Super Tasty Kids Vegetable Pancakes

I know all parents can relate with the struggles of trying to feed your kids a healthy balanced diet. We become stealth secret agents trying to hide good vegetables into our fussy food-critic children's meals... well that's how it feels.

I always remember the family rule when I was a kid, "You must try something at least once before saying you don't like it." Mum always stretched that rule and made it three times, if I ever turned my nose up at something. Funnier still she would then hide that food in my meals to again see if I had an aversion. I have tried to instill a similar family rule, at least the 'you must try it' part, which has met with success. However with a one year old, he is too young to understand this concept so I use the 'hide it' tactic to give him the nutrition he needs.

One fun way has been to make these easy-peasy Kids Vegetable Pancakes. They are so adaptable to a large variety of ingredients, so are handy for whatever you have in your freezer or crisper. With your trusty blender you can whiz all those vegetables into an unrecognisable mush with which your kids will inhale with gusto. If your children are old enough, get them involved in the cooking, or make fun shapes with the pancakes to keep it interesting.

Let's be honest, who doesn't love a pancake!

So dear readers, what meal ideas have you used to hide nutritious food in your kids meals?

Recipe - makes approx 20 small pancakes

1-2 cups mixed frozen or fresh vegetables (I used frozen: broccoli, cauliflower, beans & peas)

1 can Creamed Corn
2 eggs, lightly whisked

1 cup Self-raising flour

1/2 cup milk (I used Oat Milk)

Pinch salt
Oil spray

Add other ingredients depending on your families tastes and dietary needs, such as:

1 can beans, pureed (I used butter beans to increase the fibre content)

1/2 cup grated cheese

2 rashers of bacon, cooked and diced

Method

Steam fresh vegetables or defrost/steam frozen vegetables. Puree vegetables in a blender or food processor. Place vegetable puree, creamed corn, salt and eggs into a bowl and mix well. If you have chosen to add additional ingredients mix them in now. Add in 1/3 of flour, gently mix through. Add 1/3 of milk and gently mix through. Continue with remaining flour and milk till all is combined.

Put a fry pan on a medium high heat and spray with oil. Place a generous spoonful of mixture in four places around the pan.

Once the bottom has cooked to a golden brown, use a spatula to flip the pancake over.

Cook the other side till golden brown. Serve. Bonus leftovers can easily be frozen.

So dear readers, what meal ideas have you used to hide nutritious food in your kids meals?

Guilt-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes I am a control freak, I like to have everything be a certain way, or life to proceed in the way I want it to. Since getting married I knew I needed to let go of the reins, otherwise I may have sent my husband a little crazy. Now I'm a mother I knew life would throw me curve balls, eating Dairy-free is one of those balls I never expected. My poor little man has a Cows Milk Protein allergy which has meant this breastfeeding Mama cannot eat an ounce of dairy and neither can my son. I've never before had to look at labels and be strict about what I eat that others have prepared. Sometimes I feel like I'm being a little pedantic but when my son gets sick I know it's worth the effort and strict attitude.

My lovely sister introduced me to these delicious peanut butter cookies, so of course I had to give them the dairy-free treatment. Fortunately it was only a matter of purchasing dairy free choc-chips which were easily found in the health food section of my local grocery store. These cookies are suited for a range of label lookers: vegan, gluten-free, grain-free and refined sugar free (or easily adapted). I love how they taste oh-so naughty, melt in the mouth, gooey ooey goodness especially since they are based on healthy chickpeas. Yes you read that right, the humble chickpea! I can see you now, sighing and saying "please woman, not this rubbish that healthy food can pass as something you might actually WANT to eat". I kid you not ladies and gentlemen, even your children will eat these heartily without a complaint. They passed the man, teenager and toddler test in my house, the first batch I made didn't last long, so I know this will be a regular recipe I will turn to. Give them a whirl - you might be surprised!

Tell me dear readers, what food intolerances/allergies were you not expecting to deal with and do you have a recipe that people won't believe is good for you?

Recipe

1 tin chickpeas (400g)

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp maple syrup*

3 tbsp peanut butter^ (or other nut paste)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used dairy free)

Method

Drain the chickpeas and place in a food processor. Process till the chickpeas resemble crumbs.

Place remaining ingredients (EXCEPT chocolate chips) into the food processor.

Blend till well mixed and looks like cookie dough. Mix in chocolate chips with a spoon (do not blend).

Scoop out a spoonful of mixture and roll into a ball. Wet hands while rolling will result in a smooth ball. Place on a baking tray and with a wet fork gently press the cookie down. At this point you could add a sprinkle of nuts or as my sister does, a marshmallow on top.

Place into a 200 degree Celsius oven for 10 mins (or less for a gooier consistency). Once cooked rest on a wire rack. These are best eaten warm with a nice glass of milk, or Oat milk in my case!

* Alternatively you could use agave syrup or more honey. Extra honey will make the mixture really sweet.

^ You can add more than 3 tbsp of peanut butter for a stronger taste

Inspiration taken from The Lucky Penny Blog

Tell me dear readers, what food intolerances/allergies were you not expecting to deal with and do you have a recipe that people won't believe is good for you?