I admit. I’ve been ill-disciplined in creating new homecooked dishes for baby V. No thanks to “convenience”, where one-pot meals and quick-fix dishes win us over repeatedly because we are usually rushing through the weekends. Apologies too, for the delayed updates of recipes – I like to ensure complete information before publishing an article as opposed to rushed work – even if it means umpteen times of revisions and proofreading! Hope our readers understand :)
The desire to cook for baby V can sometimes be a killjoy. Since I’ve been lazy, it’s time to challenge my creativity and imagination (cooking with imagination is my forte. Hahaha!) and put up a 3-course meal for her. Had to raid my mum’s fridge for some (limited) ingredients too, since it was end of the week. Feeling inspired by other hardworking mummies who regularly whip up yummy food for their bubs, I tried to get my bum off to prepare something different for baby V.
Here’s what’s on the menu!
Stir-fried Vegeroni Pasta with Pan-fried Salmon
Nutritional Facts: Salmon, are known for their omega-3 and DHA goodness which are essential for brain, eye and nerve development. Even the USDA encourages parents to offer our young ones this fatty fish!
Ingredients:
16pcs San Remo Vegeroni Pasta (Had to count them cos they expand quite abit after cooking)
Palm-sized Salmon Fillet, sliced
Minced Garlic
Method:
1) Boil pasta and set aside once cooked.
2) Heat up frying pan and place salmon fillet to fry. (Tip: We didn’t use oil since salmon is able to fry in its own fats, but you can add butter or other oils if preferred.)
3) Add minced garlic and pasta into pan to fry together. Be careful not to end up with charred garlic. Serve baby when the meal has cooled slightly, and take special care of the hot salmon pieces as they tend to keep heat pretty well.
Tips:
– Pasta are great for little ones to practise BLW and they are very versatile! Stir-frying them gives them a slightly drier finish as compared to soup or sauce-based or baked pasta (we did a no-fuss baked pasta!). Add preferred ingredients – you can even add tomatoes, zucchini and cheese to make a one-pot meal instead!
– These shaped pasta tend to expand quite abit so you may wish to cut them into smaller pieces if spoon-feeding/as desired.
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Tomato Omelette
Nutritional Facts: These plump red vegetables fruit offer a good dose of antioxidants to strengthen baby’s immune system and aid in building strong bones. Tomatoes are also high in Vitamin A, believed to be essential for healthy eyesight and skin. Eggs has earned claims of being the “perfect” food for babies – packed with rich protein and amino acid which are the building blocks for hormones, skin, tissues and other parts of the human system.
Ingredients:
1/4 large tomato, diced
1 egg, beaten
Method:
1) Add olive oil onto pan. Pour in egg and scatter tomatoes. Ensure egg is fully cooked (no longer runny) and fold egg. Prepare to serve.
Tips:
– Omelettes are another versatile dish – cheese can be added for a chewy, yummy texture. Zucchini cubes can be added for extra crunch too!
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Zucchini Sticks with Rolled Oats
~ makes approx. 20 sticks
Nutritional Facts: Zucchinis are high in potassium, vitamins and minerals which are good for the heart and growing babies. Yellow and green ones are nutritionally similar and it is believed that yellow ones have less seeds and has more of a “buttery” flavour to it. Popular dish with both? Ratatouille!
Ingredients:
3 tbsp organic rolled oats (we used Origins Healthfood brand), presoaked overnight and pour away water and rinse before using
1/3 Zucchini, sliced into desired length and thickness (somewhat like fries so it’s easy for baby to hold)
1-2 tbsp Grated mozzarella cheese (we used Perfect Italiano brand)
Method:
1) Mix cheese and rolled oats. Cheese is added to help rolled oats stick/coat better and to add a dash of flavours as rolled oats are bland.
2) Mix zucchini sticks into mixture and coat them. Oil a baking tray and line coated zucchini sticks onto baking tray. Preheat oven at 180deg, middle rack for 5mins.
3) Bake at 180deg for 10mins, or till desired doneness. Zucchini tends to lose moisture easily so do check on them lest they end up too shrivelled. When ready, remove from oven and allow to cool before offering baby.
Tips:
– If preferred, zucchini skin can be kept on. Slice them in desired thickeness or even cubes, if preferred.
– Adding more cheese gives it a savoury taste and a golden brown finish after baking.
– Feel free to use yellow zucchini too, we’re using green ones because we’ve bought them recently and baby V has tried yellow ones before :)
So how did the little one take to mummy’s first 3-course meal? Meal was chowed down on her own (BLW) and naturally, it took awhile for her to complete her meal.
Glad to say that our little boss enjoyed the dishes! *PHEW* Although at the start of the meal, she wasn’t keen on the tomato and pasta (no idea why since she’s had them before) and attacked the salmon and zucchini sticks instead. Subsequently she managed to finish 95% of the meal – woohoo! 5% ended up on the floor which was yet to be mopped so paranoid mama removed them. LOL.
If you’ve tried experimenting these dishes, do tell us how it went! We’re fuelled up after this cooking session and will be sharing more meal ideas on what to do with these 7 ingredients! It’s all about getting creative, stretching the fun and coming up with new dishes – hope you enjoy our simple recipes for busy parents. Stay connected on Facebook and Instagram too :)
Interested to make zucchini fries w oats but no baking oven…any other ways?
Hello! If you’ve an Air Fryer, making these fries would be easy and just as healthy if you’re concerned about the oil bit. Otherwise,frying over the pan works too. Have fun and do tell us how it goes when you try :)