on the table

On the kiddo table

Lately I’ve been inspired by the amazing Miss James from Bleubird Vintage to try and think more creatively about what we serve the boys for dinner. So these last couple of weeks, Rick and I have been brainstorming ideas and attempting to coax our boys to consume dinner more eagerly (and efficiently) by serving up meals which we thought they would be interested in eating. Well, the results are in and here they are:

Preparation time:

Approximately 40 minutes

Components:

Meat balls, bok choy, pumpkin and mushroom

Response from Angus (3 year old):

Consumed two kebabs by himself. Told us that he liked “the funny things on a stick.”

Response from Pete (2 year old):

Refused bok choy. Refused pumpkin. Refused mushroom. Finally accepted two meatballs. Accepted yoghurt with great delight.

Response from Jamie (1 year old):

Picked up meatball, and ate it. Picked up pumpkin, and ate it. Picked up mushroom and ate it. Picked up bok choy and attempted to chew it. Discarded bok choy. Picked up the remaining meatball, pumpkin and mushroom and polished it all off. Consumed one entire kebab (minus bok choy remnants) happily and willingly.

Our conclusion:

2 out of 3 liked the kebabs. Success!

Addendum:

Sadly, when we tried the same kebabs again a few days later, 0 out of 3 liked the kebabs.

Preparation time:

Approximately 30 minutes

Components:

Veal schnitzel, beans, peas and cherry tomatoes

Response from Angus (3 year old):

Consumed schnitzel with much persuasion. Consumed cherry tomatoes. Consumed 1 bean. Rejected all peas.

Response from Pete (2 year old):

Ate 2 pieces of schnitzel under great duress. Rejected all greens. Did not even look at the small red things. Instead, ate Jamie’s ‘Organic Only’ fruit muesli (read: baby food) from a jar. And a banana.

Response from Jamie (1 year old):

Allowed schnitzel bites to be put into his mouth. Tasted schnitzel bites. Spat out schnitzel bites. Accepted my offer of porridge, which we had as back up.

Our conclusion:

Try again when all three are over the age of five.

Addendum:

Mummy polished off the schnitzel bites.

Preparation time:

Unknown, because these were made by Nan (on Pa’s birthday)!

Components:

Chicken nuggets, potato fries

Response from Angus (3 year old):

Finished most of the food on his plate, along with a few tomatoes from the grown-up’s salad.

Response from Pete (2 year old):

Climbed on and off the chair about five times. Ignored nuggets. Ignored chips. Ignored mummy’s look of immense exasperation. Accepted six mouthfuls of porridge.

Response from Jamie (1 year old):

Ate grapes. And maybe five mouthfuls of porridge.

Our conclusion:

Invest in the shares of a company that produce rolled oats.

Addendum:

Mummy ate the nuggets. Mummy ate the chips. And then mummy had lasagne. And pie.

Despite everything, we shall keep trying. Round 2 here we come. Brace yourselves, boys.

p.s. I am also over at Johanna’s blog today, sharing the big and small things that make life with three little boys easier and extra special. Head over there for a few peeks into our home!

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Hot noodles for a cold day

Growing up in a Chinese family, I love my seafood, my noodles, my soups and my hot lunches. So while Rick’s idea of the perfect lunch is a good old sandwich, I’m forever fantasising about some hot noodle dish (sounds funny when you say that out loud) – especially on a cold day. If you have $3 and 8 minutes to spare, you can whip up this prawn and vermicelli dish too!

Soak one serving of rice vermicelli noodles in boiling water for about 4 minutes (or follow the instructions on your packet). While you’re waiting, chop a handful fresh shallots and set aside. Then wash half a dozen fresh prawns, blanch them in boiling water for about one minute or until the flesh looks white, and drain. In the same saucepan, boil about a cup and a half of water and add stock of your choice (I prefer my Asian chicken broth, but you might want to try this with miso soup paste or fish stock).

To assemble, simply place your noodles in a bowl, add prawns (unshelled) on top, pour in your broth, sprinkle shallots on top, and serve with soy sauce. Easy! And healthy. And yum.

And guess what? Another room tour coming on up – this time my studio! Stay tuned.

{ 18 comments }

Iced, iced coffee

Here’s one fact about me. I love coffee milkshakes. And I love Dare’s entire range of iced coffee in a bottle. This summer, however, I discovered – for better or for worse – that an average milkshake from a cafe has about 500 (or more calories), whilst a bottled iced coffee drink from Dare has on average 450 calories. That’s more than a third of the calories that I’m meant to be consuming in one day!

Anyway, all this to say that I’ve been forced to create my own low-calorie version of an iced coffee and it’s pretty good if I do say so myself. And ridiculously easy too. If you have two minutes to spare, you can make this at home:

Mix a teaspoon of instant coffee in a splash of hot water (use more coffee if you need a stronger drink, or as my friend Monica suggests, use decaf if you’re just after the taste). Add the tiniest amount of sugar if you prefer something slightly sweeter (I’m talking less than half a teaspoon). Throw in a few ice cubes and then pour in one cup of cold milk.

And that’s it: just coffee, ice and milk (and a few grains of sugar if you’re feeling sweet). And if you use low fat milk, a glass of this is only about 160 calories at most even with the added sugar. My favourite milk at the moment is Paul’s Smart White Milk which has only 2% fat but tastes just as creamy as full cream milk. The best of both worlds!

And there you have it. Iced coffee for two. Baby’s yoghurt sold separately.

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The inevitable food column…

Let’s be honest, we both know it had to happen sooner or later. What with my love for food, and oh yes, my love for food. This will simply be a peek into what’s on our table every now and then. And it shall all be healthy – yes it shall!

So without further ado, I give you…

This is sooo simple:

Cook one serving of organic soba noodles, and drain. Add a few splashes of soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil. Split into 3 or 4 portions and put each into an individual cup. Cut up some shallots and sprinkle on top! Voila. Soba in a cup.

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