Lucy Kennedy may be one of the busiest ladies around at the moment, as when she’s not filming The Seven O’Clock Show for TV3, or having sleepovers with a whole host of celebs for Living With Lucy, she’s juggling home life with hubby Richard, and their two kids Jack and Holly. Oh, and she’s heavily pregnant with their third tot on the way.
Despite having so much on her plate, Lucy understands just how important it is to spend quality time with her little ones, and enjoys nothing more than cooking up a storm with them whenever the opportunity may arise.
The TV3 star is a self-confessed terrible cook, but has no intentions of letting that stop her giving things a try.
Helping her out a little, Lucy has been following Ben’s Beginners, a programme which has just introduced ‘Cook & Play’ – a new, free online course designed to teach children and parents new skills while having fun together in the kitchen. Children can earn their ‘stars’ by progressing through the course and achieving new skills and tasks.
Speaking to VIP Magazine, Lucy said, “I’m not a very good cook – I’m just going to come clean. I just thought this was the perfect project for me and the perfect campaign to get involved with because I cook with Jack and Holly, my two little ones at home, but I’m not great.
“It’s nice to be able to go online and copy what they’re doing, and learn recipes from scratch. It’s so tempting when you have children to just make rice cakes and fairy cakes, but this way I’m learning how to make more savoury dishes with them.
“Jack’s at the age now and that’s why Cook and Play with Uncle Ben’s is brilliant. They learn how to measure properly. They’re learning maths and teamwork skills and getting involved in the whole process.
“He likes the adding and subtracting and working out what goes where, while she’ll just stir and lick the bowl. She’s like me! She’s just there to taste, but he’s there to make it properly. It’s funny, he’s quite fussy about sticking with the exact ingredients which my husband would be like, whereas I just tend to throw everything into the bowl.
“It’s a really nice bonding thing to do. We love it. I don’t love the mess, but I’m getting better at ignoring that and just concentrating on the ingredients. Once it’s in the oven, I’m on my own, that’s the problem.
Lucy also shared with us her favourite meals to cook with her little ones. If you fancy giving them a go too, here’s some quick and easy recipes to follow:
Lucy’s favourite Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients:
- Uncle Ben’s Boil in the Bag Rice (2 bags)
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 peppers (1 yellow and 1 red) and 1 large onion
- 1 tin of sweetcorn
- 2 eggs
- Seasoning
Method:
- Boil Uncle Ben’s Boil in the Bag Rice as per instructions.
- Cook off some chicken breasts, diced in to small pieces, with sliced peppers and onions, add drained sweetcorn and set aside.
- Beat together few eggs, add a little salt & pepper to taste.
- Make an omelette with the eggs, chop on chopping board as finely as possible once cooked.
- Add rice, chicken, sweetcorn, chopped omelette back into pan, with a few drops soy sauce.
- Serve.
Lucy’s pregnancy craving – Rice Pudding
Ingredients:
- One cup of Uncle Ben’s rice
- Three cups of milk
- 6 tablespoons of sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
Method:
- Put three cups of milk, one cup of Uncle Ben’s® Rice, and 6 tablespoons sugar into a pan.
- Cook/simmer for 20mins.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or cinnamon. (Sometimes I add cream)
- Enjoy!