Simple recipes or food ideas for kids.

Deliverance

Simple idea inspired by my little one. She loves cheerios and yoghurt (munch bunch in this case for ref).

So one day between the two of us we came up with this:

1. Two pots of yoghurt in a bowl, Apricot and Raspberry.
2. Took a couple of her 'little' handfulls of wholewheat cheerios and mixed them in with the yoghurt.

She wolfed down the lot. A nice healthy desert. Plus she took part in making it as well. That is always a good thing on many levels.

One other thing that we do together is we make frozen fresh orange juice, Blackcurrant, milk etc Ice lollies made from a cheap and cheerful plastic ice lolly making thingy.

Also pasta and cheese is always a winner. She grates the cheese puts the pasta into the empty saucepan. Done in 10-15mins, again it is wolfed down.

V.easy stuff to prepare and healthy to boot. Just wondering if any other parents would like to share some innovative simple recipes?

tscul32

We do this when going to a party or something. Get a bag of marshmallows, melt some choc in the micro, get the kids to dip the marshmallows (just the bottom of each) into the choc and then into a bowl of sprinkles. Let them set in the fridge.

Nevyn

Pancakes, the sieving the flour, learning to crack open and egg and to beat it not batter
and then making different types, with oats, banana, ginger, chocolate and that's the batter never mind what gets put on them

Grawns

Deliverance wrote: »

1. Two pots of yoghurt in a bowl, Apricot and Raspberry.
2. Took a couple of her 'little' handfulls of wholewheat cheerios and mixed them in with the yoghurt.

She wolfed down the lot. A nice healthy desert. Plus she took part in making it as well. That is always a good thing on many levels.

Don't mean to be critical but I wouldn't call that healthy. It's a sugar and salt fest. Not a problem as such and I certainly give my little one the occasional biscuit or whatever. A good article here from Jennifer O'Connell in the Sunday Business Post

deisemum

Chicken Dippers

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 600gms in total
2 tbsps sesame seeds
2 tbsps golden linseeds
75g/3oz fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsps ready-grated Parmesan cheese
2 medium eggs
2 - 3 tbsp sunflower oil

1. Rinse the chicken with cold water. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper, then cut into long thin strips

2. Mix together the seeds, breadcrumbs and cheese on a large plate. Put the eggs into a shallow dish and beat. Dip the chicken strips into the egg, then roll in the breadcrumb mix.

3. Heat a little of the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add as many chicken strips as will fit in a single layer and fry for 6 - 7 mins turning once or twice until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm then add remaining oil and cook the rest of the chicken.

I don’t fry mine. I just bake them in the oven and they’re lovely. They're wolfed down.

I use this recipe with fish and normally replace the chicken with salmon or cod.

The seeds are a good source of potassium, calcium and vitamins B and E. Sesame seeds also contain zinc which boosts the immune system.

metrovelvet

deisemum wrote: »

Chicken Dippers

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 600gms in total
2 tbsps sesame seeds
2 tbsps golden linseeds
75g/3oz fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsps ready-grated Parmesan cheese
2 medium eggs
2 - 3 tbsp sunflower oil

1. Rinse the chicken with cold water. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper, then cut into long thin strips

2. Mix together the seeds, breadcrumbs and cheese on a large plate. Put the eggs into a shallow dish and beat. Dip the chicken strips into the egg, then roll in the breadcrumb mix.

3. Heat a little of the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add as many chicken strips as will fit in a single layer and fry for 6 - 7 mins turning once or twice until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm then add remaining oil and cook the rest of the chicken.

I don’t fry mine. I just bake them in the oven and they’re lovely. They're wolfed down.

I use this recipe with fish and normally replace the chicken with salmon or cod.

The seeds are a good source of potassium, calcium and vitamins B and E. Sesame seeds also contain zinc which boosts the immune system.

Crushed cornflakes with herbs works well with this too.

Cream cheese [philadelephia] and cream with some smoked salmon [or bacon] thrown in as a pasta sauce is one thing my 2 and a half year old is guaranteed to eat.

