inner pickle

feeding small children (or Part 2 of 2: Flawed)

It's hard, right?

And anyone with children under six who says

* oh my children eat absolutely everything 

* dinnertime is always such a relaxing time of day

* I satisfy my creativeness in the kitchen and my children play quietly somewhere else while I'm cooking

is a cyborg. 

Really, they are. If you know one of these people I suggest checking all electrical currents nearby. 

I know some households have share-cooking arrangement but I can only talk about the households I know where it's the women doing the thinking, shopping and cooking. (In the interest of full disclosure I should admit I have a share-cooking arrangement in my house. I shop and cook and Adam cleans. We've done it like this since way before kids which is lucky because I am the single most incompetent cleaner or dishwasher you've ever met. I hate cleaning, he hates cooking. Perfect.)

Anyway. Back to the dinner table at six o'clock at night with two tired children that just want something for dinner that they recognise. Except their mother is currently unable to face shopping for or cooking and certainly not eating any kind of meat at all. Not even tuna. So there's been a bunch of new dinners on the dinner table as I trawl through our vegetarian options and try to make sure everyone's getting enough iron and protein. 

A few nights ago I made a delicious Nigella Lawson recipe, Pumpkin and Goats cheese lasagna, recipe here. Really yummy. Henry, usually relatively compliant with anything to do with pasta and/or pumpkin, flat out refused to try it. I cajoled Tilly into at least tasting it and she spat it out. Which of course you're not allowed to do here, but I don't think she's ever done it. I wasn't actually mad, I was just dejected. Then there was the spinach and goat's cheese frittata. Also very tasty. No go. Not at all. I was out that night having dinner with girlfriends and I'd made the frittata and left it for Ad to take out of the oven. He retreated to tinned soup from the back of the pantry which they also refused on the grounds it wasn't "good soup" and they had vegemite toast. They were lucky it was Daddy, not sure I would have fronted up the third option. 

What are your tactics?

If they don't eat it, do they go to bed hungry?

I've never wanted food to become a battle. I don't make a big fiasco out of it and am relying on the fact that one day they'll understand I'm offering pretty tasty healthy food that is probably worth trying. 

I also keep forgetting that when Henry was the age Tilly is now, he pretty much ate tinned spaghetti for about six months and not much else. That was all I could get him to eat. It was a phase, he grew out of it. 

Tonight? I made broccoli, sweet potato and barley soup and Henry had two bowls and Tilly ate all hers, no argument. Weird children. 

It's just that when it's you in the kitchen, and you serve up something you know is nutritious, and there are arguments and tears and lying down on the chairs and deliberately dropping of things under the table, it's just depressing. 

So if it's ever happened to you, please know you're not alone. I'm raising my glass of water to you saying cheers, lady. 

And as soon as I finish breast feeding this baby not even born yet, I'll be raising my glass of shiraz to you which always made dinnertime refusal a bit easier to take. 

Cheers to that. 

xxx

food for kids

Another super-quick and totally easy dinner that your kids might eat: Oodles of Noodles with Ham and Cheese.

A couple of years ago when I told my truly excellent mother in law that I had taken a job cooking for a hundred children at a big preschool in Brisbane, she sent me this book, available from here.

It's a fabulous resource designed for childcare cooks with recipes formulated to feed 40. 

One of my staples of my time in that job was Oodles of Noodles. I put it on the three-week rotating menu almost straight away, and the room leaders were always in the kitchen asking for more. The kids loved it.

Mine too. 

This recipe is an adaptation of Carolyn Bunney and Lauren Williams 'Oodles of Noodles' recipe from "Caring For Children: Food, Nutrition and Fun Activities". 

oodles of noodles with ham and cheese

1 x 250g packet dry egg noodles

4-5 slices of ham, chopped finely

1 cup grated cheese

1 cup whole milk

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 onion, finely diced

salt & pepper and a dash of nutmeg

1. Cook your noodles in boiling water.

2. In a bowl, mix your beaten eggs, milk, ham, cheese, onion and seasoning. (See I told you it was dead easy.) Toss cooked noodles into baking dish and pour egg mix over. Bake for about 20 mins, or until set, in a moderate oven, about 180°.

It'll look kinda like this: 

I blogged a similar dinner last year (gosh, look at that wee Matilda!!) as you can make this dish on any kind of noodles you find at the back of the pantry.

You can also grate some carrot and zucchini in (yum), omit the ham for vegetarian families, and replace the brown onion with chives or shallots. 

If your kids are herb-friendly a handful of fresh herbs lifts this; right now mine are very suspicious of herbs. 

Strange children. 

(Although the noodles went down with zero argument so that's something, right?)

xxx

Ten Minute Bean Nachos!

