I’m a busy mum & swear by 5-ingredient family meals that only take 5 mins to prep – they’re cheap and the kids love them

WITH the summer holidays upon us, life is about to get busy for parents.

While juggling work with childcare and expensive days out, you may be worrying about the cost of feeding your little ones.

If so, help is at hand in the form of Grace Mortimer’s brilliant budget-friendly recipes.

What started as a test to see if she could make nutritious meals out of five main ingredients turned into enough recipes for a cookbook, My Family Meals, out on August 29.

Grace also has an Instagram page, @MyFirstMeals.

She says: “I’m not a professional chef, I’m a busy mum who’s often clattering around in the kitchen to the sound of, ‘Can I have something to eat? I’m hungry!’.

“What greater reward is there than throwing something together that turns out to be a cracking meal, enjoyed by all, seemingly produced from nothing.

“My recipes don’t require special gadgets and can mostly be cooked in batches, so there’s little or no waste.

“I hate throwing food away – it feels like chucking money in the bin.”

Here Grace gives Kirsty Spence her five tastiest recipes.

• My Family Meals by Grace Mortimer (£20, HQ), out August 29. Photos: Haarala Hamilton

Chicken and spinach alfredo

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Grace says: “Trying new meals encourages the likelihood of having adventurous little foodies in your family.”

YOU NEED:

• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, diced
• 300ml double cream
• 2 handfuls grated parmesan
• 250g pasta shapes
• 100g spinach leaves
• Sunflower oil

METHOD: Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, and fry the chicken breasts until golden.

Then add the double cream and half the parmesan and turn the heat down to low.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, then drain.

Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the chicken along with the spinach and remaining parmesan and mix.

Turn off the heat and leave for a couple of minutes to allow the parmesan to melt and the spinach to soften slightly.

Season if you wish.

Sausage and hash brown pie

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 mins, Cooking time: 1 hr

Grace says: “Amid the chaos of life, I find something deeply therapeutic about cooking.

“If you’ve had a difficult day and just want a hug in a bowl, look no further.”

YOU NEED:

• 8 sausages, sliced in half lengthways
• 1 leek, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 150g garlic and herb roule cheese
• 12 frozen hash browns
• Sunflower oil

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.

Add the sausages to a large ovenproof dish, with a drizzle of oil.

Bake for 20 mins, or until the sausages are starting to brown.

Remove from the oven and tip over the leek and onion. Dollop the cheese into the gaps with a spoon and layer the hash browns over the top.

Bake for 40 mins until cooked through and golden brown.

Pizza bake

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Grace says: “This is the sort of thing I make for dinner when I really can’t be bothered to make anything!

“It’s quick, easy and delicious.

“Plus, if you’ve got any stale bread lying around that would be wasted, it’s a great way to use it up.”

YOU NEED:

• 250ml passata
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 slices bread, cut into cubes
• Handful sliced chorizo
• 2 handfuls grated cheese

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7.

In a jug, mix together the passata and egg.

Add the bread to an ovenproof dish, then sprinkle over the chorizo, pour over the tomato sauce and give it a good mix.

Cover with the grated cheese and bake for 15 mins, and that’s it!

Ham and courgette torte

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 mins, Cooking time: 40 mins

Grace says: “I think this is my favourite recipe in the book.

“It goes into the oven looking nothing much and comes out looking like a dish of golden, crispy, cheesy goodness with layers of savoury courgette and sweet ham running through it.

“It’s the sort of meal to cheer everyone up a bit.”

YOU NEED:

• 125g breadcrumbs
• Handful grated parmesan
• 2 courgettes, sliced lengthways into thin strips
• 100g sliced ham
• 125g ball of mozzarella
• Olive oil

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.

Place the breadcrumbs on a plate along with the parmesan and mix together.

Cover each courgette slice in the breadcrumb mixture by popping it on to the plate and pressing down, then turning over and pressing down again.

Lay 3-4 slices of the courgette in the bottom of an ovenproof dish.

Then place 3-4 slices of ham on top.

Tear a few chunks of mozzarella and pop them in the gaps (don’t worry too much about completely filling the gaps).

Then add another layer of courgette, followed by ham and mozzarella and so on.

Finally, top the whole thing with the remaining breadcrumbs, drizzle a little oil across the top and pop the dish in the oven for 40 minutes.

Remove and you’re ready to serve.

Cajun salmon tray bake

Serves 4

Prep time: 5 mins, Cooking time: 45 mins

Grace says: “This is something I make again and again and again. It’s easy, delicious and it looks great.

“One tray to wash up and everyone has had a hearty meal which appears a lot more complicated to assemble than it was.”

YOU NEED:

• 750g new potatoes
• Olive oil
• 2tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 4 fillets salmon
• Handful asparagus spears
• 130g frozen peas, defrosted

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.

Add the potatoes to a baking tray lined with baking parchment, drizzle with oil and scatter over 1tbsp Cajun seasoning.

Tumble together and then bake in the oven for 30 mins.

While the potatoes cook, add the salmon to a bowl along with a little oil and the remaining Cajun seasoning to marinate.

After half an hour of cooking, add the salmon and asparagus to the tray of potatoes.

Place in the oven for 12 mins exactly, then remove.

Tip over the peas and that’s it, ready to serve.