Quality

Mine love omellettes, so quick and easy and a healthy yum option for lunch.

Tomatoes, cheese, ham, onion, even frankfurters sliced up are delicious!!

And they do for my baby (1) as a finger food. cut into little squares.

Deliverance

Grawns wrote: »

Don't mean to be critical but I wouldn't call that healthy. It's a sugar and salt fest. Not a problem as such and I certainly give my little one the occasional biscuit or whatever. A good article here from Jennifer O'Connell in the Sunday Business Post

Fair point, I checked the yoghurt pots and they do contain a lot of sugar. Maybe a more natural Greek yoghurt? I also looked at the best cereals previously with low salt content and the cheerios came up as the lowest salt breakfast cereal on offer.

Best of a bad lot I guess.

At the same time though. I am a cook (learning). Roast skinless chicken is always devoured by my little one plus I am going to introduce cauliflower into her diet.

Grawns

It's certainly not easy figuring out what to feed them or getting them to eat new things. I'm still relying on baby jars ( Cow & Gate Little Gourmet) to pad out her diet so I won't be winning any medals I just try to steer clear of too much salt or sugar and I read all the nutrition data on the packs. Anything over 10g -20g per 100g of sugars is a lot and should be given sparingly.

Top tip for anyone switching from breastfeeding to cows milk and baby rejecting it. Add orange juice to the milk in a cup ( or bottle). This works and you can reduce the oj over a few weeks.

metrovelvet

Sweet potato chips instead of regular chips. More goodies in them,

Grawns

I once saw a mother feed her 9 month old baby pringles :eek: Well to be fair he self fed!

deisemum

Sorry but I couldn't resist

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/Deisemum/4651_1150790575888_1411325599_30405.jpg

Moonbeam

http://www.dohc.ie/publications/preschool_guidelines.html

This might help some of you at home too

Wantobe

I'm always trying to improve our family diet too. Now for breakfast we have either boiled egg and soldiers, porridge, homemade scone, scrambled egg on toast and sometimes for a special treat the porridge oat pancakes ( the recipe I got on boards). I make sure the bread is wholegrain, and use healthy heart flora instead of butter on the toast ( although still use real butter in the scrambled egg, scones etc). Little changes are easy to make. Once a week they might get warm milk and nesquik, and we often make a homemade fruit smoothie. It's good to offer a variety so they don't get stuck on having one thing and also good for their diet.

I usually have some homemade pasta sauces in the freezer too to put with pasta if I'm in a hurry for lunch- I make the hidden vegetable annabel karmel one, or sometimes if we have ratatouille for dinner I will whizz up the leftovers and freeze in icecube trays- then, once frozen, pop in a freezer bag and voila, instant healthy pasta sauce. I also make macaroni cheese sauce with spinach and whizz that up too for any kind of pasta ( macaroni or other).
Or wholegrain sandwiches- as a big treat they could sometimes have a nutella sandwich, but normally ham, cheese, banana, chicken etc. If I have leftover mash and meat from a dinner I will make some potato cakes or fish cakes. Beans on toast is a handy stand by. I'm not sure if fish fingers ( ie the shop ones) are good? I hate the smell of them so don't buy them but I think someone told me that they are healthy-ish. I prefer to grill salmon and serve it with a little lemon juice on top, yum. Or cook haddock or cod ( or any similar white fish) in a little milk, add some frozen peas, and top with mash- simple fish pie- you could put cheese on top and bake until cheese browns and bubbles.

Now ours are 3 and 5 we are at the stage where we all eat the same dinner and have been for quite a while so we always make sure the dinner is healthy. We eat a lot of fish and try to incorporate lots of veg, though they are not as keen as I would like on the veg ( but they will always eat some). Sometimes we have soup for dinner- leek and potato, veg or minestrone- again homemade. Soup is very easy to make, you can disguise loads of vegetables in it and is healthy.

