Healthy Kids Meals

Chicken Wanton Soup

kids-healthy-recipes1

 

Chicken Wanton Soup

This is a famiy favourite when all you want is chicken soup on cold days or when feeling like something light.

Ingredients:
  • 300g chicken mince
  • 2 chopped tablespoons chives
  • Some chopped button mushrooms
  • Some finely chopped chinese or savoy cabbage
  • 1 chopped spring onion
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 pkt wonton skins
  • 2 cups low salt chicken stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Preparation Time: 10 mins  

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves: 4 children

Steps

  1. For speed mix the chicken mince, mushrooms, cabbage, spring onions, chives and ginger together in a food processor
  2. Add the fish sauce to the mixture and blend for 1 minute.
  3. Add a teaspoon of the minced chicken mixture to a wonton.
  4. Repeat process until all the chicken mixture has been used.
  5. In a saucepan add the chicken stock, water, soy sauce and bring to the boil.
  6. When the stock is boiling add the wantons and simmer for 5 minutes.
  7. Serve the soup in bowls. For a more substantial soup you can add some noodles to the soup.

Chicken Wontons

kids-healthy-recipes1

Chicken and Mushroom Wontons

My children enjoy making these with me. Chicken and mushroom wontons are easy to prepare and cook. My children have fun making and eating their own wontons as soon as they are cooked.

Ingredients:
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
300g minced chicken
4 tbl of chopped bamboo shoots
2 tbl light soy sauce (reduced salt)
1 tea spoon of finely grated fresh ginger
1 packet of wonton wrappers
1/2 tea spoon of sesame oil
Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves: 4 children

Steps

  1. Soak the 4 dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes
  2. Drain the mushrooms, squeeze out any excess water and then chop finely and place in a large bowl
  3. Add to the bowl the chicken mince and chopped bamboo shoots, soy sauce, grated ginger, and sesame oil
  4. Stir to combine the mixture
  5. To make the wonton, take 1 wonton square wrapper and place 1 heaped teaspoon of filling mixture in to the centre and draw and pinch the edges together to make a little wonton bag.
  6. Place the made wonton bags on a tray lined with greased baking paper
  7. Steam them for 15 mintues (hint: to stop them sticking, place the wontons on a small circle of greased proof paper in the steamer which stops them sticking to the bottom of the steamer)
  8. Serve with plum sauce, or soy sauce

Thai Fish Cakes

thai fish cakes

Thai Fish Cakes

This is easy to do, and Thai Fish Cakes are great for parties as well as forĀ  dinner. Thai Fish Cakes are a tasty way for you to get your children to eat fish, my daughters cannot get enough.

Ingredients:

500g of white fish
2 tbl spoon of fish sauce
1 tbl spoon of Thai red curry paste
1 egg
1 teaspoon of palm sugar
3 kaffir lime leaves
100g French beans
3 spring onions
1 red chilli

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Serves: 20 fish cakes

Steps

  1. Put the fish into a food processor with the fish sauce, red curry paste, egg, kaffir lime leaves and palm sugar
  2. Process until smooth
  3. Remove the seeds from the red chilli and then finely chop and add to the fish mixture
  4. Finely chop the French beans and spring onions and add to the fish mixture
  5. Wet your hands and then roll 1 heaped tablespoons of mixture into a ball and flatten a little
  6. Set aside the the rolled fish cakes while you heat vegetable or sunflower oil in a large frying pan
  7. Cook the fish cakes a few at a time, and then drain on paper towels to remove excess oil
  8. Serve with a little sweet chilli sauce
Join the forum discussion on this post

Five A Day Carbonara

kids-healthy-recipes1

Five A Day Carbonara

Kids love pasta. If you have difficulty getting your children to eat vegetables, this pasta dish is for you as my kids love it and its quick and easy to produce for an evening meal.

