As Well As the Following Recipes Try These Ideas

Cooking with Fussy Eaters

As well as the following recipes try these ideas:

·  Try homemade pizza. This is a great finger food for toddlers. You can use store brought bases, use flat bread or if feeling adventurous make your own bases (toddlers love helping). Try making a funny face out of the ingredients to make it more interesting.

·  Anzac cookies are a great recipe to try together – the texture is lots of fun for toddlers.

·  If having sandwiches for lunch, try using a cookie cutter to make shapes or try pitta pockets for something different.

Zucchini and Cheese Muffins

Makes 12

175g zucchini grated

200g cheddar cheese, grated

250g self- raising flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

½ teaspoon of salt

20mls milk

1 egg

4 tablespoons olive oil

1.  Ask your child to place the paper cases in the muffin tin while you set the oven to 190 degrees Celsius., Gas mark 5.

2.  Place the zucchini and cheese in the mixing bowl, sift in the flour, bicarbonate if soda and salt and mix together.

3.  Put the egg, milk and olive oil in a measuring jug and mix together with a fork. Pur this mixture into the other ingredients and stir until just mixed. Use a desert spoon to spoon the mixture into the muffin cases so that each is nearly full.

4.  Put the muffins in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until risen, golden and firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for at least 10 mins, then transfer to a cooling rack. Eat hot or cold.

Source: Baking with Tiny Tots (2007) Hamlyn Publishing, London.

Mini Quiches

Makes 18

This is a recipe which your toddler can help you make.

Cooking oil

Plain flour for dusting

375g ready rolled shortcrust pastry, thawed if frozen and taken out of the refrigerator 15 mins before use.

2 eggs

200ml milk

4 slices of ham, diced

2 spring onions

5 cherry tomatoes

50g cheddar cheese, grated

·  Set the oven at 200 degrees Celsius and sprinkle some oil into the cups of patty tins.

·  Sprinkle some flour onto the work surface and unroll the pastry. Have your child flatten it with the balls of their hands.

·  Help your child stamp circles out of the pastry with the cutter and place each circle in a cup of the tin, gently pressing it down with their finger tips.

·  Place the eggs and milk into a measuring jug and beat with a fork.

·  Put the ham, spring onion and cherry tomatoes into a bowl and mix together. Ask your child to place a dessert spoonful of the mixture into each pastry cup.

·  Pour some of the egg and milk into each cup.

·  Sprinkle some grated cheese on top.

·  Bake for 20 mins or until set and golden. Eat hot or cold.

Source: Baking with Tiny Tots (2007) Hamlyn Publishing, London.

Banana Muffins

These can be made with or without the icing.

25g butter

2 tablespoons runny honey

2 tablespoons milk

2 large very ripe bananas

150g self raising flour

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:

175g icing sugar

1 teaspoon caramel sauce

2-3 tablespoons preboiled warm water

dried banana chips to decorate

1.  Ask your child to place the paper cases in the tin while you set the oven to 180 degrees Celsius , gas mark 4.

2.  put the butter, honey and milk in a small pan and place on low heat until melted.

3.  Show your child how to mash the bananas with a fork in the small bowl. Shift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and mix together.

4.  Pour the melted butter mixture into the mashed bananas and mix, then tip the flour and mix together with a wooden spoon. Don't over mix – just a couple of stirs will do.

5.  Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases so that each will be about two thirds full. Bake for 20-25 mins or until risen and brown.

6.  Remove from oven, allow to cool in tin fro 5 mins and then transfer to cooling rack.

7.  While the muffins are cooling, make the caramel icing. Sift icing sugar into a bowl, add the caramel sauce and mix together with enough pre boiled water (2-3 tablespoons) to make a thick but spoonable icing. When cool, allow your child to blob the icing on top of each muffin with a teaspoon and let it run down. Stick a banana chip to the wet icing to decorate.

Source: Baking with Tiny Tots (2007) Hamlyn Publishing, London.

Soft Blueberry Cookies

75g butter or margarine, softened

125g soft brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

175g self-raising flour

grated rind of unwaxed lemon

125g blueberries

1.  Place baking paper on tray and set oven to 180 degrees Celsius,gas mark 4.

2.  Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and help your child beat them together until creamy with a wooden spoon.

3.  Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat again, then place the sieve over the mixing bowl and sift in the flour. Finally add lemon rind and blueberries and mix together.

4.  Place a desert spoon full of mixture onto the baking tray, then use the back of the spoon to spread the mounds into rounds .Leave plenty of space between each cookie.

5.  Bake for 12-15 mins,until a pale golden colour, then remove from oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Source: Baking with Tiny Tots (2007) Hamlyn Publishing, London.

Carrot muffins

150g self-raising flour

60g butter (unsalted) plus extra for greasing.

2 large eggs, beaten.

2 medium carrots, grated

3-4 tbsp milk

zest of 2 oranges, juice of 1 (optional).

1.  Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius, gas mark 5. Lightly grease a muffin tray or line with paper cases.

2.  Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.

3.  Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and grated carrot, then add the melted butter and mix well. Pour the carrot mixture into the flour and fold together lightly.

4.  Add enough ilk to give a soft consistency, then spoon the mixture into the muffin tray.

5.  Bake for 10-15 mins until golden brown and springy, then remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before turning out.

Source: Rapley G and Murkett T(2010). The Babyled weaning Cookbook. Vermillion, London.

Savoury Flapjacks

100g unsalted butter plus extra for greasing

300g porridge oats

350g cheese, grated.

2 eggs, beaten.

1.Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, gas mark 4 and lightly grease a swiss roll tin.

2.  Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Meanwhile combine other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add butter and mix well.

3.  Press the mixture into the greased tin using the back of a spoon (it should be 1 ½ cm thick). Bake in oven for 20 mins until golden brown.

4.  Allow to cool in tin for 5 mins, then cut into slices and cool on a wire rack.

Source: Rapley G and Murkett T(2010). The Babyled weaning Cookbook. Vermillion, London.

Fun Tuna Fingers:

Tuna, drained

1 slice of bread

Cream Cheese

Snow pea sprouts, or cucumber thinly sliced or sweet corn.

·  Place slice of bread on board and cut off crusts.

·  Using a rolling pin, roll bread out flat (your child can do this step)

·  Spread cream cheese on bread, with a thicker line on cream cheese at one end of the bread.

·  Place small amount of tuna and snow pea sprout on bread, leaving end with more cream cheese free.

·  Roll bread towards end with more cream cheese. Use excess cream cheese to stick end of bread together.

·  Cut in half to make fingers