Today is the start of the winter school holidays here in Victoria, the least favourite holidays as that means (for me at least!) lots of children inside getting ratty on rainy days.

I actually like winter holidays, it means sleep in under a warm doona while it rains outside, afternoons by the heater with a good book or board game, arts and crafts, lots of baking and afternoon movies while still in your pj's.

The food is an important part of any school holidays as is the playdates! Having other peoples hungry children over for a playdate can be a little stressful, so it's a good idea to be a little organised. I have just spent the morning making a batch of biscuits for the freezer, ready to pull out, but I also have made homemade Sausage Rolls.

Homemade means no artificial additive and preservatives to make them more flavoursome. You can whip these up super quick, and then pop in a container once cooled and pop in the freezer. Take out and put in the oven to reheat like you would store bought ones - too easy! I used Coles Puff Pastry as it has no bad additives or colours. It makes about 52 rolls. Better than a bought one!

Ingredients

500g sausage mince
1 1/2 cups homemade bread crumbs
1/2 cup dick smith tomato sauce
1 grated carrot
1 grated onion
2 tablespoons parsley (fresh or dry)
1 egg
Salt and Pepper
Coles Puff Pasty (6 Ready Roll Sheets)
Sesame Seeds
Another egg for pastry.

Method

Combine all ingredients for filling in bowl. Season to taste.
Slice one sheet down the middle and run filling down the middle of each sheet.
Brush egg down the right hand side of pastry.
Fold over left side onto meat and then fold the right side.
Place right side up on lined baking tray. 
Slice into roll sizes, brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 20 minutes in 180c fan forced oven.

Ever wondered how you cook Kale, the latest fad vegetable? Have you ever wondered if carrots would be alright in the microwave?

Well wonder no more. It sometimes seems hard to get more vegetables into your diet and even harder to find interesting ways to cook them for the family. This little guide courtesy of Cook Smarts can help you know how to cook the most common of vegetables found in every grocers.

Print it off and pop it up on the fridge for easy reference!

A lot of people may assume that to change one's diet to avoid eating chemicals is a costly exercise. I would like to put your mind at rest. Making your own foods from scratch often means using less ingredients and using more fresh foods or basic pantry staples.

These items are usually a lot less than an item already pre-made in a packet. So who wants to pay extra just for a cup full of chemicals and fancy packaging - not me?

Our family is like most families, we budget for our grocery shop and try to keep our costs down as much as possible, so I am always keen to learn a new trick or two on how to do it. This week I heard an interview on the radio with a lady called Sandra Reynolds who has a food blog all about eating on a budget - a $120 a week budget!

Sounds interesting huh? Plus there are loads of great recipes to fill your meal planner up with! Check out her site at www.120dollarsfoodchallenge.com

Last month I told you about how I was chopping up all the vegetables we needed for practically every meal we were eating for a whole month and then freezing it. Thus freeing up my precious time in the evenings with meal preparation.

Well this certainly worked and the added bonus was that we also had home cooked meals that were chemical free and jam packed full of healthy vegetables. And guess what? Since we were bulking out our meals with more veggies I also had left overs enough for other night time meals or lunches. I even ended the month with a meal or two spare.

The only lesson I would say I did learn was that for my stir fry vegetables it may pay to blanch the zucchinis/courgettes before freezing, as they do defrost a little mushy.

I plan this week on having a chopping session again for this months food. I also plan on taking it a step further and having a once a month baking day. I'll let you you know how that goes.

Below is a list of what my meals will be this week. I also have included for you to download a free blank meal planner for the month, so that you too can have a go at planning your meals for a whole month.

Monday 2 June
Meatloaf with Potato and Sweet Potato Mash


Tuesday 3 June
Tacos


Wednesday 4 June
Rissoles with roast vegetables (Rissoles are made from half the meatloaf mixture and rolled into balls to bake in the oven - serve with the vegetables and gravy!).


Thursday 5 June
Homemade Pizza Night


Friday 6 June
Sweet and Sour Chicken


Saturday 7 June
Fish with Homemade chips


Sunday 8 June
Roast Pork with Roast Vegetables

Cut the Chemicals Blank Monthly Meal Planner