In our house I'm still hearing the 'kids food' and 'grown up food' differentiation as much I discourage it. 

So every second night I serve up validated 'kids food' (for heavens sake) to minimise the argument. 

Is this, alongside spaghetti bolognaise and homemade pizza, possibly the ultimate 'kids food'?

 SUPER quick bean nachos.

Here's what I think is in it (forgive me, I am quite vague this week. Blame six-months-pregnant brain.)

1 onion finely chopped

splodge of olive oil

pinch salt

1 x 400g tin red kidney beans (soaking & cooking them fresh or in fact hand harvesting your own from your biodynamic garden would be better of course, but today we are interested in speed.)

1 x 800g tin tomatoes (please see above)

1 x 400g tin baked beans

Handful of fresh herbs if you have them, or dried is good too (I used oregano)

grated cheddar cheese

corn chips

sliced avocado

sour cream on top

chilli sauce on top of that

METHOD:
Saute the onion in the oil and salt:

 

Rinse your kidney beans:

 

Hurl them into the pan. Add the tomatoes, the baked beans, the herbs. You could add sweet corn or chick peas, that'd be yummy. 

Cook for about 10 mins, or longer if you have the time and don't have hungry kids climbing your legs. The baked beans give a nice depth of flavour, cooking for a bit longer improves it. 10 mins will do though!

While it's cooking, grate some cheese...

  

The kids just had corn chips with beans and cheddar on top.

Adam and I melted the cheese onto the corn chips for ours, added the beans then sliced avocado, sour cream and chilli sauce.

Quick. Relatively kid-friendly. Beanie. Good. 

xxx 

mid-week dinner for a tired mum?

Try this. 

 It's my fall-back. When you're COMPLETELY uninspired, worn out, over committed and pulled in a hundred directions this lovely tasty dinner is thrown together in no time and is about as strenuous as a bit of can opening and chopping. 

 What shall we call it? Maybe Stewie Spuds? 

Stewie Spuds. (I reserve the right to come back and edit this name when it's not last at night and all writing ability has left me.)

500g (or so) of beef, chopped. OR it works beautifully with chopped up beef sausages - about 8.

1 brown onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic crushed

4 rashers bacon, finely chopped

1 large (800g) tin tomatoes

1 tin sweet corn kernals (400g)

1 tin baked beans (400g)

1 carrot chopped finely

peas, if you like

About 4 large potatos, peeled and sliced

Really, the trick to this stew is just use what you have. Whatever meat you've got in the fridge and vegies in the crisper and tins in the pantry. I've made it with diced beef and sausages and both work well - the kids probably prefer the sausage version. 

I've thrown different vegies in - you just start with onion and garlic in your pot (ideally one that can go in an oven) in a bit of olive oil. Cook. Throw in bacon and cook. Add meat. Brown the meat. Toss in your tomatoes and baked beans and whatever vegies you have: tinned corn and carrots went into the one here. Layer your potatoes over the top and put into a moderate oven (covered) for about 45 minutes and then cook for another 20 mins uncovered (makes the potatoes go nice and brown.) You could put grated cheese on top for this last bit too which would be yummy.

The meat/bacon/baked beans give this a fab depth of flavor.  And as long as you have an hour to let it cook, it's super quick to throw together and you can go put your feet up with a glass of wine (or in my case stand outside with a cup of tea supervising crazy trampolining action.)

Everyone needs to have a family dinner recipe they can make in a state of complete fatigue with their eyes half closed and feel good about it. I always feel good about this dinner. Hang the salad or steamed greens that might be nice to serve with it. Serve yourself up a lovely hearty plateful and the day is all OK.

Food is just that wonderful, right?

xxx

Food for kids week: Day 5

Truly, could you do a kids-focussed meal plan (for a meat-eating household) and not include these?

 
Again with the mashed potato but I'm a tad strung out on sleeplessness and sometimes you just have to roll out something you know will be gobbled up, no discussion. 

I'm really lucky to have a lovely butcher up the road who makes preservative-free sausages to order. He makes suggestions for flavouring - anything you can think of - these ones just have a bit of sea salt and parsley and spring onion. Some breadcrumbs and great quality beef and that's it. So yummy. 

One likes hers chopped:

 The other likes his whole:

A bit of a walk around the neighbourhood after dinner and they are both showered, storied and tucked up, sound asleep. I'm optimistic about an undisturbed night. (I am daftly naive though.)

The heat has broken in Sydney and we have a blissful cool southerly through the house. 

Hope the weather is kind wherever you are, and the food gratefully received. It's the little things, really.

xxx

Food for kids week: break in the program

The minute you confidently announce you're running a week of good food-for-kids ideas you should know it'll fall apart.

