From time to time, like any working mum, I have given my kids dinners that I cringe at, including, occasionally, fast food. I've said it before, I don't think that junk food is a huge evil as long as it's balanced by a predominantly healthy diet. But what I really, really hate, what makes me want to scratch my eyes out in frustration, is meals that are marketed at children, or at parents who are too time poor to properly read the labels and google search every ingredient, as being healthy fast foods for kids. I don't think there is any "fast food" that can be consumed on a regular basis and justified as meeting all the nutritional requirements of growing babies and toddlers. Or adults, for that matter. It is so cynical for big supermarkets to make a range of products, put zoo animals on the packaging and laud them as healthy dinners for kids. The particular range that earned my ire included a microwaveable bacon & cheese pasta- don't even get me started on the packaging of the container- and had approx 70 ingredients. To make pasta. Cheese pasta with bacon. The recipe I posted last week takes less than ten minutes and includes organic pasta (two ingredients) and three cheeses (three ingredients).
I am not unrealistic. Life is busy, we are busy, and often it's about choosing the lesser of two evils. But meals like this dressed up as a good "first choice" just make me want to weep.
Little lunches for little people - healthy. easy, delicious.
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Eye-fillet & Pearl Cous Cous Shepherd's Pies
Quantities make two ramekin size pies.
Ingredients
40g piece eye fillet, cooked
1 organic carrot
1/2 zucchini
1/2 potato
1/2 cup uncooked pearl Cous Cous
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp butter
1 tsp flour (as always, I used spelt)
1/2 cup milk
Set a pot of water boiling and add the diced potato and the uncooked pearl Cous Cous. Leave to cook until potato tender, around 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and then add the flour. Stir until combined and the flour has browned a little. Add the milk and stir continuously until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat while you grate the vegetables and finely dice the cooked steak. Add these to the white sauce and stir. Return to the low heat and allow to thicken and reduce. Add the worcestershire sauce- you don't need much. Strain the potato and Cous Cous. Incorporate half of the Cous Cous into the white sauce mix and mash the rest of the Cous Cous with the potato.
Evenly distribute the steak mix amongst two ramekins and then top with the mashed potato. Bake at 180' for 15 minutes.
Ingredients
40g piece eye fillet, cooked
1 organic carrot
1/2 zucchini
1/2 potato
1/2 cup uncooked pearl Cous Cous
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp butter
1 tsp flour (as always, I used spelt)
1/2 cup milk
Set a pot of water boiling and add the diced potato and the uncooked pearl Cous Cous. Leave to cook until potato tender, around 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and then add the flour. Stir until combined and the flour has browned a little. Add the milk and stir continuously until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat while you grate the vegetables and finely dice the cooked steak. Add these to the white sauce and stir. Return to the low heat and allow to thicken and reduce. Add the worcestershire sauce- you don't need much. Strain the potato and Cous Cous. Incorporate half of the Cous Cous into the white sauce mix and mash the rest of the Cous Cous with the potato.
Evenly distribute the steak mix amongst two ramekins and then top with the mashed potato. Bake at 180' for 15 minutes.
Manuka honey and spelt doughnuts
Here it is! The recipe to the delicious doughnuts I made for Jonno the other day.
Ingredients
1 cup flour (I use organic spelt)
2 tablespoons manuka honey
1 tablespoon dried yeast
1/4 cup milk, warmed gently (not boiling)
30g butter
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon for dusting
Preheat oven to 150'c and line a baking tray.
In a bowl, combine sifted flour, yeast and honey. Put a well in the centre and pour in the warmed milk. Stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough ball, then knead until it has a springy consistency.
Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a draught free spot until it has increased in size (about an hour).
Separate into three pieces of even size and roll between your hands until you have a length of dough, even diameter. Form into a circle, lay on tray and repeat with remaining dough.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes on low heat, circa 150'c, depending on various ovens. They will be golden brown to touch and smell like sweet doughnutty goodness.
Melt the butter and use a pastry brush to top each doughnut. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over each doughnut. Cover in tea towel while still hot for at least ten minutes to soften.
Serve while still warm.
I am not going to sugar-coat it (pardon the hilarious pun), these taste healthy, but they also taste good, and when it comes to growing tastebuds and bodies, healthy options are the best options.
Nb I made today's batch out of wholemeal spelt. I preferred the ones I made out of white spelt flour.
