Dinner Ideas for Children Groups

[indigo]

I'm not sure if there's an appetite for this. Maybe it's been done before and gone off. Why not share your successful dinner ideas so that the rest of us can find a handy recipe that we can experiment eh try on our little ones.

CheeseBurgers

Without fail my little one loves these (she's almost 4). I make a very thin patty with a little bit of fennel seed in it. There's a slice of proper chedder, very finely chopped white onion, some salad & avocado. One part of the bun will have a thin layer of relish while the other part will have a thin layer of sour cream.

 

[Soffie]

Mine had avocado pasta last night. They love it. Adapted from baby led feeding cookbook.

Fry half onion gently until softened. Add 2 cloves of garlic and fry until soft. Put into blender with two avocados, a tablespoon of olive oil, juice of half a lemon. Blend.

Stir into cooked pasta. We add frozen peas and frozen prawns and cook for 2 minutes. Serve.

 

[Donna]

Quesadillas are usually a big hit here. Grated cheese, relish, scrambled egg and crumbled black pudding is a nice filling one that gets a particularly good reaction.

 

[Cherub]

I found the Joe Wicks Wean in 15 book absolutely amazing. His recipes are so simple and easy to follow. It's tasty healthy food and I happily eat them as well. I'd defo recommend it for anyone who isn't great at cooking and wants to make healthy nice food for their little one.

I actually love cooking but I find its difficult to get a range of dinners that suit the adults and the little ones. A dish we all love is egg fried rice. You can have it as a side or a main with some added protein

Leftover rice approx 1 cup fried in a tablespoon of oil
add veg, peas, sweetcorn, peppers chopped finely (any mix really just chopped fine) about 1 cup
1-2 eggs scrambled and then added to the mix, stir through the rice and veg until cooked
add a dash of soy sauce
top with chopped scallion (or spring onions)

 

[Lisa]

I am reading these meals in envy knowing that my fussy child would eat none of them!

My highs are small sneaky victories like sneaking ground seeds and nuts into their porridge and pasta (they won't eat meat but at least that's a bit of protein), mixing nut butter in with Nutella so she doesn't realise she is eating it, sneaking very small amounts of a pale butternut squash/sweet potato pasta sauce into her plain pasta and cheese and getting away with it because the colour is so similar, and on the very very rare occasion that she will nibble the end of a carrot baton or dip her bread into some vegetable soup!

 

[Soffie]

Tonight I'm trying a new one. African Peanut stew. Specially adapted for my husband by the addition of chicken. Otherwise it'd be vegan.

She likes sweet potato, rice and has liked satay sauce so I'm hoping this will be a hit but sure who knows with young ones.

Ingredients

• 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 bullets of frozen spinach (recipe calls for collared greens but frozen spinach is what i have.
• ¾ cup unsalted peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
• ½ cup tomato paste
• Hot sauce, like sriracha (as an optional garnish)
• ¼ cup roughly chopped peanuts, for garnish
• 1 chicken breast
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

Instructions

1. In a medium Dutch oven or stock pot, sauce the onion, garlic and ginger
2. Add the chicken and sweet potato.
3. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
4. Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
5. Combine the peanut butter and tomato paste, then transfer 1 to 2 cups of the hot stock to the bowl. Whisk the mixture together until smooth.
6. Pour the peanut mixture back into the soup and mix well.
7. Stir in the Kale and season to taste.
8. Simmer for about 15 more minutes on medium-low heat, stirring often.
9. Serve over rice if you'd like, and top with chopped peanuts and hot sauce to taste.

Every time I plan to make this I think coconut milk would be a good addition but when it comes to it its not needed. I'll see how it tastes tonight and make a call on whether to add it or not.

 

[indigo]

Pork meatballs in a mascarpone sauce



This usually goes down fairly well. If you serve it with some wholemeal pasta it's that little bit better.

Fry some finely diced onion, bit of garlic, mix it into your pork mince with breadcrumbs and an egg. I add some fennel seed, oregano and then fry them gently in the pan. Once well on their way to being cooked you can either use some canned tomatoes and puree or passata. Add a bay leaf, a bit of brown sugar and cook until it's thickened to a nice consistency. Towards the very end add in some mascarpone cheese. I love this myself. The meatballs are soft and juicy and it makes a change from beef.

 

[indigo]

A little onion, bacon or pancetta cubes, chicken stock, cream cheese, some seasoning and grated parmesan or pecorino cheese on top. It's always well received.

 

[indigo]

Chicken pie.



A simple enough recipe made with some chicken, parsnip, carrots & frozen peas. This is usually a hit. Cook the chicken in the oven just before you start on the veg and pastry and it's a handy enough number.