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You are here: Home / FOOD / Mid-week happy food – an easy and organic family meal #FeedYourHappy

Mid-week happy food – an easy and organic family meal #FeedYourHappy

September 6, 2017 by Molly 14 Comments

Happy Food

Did you know “happy food” is a thing? Honestly, it is. I first became aware of how happy food could make me when I was a kid. No matter how busy my parents were we always had a proper home-cooked meal, made from scratch. My memory might be hazy but I’m sure Tuesday nights were my favourite. I can remember being at after-school club, looking forward to my mum picking me up, coming home and getting into my pyjamas to watch Changing Rooms on the telly and eat my dad’s home-cooked Arabian Chicken.

Now I’m a mum myself I feel like I’m winning if I manage to pull one of our own family favourites out of the bag during the week. In between ballet lessons, after-school clubs and homework the mid-week meal can sometimes become an afterthought, but with a bit of planning and the trusty slow-cooker this needn’t be so. At seven and two, my girls are already firm believers in the soothing effects of “happy food” and have their own favourites, so to surprise them with one of these on a Wednesday night instantly wins me some mum points.

As a family we tend to either grow a lot of our own veg at home or to buy organic, mainly because I like the fact you know what you’re getting for your money – i.e. no added chemicals or scary things you can’t pronounce. Organic food is always free range, uses fewer pesticides, no artificial colours and preservatives, no routine use of antibiotics and contains no GM ingredients. I remember being about fifteen when my mum bought our first pack of organic carrots and something she said must have stuck with me because I’ve been choosing organic where possible ever since. For me, an organic home-cooked meal is the ultimate happy food.

This month the Organic Trade Board is asking what your “happy food” is, and looking for people to share their own happiest meals using the hashtag #FeedYourHappy. My all-time radio crush Sara Cox has also got involved, sharing her own organic happiest meal here (warning – it will make your mouth water):

Anyway, one of our favourite meals – a former weekend “treat tea” that’s since been promoted to mid-week meal – is slow-cooked beef brisket. It takes about ten minutes to prepare, eight hours to cook and approximately five minutes to eat. But those five minutes are five minutes of total joy.

We used a cut of beef brisket from The Well Hung Meat Company for this meal, who source all their meat from certified organic farmers in Devon, using traditional and sustainable farming methods. All the animals have been grass fed and the meat is butchered using artisan methods by a team of skilled butchers, before it’s delivered to your door. You can totally tell.

Slow-Cooker Beef Brisket

What you need (all ingredients are organic, where possible):

  • Beef brisket joint
  • Manuka honey – 2 tbsp
  • Dijon mustard – 2 tbsp
  • Balsamic vinegar – 2 tbsp
  • Brown sugar – 1 tbsp
  • Olive oil – 3 tbsp
  • 1 clove of crushed garlic

First of all sear the beef joint in a hot pan with a splash of olive oil. Each side shouldn’t cook for more than around a minute – the idea is to seal the beef rather than actually cook it. Once seared, transfer to the slow cooker. Next up it’s the marinade. Mix together all the other ingredients in a bowl and drizzle over the meat in the slow cooker. I like to move the meat around and rub the mixture into it so it really gets stuck in. Finally, season with salt (I like pink Himalayan sea salt) and black pepper. Cook on the low setting for eight hours and it’s job done.

The meat will come out soft, tender and breaking apart – a bit like a joint of pulled pork before you actually “pull” it. Slice into pieces and serve with your choice of sides. We veer between homemade coleslaw or steamed veggies and roast potatoes with plenty of thyme and salt and pepper – the ultimate treat.

Because this meal is so quick to prepare you can literally throw the ingredients together in between the usual chaotic school morning routine, leave it to cook all day then serve it up in the evening, pretending you’ve spent hours slaving over a hot stove. It’s a brilliant way to pep up the mid-week spirits on hump day and will always guarantee cleared plates in our house.

Of course, when it’s all gone and there’s no seconds you have to be prepared for a protest (in our case this always involves a toddler attempting to climb on the table – does this happen in your house too?!)…

Now, tell me, what’s your happiest meal? Any other treat mid-week meal ideas I can add to my repertoire? I’m looking for new ideas to get out of the rut now we’re back into the routine of school and work!

 

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Filed Under: FOOD Tagged With: family meal ideas, family recipes, happy food, kid-friendly meals, organic food

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Comments

  1. Jen Walshaw says

    September 8, 2017 at 2:33 pm

    We are happy food people. We have always called it that. happy chickens taste better and produce better stock IMHO. AS a farmers daughter in law I always buy the best I can afford. For me happy meals tend to happen when I have planned them

    Reply
    • Molly says

      September 11, 2017 at 11:17 am

      I think that’s a really good approach Jen – I’m the same! x

      Reply
  2. Becky | Spirited Puddle Jumper says

    September 8, 2017 at 11:44 am

    Mmm that looks lovely- I absolutely LOVE my slow cooker, and we always try to buy organic and free range when possible. My ‘happy meal’ for Autumn is probably a slow-cooked boeuf bourguignon with loads of mash potato to mop up the gravy- just YUM! x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      September 11, 2017 at 11:17 am

      Slow cookers are great time savers aren’t they?!

      Reply
  3. Morgana says

    September 8, 2017 at 9:52 am

    Happy food is totally a thing and I’m always on the look out for good family recipes that I can still use on a busy week night. I’m definitely trying your recipe! It sounds delicious.
    Lovely post Molly! xx

    Reply
    • Molly says

      September 11, 2017 at 11:17 am

      Ah thanks Morgana! x

      Reply
  4. Sarah says

    September 7, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    This sounds delicious. I really need to get my slow cooker back off my friend – she borrowed it when she broke her hip and that was about 4 years ago!!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      September 11, 2017 at 11:18 am

      I’d be lost without mine!

