There are many delicious desserts out there, but what about one that is not only delectable but healthy too? The almond trifles recipe is one that definitely fits in this category, and is one that the whole family will love.

Most of the ingredients are low fat, so you can delight in the fact that you will not only be getting a finger licking good dessert but also nutrition at the same time. This particular recipe calls for liqueur but you can replace this with a non alcoholic ingredient if you like.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 8 Amaretti di Saronno biscuits
• 4 tbsp brandy 0r Amaretti liqueur
• 225 g raspberries
• 300 ml low fat custard
• 300 ml low fat fromage frais
• 1 tsp almond essence
• 15 g toasted almonds, flaked
• 1 tsp cocoa powder

1. Place the biscuits in a mixing bowl and using the end of a rolling pin, carefully crush the biscuits into small pieces.
2. Divide the crushed biscuits among 4 serving glasses. Sprinkle the brandy or liqueur over the crushed biscuits and leave to stand for about 30 minutes to allow the biscuits to soften.
3. Top the layer of crushed biscuits with a layer of raspberries, reserving a few raspberries for decoration, and spoon over enough custard to just cover.
4. Mix the fromage frais with the almond essence and spoon over the custard. Leave to chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
5. Just before serving, sprinkle over the toasted almonds and dust with cocoa powder. Decorate with the reserved raspberries and serve at once.

“Try this trifle with assorted summer fruits. If they are a frozen mix, use them frozen and allow them to thaw so that the juices soak into the biscuit base, it will taste truly delicious”.

Pasta is a great meal for a family dinner, but if you want to add a little pizazz to your regular pasta dish, then consider pesto pasta. It is basically just regular pasta but with a special pesto sauce which includes healthy ingredients such as Parmesan cheese and garlic cloves.

This is an incredibly quick and easy recipe to make, and so even the busiest families can delight in this dinner dish. You can even save the leftovers and reheat them at a later dinner date or have the children take it to school for lunches.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 225 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 150 ml fresh vegetable stock
• 175 g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5 cm lengths
• 300 g green or white tagliatelle
• 400 g canned artichoke hearts, drained and halved
• grissini (bread sticks) to serve
• shredded basil leaves and Parmesan shavings to garnish

Pesto

• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 15 g fresh basil leaves, washed
• 6 tbsp low fat natural fromage frais
• 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

1. Place the mushrooms in a pan with the stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
3. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the tagliatelle according to the instructions on the packet. Drain, return to the pan and keep warm.
4. Make the pesto. Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process for a few seconds until smooth. Alternatively, finely chop the basil and mix all the ingredients together.
5. Add the mushrooms, asparagus and artichoke hearts to the pasta and cook, stirring, over a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the heat, mix with the pesto and transfer to a warm bowl. Garnish with shredded basil leaves and Parmesan shavings and serve with Grissini if wished.

Stir fry can easily be considered as one of the most nutritional meals in the world. It combines fresh vegetables with soy sauce and egg noodles, all which are high in nutrients and delicious as well.

You can have a lot of variety and versatility with stir fry because you can basically throw whatever you want into it. This is especially favorable if you have children, because we all know how picky children can often be. You can also cover up the taste of the vegetables with the soy sauce so the children will not even notice that they are eating them.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 100 g thin asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2.5 cm fresh ginger root, cut into thin strips
• 1 medium leek, shredded
• 2 medium carrots, julienned
• 100 g baby sweetcorn cobs, quartered lengthwise
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp clear honey
• 450 g cooked assorted shellfish, thawed if frozen
• freshly cooked egg noodles to serve
• 4 large cooked prawns and small bunch fresh chives to garnish

1. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and blanch the asparagus for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, set aside and keep warm.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and stir fry the ginger, leek, carrot and sweetcorn for 3 minutes.
3. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce and honey to the wok. Stir in the shellfish and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the vegetables are just tender and the shellfish are heated through. Add the blanched asparagus and stir fry for about 2 minutes.
4. To serve, pile the cooked noodles on to 4 warm serving plates and spoon over the seafood and vegetables stir fry. Serve garnished with a large prawn and freshly snipped chives.

“When you are preparing dense vegetables, such as carrots and other root vegetables, for stir frying, slice them into thin, evenly sized pieces so that they cook quickly and at the same rate. Delicate vegetables, such as bell peppers, leeks and spring onions do not need to be cut as thinly”.