Healthy Weaning Recipes with a Fun Twist
All the cooking shows that are on telly will tell you that people eat with their eyes first, before they actually taste anything. This is also true with little children, a visually appealing meal is more likely to be accepted and enjoyed by your little one. So we think it’s time to get creative and turn those fruit and veggies into works of art that look good enough to eat!
It is important to introduce as many kinds of food and pack in the healthy fruit and veg as much as possible. But we have all had to deal with a broccoli hater before and it can be tricky convincing them veg is best. So, to make it easier and more appealing for your fussy little eater, have a go at playing around with the presentation and textures of their food to make it more exciting. Plus, it can be fun for you! Adding these little twists on traditional vegetables can really get parents in the creative mood and let their imagination run wild again.
We thought it was time to add a little bit of creativity to our little one’s meals and get stuck in, so here is some tried and tested recipes that are full of healthy goodness that also look pretty good too!
Get started
We always use the Babymoov Le Petit Gourmand food prep kit to add a little bit of creativity into our weaning meals. It’s an amazing little kit that has everything you need to get inspired and create insta worthy meals for your little one. It includes heart and star cutters, melon baller, a crinkle cutter, spiral peeler, silicone cup moulds and a mini recipe book to get your started. All the utensils have rounded tips to make them child safe, but make sure you are still supervising your little chef if you decide to get them involved in the cooking.
Weaning Recipes
Love Porridge
Porridge is a great food to give your little one, it’s easy to prepare and easy for them to eat plus it’s full of yummy goodness. We have added a little love themed twist by adding some healthy juicy strawberries cut into a heart shape to help your little one fall in love with porridge.
You will need
40g porridge oats
275ml milk
3 strawberries
Method
Measure the oats and milk into a small saucepan.
Stir over the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the oats are cooked and the porridge has thickened.
Spoon into a bowl and decorate with heart strawberries.
Fruit Skewers
These vitamin-packed fruit skewers are a simple, colourful and fun way to get kids to eat fruit. Make these skewers look even more exciting by cutting the fruit into lots of different shapes.
You will need
Wooden Skewers
Your little one’s favourite fruit (pineapple, melon, apple and watermelon are great for cutting into shapes)
Method
Start by preparing the fruit. You can use any selection that your little one likes. It’s good to mix up the different shapes and get creative. Some fruit like grapes and blueberries obviously can’t be cut into shapes, but we still like to add them to the skewers to add variety.
Then thread the fruit onto the skewer and arrange in a colourful rainbow range of colours and serve.
You can always serve the fruit in a bowl instead if you are worried about your little one handling a skewer.
Star of the show omelette
We all know egg is a great source of protein and it’s so versatile! An omelette is a great way to sneak in some of those extra veggies and healthy stuff into your little ones diet without them realising. But we like to go one step better and make our omelette’s not only taste delicious, but also look good too by making little stars out of them to entice children to enjoy food even more.
You will need
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
10g grated courgette
10g grated carrot
10g cooked peas
5g grated cheddar cheese
Method
Crack the egg into a small mixing bowl, add the milk, vegetables and cheese. Beat together.
Heat a small knob of putter to a frying pan. When melted add the mixture and swirl around the pan.
Heat for about 2 mins until it has set. Carefully turn over and cook on the other side for 30 seconds.
Place on a board and cut out the star shapes and serve.
Frozen Yoghurt Cups
These are a fun and different way to get your little one to eat their yoghurt that they will love too. It’s really easy to make and offers great nutrition for your baby. These simple but delicious treats are healthy enough for breakfast but fun enough for dessert – that’s a win win where the kids are concerned!
You will need
Yoghurt (whichever flavour is their favourite)
Variety of fruit
Granola (for smaller babies grind the granola down slightly)
Silicone cup moulds
Lollipop sticks
Method
Place your cup moulds onto a baking tray or plate that will fit in your freezer.
Place a spoonful of yoghurt into each cup. Add a few bits of your chosen fruit, then sprinkle a spoonful of granola on the top.
Add another spoonful of yoghurt on top. Then push your lollipop stock into each cup.
Place the tray into the freezer for at least 2 hours until the yoghurt has frozen.
When it’s time to dig in, pop the mix out of the mould and then serve.
Vegetable noodles
If your little one is of the vegetable hating nature, you will have a hard job trying to convince them to eat a carrot presented in it’s normal way. However, adding a little bit of spiralised magic can make humble vegetables into something fun and exciting to eat.
You will need
Any vegetable you wish that can be shredded. Such as; courgette, carrot, cucumber, sweet potatoes, potatoes.
Method
This really is super easy. Simply prep, peal and cut up your vegetables into chunks that your spiraliser can manage.
Twist in a clockwise motion into the spiraliser and out will pop noodle shaped vegetables.
Depending on the vegetable, you can simply serve your vegetable noodles raw, or cook them in the oven or a frying pan, or you could even make a yummy meal out of them. We love adding a tomato sauce and using the vegetable noodles instead of pasta, no one will notice!
Get them involved
For the little chefs
As your little one grows up, get them involved in the kitchen to encourage their love for food and get them excited about cooking. The babymoov Petit Gourmand Food Prep Kit is also great for little chefs, the fun tools can really help encourage their imagination and let them create food masterpieces. Inspire their creative side, whilst teaching them the importance of healthy eating in a fun way.
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