“Mummy,” said Chloe, on the way home from the beach, “I want to go to a naked party!” Unfortunately I was mid-swig from my water bottle. If you have ever considered an in-car sinus wash, I don’t recommend it. It took me a while to figure out where the comment came from, until I remembered Naughty Nana and her bathtime information session on nudist colonies. I wholeheartedly embrace all offers of babysitting, but sometimes I do wonder if that’s wise?On the upside, at least the LH was away. I am not sure he would have coped. He is already traumatised by the fact that he has two daughters, who will eventually despite his best efforts date. He has also been away for our Halloween kitchen adventures. Good news too, as the carefully repainted kitchen is taking a bit of a beating.As the girls are now a little older, I have been including them more when I cook. It was always going to be messy, but I am quickly learning that I need two of everything. I am all for promoting sharing, but I will do anything to avoid a tussle over a whisk and a bowl of pancake batter! Despite the madness however, we have cooked up a storm so I thought I’d share the recipes. This week, pumpkin soup and pumpkin pancakes, next week pumpkin muffins.Of course, when you are cooking with the children, you need to consider the safety aspects. Plan ahead and make sure you give them the safe activities like stirring and whisking, rather than blanching tomatoes or chopping with sharp knives. It may be Halloween, but nobody wants a finger in their soup.Pumpkin SoupIngredients: 2 ½ c skinned and chopped pumpkin; 3 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped; 4 sticks celery, chopped; 1 large red onion, chopped; 1 tsp condensed vegetable stock;¼ tsp ground coriander seed; 1 tsp chili powder (mild or hot); 1 tsp cinnamon; black pepper; 1 tbs olive oil; Approx 4 8oz cups boiling water.Method: 1. Skin the tomatoes it’s very easy to do. Etch a shallow X in the top and bottom of each tomato, place in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water for two minutes. You will see the skin split and begin to peel off. Drain, cover with very cold water and peel/chop when cool enough.2. Gently heat the olive oil in a large saucepan with one tsp water3. Add the chopped pumpkin, onion and celery, turn up the heat and stir for a few minutes. Then reduce the heat to “simmer”, cover the pan and let the vegetables sweat for a few minutes.4. Uncover the pan and add four cups of boiling water. The water should cover the vegetables. If not, add a little more.5. Then add the chopped tomatoes, stock, coriander, chili powder and cinnamon. Stir well, until the stock has dissolved.6. Bring to the boil and then simmer for approx 25 minutes until the pumpkin is well cooked. Blend (you may have to do this in batches) till smooth.Almond butter and pumpkin pancakes 8 pancakesThese are gluten, grain and dairy-free, plus packed with beta-carotene from the pumpkin. This is a great way to enjoy pancakes in the run up to Halloween and my girls inhaled these! Note the cooking directions carefully as because they use almond flour (great for extra protein) they are more delicate. The quantity of milk you need will vary according to what type of puree you use (bought vs your own) but you are aiming for quite a thick batter. Make sure you use pure pumpkin puree rather than pie filling otherwise they will brown too quickly.Ingredients: 1 cup almond flour; 3 eggs; ¼c plus 2tbs pumpkin puree (make your own or bought); ¼c almond (or cashew) butter; 1 tbs honey; 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or mix cinnamon and nutmeg); ¼ c hemp or almond milk (more or less depending on consistency of pumpkin puree); ½ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp vanilla extractMethod: 1. Whisk all the ingredients together into a smooth batter. Make sure your almond butter is at room temperature. If you struggle to mix it in, pop all the ingredients in a blender and whizz for a few seconds.2. Prepare a pan with light olive oil and warm to a medium heat.3. Put a small ladle of batter in the pan and allow the mixture to spread to roughly a 5in pancake. Cook for approximately two minutes on the first side, until the underside had turned golden and the batter is bubbling a little in the centre. Flip and cook the other side for approximately one more minute and then transfer to the plate. If they start browning too quickly, turn the temperature down. Cooking time all depends on the temperature of your pan.Serve with fresh berries - or if part of a bigger breakfast, with scrambled organic eggs and Niman Ranch, Canadian cut bacon. I have a picture of these on Facebook so check them out!The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is the managing director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. For details visit www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda