At some point or other, we are bound to have some picky eaters amongst us. If your child eats anything and everything, I’m envious!
I’m not the greatest cook at home, but I persevere anyway to put home cooked food on the table for my picky eaters. Some are well received, some aren’t. There are some exceptional ones which have been repeatedly requested for. And to my delight, they are easy and quick to make.
So I’m sharing three of my go-to, easy, winning and healthy recipes which most children seem to enjoy. The two bake recipes are also great for potlucks and parties. Hope they work for you and your little one too.
Sushi Bake
Ingredients to serve 4:
- 3 cups Japanese rice, cooked and stirred well with 2 tablespoons of Japanese vinegar
- Furikake (I used about 25 grams)
- Imitation crab meat, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- Pepper (to taste)
- Nori/seaweed sheets
Method:
- Preheat oven at 160 degrees Celsius (I used the grill mode)
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped imitation crab meat, mayonnaise and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- In a large casserole or baking dish, lightly press the cooked rice into an even layer.
- Liberally sprinkle furikake across the top of the rice layer.
- Evenly spread the crab mixture on top of furikake layer.
- Sprinkle more furikake on crab mixture.
- Bake for 5 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.
- Scoop and place a slice of sushi bake on a sheet of nori, wrap and enjoy.
You can try a variation of this sushi bake recipe with any topping of your liking. Use salmon, avocado, Japanese cucumber, etc., to add on if you wish. My kids requested for an omelette to be added on top of the crab meat and love it that way.
Each time you make this, experiment with different toppings to get different flavours for a tasty meal.
Baked Pasta
Ingredients to serve 4:
- 3 cups of pasta of your choice (penne/fusilli/macaroni)
- 1 sliced carrot
- Florets of cauliflower/brocolli
- 5 sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 bottle of pasta sauce of your choice (500 gram)
- 150 gram of shredded mozzarella cheese
Method:
- Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
- Boil the pasta in boiling water added with a pinch of salt until cooked.
- Strain the cooked pasta. Pour into a baking dish.
- Add in the uncooked vegetables and mushrooms. Give it a good mix.
- Pour in the pasta sauce and mix well.
- Flatten the ingredients on the baking dish evenly.
- Spread cheese evenly on the top to cover the whole dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Serve it piping hot.
I made this to be a vegetarian option. To add a healthy dose of protein into the meal, I sprinkle a generous amount of nutritional yeast into it. Feel free to add minced meat of your choice or even some seafood to make it a non-vegetarian version.
Tasty Chicken Soup
I modified this recipe from Nigella Lawson’s praised chicken soup recipe from her mother.
Ingredients to serve 4 – 8:
- 1 large chicken
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 100 ml Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing wine)
- 1 large potato cut and peeled into cubes
- 2 – 3 carrots peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 – 2 sticks of sliced celery
- 2 litres water
- Sprinkles of mixed dried herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary) – to your preferred taste
Method:
- Use a cooking pot (with a lid) in which the chicken can fit snugly.
- Cut the chicken into 4 large quarters or 2 halves.
- Heat up the pot, add in oil and garlic, then brown the chicken for a few minutes breast-side down.
- Turn up the heat and turn over the chicken.
- Add the vegetables and potato.
- Pour in enough water to just about cover the chicken.
- Add in the dried herbs.
- Bring to a bubble, and cover with a lid.
- Turn the heat to very low and leave to cook for 1.5 hours.
- In the last 30 minutes, add in and stir the rice wine.
- Serve the chicken and vegetables with rice or noodles, ladle on the tasty soup.
This broth is very comforting and tasty. The herbs make this recipe smell amazing. It can even be a meal on its own with generous helping of chicken and vegetables. The meat is soft and tender and good to eat.
Nothing Beats Home Cooked Food
There’s nothing healthier and heart-warming than home cooked food for our loved ones. Granted, cooking is time consuming and involves lots of washing, but it’s also satisfying when watching our loved ones love what we have dished up for them.
As for the washing up after the meal, I involve my children in it after every meal. I wash and they wipe dry and put everything away. It’s part of our bonding time as we talk and joke with each other as we work on the dishes together.
We have more healthy recipes for you and your family to check out. Hope you enjoy your time in the kitchen dishing up yummylicious food for the family!