I spent the morning at an inter-school athletics carnival watching one of my daughters, along with other lean, fit and fast junior school students compete in a variety of events. Although childhood obesity and its related health problems is unfortunately on the rise in Australia, there was no evidence of this at today’s event. I guess it shows just how essential it is for children to eat a balanced diet and engage in outdoor activities and exercise, rather than just sedentary television and electronic gadget related past-times. 

As I watched the kids race around the track, one of the mothers sitting next to me mentioned how she too is now cooking her Bolognese sauce in the oven after reading my tip on this food blog. I was so chuffed to hear that this technique had made her home cooking more manageable, including a stove top with minimal splattered sauce stains. I had a bag of lean beef mince in the fridge and was wondering what exactly to turn it into. After listening to this lovely mother’s flattering comments I decided to fall back on a “go to”  family favourite dish – My Super Tasty Bolognese. No matter how often I make this meal, the children always cheer with enthusiasm and immediately ask if there will be leftovers for school lunches the next day. They should know by now the answer is yes, especially since the pot I use to simmer the sauce in is large enough to use as a baby’s bath. Not that I would of course! 

You can find the recipe for My Super Tasty Bolognese in the post published on the 13th May.  It is packed with vitamins and minerals from all the abundant vegetables, along with iron-rich beef mince. Top the lot with fresh ricotta which is naturally low in fat, along with a shaving of Parmesan and  serve with a carbohydrate and you have all the food groups covered. This really is an ideal dish for keeping growing kids healthy. 

Even if your family is not as large as mine, it is still worth batch cooking this sauce as it freezes and defrosts beautifully, lending itself to those last minute, rush hour dinners. Try the sauce spooned over gnocchi or macaroni pasta, tucked into taco shells with tinned baked beans, layered between Lebanese bread with mozzarella and grilled or even forked through steamed rice for a super quick, single bowl meal.