suitable from 6 months We used red apples in the apple and blueberry purée as green apples are often too tart for infants. Golden delicious apples can be used (for both apple recipes), as they are quite sweet. Note

Give your regular damper a herbal lift with this cheesy rosemary version. Serve it as a snack, or alongside your favourite hearty soup.

Kids will love this mildly spiced rice dish loaded with vegies and chicken.

Add some extra colour to the marshmallow by tinting half of it lightly with your choice of food colouring ­the range is limitless and can be added to suit the colour theme of your party. Note

These traffic light yoghurt pops are a deliciously fruity alternative to regular ice-blocks. They make a brilliant after school treat for the kids on a hot day.

Put the kettle on and treat yourself to one of these fluffy, spiced apple muffins.

This fun and pretty cake is extremely easy to make and tastes absolutely divine. The kid's will love the look and taste of their doughnut stack birthday cake.

strike a patriotic note with one of these berry imaginative creations for the cake (the quantities given for cake, cream and berries are enough to make one flag.) Note

Try this veal topped with tasty cheese and mushrooms as a change from the usual lamb, beef or chicken. You won't be disappointed.

The unique and aromatic flavour of makrut lime leaves is more well known in Asian style curries, but used here in these sweet lime syrup cakes, it is really quite amazing.

Depending on size of the food processor, the apricots can be processed in two batches. Place saucepan over a small gas jet or element to prevent burning mixture on edge of pan. Note

Accompany fritters with a salad for a light meal or serve them as a side dish if preferred. Fritters can be cooked a day ahead. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Place fritters on an oven tray and reheat in a 150°C oven as required. Note

Lift these tasty beef samosas to the next level with this fresh peach and raisin chutney.

A crispy and delicious Indian-style tandoori chicken dish; perfect for sharing with friends and family. Serve with coriander, cucumber and mint salad and mint raita.

Give your regular roasted chicken an Asian kick with this hoisin, lime and chilli flavoured version. Served with baby bok choy, it's a complete, flavourful and low carb meal.

Use a small amount of buttercream to attach the ears and nose to face. Make sure you buy the large marshmallows that look as if they’ve been piped, with a soft tip at the top. Note

Black sugar is available from health food stores; brown sugar can be used as a substitute. Note

These moreish cookies go perfectly with a cold glass of milk.

If you fancy a cleansing broth, look no further than this ginger and vegetable soba soup. Soba is a Japanese noodle, similar in appearance to spaghetti, made from buckwheat.

Toast is best “done” on one side only for this kind of topping. Note

Banana purée is best eaten on the day of making. Note

Frozen peas can be thawed and substituted for fresh peas, add them to the pasta just before draining it. You need approximately 600g fresh peas for this recipe. Note

Burgers have a bit of a bad image, mainly due to fast-food chains using highly processed ingredients and loads of fat. In fact, burgers are a wholesome and well-rounded meal if made with quality ingredients. Lean beef, salad vegetables, the bread of your choice – it’s all good, healthy stuff. Some people swear by beetroot on a burger, while others love pineapple, bacon and egg or a whole range of salads. However you like them, they’re a delicious family favourite.

Colourful, chocolatey and utterly moorish, these tasty spotty cookies are perfect for a bake stall or school fete.

For an easy, tasty and speedy meal at any time of the day, you can't go wrong with baked beans, bacon and tomato on toast.

These little iced thongs are the cutest thing ever to serve up this Australia Day.

There is a place for store bought pastry and custard, but sometimes a sweet dish just deserves the homemade versions. This is one of those dishes.

Perfect for school lunches or morning or afternoon tea, these fig jam and raisin rolls will not fail to satisfy. Spread them with a little butter and enjoy with your next cuppa.

Tarts can be made one day ahead; store, in a single layer, in an airtight container. The stars of the day can act all grown-up like their favourite celebrity with a flute of pink fizz in one hand and a canapé in the other. As well, there’s the kids’ all-time favourite jam tarts made into […]

This vegetarian pasta dish makes a fantastic quick dinner and is also great for the lunchbox.

This dipis quick, delicious and dead easy to make. Spread it on crostini and call it a pâté, or serve it with crispy vegetable sticks and have it ready for hungry kids as they burst in from school.

