We’re joined again today by Garth McColgan – Aldi’s resident chef and the brains behind the Food Active summer camp – with his top tips for feeding kids and winning over funny eaters.
Recipe: Gorgeous Green Puree
Serves 6 (Baby’s First Food)
Ingredients
40g Onion, peeled and chopped
15g Butter
200g Potatoes, peeled and chopped
375ml of Water and half a Vegetable Stock Cube
100g Broccoli Florets
150g Frozen Peas
Method
1. Sauté the onion in the butter for about 5 minutes until soft but not coloured.
2. Add the potato, pour over the stock, cover with lid and bring to the boil.
Cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 3 minutes. then add the peas and cook for a further 3 minutes.
4. Remove the pot from the heat and purée with a blender.
(NB: If you push it through a drum sieve, the texture will be even better.
Recipe: Sticky Chicken Drum Sticks
Serves 10 (Toddlers to Teenagers)
Ingredients
1 pack Chicken Drum Sticks
60ml Tomato Ketchup
2 tbs Teriyaki Sauce
2 tbs Soy Sauce
2 tbs Brown Sugar
100g Butter cut into knobs
Method
1. Put the ketchup, teriyaki, soy sauce and brown sugar in a pot. Bring to the boil, stirring all the while to dissolve the sugar. Leave to the side and allow to cool.
2. When the chicken is cooked, pour the sauce over the drum sticks and add the butter. Toss the drum sticks in the sauce until fully coated and serve.
3. Put the drum sticks into an oven dish and season with salt. Place into a pre-heated oven (220ºC) for 20-25 minutes until cooked.
Garth’s Top 5 Tips for Winning Over Fussy Young Eaters
1. Get the kids involved in preparation.
2. It is important to give your child the idea that good food is wonderful, to be enjoyed. Help them develop a love of real food and of home cooking. Let them enjoy sitting with you (and other family members) to savour a meal and a good chat.
3. Few children like everything; so if they only dislike some vegetables then that isn’t too much of a problem as they can get all the nutrients they need from the ones they do like.
4. A child needs to be somewhat hungry to enjoy their meal, so try offering only water or diluted juice for drinks and snacks of fresh fruit or vegetable batons between meals.
5. If your child seems to be a fruit and/or vegetable hater – there are usually a few fruits/veg that they DO like. Concentrate on these for the time being and introduce tiny amounts of one or two of the disliked ones again every few weeks (but not all at the same time).