Ingredients
1 cup flour (I use organic spelt)
2 tablespoons manuka honey
1 tablespoon dried yeast
1/4 cup milk, warmed gently (not boiling)
30g butter
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon for dusting
Preheat oven to 150'c and line a baking tray.
In a bowl, combine sifted flour, yeast and honey. Put a well in the centre and pour in the warmed milk. Stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough ball, then knead until it has a springy consistency.
Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a draught free spot until it has increased in size (about an hour).
Separate into three pieces of even size and roll between your hands until you have a length of dough, even diameter. Form into a circle, lay on tray and repeat with remaining dough.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes on low heat, circa 150'c, depending on various ovens. They will be golden brown to touch and smell like sweet doughnutty goodness.
Melt the butter and use a pastry brush to top each doughnut. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over each doughnut. Cover in tea towel while still hot for at least ten minutes to soften.
Serve while still warm.
I am not going to sugar-coat it (pardon the hilarious pun), these taste healthy, but they also taste good, and when it comes to growing tastebuds and bodies, healthy options are the best options.
Nb I made today's batch out of wholemeal spelt. I preferred the ones I made out of white spelt flour.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
The littlest of lunches
Creamed banana and half a passionfruit from our friend's vine. This tastes like tropical islands and sunshine on a spoon.
swings and roundabouts
You know, this blog is more about intention than it is about unqualified success. My son, bless his cotton socks, is very, very good at being Two. And this, by definition, makes him contrary and stubborn, and sometimes utterly unfathomable. Tonight for dinner, I offered him chicken involtini with sweet potato "chips" and the most perfectly buttery ripe Avocado I've ever seen. This is pretty much a plate of his favourite things. He loves chicken, he loves bacon/ham/prosciutto/small goods in general, and you know by now his penchant for apricots. As I explained to him what was on his plate, I was met by an enthusiastic, resounding (and actually very cute), "Yeeeechhhhhh!". I explained to him that these are things he has tried and loved, but no dice. Finally, like many mummies before me, I resorted to threat: "Darling, stay seated at the table and eat. Your. Dinner. Or else, it's straight to bed with you."
What do your think his response was? A shrug of those dear toddler shoulders, a nod of understanding and, "Ok, mama. I go bed." What is the world coming to when a dinner, delicious and cooked wi love (not to mention great ingredients) is snubbed in favour of a one hour early bed time?!
So, Son was dispatched, the involtini reappropriated by me as an early evening snack (yum!) and the Avo and sweet potato were mashed into dinner for my baby. She doesn't have the reservations he did and is tucking in with much satisfaction and gusto.
You know, feeding a toddler is no mean feat, and I so badly want him to grow up with a love for food- good food. But you can never get it perfect. I remember reading a while back that toddlers, when hungry, will eventually eat. The point of the article was that they're better not eat anything than being offered crap to entice them to eat. Zero nutrients being better than truly harmful ones. I don't like him missing a meal, but I have also read that babies and toddlers are generally self-regulating, and they shouldn't be forced to finish a meal until their plate is clean. I don't know...it's tough to work out how to handle a defiant little two year old sometimes...but I know his dinner was absolutely delicious!
What do your think his response was? A shrug of those dear toddler shoulders, a nod of understanding and, "Ok, mama. I go bed." What is the world coming to when a dinner, delicious and cooked wi love (not to mention great ingredients) is snubbed in favour of a one hour early bed time?!
So, Son was dispatched, the involtini reappropriated by me as an early evening snack (yum!) and the Avo and sweet potato were mashed into dinner for my baby. She doesn't have the reservations he did and is tucking in with much satisfaction and gusto.
You know, feeding a toddler is no mean feat, and I so badly want him to grow up with a love for food- good food. But you can never get it perfect. I remember reading a while back that toddlers, when hungry, will eventually eat. The point of the article was that they're better not eat anything than being offered crap to entice them to eat. Zero nutrients being better than truly harmful ones. I don't like him missing a meal, but I have also read that babies and toddlers are generally self-regulating, and they shouldn't be forced to finish a meal until their plate is clean. I don't know...it's tough to work out how to handle a defiant little two year old sometimes...but I know his dinner was absolutely delicious!
