Ciara Attwell - The Fuss-Free Family Cookbook

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

It has been nine years since I first started sharing recipes online and its safe to say that the way in which I cook and the type of recipes I make has changed and evolved as the years have gone by. My children are now eleven and nine. The weaning years are long gone, the fussy toddler stages have passed, and Im now at a place where I aim to cook just one meal for the whole family.

Although their eating habits have improved over time, my children are still not always the most adventurous of eaters and would gladly have the same few dinners every week! Im still working on developing their taste buds and introducing them to new flavours all the time, balancing this with my own meals to ensure that Im not making separate food for everyone. This is really important to me, and I know to a lot of other parents as well, because we are all short of time. Not making separate meals every day, up to three times a day, means we can save so much more in terms of budget, too.

My own eating habits have also evolved in the past couple of years. Ive spent years working to help parents feed their children good, home-cooked, healthy food but, behind the scenes, I wasnt doing that for myself. By the summer of 2020, just as we started to come out of the first lockdown, I felt completely burnt out. I was mentally and physically exhausted like every other parent balancing homeschooling and working. I knew I couldnt control the global situation happening at the time, but what I could control was my own health and well-being.

I set about making some realistic changes to my lifestyle; moving more, sleeping better and, most noticeably, unpacking the food that I was eating. There was no particular diet that I followed. I have a long history of yo-yo dieting, jumping on whatever is the latest weight-loss trend. This time, I ignored all that and instead concentrated on cooking healthy but hearty recipes. I became more mindful of the calories in food (but never fully tracked them) and set myself a daily limit. I wanted this to be a long-term lifestyle change rather than a quick-fix solution. I was also conscious of not creating any kind of diet culture in our house. As we were all eating the same food, my children never knew that I was actively making changes. This was really important to me, especially raising a pre-teen daughter. Over the next eighteen months, I lost 60lbs eating the most delicious food and not depriving myself of treats or snacks.

As I started to share this journey online, I received hundreds of messages from other parents and carers in the same position. They were putting so much time and energy into their childrens health and eating habits, but not looking after themselves in the same way. With this book I want to bridge that gap; creating recipes that are healthy and nutritious for us adults but suitable for the whole family, too.

In short, this is not a diet book! I wont tell you how many calories you should be eating every day or give you a list of foods to avoid. But what I want to give you is one hundred delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack recipes that are nutritionally balanced and perfect for adults and kids alike.

Some of the serving suggestions can be tweaked for adults and children and I have also included a chapter on delicious lower calorie salads and sides to bulk out the main meals.

Cooking good, nutritious food for the whole family doesnt have to be stressful or difficult, and I really hope these recipes help make your time in the kitchen, and time spent eating as a family, as enjoyable as possible.

Ciara

xx

@myfussyeater

ABOUT THIS BOOK

This cookbook contains one hundred recipes broken down into seven chapters.

The recipes are all designed to be fuss free: easy-to-source ingredients, using minimal equipment, with clear and simple instructions.

BREAKFAST

Whether you enjoy a sweet or savoury breakfast, this chapter will give you lots of inspiration to kickstart your day. Some recipes can be made in advance to save time on busy mornings. Others are best made fresh and perfect for slower weekend starts. There are also options that can be packed up and taken to work.

LUNCH & LIGHT MEALS

Say goodbye to boring sandwiches! This chapter will give you ideas from pasta salads and fritters, to bagels, wraps and toasties. These recipes can also work as a lighter evening meal or be bulked up with recipes from the Salads & Sides chapter.

WEEKDAY MEALS

Cooking for a family mid-week can often be stressful. Between school runs, activity drop-offs and your own home and work schedule, there is often little time and headspace for long and complicated evening meals. These recipes can all be whipped up in 30 minutes or less. Think kid-friendly pastas, tasty burgers and speedy noodle dishes that the whole family can enjoy!

WEEKEND MEALS

Weekend meals are just that: dinners to make at the weekend or on days when you have more time to devote to cooking. These recipes require a little more prep and cooking time than the speedy mid-week meals, but are still all easy to follow using everyday ingredients.

SOUPS, STEWS & CASSEROLES

Some days you just need a big bowl of comfort food, and these recipes will do the trick. Make them for lunch or dinner, with options to bulk them out for a heartier meal. Some of the soup recipes also make great pasta sauces for fussy eating children.

SALADS & SIDES

The recipes in this chapter are designed to complement main meals. Add lots of nutrient-dense sides to adult dinners with simple but delicious salads, and theres kid-friendly recipes too like cheesy garlic bread and easy homemade naan.

SNACKS & DESSERTS

Whether youre looking for ideas to batch make for afternoon snacks or a weekend dessert recipe, the whole family can enjoy my healthier twists on these sweet treats.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

AGE RANGE

All the recipes in this book are suitable for children from age two upwards. Some recipes contain ingredients such as salt and honey etc. which are not suitable for weaning babies. You can, however, adapt these recipes to make them so. I am always available on my social media accounts to chat through any adaptations you want to make, so feel free to message me.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Lots of the recipes contain different serving suggestions for adults and children. For example, I may suggest a side salad for adults and chopped crudits such as carrots and cucumbers for children. Obviously, this is just a guide and feel free to adapt the serving suggestions depending on what foods your family enjoy.

Some recipes will also suggest different ways to plate up the food for children to make it more visually appealing to them.

Some of the things I think about include making sure favourite plates, bowls and cutlery are clean each day, so they can be a familiar source of food. Having a supply of edible decorations for desserts and cakes, having different-coloured foods in separate sections of the plate, providing a meal with toppings kids can add themselves all of these things have helped me out over the years. I have a cupboard full of cutlery and crockery that sometimes make mealtimes more fun and appealing.