[Kanga]

I'd love your recipes for Kiwi style tray bakes and slices that will chop up well for pack ups. Preferably easy with common/cheap ingredients- we're trying to eliminate lunch box bars from the grocery shop as with 2 kids and 1 adult taking pack ups daily it is a significant cost. They love banana cake etc.

[Kitten Witten]

http://www.chaos.org.uk/~pdh/homilies/banana.htm

I have made this banana cake recipe in a round tin and in a loaf tin and it's very lovely and moist, keeps for a few days in a sealed conatiner and is cheap to make!

Yummy.......

:D

[Kanga]

Thanks kitten witten.

[GrumpyGoat]

I almost typed out a recipe but I found one similar enough online.

Here is a link for granola bars (http://www.joyfulabode.com/2008/04/11/homemade-granola-bar-recipe-no-high-fructose-corn-syrup-in-these-bars/)the way I make them.

"granola" bar is what americans call muesli bars.

Here is another method (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-granola-bars/Detail.aspx) with sweetened condensed milk if you prefer.

Both of these methods are good. I made some plain oatmeal bars just yesterday. And they are DELICIOUS!!!:nice1

[A&G]

I almost typed out a recipe but I found one similar enough online.

Here is a link for granola bars (http://www.joyfulabode.com/2008/04/11/homemade-granola-bar-recipe-no-high-fructose-corn-syrup-in-these-bars/)the way I make them.


Oooh they look really good, do they keep well in a container in the cupboard or best for the fridge? :)

[Parsley]

Try something different - tablet (http://www.scottishrecipes.co.uk/tablet.htm) (and make sure you've got a good dental plan :D)

Or carrot cake (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7900/carrot-cake)(with soft cheese frosted icing)

Or oatmeal cookies (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7900/carrot-cake)(OH likes these)

Or make mini Eccles cakes (http://thefoody.com/baking/ecclescakes.html)(OH eats most of these when I make them)

That'll keep you going for a bit - the cookies and Eccles cakes aren't traybakes, but they're dead easy :D

[sophiedb]

Nice book full of easy slice recipes!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Slices-Australian-Womens-Weekly/dp/1863963391

[GrumpyGoat]

Oooh they look really good, do they keep well in a container in the cupboard or best for the fridge? :)

I keep them in a tin on the counter like cookies but they go really fast here so it isn't ever an issue.



I will be honest that I have no idea what a "tray bake" is? I assumed it meant on a flat cookie sheet but now I am not so sure. :uhoh

And a "slice" is just a cake, right?

[JandM]

This is making me hungry...:(

[Kanga]

Tray bake is just a cake baked in a square/rectangular tray so it's easy to slice into even pieces- at least that's my understanding of it!

Parsley- I am NOT making tablet; tablet is the most sickly-sweet DELICIOUS stuff and I know I'll have the will power of a peanut if I make it! But will try the carrot cake recipe and the others- thanks! Most carrot cake here has the 'wrong' sort of icing on it- cream cheese icing is how we like it so will make that one.

Grumpy Goat- I love the look of the granola bars but I fear my littlest will wrinkle her nose at them but I think I'll give them a shot anyway- thanks!

Judging by what came out of my oven last night (before the recipes on here appeared) I add that the recipe will need to be idiot-proof. I iced it in lemon icing (in the hope that that would cover a multitude of sins) and wrapped a weeks worth anyway- if their lunch boxes come back with the slices still in them tonight the dog may be in luck.

[norma]

There are lots of slice recipes available on the following web sites (to promote the use of their own products of course):

http://www.nestle.co.nz/Recipes/

http://www.cadbury.co.nz/Cadbury-Kitchen.aspx

http://www.chelsea.co.nz/

[Kanga]

I think I'm looking for something without chocolate and light on the sugar front too given it's for their lunchboxes. Although all of those look divine!!

[Kanga]

Hey thanks for the chelsea link- I think I've found the sort of thing I'm after: Mountain-Bike Muffins (http://www.chelsea.co.nz/ViewRecipe.aspx?id=178)

Keep 'em coming!

[Georgebulldog]

I make banana muffins from this recipe which I like because no sugar apart from honey, I'm struggling to find recipes for cookies & cakes that don't include a ton of sugar, made some nice oat raisen cookies today but had quite a bit of sugar in, anyone know how much is too much, ratios to flour?

2 large bananas (I use ones that aren't good enough for eating )
30g butter
2 tbl honey
1/2 teasp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
heaped teasp baking powder
1/2 teasp bicarb soda
1/2 teasp cinimon
pinch of salt (I don't)

heat butter & honey
mix all the dry stuff
mix it all together
1/2 fill cases
190 for 25 mins & should make 10 big ones

& another question, can you use self raising & skip the bicarb soda 7 baking powder?

[Kanga]

I've (well, my kids) made a banana cake recently that asked for baking soda and just used more baking powder instead- worked OK.

[dusk]

I've found that the latest incarnation of 'sugar replacement' syrups seem to make decent cookies and cakes - at least OH and the children belonging to friends have all eaten and not commented on the taste ;)

so if you're looking for lighter recipes you might try the sugar replacement syrup, can't remember exactly what its called but it's in the supermarkets - you just need to work out how to convert the quantity of sugar into 'drops' or 'teaspoons' :D

[Kanga]

I've found that the latest incarnation of 'sugar replacement' syrups seem to make decent cookies and cakes - at least OH and the children belonging to friends have all eaten and not commented on the taste ;)

so if you're looking for lighter recipes you might try the sugar replacement syrup, can't remember exactly what its called but it's in the supermarkets - you just need to work out how to convert the quantity of sugar into 'drops' or 'teaspoons' :D

What is it made of Dusk?

[KerryS]

I've a great recipe for carrot cake muffins that is heavy on the carrot and raisins and only has about 1/3 cup of sugar. The recipe is at home though, so I can type it out once I get home tonight if you'd like it.
I've also got a fab banana bread recipe that works well baked in a tray to make slices. It's very dense and has lots of raisins and nuts in and very little sugar.

[dusk]

What is it made of Dusk?
now I'm home I can grab it from the cupboard :)

product is called sucaryl. just read the back of the bottle and it says not recommended for kids so scratch that!

contains 2 different artificial sweeteners:
952 Cyclamates
954 Saccharin

But hey if you're a diabetic adult who doesn't mind additives, it's great :exit

[Kanga]

Haha- thanks but we'll stick with the calorie laden stuff! I must admit I'm a bit neurotic about sweeteners and generally prefer to avoid them- although this is probably silly as I could do with cutting down on the calories!

[dusk]

the other slightly more healthy alternative options are honey or dates (or any sweet fruit) every little helps.

As I say, I like cake and not sugar so I put up with the chemicals, but I know it's not for everyone :D