Monday, 4 February 2013
Vegan "sausage" rolls
It's recommended that toddlers eat a 3/4 cup of vegetables each day. I have no problems getting the suggested 1 cup of fruit into my guy; he has always loved fruit. But vegetables present a bigger challenge.
I always thought I would be one of those mums that shied away from "disguising" veggies in meals to make them more palatable. After all, shouldn't children grow up with a real love for and knowledge of their foods?
Hmm. The reality of toddler-rearing, I have found, does not leave much room for such notions! Disguise of every kind is fast becoming this mama's MO. I mash veggies in where I can, make delicious savoury muffins, anything I can do to encourage my son to eat all the nutrients he needs to grow big and strong.
Well, these sausage rolls are a fantastic solution. The pastry is so healthy, I think I'll be turning to this for future baking for myself.
Ingredients-
Pastry:
55g organic cashew butter (a shelf-stable product available near healthy peanut butters)
110g whole meal spelt flour (you could substitute regular)
Approx 1/4 cup of water.
Filling
110g silken tofu
1 cup spelt flour
1 carrot
1/2 capsicum
1/2 broccoli head
1/2 onion
Preheat oven to 200'c and line a flat baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Put the cashew butter and 110g spelt flour into a bowl and rub together with your fingers until the consistency resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water tablespoon by tablespoon, gradually combining using a wooden spoon until you have a pastry dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, blitz the vegetables until they are finely diced. Add the silken tofu and incorporate flour spoon by spoon until a firm consistency is reached. Depending on the veggies you've used, you might need more or less flour than this. I made these vegan but you could definitely add a nice grated cheese here, perhaps half a cup of vintage cheddar.
Remove the pastry from the fridge and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out until about 3mm thick. Lay the filling out in a large log in the middle of the pastry. Dip your fingertips in water and run along one side of the pastry, then roll tightly. Cut off any excess pastry. Place on the prepared oven tray. Repeat until ingredients are used. If you have any pastry over, freeze it. If you have the filling left over, you can turn it into dumplings or freeze it for later use. You can coat the rolls in an optional egg wash or olive oil wash but they don't need either.
Bake for approx 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden.
I made an organic tomato sauce by boiling two whole tomatoes, removing skin. Once the water has reduced to almost nothing, mash until salsa consistency then add 1/2 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp white vinegar. Stir and leave to cool.
I always thought I would be one of those mums that shied away from "disguising" veggies in meals to make them more palatable. After all, shouldn't children grow up with a real love for and knowledge of their foods?
Hmm. The reality of toddler-rearing, I have found, does not leave much room for such notions! Disguise of every kind is fast becoming this mama's MO. I mash veggies in where I can, make delicious savoury muffins, anything I can do to encourage my son to eat all the nutrients he needs to grow big and strong.
Well, these sausage rolls are a fantastic solution. The pastry is so healthy, I think I'll be turning to this for future baking for myself.
Ingredients-
Pastry:
55g organic cashew butter (a shelf-stable product available near healthy peanut butters)
110g whole meal spelt flour (you could substitute regular)
Approx 1/4 cup of water.
Filling
110g silken tofu
1 cup spelt flour
1 carrot
1/2 capsicum
1/2 broccoli head
1/2 onion
Preheat oven to 200'c and line a flat baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Put the cashew butter and 110g spelt flour into a bowl and rub together with your fingers until the consistency resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water tablespoon by tablespoon, gradually combining using a wooden spoon until you have a pastry dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, blitz the vegetables until they are finely diced. Add the silken tofu and incorporate flour spoon by spoon until a firm consistency is reached. Depending on the veggies you've used, you might need more or less flour than this. I made these vegan but you could definitely add a nice grated cheese here, perhaps half a cup of vintage cheddar.
Remove the pastry from the fridge and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out until about 3mm thick. Lay the filling out in a large log in the middle of the pastry. Dip your fingertips in water and run along one side of the pastry, then roll tightly. Cut off any excess pastry. Place on the prepared oven tray. Repeat until ingredients are used. If you have any pastry over, freeze it. If you have the filling left over, you can turn it into dumplings or freeze it for later use. You can coat the rolls in an optional egg wash or olive oil wash but they don't need either.
Bake for approx 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden.
I made an organic tomato sauce by boiling two whole tomatoes, removing skin. Once the water has reduced to almost nothing, mash until salsa consistency then add 1/2 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp white vinegar. Stir and leave to cool.
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