Last week we spoke to the amazing Miriam Cooper, the brains behind Mimi's Bowl, an online platform sharing amazing toddler food and baby weening ideas. We were so inspired by Miriam's approach to feeding children that we asked her to share some of her favourite recipes, tried and tested by her own kids. We have already whipped these up for our own little people, and can't recommend them highly enough. For even more amazing recipes head over to Mimi's Bowl.
Sweetcorn Pancakes
Serves 2 adults, or 3 children
Wholemeal savoury pancakes are brilliant for any meal. Children love pancakes so it can be a way to add a few extra ingredients into their diets. These wholemeal pancakes are hearty and filling, I blend half of the sweetcorn into the batter and then add the remaining half whole, to create texture. For some children who are very sensitive to texture you can choose to blend all the sweetcorn.
Ingredients
1 small can of salt-free tinned sweetcorn (195g), drained
50g wholemeal flour (you can use plain flour if you prefer)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 organic egg
50ml milk, dairy or non-dairy
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil, for cooking
To cook
Divide the sweetcorn mix into two. Add ½ the sweetcorn to a blender, with the flour, baking powder, egg and milk. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining whole sweetcorn kernels to the pancake mix and combine with a spatula. Pour the mix into a jug (then you can pour the pancake mix directly into the frying pan)Next take a frying pan and place over a medium heat. Brush the surface of the frying pan with a little oilPour out small pancakes into the pan, roughly 1 tablespoon of the batter per pancake. Once bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, they are ready to turn. Then cook on the other sideCook in batches and remove to kitchen paper to drainServe with chopped avocado, halved cherry tomatoes and a dollop of natural yogurt
Easy Egg Fried Rice
Serves 2 adults, or 3 children
This quick family recipe is adaptable: I have added quantities as a rough-guide but I really do make this up from leftovers in the fridge. Feel free to customise with the vegetables you have to hand: carrots (grated or cut into ribbons), shredded greens like baby spinach leaves, pak choi, bean-sprouts, mushrooms and so on. The key is rice that’s been pre-cooked and then completely cooled, this will stop the rice from sticking together.
For adults, serve with sriracha hot sauce, for a fiery kick
Ingredients
120g cooked rice, I use easy cook long grain rice, cooked and completely cooled
70-80g sugar snap peas
70-80g frozen peas
70-80g red pepper (1/2 a red pepper approx.)
70-80g corn, I am using baby-sweetcorn, but frozen sweetcorn/ or fresh corn cut off the kernel works
2 spring onions, trimmed
3 organic eggs (medium size)
2 tablespoons veg oil
tablespoons reduced salt soy sauce
For extra flavour (optional) ~
teaspoon grated ginger
teaspoon spoon, crushed garlic
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
To cook
Ahead of time, make your rice; when cooking rice follow the packet instructions: I always rinse rice really well in running water and cook in plenty of water too. You need it to be cooked and completely cooled; this recipe is great for leftoversPrep all the vegetables: wash them, trim and slice or dice (making sure everything is cut so that is age appropriate, to avoid choking risks for smaller children). Now that everything is prepped you are ready to cook. Heat up a wok, or large frying pan, add a little veg oil. Add the spring onions and pre-cooked rice to the hot pan: for 3-4 minutes moving constantly. By the end of the cooking time, the rice needs to be completely reheated)Next add the vegetables: sugar snap peas, red pepper, sweetcorn, frozen peas (or other). Cook for 2-3 mins. Move the vegetable/ rice mix to one side of the pan and crack the eggs into the space. Allow to cook on the underside and then break up into strips with a spatula (breaking up into small eggy pieces). Fold the rice, vegetables and egg together for a final 1-2 mins of cooking: the rice and egg should be piping hot and cooked throughTo finish, add reduced-salt soy sauce to taste and chopped chives
Honey and Cinnamon Biscuits
Makes 6-8 biscuits (depending on their size)
This is a great recipe to make with children, it is sweetened with honey (honey is not suitable for children less than 1 years old) but is not overly sweet. You can roll out the chilled biscuit dough and use cutters to make any shapes you like. The biscuits will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
N.B. This recipe is only for children 1 years +, as honey is not suitable for children younger than 1 years +
Ingredients
80g plain flour
80g wholemeal flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons milk
60g butter, softened to room temperature
To cook
Preheat the fan oven to 180°CPlace all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together by hand to form a dough. The butter needs to be softened to room temperature to make a nice smooth dough that comes together easilyWrap the dough in a large sheet of baking paper and chill in the fridge for 30 mins, to allow the dough to firm upNext line two trays with baking paper, ready for cookingRoll out the dough to ½ cm thickness, I find it easiest to roll out the dough sandwiched between two sheets of baking paperCut out shapes, using cookie cutters and place the biscuits on the pre-lined baking traysBake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, this will depend on the size of the cookies. For smaller cookies check them after 6 minutes or soRemove from the oven and cool on a wire baking rack