Vegetable Fritters

I am feeling super excited while I type this post today. This afternoon the kids and I went out to do a large shop at our local grocery store. My 21 month old was sitting in the attached seat of the trolley and my elder one was bouncing in the trolley itself. It was so enjoyable today, and for once I didn't feel rushed. We talked about all the food in the store, and my eldest kept naming everything and the younger one kept pointing and laughing. Every outing is an adventure for my 3 year old, even the most mundane tasks like grocery shopping are exciting to her. After loading the trolley with the usual shop of fruit, meat and plenty of vegetables as well as  the naughty crisps and biscuits, we entered the bread section. It was only after spotting the sesame toasted burger buns that I decided we would have vegetarian fritters. I've never made them, so I decided to give them a go.

Once home, the kids were excited to make Peppa Pig cupcakes which were pretty awful in taste but they had fun making them. Cracking the egg, mixing the batter and icing the cupcakes took place on the kitchen table and the kitchen floor. I was there of course to witness their happy expressions and of course to clean the floor and the table (what are moms for eh?).

Soon it was dinner time and the fritters turned out so crispy and tasty! It barely took 15 minutes to prepare and dinner was a feast of salad stuffing such as avocado, spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, different cheeses such as cheddar and feta (might I add the feta gave it a great kick!) and caper berries and pickled onions. All this stuffed into a burger bun with a crispy fritter in-between. It was delish!

The kids verdict was smiles all around! For me, I couldn't have been happier as the fritters had 5 vegetables in it and for a first time attempt they went down a treat. And this just goes to show you that one needs to constantly try new and fun things with children. We all get stuck in a rut with the same 5 things being cooked again and again and the kids do feel it. Maybe just once a week we should try and be creative when we cook for them? Even if its a delicious smoothie for breakfast instead of the usual cereal and milk? We gotta shake things up!

You might choose to give your kids just the fritters, perhaps with a dip such as humous or even a yoghurt and cucumber one? Either way, they make a delicious meal.

So here goes the recipe for 10 fritters:

1 carrot
1 parsnip
1 white potato (you can use sweet potato)
1/2 courgette
100 grams sweetcorn
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper
handful of chopped coriander
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 egg white
1/2 cup all purpose flour

1. Peel and grate all the vegetables into a large bowl
2. Now add the sweetcorn, grated clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and crushed black pepper. Mix
3. Add the slightly beaten egg white, and the flour to the bowl and mix till fully coated. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes
4. Now in a shallow frying pan, add 2-3 tablespoons of oil
5. Once the oil is hot, scoop with a tablespoon into the hot oil and allow to cook for 5 minutes on one side and flip and cook for 4-5 minutes the other side. Both sides should be crispy and golden. Drain on kitchen towel before serving.

Enjoy!

Selina

So my little niece Selina, all of 12 months (bless!) will be starting nursery in a weeks time. And like any mother, my sister is worried about lots of things but most of all her food.  My sister tends to mix it up with home cooked dishes of lentils with cumin, salmon with spinach and chicken stew as well as Ella's baby food pouches.

Her munchkin loves to eat but she needs her food in a certain way, pureed with some lumps. While this is ok when at home, as her mom makes it just the way she likes it, my sister isn't convinced that this will take place at nursery. The trend tends to be that once they are over a year, its about babies trying to feed themselves, using cutlery and eating finger food. But little Selina is the youngest and frankly not all kids are at the same level of eating. Some children are super confident with lumps while some are not.

Then there is the times for lunch, which is at 1130 am, followed by a nap. This is the norm in nurseries, which seems very early. Selina has her lunch  at 1230 (an hour later) and a nap earlier in the morn. There is a rush to feed her straight away from her sleep and drop her off to nursery. So its all a bit topsy turvy at the moment, but then these things tend to sort themselves out.

The whole nursery experience, brings up a lot for moms. Now that there are other children in the same age bracket, mothers tend to compare their little ones to other babies' developments. Perhaps putting some pressure on themselves? Some babies are walking at 10 months while others start at 12 months. My kids were over 13 months when they started. Or with food, why isn't my child more confident with bread sticks? All this will happen over time, and at nursery they will be given this opportunity to watch other babies and test their new skills.

I wish my niece and my sister all the best over the settling period!