Lunch/Dinner Inspiration

Lunch/Dinner Inspiration

So I've been thinking for awhile now that I need a go to list in my kitchen for ideas to feed my little man (and the rest of the family) for lunch and dinners.

I've compiled a list of lunch and dinner ideas that are whole family friendly. Let's face it I do not want to be eating baby food but by using these every day favourite meals and adding salt or other ingredients later most of these can be baby, toddler and family friendly. 

Here is the list so far:

• Zucchini slice - lunch or dinner which is nice with a salad too. Really it can be breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack (also great party food as it can be prepared beforehand and stored in the fridge and if necessary is still nice cold)
• Pizza - make with pita bread or use a homemade dough (great quick and easy dough recipe coming soon)
• Silverbeet pie/meat pie/chicken pie - any casserole type cooking with a pastry lid on top and baked in the oven= delicious
• Lasagna - make with any kind of meat or vegetables and use hearty veggies like eggplant, zucchini, roasted capsicums etc
• Omelette - a quick and easy meal
• Shephards pie
• Slow cooked apricot chicken (recipe coming soon)
• Spaghetti bolognese - really any pasta with a meaty sauce and cheese on top - yum yum!
• Pasta with vegetables and cheese in a creamy or tomato based sauce
• Stir fry - any kind of meat, veg, noodles, tofu, egg etc - such a great dish! (my quick and easy stir fry recipe coming soon)
• Chicken soup (recipe coming soon) - this is one of my favourites and something my Nonna and mum always make. Also great to use as a stock for risotto
• Risotto ( I make a risotto with pumpkin and spinach/silverbeet in it that Oscar loves - recipe coming soon). Add anything to it veg, chicken, parmesan its always a winner in our house
• Chicken nuggets
• Fish fingers
• Meatballs - see Michelle's yummy recipe here - http://tinytums.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/meatballs.html
• Steamed/grilled/baked fish - be careful of any bones
• Fried rice 
• Mornay sauce - add anything in it and add pasta or like my husband does use the crepe recipe on here, add tuna, peas and corn, roll up the crepe and bake (recipe coming soon for the crepe). You can also add creamed corn, tuna, tin asparagus, ham
• Sausage/chicken/beef rolls
• Cous cous with chicken and veggies. Really nice with parsley and grated lemon zest
• Sushi - try making your own. I will be posting photos of how to make your own sushi eventually :)
• Pumpkin soup - dip in some yummy bread
• Salmon rissoles 
• Tuna mornay pasta
• Asparagus chicken or mango chicken - two aussie classic's from my nan (recipes coming soon)
• Chicken cacciatore (recipe coming soon)
• Enchiladas (recipe coming soon)
• Honey mustard chicken
• Roast/slow cooked chicken/meat
• Hamburgers
• Bangers and mash
• Bubble and squeak 
• Triangles (recipe coming soon)
• Pumpkin pasta bake (recipe coming soon)
• Dhal (recipe coming soon)
• Frittata 

Mini salmon/tuna rissoles

Mini salmon rissoles

I make these with salmon but you could easily substitute tuna.

Ingredients

3 potatoes
1 x 95g tin of tuna or red or pink salmon
2 tbs full fat milk
1 egg
1-2 cups of flour (for rolling balls in)
1-2 cups of breadcrumbs - either fresh or store bought (for rolling balls in)

Method
1. Cook potatoes by either boiling, steaming or microwaving until soft.
2. When potatoes are cooked add to a mixing bowl and add the drained tin of salmon and milk and mash all together. The consistency of the mix should be not too runny and not too dry as you need to roll mini balls out of it.
3. Taking the mixture (just over a teaspoon size) roll into small balls.
4. Roll the balls in flour (shaking off excess flour), then egg, then roll in the breadcrumb mix
5. Store in a tupperware container lined with baking paper and freeze. Or if you are ready to cook then bake them in the oven for 10-15 mins on 180 degrees until slightly brown.

To turn into an adult version and a full family meal add 5-6 potatoes, a large tin of tuna or salmon, 1/2 cup of finely chopped green shallots, salt and pepper to taste.

Banana Yoghurt Muffins

Banana Yoghurt Muffins

These are also great for freezing.

Ingredients

2 cups wholemeal SR flour

1/2 cup SR flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup mashed banana

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg lightly beaten

1 3/4 cups of yoghurt 

1/4 cup of olive oil ( I used less oil and topped it up with a bit of warm water)

Method

1. Pre heat oven to 190 degrees (170 for fan force ovens). Line a muffin pan with patty cases. Or I used a silicone baking tray

2. Add flours, cinnamon and sugar to a mixing bowl and stir together.

3. Add the mashed banana, vanilla extract, yoghurt, egg and oil

4. Mix well, but don't overwork the mixture

5. Spoon into the prepared tray

6. Bake for 20-25 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean

7. Stand in the tray for 2 mins, before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

I made these with banana and vanilla yoghurt but next time I would like to try berries with berry yoghurt or vanilla with stewed apples.

Breakfast inspiration!

Breakfast Inspiration

So I've been thinking for awhile now that I need a go to list in my kitchen for ideas to feed my little man (and the rest of the family) for breakfast.  I have also been compiling lists for lunch/dinner and snack ideas

Here is the list so far:

• Cereal - weetbix, porridge etc
• Toast - so versatile with spreads, toppings etc. Spread it with jam, peanut butter, vegemite, ricotta/cottage cheese, avocado. Top it with ham, cheese, tomatoes, avocado, cheese and grill or toast them into little sandwiches that can be cut up
• Pancakes/crepes - one recipe is on the blog here  http://tinytums.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/pancakescrepes.html
• Crumpets 
• Baked eggs, poached eggs
• Omelette
• Fruit and yoghurt
• Baked beans, spaghetti on toast
• Fruit/veg muffins
• Zucchini slice (I think it can be breakfast)
• Cheesy eggy bread - a Melting Moments Blog recipe http://meltingmoments.info/?p=642  
• Banana yoghurt muffins - http://tinytums.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/banana-yoghurt-muffins-these-are-also.html

Pancakes/crepes

Pancakes/crepes

My little boy loves this with a little bit of sugar and lots of freshly squeezed lemon on top. I then roll them up and cut them into strips. I love this recipe as it doesn't contain sugar in the mix so you can adjust to suit your taste.

This recipe comes from one of my favourite foodies - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I wrote it down while watching an episode of River Cottage where they were teaching school kids about healthy eating and how much fun cooking can be.

Ingredients
250g plain flour
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
600mls full fat milk
pinch salt

Method

1. In a bowl add flour then slowly stir in the eggs and milk.

2. Heat a frying pan over a low to medium heat and brush it with butter or oil (so pancakes/crepes don't stick).

3. Add about 1/2 cup - 1 cup (this is dependent on the size of your pan and whether you are making pancakes or crepes - for crepes add less mix) and swirl around the pan.

4. Leave to cook until the edges come away from the sides of the pan so you can flip the pancake/crepe

5. Cook the other side. 

6. Serve with your choice of topping.