Kid Food

Lately, I have really struggled with what foods to feed Olivia. She is certainly not what you would call a fussy eater, in fact, she rarely refuses food, but I have stressed nonetheless with making sure I have easy, ready-to-go, and healthy food for her.

It was easy when it was all purees. I added lots of flavours and textures, and tried to be really adventurous. I would freeze the purees in big batches and that way had lots of food ready to go as needed. Fast-forward to now and Olivia is at the stage where she wants to feed herself, yet isn't quite there with using a spoon or fork. Fingers seem to be much more effective, and fun. The problem with the current status quo however, is that I am afraid of mess (I'm working on it), and so I like Olivia to eat foods that leave the fewest amount of crumbs possible. Finger foods are where we are at and so I have had to get a little creative to make sure Olivia is getting good nutrition in every meal she eats, with the least amount of mess (shameful but true).

Aside from easy things like chopped fruit and vegetables, cheese and rice cakes, my go to lunch (and sometimes dinner) has become a modified version of Zucchini Slice. I omit the bacon and add lots of other veggies to make Olivia's version a little more nutritious. I slice it into Olivia sized portions and keep it in the fridge or freezer, depending on how quickly we plan to get through it. Here is my recipe...

OLIVIA'S ZUCCHINI SLICE

Ingredients
1 large zucchini, grated
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 - 1 small head of broccoli, chopped finely
1 medium onion, grated
4 eggs
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup self-raising flour*

Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C.
Combine vegetables with the flour, cheese and lightly beaten eggs.
Pour into a lightly greased pan (I tend to use a round 10 inch pan), smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.
Cook for 30-40 minutes, until cooked through and nicely golden on top.

*As an alternative to self-raising flour, use 1 cup of all-purpose flour with one teaspoon each of baking powder and bicarbonate soda. I also like to use wholemeal flour.

There you have it, so easy you can almost do it in your sleep. I also find it delicious for myself served with sweet chilli sauce and a nice side salad. Enjoy!