Rice
My husband loved this. He can be a fussy eater in the hot weather and this is the kind of easy meal he likes to eat after a hot day at work. The rice was just a pouch of vegetable rice that cooks in the microwave for 2 minutes and for the skewers, I roasted the cherry tomatoes and yellow pepper in the oven with the meatballs.
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
Again, another really quick and simple meal to prepare. Whilst the meatballs were in the oven I boiled the spaghetti and added the bolognese sauce to a pan and started heating it. Once the meatballs were ready I added them to the sauce and dished up. The spaghetti took 7 minutes to cook and less than 5 minutes to be eaten by a very hungry 7 year old!
- Meatball Sub
My 4 year old had been on a nursery trip and spent the day pigging out on treats so wasn't wanting a big dinner. She decided she wanted me to make her a meatball sub like the ones she picks from her favourite sandwich shop. I buttered a sub roll, added some of the left over bolognese meatballs, put some slices of cheese on top and melted it under the grill for less than a minute. She loved it.
All four meals went down really well with my family. I loved how quick and easy it was to make four different meals to suit everyones taste in less than 10 minutes. These meatballs will definitely be a key ingredient in our freezer from now on.
This post is an entry for BritMums’ Hungry to Happy Challenge sponsored by Richmond Mini Meatballs.