We also have a rule that we do not buy sweets or biscuits for the house, but sometimes when we are out and about at the weekend we will buy them some. I find this a saviour because if it's not in the house there can be no arguments about it. For dessert during the week, they can either have fruit or cheese and cracker, at the weekend usually we make a cake or sometimes they have icecream. Also if I have time off work during the week I will make homemade scones, fairy cakes ( with no icing) or madeleines.

I'd welcome any suggestions too, as I try to make little changes for the better all the time- now the above is routine to us so it's easy- it's only difficult when you try to make big changes all at once.

cbyrd

deisemum wrote: »

Sorry but I couldn't resist

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/Deisemum/4651_1150790575888_1411325599_30405.jpg

that's hilarious!!

a good one i have is 4 chicken fillets (skinless) baby potatoes carrot broccolli and cauliflower into a roasting tin, salt pepper some fresh parsley a sprinkle of nutmeg 4 tablespoons of water, into the oven at 180c for 120 mins and it's done!! handy for day's you can't be bothered to peel and chop the veg!!(carrots excepted)
or
i red/orange pepper
6 tomatoes
1 red onion
6 mushrooms (chopped finely)
2 cloves garlic
teaspoon honey
1 carton passata
500gm lean mince
salt pepper to taste
fresh basil (torn not chopped)
spaggetti
chop all the veg small into the pan with some olive oil for about 5 mins (stirring occasionally) add the mince and cook til browned, add the honey and passata leave to simmer for 20-30 mins cook the spaggetti and you've your own pasta sauce for spag bol ( my kids love the pasta shells with their's)... there's a lot of salt and sugar in the jars and this is just nicer..;) and if the veg is chopped fine enough they don't know what they're eating:D serves 4-6 (depending how hungry you are:D)

I've just retired from work so i've a lot more time in the kitchen and i'm loving it, I'm lactose intolerant so most recipes have to be without butter/milk/cheese/cream/yoghurt/chocolate/icecream. i'm not a lover of soya milk so i use the light version in cooking.. it gives a lovely flavour to the pancakes and to brown bread, and i don't use milk or butter in the scrambled egg.. just egg and black pepper. no butter on the toast either(for me) but once you've the egg on it, it's not dry, it's purely dietry i'd be in severe pain for the day if i ate dairy.:( i loved cheese. I'd actually love some recipies i could manipulate for my diet as i cannot for love or money get a dairy free cookbook...

My eldest is food shy and won't try anything new, i've learned to ignore her when she says she doesn't like something and inevitibly she'll try it and like it.. and only then will i reveal that i've fed her mushrooms or some other poisonous food;):D

*Do you know that you'd be as well giving a child a bag of walker's ready salted crisps for breakfast as a bowl of kellogs cornflakes for salt content...this was on a BBC2 programme last year... i nearly died when i saw it!!

Grawns

1 heaped tablespoon of porridge oats ( medium or fine). 200 mls of cows milk. Microwave for 2 minutes in high bowl. Leave to cool and thicken. Add half carton of fruit puree and 1 tablespoon of natural yogurt.

Thankfully she eats this as it fills a good part of her daily dairy/calcium/iron requirement. Bridget never had a bottle or formula cause breastfeeding worked well for us but getting her to drink cows milk is still a problem.

metrovelvet

Grawns wrote: »

1 heaped tablespoon of porridge oats ( medium or fine). 200 mls of cows milk. Microwave for 2 minutes in high bowl. Leave to cool and thicken. Add half carton of fruit puree and 1 tablespoon of natural yogurt.

Thankfully she eats this as it fills a good part of her daily dairy/calcium/iron requirement. Bridget never had a bottle or formula cause breastfeeding worked well for us but getting her to drink cows milk is still a problem.

Did you try those growing up milks? Cows milk is hard on small digestive systems and causes a lot of constipation. My little one is two and a half and I alternate between cows milk and the growing up milks for this reason.

January

Those growing up milks are full of sugar, not good for a baby at all!