Ingredients:
400g dried spagetti
125g of chopped pancetta or streaky bacon
1 brown onion
2 gloves garlic
100g of button mushrooms
15 broccoli florets
120g frozen peas
120g fresh or frozen broad beans
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
25g unsalted butter
2 free range eggs + 2 egg yolks
50g of grated parmesan
Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves: 4 children

Steps

  1. Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salt water
  2. Heat some oil in a casserole dish, add the butter
  3. Add to the pan the pancetta or bacon and cook until crispy
  4. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms, reduce the heat and cook very gently for 5 minutes until the onions are soft
  5. While the onion and mushrooms are cooking beat the eggs into a bowl large enough to contain the spagetti
  6. Fold in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper
  7. With 5 minutes before the pasta is ready add to the salt water pan the broccoli, peas and broad beans
  8. When cooked, drain the pasta and add the pasta to the bowl containing the beaten eggs and cheese
  9. Add the spinach to the pasta
  10. Add the mushroom, onion and bacon

Thai Green Curry

kids-healthy-recipes1

Thai Chicken Green Curry

Children love thai food. This green curry is packed full of flavour and is a great way to get children to eat vegetables. Best of all is cooked in one pot which saves parents on the washing up!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Thai Green curry paste
1 tbsp finally chopped lemongrass
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp of finely chopped fresh ginger
2 small hot green chillies finely chopped
1 tbsp thai fish sauce
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
3 lime leaves
Juice of 2 limes
2 cans of evaporated milk (an alternative to coconut milk)
500 ml of chicken stock
2 carrots peeled and finely sliced diagnolly
300g of broccoli
150g sugar snap peas
3 spring onions finely sliced
1 cooked chicken
1 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves
Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Serves: 4 children

Steps

  1. Heat some vegetable oil in a casserole pan and fry the curry paste for 1 to 2 minutes until you can smell the fragrence
  2. Add to the pan the chopped lemongrass, ginger, garlic, lime leaves, chillies, and the ground tumeric. Cook for 2 minutes
  3. Add the carrots, snow peas, brococoli, chicken stock and the evaporated milk. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes
  4. While it is simmering, remove the chicken meat from the carcass. Add the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes
  5. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, coriander and spring onions
  6. Serve in bowls topped with some chopped coriander springled on top.
  7. The Thai Green curry can be served with Jasmine rice.

Healthy Noodle Soup

kids-healthy-recipes1

Healthy Noodle Soup

This healthy noodle soup has fresh Oriental flavours and is great for using up left overs after a Sunday roast dinner.

Ingredients:
1 packet of egg noodles
100g broccoli florets
200g of shredded cooked pork or chicken
1 handful of baby spinach leaves
3 spring onions
2 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp of sesame oil
1 tsp of fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp of chilli flakes
3 tbsp of light soy sauce
100g of sugar snaps
1.5 litres of chicken stock
1 tsp of honey
Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Serves: 4 children

Steps

  1. Cook the egg noodles as per the manufacturers instructions. Freshen them up using cold water, then drain into a bowl
  2. Heat some vegetable oil and sesame oil in a frying pan. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute
  3. Add to the pan the stock, the soy sauce and honey. Bring to the boil
  4. Add the sugar snaps and broccoli and bring to the boil
  5. Add the spinach leaves and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat
  6. Add the spring onions and the coriander and pork
  7. Divide the noodles between four bowls and spoon over the soup. Serve

Squid Salad

kids-healthy-recipes1

Squid Salad

Squid is fairly cheap and this is has lots of flavour and is healthy. It can make a special school lunch during summer.

Ingredients:
500g squid tubes
1 tsp of Sichuan spice
1 lime

For the salad
Half a cucumber peeled and seeded
3 Spring onions finely chopped
1 packet of Spinach leaves
2 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp of chopped fresh mint
1 lime
2 tsp of honey
1 tsp of thai fish sauce

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Serves: 4 children

Steps

  1. Cut the cleaned squid tubes along one length to be able to open them flat.
  2. Score the inside of each tube in a criss cross pattern without cutting all the way through the squid
  3. Slice the squid into bite size pieces
  4. Place the squid in a bowl along with the Sichuan pepper spice, juice of 1 lime. Marinate for 10 minutes
  5. While the squid is marinating you can prepare the salad. Mix spring onions, cucumber, spinach leaves and mint and coriander together in a big bowl
  6. Make the salad dressing by mixing in a new bowl the lime, honey and fish sauce
  7. Toss the dressing through the salad just before serving
  8. Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan until hot. Add the squid pieces scored side down. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes only, then turn and cook for 1 more minute. Dont over cook the squid or it will become very rubbery
  9. Remove from the pan and add to the salad and serve

Sardines on toast

kids-healthy-recipes1

Healthy Sardines on Toast

Very simple and quick. Canned sardines are a fantastic way to eat oliy fish which contains the good Omega3 fatty acids.

