The idea is to try to eat the same food as a family, partly because it makes everyday life easier, but also because it means that everyone eats well and we create good habits for the little ones too. Of course, not everyone likes everything – that’s just the way it is. So the best food is the food that we can tweak a little, where we might try to eat the same basic meal with some small variations. Try to work on eating the same source of protein, but let the children eat white pasta, for example, while the adults eat bulgur.
Here are some meal ideas suitable for children!
Wraps
These can be varied endlessly and everyone can ‘tweak’ their wrap to suit their taste buds. The starting point is a flour tortilla, Lebanese pita bread, (wholegrain for the adults) or even flatbread.
Dressing/sauce
- One dressing that goes down well with children is a little mayonnaise mixed with ketchup (great for children who don’t have very adventurous tastebuds).
- Yoghurt with mashed mango gives a fresh and sweet flavour
- Crème fraiche with a little lemon, salt and pepper
- Hummus
Fillings
- Meatballs (vegetarian or turkey alternatives are also available) Mash them lightly with a fork to keep them in place!
- Chicken (leftovers from a previous dinner or pre-cooked chicken slices)
- Minced meat – maybe you have some left over from yesterday’s dinner?
- Salmon
- Cheese (cottage, cheddar, feta)
Add whatever vegetables everyone likes, such as cucumber, tomatoes, pepper and grated carrot.
Of course you can mix and match any ingredients you like – one delicious wrap idea is with chicken, hummus, cheese, lettuce and some dressing. Roll it up and wrap it in foil so you can put it on the barbecue in summer or as a packed lunch! It’s also perfect for a quick meal when you get home late.
Picnic food
Food rarely tastes as good as when you eat it outside. Introduce some new habits where it’s not things like sugary snacks that you take with you to the beach/park/woods, but other tasty treats!
- Pancakes made with extra eggs and 50% wholegrain flour, filled with banana, strawberries, raspberries and cinnamon
- Home-made meatballs
- Cherry tomatoes
- Carrot sticks
- Pasta salad
- Boiled eggs
- Babybel cheese
- Rolls with cheese, ham, Philadelphia cheese, hummus and liver pâté
- Watermelon
- Strawberries
- Nectarines
Cornish pastries
Bake pastries with mainly white flour for the children (because they often prefer it) and rye flour for the adults for a great quick lunch to take out of the freezer or lunch on the go!
Dough (about 8 pastries)
- 25 g fresh yeast
- 250 ml lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 300 ml spelt flour
- 300 ml rye flour
Method:
- Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Add the water, rapeseed oil, salt and flour.
- Work into a smooth dough. Cover and leave to rise for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
- Turn out the dough on to a floured surface and roll out thinly.
- Cut into 16 squares and place the filling on 8 squares. Use the remaining squares as ‘lids’, pinch with a fork around the edges and brush with egg.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes.
Fillings
- Pre-cooked and seasoned chicken mince, vegetarian mince or lean beef mince
- Turkey slices with feta cheese and cottage cheese
- Minced beef with chopped olives and sun-dried tomatoes
- Spinach and ricotta cheese
- Mixed beans
Add salt and pepper and any fresh herbs and spices. Make a big batch and fill the freezer. Serve with carrot sticks, cucumber and tomatoes.
Pasta salad
Another dish that can be varied and adjusted to suit everyone! Examples:
- Pasta
- Tomatoes
- Peas
- Sweetcorn
- Feta cheese
- Turkey slices
- Meatballs
- Cheese cubes
- Capers
- Olives
- Prawns
Season with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, fresh herbs, pesto and or a little crème fraiche.
Tortilla pizza
The base is a flour tortilla topped with tomato purée and your chosen topping, for example:
- Turkey slices
- Mozzarella
- Pineapple
- Grated cheese
- Olives
- Feta cheese
- Tomato
- Capers
- Season with oregano.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C and bake for 10 minutes. This dinner will be on the table in just 15 minutes! Eat this meal with some extra vegetables on the side.