Nevyn

The follow on milks seem to be to be a new fad and a way to expand the markets of the comapanys who make forumula milk. I have not seen any research other then that done for those companies and I do think that if a child over all has a good diet there is no need for them.

deisemum

The follow-on milks is a marketing ploy.

Grawns

I read the same thing about the follow on milk and luckily for me despite Bridgets' obsession with bananas ( she wakes up in her cot saying "mama up nana!") she has never been constipated.

Kikib

Hi all, my 8month old is not tolerating dairy and wondered does anyone know where I can get suitable substitutes? Like cheese or yoghurts designed for babies? I'm afraid he isn't getting enough calcium from foods?

Thanks

January

Tesco have a dairy free aisle in most of their big supermarkets...

Moonbeam

Kikib wrote: »

Hi all, my 8month old is not tolerating dairy and wondered does anyone know where I can get suitable substitutes? Like cheese or yoghurts designed for babies? I'm afraid he isn't getting enough calcium from foods?

Thanks

I would not worry too much yet.
Can he eat goats milk?
There are plenty of calcium rich non dairy foods.

cbyrd

Kikib wrote: »

Hi all, my 8month old is not tolerating dairy and wondered does anyone know where I can get suitable substitutes? Like cheese or yoghurts designed for babies? I'm afraid he isn't getting enough calcium from foods?

Thanks

Rice milk is a very good substitute for cows milk. I use the Rice Dream for bens cereal (weetabix) and for little drinks during the day. he's 15 months now and i've been using it since he was about 11 months. It's a light milk and a little bit sweet but it comes with added calcium. I find it easier than soya milk, he just spat that out at me..
You should talk with your gp about it and if they feel he's not getting enough calcium they can recommend a supplement. I'm dairy intolerant aswell so i know how difficult it is to find alternatives..
There is a lactose free cheese, i've bought it in supervalu, it still sets me off but ben likes it.
also be careful about restricting dairy completely as this can make it harder for the baby in the long term to get used to dairy. some kids will grow out of it but most can tolerate some dairy before it starts to give them pain/diarrhea/wind.. It'd be worth getting a proper diagnoses so you know for definite that it is a dairy issue and what kind of issue.. is it intolerance or an allergy.
Hope it's some help

Kikib

cbyrd wrote: »

Rice milk is a very good substitute for cows milk. I use the Rice Dream for bens cereal (weetabix) and for little drinks during the day. he's 15 months now and i've been using it since he was about 11 months. It's a light milk and a little bit sweet but it comes with added calcium. I find it easier than soya milk, he just spat that out at me..
You should talk with your gp about it and if they feel he's not getting enough calcium they can recommend a supplement. I'm dairy intolerant aswell so i know how difficult it is to find alternatives..
There is a lactose free cheese, i've bought it in supervalu, it still sets me off but ben likes it.
also be careful about restricting dairy completely as this can make it harder for the baby in the long term to get used to dairy. some kids will grow out of it but most can tolerate some dairy before it starts to give them pain/diarrhea/wind.. It'd be worth getting a proper diagnoses so you know for definite that it is a dairy issue and what kind of issue.. is it intolerance or an allergy.
Hope it's some help

Cbyrd thanks that is a great help. He was tested but not lactose intolerant so the consultant said try introduce things again gradually. I gave him dairy yoghurt and he had a bad reaction from both ends! So have him on soya yoghurts and is grand. I'd just like to use cheese and introduce new foods now.

Both his cousins are allergic to cows milk! So maybe I will go back to the doc but I find she treats me as a bit of a fussy mom! He has dry patches behind his legs and around his neck.... I may make an app with my old doc he might be a bit more understanding..

Ps where did u get the rice milk

Kikib

Kikib wrote: »

Cbyrd thanks that is a great help. He was tested but not lactose intolerant so the consultant said try introduce things again gradually. I gave him dairy yoghurt and he had a bad reaction from both ends! So have him on soya yoghurts and is grand. I'd just like to use cheese and introduce new foods now.