You may have noticed I haven't posted a 'day 5' yet (ie Friday.) That's because yesterday was day 2 of shocking sleep deprivation (today is day 3) with Miss M.D. demonstrating an inability to settle back to sleep after 3.30am. 

So last night at 5pm I suggested my true backup (other than pasta, resorted to on day 4) which is packing up the kids and combining the adventure of picking Daddy up from work with dinner at IKEA. 

Works a treat. 

Adam had his doubts about me driving at all (good cause to) but we made it safely, we ordered meatballs and schnitzel, and paid a total of about $14 for four meals. Plus it's airconditioned and Sydney is experiencing a heatwave (not unrelated to Tilly's sleeping issues.)

Fantastic.

We're back on track for 'day 5' tonight notwithstanding the fatigue so see you later!

xxx

Food for kids week: Day 4

Oh dear. 

In the spirit of honest disclosure I'm not going to fudge it. 

I did not feed my children a balanced dinner of vegetables and protein tonight. 

In fact they were lucky dinner was cooked at all (and not a sandwich.)

*Cough*. Here is what they got:

Oh yes. Not even good quality pasta. And what happened to my from scratch resolution? Matilda Daisy. That's what happened. At 4am this morning. In fact it may have still been in the threes. Wide awake, unable to settle herself or be settled back to sleep. Up and at 'em. 

(Have I impressed on you how much I am NOT a morning person? So not. Particularly when it is still nighttime.)

So, a strong espresso at 9am. Two of these at 10am:

 Emergency chocolate peanut butter cups. When you live in a country without Reese's. 

Melt milk chocolate and peanut butter together in the microwave. Stir well, spoon into micro mini cupcake papers and refrigerate until firm. Really totally awesome. (Note: don't use quality nut-only peanut butter. Has to be the old commercial Kraft-type stuff with requisite salt and sugar to really make these babies sing.)

So by 6pm tonight with no napping available, this is all I was up for.

There were altercations over the cheese:

And I permitted (diluted) apple juice with curly whirly straws in my weakened state:
 
 

And guess who, at day's end, is still bright as a button?

Sandpit sand all over her neck, paint under her fingernails... couldn't she at least pretend to be as knackered as I feel?

Adam and I are ordering pizza.

xxx 

Food for kids week: Day 3

What would a week of food designed for children be without these, I ask you?

 
Homemade meatballs and mashed potato.

Quicker than you'd think (but then I was the duffer hand-rolling meatballs for 100 children so maybe I'm unreliable.)

I usually serve them with mashed potato (any excuse, really) but equally excellent with brown rice or steamed greens or whatever your smallies will eat.

Meatballs

INGREDIENTS:

1 kg beef mince

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 large onion, grated

2-3 carrots, grated

1 egg, beaten

1 dessertspoon dried herbs

salt and pepper

2 x 400g tins of peeled tomatoes

METHOD:

In a large bowl mix the mince, breadcrumbs, onion, carrot, egg, herbs and seasoning. It's easiest to mix with your hands.

Whizz your tinned tomatoes up to a puree in a food processor. (In fact this recipe is quickest if you grate your onion and carrot in the processor too. I made fresh breadcrumbs from some old bread first, rinsed the machine out and grated the veggies in it, rinsed it out again and whizzed up the tomatoes. 5 mins tops.)

Pour half the tomato puree into a baking pan.

Roll into ping pong sized balls (using wet hands is easiest) and place on top of the puree. Once finished rolling, pour the rest of the puree over the top of the meatballs.

Cook on about 190° for about 45 minutes. (Check they're cooked by cutting one in half and checking for pinkness.)

Do my kids eat them? Usually. Did they eat them tonight? Nup. 

Tilly ate the mashed potato and decided she didn't like the meatballs. 

Henry made a half-hearted attempt but said he didn't like them either.

Gratifying.

Luckily Adam loved them because he's going to be eating them for his lunch for the rest of the week.

Cooking for kids. Who would do it. At least these are quick to make. But damn I'm glad I didn't spend the extra 45 minutes making a homemade tomato sauce instead of using the tinned tomatoes!

xxx

Food for kids week: Day 2

I've never met a kid who won't eat pumpkin soup. Big call, I know, but I have met some seriously dedicated non-veggie eating children who will wolf down a bowl of this.

I worked for a while as a cook for a big pre-school in Brisbane. I was a solo cook, and I fed 100 children each day. (Actually not each day, I had Wednesdays off.)

It was a hoot. It was a hot little kitchen (they all are) and the equipment wasn't fantastic but the director gave me free rein to recreate the entire menu (morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea) and encouraged a really healthy menu. 

