Rustling up some family meal fun at the weekend

Now both bears are at school weekday meal planning is so simple. They eat breakfast at home, have a hot lunch at school and then I prepare a meal for when they get home. I have a roster of favourite things to eat and chicken is a pretty regualar item. At the weekends it's more freefall depending on their social schedule. If they have parties or football or - like today - we have a family day out planned. Knowing what to feed them is often a spur of the moment decision which is based on what they've already eaten earlier.

The diner meal that inspired us

I'm encouraging them to try new things and it's an uphill struggle with Blue Bear as he is pretty wary of unfamiliar foods. Thankfully he will often try what his brother is eating so that helps. When we were on holiday in Cornwall we went to a few great diners and the boys got into eating chicken burgers. Served with a fab milkshake it made for some pretty fun eating. When we got back home I wanted to try to emulate the meal they'd enjoyed so much.

The lovely chaps at Rustlers asked us to try the twin pack of southern fried chicken burgers that are slightly smaller and perfect for children to manage. They are easy to prepare and make for a quick, convenient and affordable meal when things are busy and they are hungry. The burgers are made with quality chicken and the southern fried coating makes them similar to the famous chicken they have had before and enjoyed.

Mexican twist on the Rustlers chicken burgers

In order to make the meal a bit special we decided to go for a tex-mex vibe. I made nachos grande - a creation of Hubbie's - and served with lots of mexican style dips. I love guacamole, salsa and soured cream, but the boys often just go with one of them. The crunch of nachos and melted cheese adds flavour and texture which I think helps keep them interested in something they haven't had at home before. The sides of onion rings, sweetcorn fritters and spicy wedges did not survive long enough to be photographed !

We bought our Rustlers twin packs in Tesco and also the dips and nachos. As a one stop shop it works pretty well and if they also sold a pinata and sombreros we might have gone for those too. Maybe next time we could try a more italian taste sensation with basil, tomato and mozarella ?

Of course the main thing is to get them fed before they get to this stage. "Erm, Bear ? Bear ? Dinner is served."

My over dramatic bear waiting for dinner

Disclosure: This post is an entry for BritMums Rustlers Burger Hacking Challenge, sponsored by Rustlers