Both his cousins are allergic to cows milk! So maybe I will go back to the doc but I find she treats me as a bit of a fussy mom! He has dry patches behind his legs and around his neck.... I may make an app with my old doc he might be a bit more understanding..

Ps where did u get the rice milk

Oh I must say he was on lactose free milk for up to about two months ago. He has such bad reactions that one time his poor bum was raw red I had to get special cream for him and I just don't want to risk giving him anything to cause that again!

cbyrd

I get it in supervalu or tesco. It's great to cook with for them too, custards and semolina and sauces. for treats i give ben the little star jellies, i know it's not calcium enriched but for a treat after dinner it's easier than yogurt.

Kikib

Kikib wrote: »

Oh I must say he was on lactose free milk for up to about two months ago. He has such bad reactions that one time his poor bum was raw red I had to get special cream for him and I just don't want to risk giving him anything to cause that again!

Thanks a mill... Suppose you don't have a recipe for custard! I know I'm v cheeky :-)

cbyrd

I just use the custard powder or the semolina packets. .. i'm not that dedicated but here's a good site for dairy free recipies

http://www.puredairyfree.co.uk//searchresults.php?snacks=true&starters=true&mainmeals=true&sweettreats=true&keywords=&Submit=++++++Search++++++

kelle

Grawns wrote: »

A good article here from Jennifer O'Connell in the Sunday Business Post

Am I the only one that gets annoyed that this information in presented to us, and not to the manufacturers of these foods? If the food is aimed at children, shouldn't the manufacturers be required by law to ensure it is full of the required nutrients without the extra salt and sugar?
After all, we don't make it ourselves!

BTW, loving this thread - I'm going to try the recipe suggested by deisemum!

Bride2012

http://semakgula.com.my/index.aspx

This is a sugar calculator for parents of young children

b743k

How could you think that pasta and cheese was healthy? My mum used to give out mad to me for eating it, it was the only thing that I could eat when I was hungover. It's stodgy and full of salt, carbs and saturated fat!

implausible

Wantobe wrote: »

I make sure the bread is wholegrain, and use healthy heart flora instead of butter on the toast ( although still use real butter in the scrambled egg, scones etc).

Growing kids need fat in their diets. I used to use Flora all the time, until I did some reading and began to look at the ingredients lists - that stuff reads like a chemistry lab whereas real butter or the likes of Dairygold contain ingredients that are actual foodstuffs.

b743k wrote: »

How could you think that pasta and cheese was healthy? My mum used to give out mad to me for eating it, it was the only thing that I could eat when I was hungover. It's stodgy and full of salt, carbs and saturated fat!

Kids need "carbs", unless you've got them on Baby Atkins! The only salt is in the cheese - approx 0.5g per 50g of cheese (or 1/4 of their daily recommendation).

implausible

Just went to the Annabel Karmel book for inspiration for my 11 month old's lunch and modified one of her recipes:

-Boil some baby pasta
-Throw in some frozen mixed veg (she says to chop carrots etc)
-When it's cooked, melt in a knob of butter and some grated cheese (she says parmesan)

Easy, healthy and filling; he's after gobbling it up:D

January

b743k wrote: »

How could you think that pasta and cheese was healthy? My mum used to give out mad to me for eating it, it was the only thing that I could eat when I was hungover. It's stodgy and full of salt, carbs and saturated fat!

Pasta and cheese is very good for kids, especially if you use "good" carbs (brown pasta) as an alternative to the white alternative which are empty carbs and bad for you.

metrovelvet

AN idea for the older babies and toddlers etc. I bought extra large cupcake tins [well the rubber ones] and made mini shepherd's pies/fish pies/ anything involving mashed potatoes, meat and veg into extral large cupcakes that I can keep in the freezer and the portions are just the right size that I can reheat them one at a time.

I had a martha stewart moment where I made his first initial out of some carrot sticks and put it ontop of the cupcakes. This made it more edible somehow for a picky eater. Males and their visuals eh.