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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Chicken and hidden fruit & veggie patties

Many of you have asked me "How do I get more fruit and vegetables into my kids"!
Lets face it when your battling kids at meal times it really takes its toll on everyone! So hopefully these will help a few of you out!

I trialled a new pattie mix which combines both fruit & veg and is slightly sweet so kids will love them!

They are a very mild flavoured pattie so if your kids like a bit more spices/herbs etc feel free to add I didn't want to overload these ones purely to see if they would be beneficial to all the fussy eaters out there.

The boys loved them, Riley (Master 4.5) thought it was a little strange they had apples in them as he didn't think apples where "dinner food" lol but they both ate them all up with sweet potato "chips".

These are a quick dinner which can be pre prepared earlier in the day and then cooked at dinner or cooked early on and heated (or even friendly for lunch boxes/picnics etc)

Best of all they are Gluten, egg, dairy and nut free!

The below method is done in the thermomix but you can do the same with a food processor (for mincing) and the rest by hand in a large mixing bowl.


You will need

400g of chicken mince
(I blitz semi frozen cubed chicken breast in the thermomix on turbo for one of two pulses (I used breast but thigh would work here too)
1 zucchini grated/blizted
1 apple, peeled, cored and shredded (a firm pear would also work but not ripe - too mushy)
1/2 tsp of dried thyme
1/2 tsp of ground mustard (if you have seeds blitz them in the Thermomix on speed 9 till you have a powder)
A good pinch of Pink Salt flakes/Himalayan salt & pepper for seasoning
1/4 tsp of cinnamon (works well with the apple - can be left out if needed)
1 & 1/2 tablespoons of GF Dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic (minced)
Virgin Coconut Oil - for pan frying

1. Mince diced chicken (small cubes semi frozen) on turbo for a couple of pulses - If not using mince to start with. Remove from bowl and set aside.
2. Add zucchini into bowl and blitz at speed 4-5 till a consistency you think it either chunky (if you are not hiding it or well processed if you are needing to hide it - remember zucchini is quite watery so it will need to be drained once processed - use your rice bowl for this)
3. Turbo a quartered peeled apple in the bowl for one or two pulses (once again same rules as above)
4. Put all the fruit, veg & chicken back in the bowl and add all spices/seasonings, mix on 2-3 until all combined and refrigerate the  mixture for at least 30 mins (for flavours to develop, the longer you leave the more flavour they will have)
5. Remove from fridge prior to cooking and form into palm size patties. Fry in coconut oil in a cast iron or stainless steel frypan (you can use non stick pan but try and avoid non stick cookware)
If you want you can coat them in GF flour or similar but I wanted to create these Paleo style with no flours. Fry on each side for approx 3-4 mins until cooked through. It made about 12 patties.

DO not be tempted to turn them early they need to create a "crust" and if you turn them too early they will fall apart as it's a very wet mix as it has no breadcrumbs/flours etc.

Remember the possibilities are endless you can add carrot, mushrooms, corn, more spices and flavours - whatever other veggies your kids will eat, but this is a  kid friendly base option to start with.

Both boys have asked that they be made again so they where a hit in my books!

Let me know how you go if you try them!







Friday, February 15, 2013

A happy healthy Easter!




Luckily for me neither of the boys like chocolate (or the taste of chocolate things, believe me I have made them many but it’s not to their taste) so the “Why can’t I have an Easter egg” conversation hasn't happened (I'm sure it will in the future!).

I found some fun healthy ideas on-line (thank you Pintrest!) which I wanted to share with you all to show you Easter doesn't need to be a sugar & chocolate overload and that you can even get away with a chocolate free celebration  without children missing out on the fun!

Coconut Crispy Treat Nests  –   These can also be made with puffed millet if you are rice free (like we are)


Caramel Chocolate Apples – Fun to involve the kids in making & decorating and can be made nut free if you leave out the Peanut topping.


Bunny Salad – Now most kids like food displayed in a novel design and this one is pretty cute!


Home-made Lindor Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles - For the die hard chocolate fans try these. You could replace the hazelnut extract for something else to makes these nut free also.


Easter Egg Memory Game – This is my personal favourite, not only does it not involve food (you can use toys, novelty erasers etc) but it’s something education and they can keep for many years to come. The eggs can be found at Spotlight / Lincraft and some of the cheap dollar stores and you can fill with whatever you like. You can also use the same egg shapes in a Easter egg hunt the same way you would Easter eggs in the garden and once again the kids get something to keep at the end.



Other non food options 

 A new set of PJ’s (can become a tradition like some families do at Christmas time)
Books – a child can never have enough books in my opinion
A stuffed toy/ toy /game/puzzle of choice

So there you have a very small sample of Healthy/Practical Easter treats that are easy to make, good for you and in most cases allergy friendly as well! 

Winners all round, so go on and get creative!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Blueberry "Surprise" Pudding

Need to hide greens from the kids? It's unfortunately the way for my youngest Lachlan whereas Riley my eldest eats them with very little fuss so I got a little creative this afternoon tea and came up with this.

Serves 2 kids serves

2 tablespoons Chia seeds
1 tablespoon pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 & 1/2 cups of frozen blueberries
2 pitted Medjool dates
2 Medium /large bananas (I used fresh - you could use frozen but would change the texture of the pudding to more ice cream)
1 cup baby spinach
2 tablespoons of water (may need more depending)

1. Using Thermomix (or high powered blender) on speed 9 grind up chia seeds, sunflower and pepita seeds till the form a powder
2. Add all other ingredients and on speed 9 blend till all combined and it's at a texture your kids will eat.
3. Dish out and serve and secretly giggle to yourself that the blueberry "surprise" is actually full of iron, protein and fruit and your kids are blissfully unaware!!


(excuse my smudged glass!)