We all need a speedy pasta meal once in a while don't we?!  This quick and easy Bolognese recipe definitely ticks the speedy box by making use of some yummy new products from the M&S Italian Collection.

I managed to get this bolognese made and on the table in just 20 minutes, so a great recipe when you have starving children to feed (school makes them VERY hungry it seems). The bolognese, although not authentic, is very tasty and makes use of a ready made Tomato & Basil sauce that Marks and Spencer sell. I also used some of their fresh fusili which cooks in just a few minutes and to stretch the meal to feed three hungry kids and two adults I served the quick bolognese with yummy cherrybell pepper foccacia.


M&S have some lovely ready made sauces on their shelves at the moment and next time I might use the chunky vegetable sauce to try and get a few more veggies into the kiddo's. Later in the week I'm planning to use their fresh ravioli with the green pesto for another quick and tasty meal for after football and hockey training!

M&S ITALIAN COLLECTION

The newly launched Italian Collection from M&S not only features ready made sauces, fresh pasta's and delicious Italian breads but also a large selection of ready meals which are ideal for taking to work or eating on a night when you don't fancy cooking. My Mum feeds the kids a couple of nights a week so I often grab a couple of ready meals for me and hubby to enjoy on those nights.

The King Prawn Risotto is a particular favourite of mine featuring juicy king prawns and sweet  Santarella tomatoes and it means I get to enjoy a meal that I wouldn't normally cook for us as a family (two of my children don't like prawns - hopefully they will acquire the taste for them soon!).

Hubby likes his meat so the Slow Cooked Beef Ragu Pappardelle is one of his favourite meals from the range but there are so many others to choose from including;

• Roasted Mushroom Risotto
• Chicken Pea and Pancetta Risotto
• Pancetta Carbonara
• Crab Linguine
• Scallop, Pancetta and Pea Linguine
• King Prawn Bucatini

All of the ready meals can be microwaved in a matter of minutes or if you prefer, many of the products in the range can also be oven cooked.

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QUICK BOLOGNESE

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TOP TIPS FOR MAKING THE JAM DOUGHNUT MUFFINS

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STRAWBERRY JAM DOUGHNUT MUFFINS

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Who doesn't love Macaroni Cheese? I clearly do judging by the amount of macaroni cheese recipes I have on my blog! This sweet potato, feta and smoked paprika macaroni cheese is my current favourite though, not least because of its vibrant colour! It's comforting, filling and most importantly very yummy and we all love it here, especially on cold autumnal nights.

I tend to make the macaroni cheese the night before, so when we get in from work and school all I need to do is bung it in the oven to bake. I sometimes serve macaroni cheese with salad and garlic bread but more often in the cooler months I'll serve it with some fresh veggies like broccoli and cabbage.

The sweetness of the sweet potato contrasts so well with the saltiness of the feta and don't worry if you have any veg phobic children, they wont even notice the sweet potato as its mashed into the smooth cheese sauce.

 TOP TIPS FOR MAKING THE SWEET POTATO MACARONI CHEESE

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 SWEET POTATO, FETA & SMOKED PAPRIKA MACARONI CHEESE

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Summer is almost over (boo!) but what a summer we've had. There have been BBQ's aplenty here and while the weather is still nice we'll hopefully squeeze in a few more.

The kids went back to school on Wednesday and to celebrate their first day back, we decided to have a 'Build a Burger' BBQ night. Build a Burger nights are legendary in this house (you only need to look at my weekly meal plans on Facebook to realise that) and the kids REALLY enjoy them.

BBQ'S CAN BE MESSY

Although I do love a BBQ, the one issue I have with them is that they can get quite messy! I have a bit of an aversion to messy things, for example, as a child I hated painting because I didn't like getting my hands messy and now when I'm cooking I have to clean up as I go along! It's a good thing that BBQ's are held outside (usually!) but the kid's sticky fingers, ketchup splodges over my nice table and chairs, dripping burger grease....it all makes for a stressed Beth. My absolute saviour for these sorts of situations though are Regina Blitz kitchen rolls.

ABOUT REGINA BLITZ KITCHEN ROLLS

Regina is one of the leading kitchen roll brands, with an ethos around helping Mum, Dad and the family enjoy moments together, happy and confident, without the worry of mess.

Let's be honest, if you have kids things are going to get messy from time to time, but from cooking to cleaning to crafting, Regina Blitz deals with these everyday messy situations with ease.

I love the tripled layer sheets of Regina Blitz. They are over 70% bigger than standard kitchen roll and specially designed to use inside and outside the home....or on your children's face/fingers. They seem to mop up so much more than ordinary kitchen towels and at £2.50 (RRP) are well worth the money in my opinion.


