Anyone else's toddler or child do this? Try to eat as much of the spaghetti that hasn't touched the bolognese sauce? Surely my cooking isn't THAT bad??! I find sauces a challenge and I think it's because it's not clear to the little one what's in it especially when there's suspicious lumps. They like to know what they're eating and love to make the choice themselves. Tonight my 4 year old ate around the sauce in the middle and my 2 year old simply picked the sauce up and chucked it on the table! Charming!! What fun! More for me!! :)

I'm taking about food refusal here and I know most likely all of us with kids have experienced it. It hurts! It really really hurts when you've made a delicious healthy meal for the family and the little one says 'NO!' Sometimes you just want to hold their mouth open and put the food in there yourself but you can't. You just can't do that. All you can do is suck it up and try not to worry about it. I know it's hard, trust me I've been there but try seeing it from their point of view. Imagine you went to a new friend's house and they made you dinner, told you to sit at the table and produced this enormous plate of food you have never seen in your life. (Remember kids stomachs are not very big which is why they need regular small meals and snacks). As an adult you are most likely politely going to eat it but what you really want to do is push it away and get yourself something you like. Now imagine you were already feeling full from a big lunch and you had a big plate of food put in front of you. You might pick out a couple of bits you know and love but no way are you going to clear the plate! This is how I imagine babies, toddlers and kids feel at each food offering. That's why I only 'offer' food to my kids and trust them to eat what and how much is put in front of them. We can have a good idea of how hungry they'll be feeling based on snacks they've had in the day but we don't know for sure, only they know how hungry they are. Only they can decide how much to eat, only they can feel their stomachs rumbling or filling. So see it from their point of view, offer regular nutritious food and accept their decision on what and how much if it they consume.

The Little Menu :)

So, what's my plan from here? I'm going to pack them to take to grandads tomorrow and see if they'll eat them there and I will keep offering them every now and again along side food they DO like and try not to get too hung up about it. Kids will be kids and I will continue to be THAT mum who keeps putting good food in front of them until they realise how good it is for them!! WISH ME LUCK 🤞

Go on the leftovers!!

The Little Menu :)

Hi I'm Kat! Mum of 1 boy and 1 girl (3yrs and 18 months).. After commencing the weaning journey for baby number 2 I was starting to feel a bit lost, with no new ideas and was just making the same things over and over again. I wanted to feed my kids healthy happy meals without salt or sugar (plus a friend on her first weaning journey asked me for some ideas) so I set about recording my own meals and recipes, which meant I found lots of similar blogs inspiring me.. Although some recipes and plates may seem simple and straight forward the idea is that anyone preparing meals for little ones can do it from their own home probably with what they've already got in stock! I wanted to share my food ideas with mums, dads, nannys, grandads, aunts, uncles, childminders and budding kid chefs to encourage healthy eating around the clock.. and this is why ⬇️ Childhood obesity is a global public health challenge. It is estimated that 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight in 2015 worldwide. In the UK 22% of 4-5 year olds and 33% of 10-11 year olds are overweight or obese!! If healthy food blogs can help change these statistics then I'm all for it! I'm no food professional but I enjoy real healthy food and feel very passionately about passing on my love of good food onto my kids and anyone else who's interested.. I was brought up on a vegetarian diet and am officially pescatarian but I'm happy to cook my kids meat and let them decide their own food choices in their own time! So for anyone who's taken the time to read this - thank you! I hope the pics and recipes can inspire and change more chefs of little ones to encourage good, wholesome, healthy diets. It doesn't need to be complicated, fussy or fancy - just healthy, fun and yum!! The Little Menu (Stats from Nursing Children & Young People journal, June 2017 ed)

Here's the recipe and it's very simple.. enjoy!! We used: • 1 egg • 1 & 1/2 slices of Wholemeal bread • a few Basil leaves • a handful of grated Parmesan • 385g chicken breast chunks How we did it: • toast bread then leave to cool • blitz in a food processor or hand blender and mix in the Parmesan and Basil • whisk egg in a separate bowl with a fork • line baking tray with baking paper • dip chicken chunk by chunk into egg then coat with breadcrumbs then onto baking tray • bake on 200c for around 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through Tip - if you get ready chopped chicken breast you don't have to get your hands dirty at all you can just use your fork to dip the chicken in the egg and breadcrumbs!! Voila! The Little Menu :)

Banana, Coconut & Chocolate Muffins - - no butter and no refined sugar but still super tasty!!

The Little Menu:)

MINI BEAN BURGERS

This was so easy to make even on our first attempt so we had to share! Perfect served with a tasty curry.. Ingredients: • Plain flour • Wholemeal flour • Olive oil • Water Method: • Mix together an equal amount of plain and Wholemeal flour depending on the amount of chapatis you want • A large tbsp of each flour will yield about 3 medium size chapati • Mix in a drop of olive oil then a spoonful of water at a time mixing with your hands to form a spongy but not sticky dough • Add more flour if it gets too sticky, add more water if it's too floury • Mould into balls • Heat a pan (lightly grease if you wish, I think it works better without as long as it's non stick) • Roll balls into flat shapes on a lightly floured surface until desired thickness achieved • Place into hot pan for around 30 seconds each side or until brown spots appear • Serve hot or cold and enjoy! The Little Menu :)

HOMEMADE CHAPATI..

Great as a take away snack to keep the little ones happy while you're out and about but also perfect for mummies and daddies too!! Here's what you need to make a batch of these naturally sweetened tasty treats.. Ingredients: • 4 tbsp olive oil • 180g self raising flour • one medium carrot finely grated • 1 egg • 4 tbsp maple syrup • handful of raisins Method: • Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and pop into cupcake cases in a muffin tray.. • bake on 200c for around 20-25mins until baked and delicious! The Little Menu :)