I loved it. 

On my first day, the day after my interview, I arrived in the kitchen only to find there were no recipes, no procedures, no "cook this much pasta for this many children". 

Nothin'. 

There were sporadic ingredients (the last cook had been fired on the spot the week before - that's another story) and the director had been doing the cooking as far as possible. They'd had a few days of sandwiches I think. But there were lots of pumpkins in the veggie bin. And potatoes. And I found some stock cubes. They'll do. And onions. 

So for lunch on my first day the kids had pumpkin soup. Proportions wildly guessed at and luckily sufficient. I peeped into the rooms to see the kids mopping it up from their bowls with bread and butter.

Honestly: I have never used a recipe for pumpkin soup. I suspect if you bake the pumpkin you probably get a richer soup, but I never have.

Anyway, here's how I make it. It's quick, and failsafe.

(For a family of 4.)

Cook a chopped brown onion and a couple of minced cloves of garlic in a little olive oil in a heavy based saucepan. 

Add about 4 small to medium sized potatos, peeled and chopped.

Add a bit more (than spuds) of peeled, chopped Jap pumpkin and the same amount of peeled, chopped butternut pumpkin. Of course if you only have one type of pumpkin that's fine, it's yummy, just keep proportions to about 3:1 pumpkin to potato.

Cover veggies entirely with stock - chicken stock works well. Vegetable too. Make sure there is about 2cm stock over top of veg.

Cook for about 30 mins.

Blend with a hand blender.

Cool before serving to smallies!!

(Add salt and pepper for the adults or the room group leaders at the preschool who I still miss, they were terrific gals, and who were relieved to see the end of sandwiches!)

From my time at the preschool, the kids favourite hot lunches were (other than pumpkin soup):

:: Chinese fried rice

:: Chicken and vegetable risotto

:: Pumpkin, spinach and ricotta bake

:: Oodles of Noodles with ham and cheese 

:: Pasta Roma (a simple tomato/egg/cheese pasta bake. I'll blog it sometime.)

:: Tuna mornay with brown rice

:: Zucchini slice

:: Meatballs with mashed potato

:: Vegetable pizza slices 

xxx

 

Food for kids week: Day 1

I'm on my way back to cooking everything (and I mean everything) from scratch. It's not just an economic thing and it's not just a protecting-loved-ones-from additives etc thing, it's a bit of both. 

And because it's fun, and I find it immensely satisfying.

Fresh pasta, tagliatelle. 

It's possibly much much quicker to make than you think. Jamie Oliver's rule: 100g strong flour to 1 egg per person. That's it. Whizz it up in the food processor, roll it out, cut it up, throw it in boiling water for 3 minutes. I didn't even take a photo of the finished fresh tomato sauce with herbs and grated cheddar because we were too busy tucking in. 

Stopping to take a photo took longer than turning flour and eggs into pasta. Really. It's super quick. AND SO MUCH NICER!!!!

OK so it would be super fast unless the kids cotton on that there is some form of edible craft going on in the kitchen that they must be part of. Gosh mine love making pasta. 

This week, apart from going back to scratch on as many of our foods as possible, I'm also doing a week of deliberately kid-friendly food.

I'm cautious about this, the last thing you want is some woman waving photos of her children earnestly nibbling steamed broccoli at you, right?

I'm posting the food my kids consider 'kid-food', an expression unique to Henry, the origin of which still escapes me. He's given me a list. 

Lunch today:

Homemade bread and scrambled eggs. 

Not on Henry's list. A perfect lunch for Tilly, but Henry hates eggs (a real shame) and so had the bread, cherry tomatoes and a banana instead. 

 Dinner: 

"If-it's Risotto"

i.e. If it's in the fridge, chuck it in the risotto.

 I'm a big fan of risotto and the kids love it. 

The trick with this one: no stirring!! Seriously!

It's fine to stand and stir a lovely risotto that you're certain will be met with appreciative hurrahs, but really, I don't believe in labouring over anything that's destined for smallies. Just in case. No point setting yourself up and all that.

So this one: (I make this in a big Le Creuset pot, any casserole or heavy pot will do. Needs a lid.)

Chop 1 onion finely and cook in a splash of olive oil with 3 rashers of bacon (chopped.)

Add 1.5 cups aborio rice and cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Add 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock. 

Throw in your veg (it's the day before my organic fruit and veg box arrives, all I had was frozen peas and a few carrots).

Add salt and pepper and fresh herbs to taste.

Put the lid on and cook for about half an hour on the stove until all stock absorbed and rice cooked. Check and stir every 10 mins or so.)

Easiest risotto ever. 

xxx