Store purée, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days. Purée is suitable to freeze in 1-tablespoon batches in ice-cube trays, covered, for up to 1 month. Note

You can use halved cherry, grape or mini roma (egg) tomatoes if you like. This recipe would make a delicious breakfast or brunch dish. Serve with a green salad or steamed asparagus. Note

If you fancy doing something a little bit different with potatoes, this tapas-style dish of roasted thyme potatoes with spicy sauce is just what you're looking for.

A fruity delight to share.

There was usually a tin of condensed milk in the fridge at home when I was growing up and my guilty pleasure was drinking it out of the can!

Cut part of one of the schnitzels into finger-size pieces and serve with tomato sauce instead of the capsicum and caper mayonnaise. Note

This colourful pasta salad is easy, delicious and great for the lunchbox.

This surprisingly easy weekday lunch uses both canned tuna and bottled artichokes to save you time and hassle.

Chewy, lemony and nutty, these pepita and sesame squares make great lunch box treats.

Vary the flavour by changing the dried fruit to chopped dried apricots, raisins, seeded dates or seeded prunes, or a combination of any of these. Note

For a slightly different take on the classic Italian lasagne recipe, often served with a rich beef bolognese sauce, this dish uses ground chicken, hearty mushrooms and fibre-packed zucchini. It's a great way to sneak more vegies into your kids diet!

The dark blue pigment of blueberries is full of antioxidants, which have been shown to lower cholesterol. They are sometimes referred to as “brain berries” because they may help with brain function. Note

We've given a grapefruit flavour to the classic lemon meringue pie here, but you could experiment with any citrus fruit, or a combination of.

This recipe makes 24 patty cakes. glacé icing Sift the icing sugar into a small heatproof bowl. Stir in the melted butter and enough of the water to make a firm paste (start with a little and add more if you need to). Meanwhile, half-fill a small saucepan with water. Turn the stove on and […]

Ideal for the lunchbox, both kids and adults will love this cheesy broccoli frittata.

Use yellow Candy Melts in place of tinted chocolate Melts if you like. Note

Whip up a batch of these fluffy savoury muffins with crunchy cheese topping. They're great served warm with butter or packed in a lunchbox.

Buttered rum brazil nits

Change the fruit to suit your child’s taste. We’ve allowed ¼ cup of the snack per serving. Note

BUTTER CREAM Note

Depending on how many you share it with it's a snack, it's a meal or it's a starter. Whatever you call it, just one bite of that fragrant mexican spiced meat and bean combo on a crispy, hot, cheesy corn chip and you'll surely be calling it delicious.

These lip-smacking chicken wings are addictive and go beautifully with creamy capsicum and feta dip.

Cranberries are very high in antioxidants and nutrients, giving them superfood status. They go perfectly as a sauce with chicken and melted cheese.

Use a light hand when adding flour. Overmixing will produce a tough cake with not much volume. Note

Packed with fruit and seeds, these gluten-free cranberry and honey muesli bars bars are perfect for a morning or afternoon pick-me-up. They're also nut-free, so feel free to add them to the kids' lunch boxes.

A great first food for babies, this spinach purée is full of iron and perfectly healthy.

This crumbed pork dish is ultimate comfort food. And you can have it on the table in 30 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner.

These chocolate and sultana crackles are one way to sneak a little bit of fruit and fibre into unsuspecting kids at a party. Happily, they're so delicious you're bound to get away with it.

It's hard to say whether it's the dark chocolate, the cream or the ice-cream that gives this decadent iced chocolate its name. Of course, it could be the combination of all three with fresh, cold milk.

Chocolate meringue kisses, egg recipe, brought to you by Australian Women's Weekly

Let the smell of baking bread and fragrant rosemary infuse your home as you whip up this delicious quickbread.

We used watermelon, mandarins, kiwifruit, mango and strawberries. Use any combination you like. Note

Equipment: 30cm x 40cm rectangular cake board You can also use raspberry and vanilla marshmallows, halved crossways, or a variety of chocolate buttons to decorate the balloon. If using butter cream instead of the strawberry frosting, you will need one quantity of butter cream which ­ you can tint pink or leave plain. Note

These little fibre-packed cookies are the perfect treat to add to a school lunch box or for an afternoon treat.

These muesli bars are the perfect after-school snack for kids on the go. They are packed full of the protein of peanut butter and energy-boosting honey.

date and orange; fruit and spice (top tier) basic; choc chip and walnut (bottom tier) Note

This pie is suitable to freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. Note

Honey and soy and a sprinkle of sesame seeds give these roasted vegetables a delicious flavour and texture.