      Reply
  5. Hannah Atkinson says

    September 6, 2017 at 1:20 pm

    My personal happy meal would be a Thai vegetable curry. Heaven on earth! My son would probably choose my home made lasagne. I make it with turkey mince and the tomato sauce has roast red onion, peppers, garlic, courgette and aubergine blitzed in so it quite healthy.

    Reply
    • Molly says

      September 11, 2017 at 11:18 am

      Ooh that Thai veg curry sounds AMAZING!

      Reply
  6. Emma - Life According to MrsShilts says

    September 6, 2017 at 12:19 pm

    This sounds like a lovely meal for the whole family. I can’t wait to get the slow cooker out again and come home from work to the smell of dinner cooking away.

    Reply
    • Molly says

      September 11, 2017 at 11:18 am

      It’s definitely an Autumn thing isn’t it?!

      Reply
  7. Laura | Little Ladies Big World says

    September 6, 2017 at 11:35 am

    I am massively into nutrition and always cook from scratch but you’re right since school was in the mix I find it so hard, but reading this you realise there are little things you can do and it will be totally worth it when it sets the tone hopefully the children will remember for a long time. X

    Reply
    • Molly says

      September 11, 2017 at 11:19 am

      It’s hectic isn’t it?! Weeknights are always a challenge for us, meals-wise. x

      Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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My body is good and excellent and my body only bel My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me ✨ (Words by Effie May, age 6 💕) #BodyHappyMum
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Image description: A close up of Molly’s bare skin as she hugs herself. It’s dark and part of her body is illuminated by light. She has her eyes closed and is smiling.
“Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. “Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. And my heart swelled. Maybe I’m doing an OK job after all 🤞❤️💕 #BodyHappyKids 
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I could leave this caption here but I need to make something clear: if you think it’s great that my daughter - a thin, white, nondisabled, cisgender kid - feels good in her body but you’re not here for the self-love of any kid who doesn’t look like her.... then you’ve missed the point.
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ALL bodies are good bodies, and without this important piece of the puzzle ALL children will be at risk of doubting their body. And what happens when they doubt their body? Well... hating our body doesn’t make us treat it with love, and the same is true of kids. 
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Great, now we’ve cleared that up, can we take a moment to appreciate the incredible phonetic spelling on show here?! 
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Image description: Effie, age 6, stands against a white wardrobe holding up a letter she has written to herself. It is spelled phonetically and reads “My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me.”
I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I ha I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I had any spare cash - not just treats, but basics like pants and tights that fit properly. I’d tell myself I didn’t need it, didn’t deserve it, couldn’t justify the expense. There’s still that little voice (the habit of putting everyone else’s needs first and my own last dies hard it seems) but I’m leaning into exploring why it still sometimes rears its head, instead of always listening to it. 
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This is what teaching kids to idolise thinness and This is what teaching kids to idolise thinness and fear fatness looks like and it hurts my heart 💔
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This is what happens when we only give children a very narrow representation of what health / beauty / success / happiness looks like, and when we don’t incorporate mental health into conversations about health. The body image, self-esteem and wellbeing of children suffers. And it IS suffering.
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Last week @Childline_official launched their #NobodyIsNormal campaign and released figures showing they’ve run 43,000 counselling sessions for children since the first UK lockdown earlier this year. These are quotes from children they spoke to, showing that low self-esteem is a major issue for many of the kids they’ve been in touch with. 
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It really doesn’t have to be this way ✨
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I was at my desk all weekend so here’s a throwba I was at my desk all weekend so here’s a throwback to September when we hiked along part of the South West coast path and discovered three new beaches. I miss the outside. 
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If you’re interested in learning more about this stuff there are lots of resources in the link in my bio, but for fitness specifically I recommend following @emmafitnessphd @tallyrye @thephitcoach & @amysnellingpt for starters and also check out @drjoshuawolrich recent post on this subject too ✨ #JoyfulMovement #BodyHappyKids
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Image Description: Molly and her two daughters on a beach, smiling. They wear hiking boots and Molly is wearing purple leopard print leggings and a neon yellow jumper. The sky is blue and the sun is shining.
Did you know the same area of the brain lights up Did you know the same area of the brain lights up when we experience the pain of social rejection as when we experience physical pain? True fact. Which is why I think 
it’s wild we spend so much energy in kids’ health education on nutrition (or “good food and bad food” as is so often the case) and so little on prepping them with the skills to navigate social media in a positive way. 🧐
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Social media can be a great thing, but it can also be a scary and anxiety-inducing place too (watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix for more on this!). We’re having conversations with children about the dangers of sugar but not even touching on the dangers of social media and the impact it can have on health (because mental health is health too FYI). 
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I’m a 37 year old woman and social media still messes with my head. What chance has a tween got? 
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I could lie and say that I always take the “other people’s opinion of me is none of my business” approach but the truth is I’m a sensitive people-pleaser so when I experience negativity online it stings. 
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I had a conversation with my pal @jskychat that helped me through a difficult phase recently, and I’ve shared the tweets that started it off in case they’re helpful for you too. I think Jsky should be brought in by the government to help design a PSHE social media lesson for the curriculum to be honest, but that’s a fight for another day. ❤️
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In the meantime, I’m teaching my kids the affirmation that “Their opinion is not my truth”, which works well in all life but seems particularly apt when it comes to social media.
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