Ingredients:
4 Slices of Wholemeal Bread
8 Canned Sardines
2 Roasted Red Peppers from a Jar
2 Hardboiled eggs chopped
1 tbsp of wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp of shredded fresh basil
1 Bunch of fresh rocket leaves
Preparation Time: 3 hours

Cooking Time: 5 mins

Serves: 4 children

Steps

  1. Prepare the toast by brushing one side of each slice of bread with the olive oil.
  2. Cook them on the griddle with the olive oil side down
  3. Combine and mix the sardines, red peppers, eggs, vinegar, parsley, basil together in a bowl.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Place the rocket on the toast and top with the sardine mixture.
  6. Serve.

Pasta and Bean Soup

kids-healthy-recipes1

Pasta and Bean Soup

My children love pasta, and we love this soup as its quick to make and tastes even better if made the day before.

Ingredients:
1 brown onions
250g of dried haricot beans
2 cloves of garlic
150g of chopped bacon
250g of short cut macaroni pasta
600ml of vegetable stock
3 tbl of tomato puree
2 tbl of chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp of chopped fresh basil
Preparation Time: 3 hours

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves: 4 children

Steps

  1. Put the dried haricot beans in a large pan and cover them with cold water.
  2. Bring the water in the pan to the boil and boil for 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand for 2 hours
  3. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan add the garlic, onion and bacon, and cook until the onion is soft and golden brown.
  4. Drain the beans and then reuse the large pan. Add the onion and bacon mixture, the stock, tomato puree.
  5. Bring the pan to the boil and boil for 2 minutes
  6. Get a casserole dish. Empty the soup from the pan into the casserole dish.
  7. Place the casserole dish in a pre heated oven, 180oc / Gas mark 4, and cook for 3 hours.
  8. Remove the casserole dish from the oven. Pour half the soup into a blender and blend.
  9. Pour the pureed soup back into the casserole dish and stir in the macaroni, parsley and basil.
  10. Place the casserole dish back in the oven for another 45minutes.
  11. Serve with some grated Parmesan cheese, crusty wholemeal bread, and a side salad.

Shepherd’s Pie

kids-healthy-recipes1

Shepherd’s Pie

A British favourite. My children love this nutritious comfort food meal.

Ingredients:
550g lean mince lamb
1 medium leek
2 medium carrots
100g mushrooms
1 garlic clove
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 garlic clove
1 can of tinned chopped tomatoes
900g of potatoes
2 tbl of fresh chopped herbs
300ml water
4 tbl of milk
1 knob of butter
Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 45 mins

Serves: 4 children

Steps

  1. Pre heat the oven to 180oc / Gas Mark 4
  2. Heat 1 tbl of olive oil in a casserole dish and brown the lamb mince. Remove the mince once cooked.
  3. Wash and chop the leek.
  4. Peel and dice the carrots.
  5. Wash and slice the mushrooms.
  6. Heat 1 tbl of olive oil in the same casserole dish and fry the vegetables along with the garlic until soft.
  7. Add the tomatoes, kidney beans and herbs.
  8. Add the water and the cooked mince.
  9. Stir and simmer gently for 35minutes.
  10. While this is simmering, you can prepare the top of the shepherd’s pie.
  11. Peel and halve the potatoes.
  12. Cook them in a pan of salted water until tender.
  13. Drain off the water and place the potatoes back in the pan. Add the milk and the butter and with a potato masher, mash the potatoes until soft.
  14. Crease an oven proof pie dish. Add the cooked mince. Top with the mash potatoes. Cook in the pre heated oven at 180oc / Gas Mark 4 for 30-35 minutes until the top is crunchy and brown.
  15. Serve with a side salad and chopped fresh tomatoes.