They are also really strong as demonstrated by my three year old who tried her hardest to try and tear a sheet in half.....and couldn't. More importantly the sheets don't disintegrate when they get a bit soggy leaving those horrible mushy clumps everywhere like some kitchen towels do.

#THESTRESSOFMESS IN NUMBERS

Regina recently commissioned a survey of British families to uncover 'the stress of mess' and the impacts it has on family moments. The results revealed:

• 84% of clean conscious UK parents think that BBQ's are messy.
• Over a third of British parents have put off hosting a BBQ because of the fear of the mess.
• The average UK parent spends 40 minutes clearing up after a BBQ.

BUILD A BURGER BBQ NIGHT

OUR TOP BURGER COMBO'S

BBQ SIDE DISHES

BARBECUED NEW POTATOES

To make this dish just take some baby new potatoes and place them on some kitchen foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season, wrap up tightly in the foil and place on the BBQ for about 40 minutes. You can jazz these up by adding herbs like thyme or rosemary or if you like it hot a chopped red chili. Some feta crumbled over the top once cooked is lovely too.

FRUITY RICE SALAD

This is my favourite rice salad recipe of all time and combines apple and dried cranberries with toasted cashew nuts and chopped peppers. The dressing is made with curry powder and mango chutney and is utterly divine. Everyone always asks for the recipe!

MOPPING UP WITH REGINA

Disclosure: This post was developed in collaboration with Regina. All thoughts are my own.

I recently talked about my mission to eat less but better quality meat and to try and introduce more meat free recipes into my weekly meal plans. My meat loving hubby and kids are hard nuts to crack on this front, but I'm happy to report this seasonal Quorn Sausage and Butternut Squash Tray Bake was a winner and will be featuring on my weekly meal plan again soon! You can get this vegetarian tray bake prepared, cooked and on the table in about 45 minutes so it's perfect for busy weeknights now the kids have gone back to school.

ENJOYING HEALTHY MEAT FREE MEALS WITH QUORN

The Quorn Sausages have quite a meaty texture and are very well seasoned so no-one felt like they were missing out on their usual pork sausages. I'm definitely going to be keeping a packet of Quorn sausages in my freezer from now on for a quick meat free meal. Sticky Quorn Sausage wraps are on the menu next week and we're looking forward to them already!

Quorn recently partnered with Rachel Stevens, Celebrity Masterchef contestant and mum of two, and in the You Tube video below she chats to Ben Fogle about her own family food choices and how cutting down on their meat intake has helped her family feel healthier (most Quorn products are low in fat and high in protein), with the added benefit of reducing their impact on the environment. In the clip, Rachel shows Ben how to cook one of her children's favourite meat free meals, Sweet and Sour Sticky Quorn Nuggets with stir fried vegetables and rice. You can read more about the partnership here.

TOP TIPS FOR MAKING THE QUORN SAUSAGE AND SQUASH TRAY BAKE

OTHER MEAT FREE BACK TO SCHOOL DINNER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE

STICKY QUORN SAUSAGE & BUTTERNUT SQUASH TRAY BAKE

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We were lucky enough to be sent a selection of So Glow DIY Magic Jar kits to review recently. They couldn't have arrived at a better time! We were nearing the end of the summer holidays and the kids were 'bored' so these relatively mess free (always a plus in my book) Magic Jar kits filled a couple of hours one morning. Even better there was no fighting or arguing as they all had their own jars to decorate. The kits enable children to create and customise their own Light Up Magic Glow Jars. Each set in the range is simple to use (with very clear instructions) and comes with everything you need to create your masterpiece.



The kits are suitable for ages 6+ although my 3 year old also had a go at making one with the help and supervision of her big sister and brother. The concept is really simple. You just fill the jars with water, add a sprinkle of glitter and dusting of confetti, the Magic So Glow powder, a cute surprise and then mix. You then customise the jars using the stickers provided. Once your done you just shake your jar and watch it shimmer and sparkle and light up through a whole spectrum of different colours.


So Glow DIY sets offer a range of colourful themed jars to customise and decorate. There are several colours to choose from. The cooler colours of blue dream, purple cosmic and turquoise chill as well as warmer colours like yellow happy, green harmony and pink love. They're a great way of adding a magical glow to your kids bedrooms at night!


The So Glow DIY Magic Jar tool case (above) retails at £16.99 and has enough glitter, confetti, collectables, stickers and magic powder to make 3 Mini Jars, and would make a great birthday present for crafty kids.



The smaller individual Magic Jars Mini Kits (£4.99) would make ideal stocking fillers or if the kids want to spend their pocket money on something creative.


Look how amazing they look in the dark!