Looking for yummy kid-friendly dishes that you can easily prepare for your baby or tot? Here are some of HoneyKids mums’ favourite recipes!
Nothing cheers us up more than seeing our kids enjoy the food we’ve prepared for them. For one, whipping up kid-friendly dishes isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. Depending on your kid’s age and preferences, you may need to get creative with the type of ingredients you can use to make baby and toddler food less bland.
If you’re looking for more kid-friendly recipes to experiment with, we’ve listed some of our (and our kids’) favourites right here! Don’t worry about the difficulty level – we can assure you that these dishes are super easy to make! Because if there’s anything that we at HoneyKids HQ love, it’s yummy and fuss-free recipes.
1. Anzac oatmeal biscuits
Suitable for: Kids aged two and above
Ingredients:
- 2 cups oatmeal cereal
- ½ cup wheat flour
- ¾ cup grated coconut
- 60g butter
- ½ teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 teaspoon water
- 2 tablespoon honey
- Chopped almonds or cashew nuts (optional)
Method:
- Mix the flour, oatmeal cereal, and grated coconut until well combined.
- Add melted butter, baking soda solution, honey, almonds or cashew nuts into the mixture. Mix well.
- Form them into bite-sized shapes and bake on a greased tray at 175°C for 20 minutes.
HoneyKids mum Rohini: My boys absolutely love this! It’s so simple and wholesome and quick to make as well. It’s also a great snack option that you can easily pack and bring along for outings or when you’re travelling.
2. Fruity porridge
Suitable for: Kids aged six months and above
Ingredients:
- ½ cup rice cereal
- 1 cup water or milk of your choice (breastmilk is highly recommended if your baby has just started on solids)
- Fruits of your choice, e.g. strawberries, kiwis, etc. (puréed for babies below one); or sugar-free applesauce
Method:
- Bring the water or milk to a boil over medium-high heat. If you’re using breastmilk, then warm it up to room temperature. For formula milk, do follow the serving guide provided.
- Mix the rice cereal into boiled water or heated milk.
- Add the fruits (cut or puréed) or applesauce, honey, and Greek yoghurt.
HoneyKids mum Amanda: We are big porridge lovers in our house; it’s a breakfast favourite. Our go-to toppings are frozen strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries – these melt nicely from the heat of the porridge. We also love bananas, mixed berry Greek yoghurt, and lots of honey – all at the same time! We sometimes blend it up as a smoothie if we’re in a hurry so we can take it with us in the mornings.
3. Slow cooked beef stew with quinoa
Suitable for: Kids aged six months and above
Ingredients:
- ½ cup quinoa
- 200g cubed beef (chuck steak, or ask your butcher to recommend a cut suitable for stewing)
- 80-100ml beef or bone broth (homemade or unsalted store-bought broth)
- Diced or chopped vegetables of choice, e.g. carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, etc.
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon paprika (you may reduce this to a pinch if you’ve yet to introduce spices to your child)
- 2 tablespoons tomato purée
- Salt and pepper to taste (omit for babies below one year old)
Method:
- Coat the beef in salt and pepper before placing them into the slow cooker. You may skip this seasoning step if your baby is below one year old.
- Pour in the broth, vegetables, garlic, tomato purée, and paprika into the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cook on high for four hours, or on low for eight hours, or until beef is tender enough.
- Grind or puree the stew with a food processor if necessary. You may skip this step if your child is doing baby-led weaning or is old enough to chew.
- Mix in or serve the quinoa on the side.
HoneyKids mum Esther: I’m a big fan of one-pot slow cooker recipes. Lucky for me, my son enjoys eating them too! The great thing about this recipe is that you’re in total control of the meat’s tenderness. I used to purée the stew when my son was still new to solids. Plus, it’s an excellent way to ‘hide’ the veg (insert knowing wink).
4. Baked porridge bars
Suitable for: Toddlers aged one and above
Ingredients:
- 2 cups oatmeal cereal
- ½ cup oatmeal
- 2 cups of milk of your choice
- 2 very ripe, mashed bananas
- Berries of your choice
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened peanut butter (optional)
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C.
- Mix the oatmeal cereal, oatmeal, milk, bananas, and peanut butter until well combined.
- Add in the berries of your choice. Mix well.
- Scoop the mixture into a greased baking tray, and make sure the berries are evenly spaced.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let it cool before cutting it into kid grip-sized bars.
HoneyKids mum Kate: My girls enjoy it for both breakfast and as a snack. It’s also a healthier option as the bananas act as natural sweeteners. You can even make these without the berries and peanut butter, and it’ll still taste just as delish!
5. No-bake fruit ‘tarts’
Suitable for: Toddlers aged one and above
Ingredients:
- Toddler-friendly biscuits (if not available, sugar-less or non-artificially sweetened whole wheat biscuits are fine too)
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1 large, very ripe, mashed banana
- Cut fruits of your choice
Method:
- Mix the yoghurt and banana until you get a smooth mixture.
- Arrange the biscuits or cookies on a tray, then top them with the yoghurt and banana mixture.
- Top each ‘tart’ with the fruit of your choice.
- Chill them in the fridge for an hour or so before serving.
HoneyKids mum Ana: Need a quick dessert? Here you go! I admit that these aren’t exactly fruit tarts, but they’re close enough. At least, my kids think so… Each of my kids has a favourite topping (strawberry-only; blueberries with desiccated coconut), and I have my own personal favourite – mangoes. Yes, adults can enjoy these too!
You can make these using Gerber’s range of baby food and snacks
Looking for wholesome and high quality oatmeal cereal , purées, or biscuits to try out these recipes? Gerber has them all! The brand’s baby food and snacks are made from premium and top quality ingredients, all of which are free from preservatives as well as artificial flavouring and sweeteners. Its cereal range includes organic rice, oatmeal, and oatmeal millet quinoa. But that’s not all; you and your little one will be spoilt for choice when it comes to snacks too! Gerber has teethers, puffs, and yogurt melts that are made from real fruits, chewy arrowroot biscuits, and crunchy baked navy bean snacks. These are great by themselves, but feel free to be creative and mix them up too! You can also try making an Apple Banana Smoothie and Prune Jam with arrowroot biscuits with these fuss-free recipes by Gerber.
Here’s to happier and healthier mealtimes with the kiddo!
This post is in partnership with Gerber.