10 Healthy Kid-Friendly Recipes

As the school holidays are almost upon us I thought I might share some healthy kid-friendly snack recipes to help keep tummies full and fueled for endless holiday activities!

Banana Muesli Squares

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 3cm-deep 26x16cm slice pan. Combine 1 cup rolled oats, ½ cup each of dried apricots and apple (finely chopped), sultanas, natural almonds (coarsely chopped) and sunflower seeds and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a large bowl.

Combine 2 mashed bananas, 1 tablespoon tahini and 1 egg (lightly whisked) in a small bowl. Add to oat mixture and stir until well combined. Spoon into prepared pan and smooth surface. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and firm to touch. Cool completely before cutting. Makes 24 squares.

Apple and Sultana Wraps

Preheat a sandwich press. Place 2 wholegrain tortillas on a flat surface. Spread 1 side of each tortilla with 1 teaspoon of extra-light spreadable cream cheese. Distribute ½ cup canned no added sugar apple slices, 1 tablespoon and a pinch of cinnamon along 1 edge of each tortilla. Roll up to enclose.

Place in press. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until tortilla is toasted and filling warmed through. Cut in half and serve.

Pizza Ships

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays. Cut 6 wholegrain English Muffins in half and spread cut side of each half with 2 x 50g sachets tomato and herb pizza sauce. Place on trays. Sprinkle muffins with 1/3 cup reduced-fat pizza cheese. Distribute a 225g can pineapple pieces in natural juice (drained, chopped), 2 sticks cabanossi (sliced) and 1 green capsicum (finely chopped) among the muffins. Sprinkle muffins with 2/3 cup cheese and place in oven to bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden. Serve.

Hawaiian Pizza Twists

Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Line a baking tray. Place ½ of 440g can crushed pineapple (drained well) on a plate lined with paper towel. Pat dry.

Sift 1 ½ cups self-raising flour into a large bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs. Add 50g chopped butter. Using fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Make a well in centre, add ½ cup milk. Using a butter knife, stir until mixture forms a dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute or until smooth.

Roll half the dough out to a 15cm x 20cm rectangle. Leaving a 1cm border, spread 1 tablespoon no-added salt tomato paste over rectangle. Top with 70g sliced ham, pineapple and ½ cup pizza cheese. Roll remaining dough out to 15cm x 20cm rectangle. Place dough on top of cheese. Press down to gently compact. Pinch edges to seal. Cut crossways into 6 x 15cm long strips. Carefully twist each strip to form a spiral. Place on prepared tray, 3cm apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden. Stand on tray for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate in air-tight container.

Cheese & Chive Scones

Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Grease and flour an 18x28cm slice pan. Place 3 ½ cups self-raising flour in a bowl. Add 60g chopped butter. Rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in centre and add 1 ½ cups milk, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, 1 teaspoon dried herbs and ½ cup grated tasty cheese. Using a flat-bladed knife, stir until dough almost comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead gently until dough comes together. Press out to a 3cm-thick round. Dip a 6cm round cutter into flour. Cut out scones. Press leftover dough pieces together and repeat to make 12 scones. Place scones, just touching, in prepared pan. Brush with extra milk. Sprinkle with ¼ cup cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden and hollow when tapped on top. Serve.

Chocolate Bliss Balls

In a food processor, blitz 1 ½ cups each of walnuts and pitted dates for 1-2 minutes until finely processed. Add ½ cup each of cocoa and desiccated coconut, 2 tablespoons coconut oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, blitz until mixture resembles coarse paste. Using damp hands, formed into heaped teaspoon size balls. Refrigerate for 2 hours to set. Enjoy!

Cheese & Bacon Muffins

Pre-heat oven to 190°C. Place a frying pan over medium to high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, then fry 2 rindless, diced bacon rashers for 1-2 minutes or until crispy. In a bowl, whisk 3 eggs, ¾ cup milk, 50g butter, cayenne pepper (pinch) and 2 tablepoons chopped parsley.

In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups self-raising flour, bacon and 1 cup grated tasty cheese. Then stir through egg mixture until well combined. Spoon mixture evenly into a 12-hole non-stick muffin pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until well-risen and golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Healthy Roasted Chickpeas

Heat oven to 210°C/190°C fan-forced. Line a large baking tray. Drain, rinse and dry (between sheets of paper towel) two 400g cans of chickpeas. Toss chickpeas in a bowl with 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon each of garlic salt, pepper and dried rosemary and 2 teaspoons dried thyme until chickpeas are well-coated. Pour mixture onto prepared tray, making sure the chickpeas are in one layer and not too crowded. Roast for 25 minutes. Gently shake chickpeas around and continue to roast for a further 25 minutes or until golden brown. Turn oven off, open door and allow to cool in oven. Once cooled, store in airtight container on bench top for up to a month.

Veggie Pikelets

Mix 2 cups self-raising flour, 6 eggs, 4-5 cups finely chopped or grated mixed vegetables (eg. Carrot, zucchini, capsicum, corn etc) and ½ – 1 cup grated cheese in a large bowl. Add seasoning of your choice, then add enough milk to the mixture until it is slightly runny. Heat a frying pan with a teaspoon of olive oil and drop a tablespoon of mixture into pan, patting into a nice circle. Cook on a medium heat until golden on each side. Serve warm or cold.

Vegetable Nuggets

Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Line a baking tray. Cook 2 large (600g) peeled and chopped Sebago potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain. Mash. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add ½ small brown onion (finely chopped), cook stirring for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Squeeze excess moisture from 1 medium grated zucchini. Combine zucchini with 1 medium peeled and grated carrot, 1/3 cup reduced-fat grated cheese and onion in a bowl. Add mashed potato. Season with pepper and stir to combine.

Whisk 1 egg and 1 tablespoon reduced-fat milk in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon egg mixture to potato mixture. Stir to combine. Place 1 cup dried multigrain breadcrumbs on a plate. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into 30 nuggets. Dip 1 nugget at a time into remaining egg mixture, shaking off excess. Coat in breadcrumbs. Place on prepared tray. Spray nuggets lightly with oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Serve.

Happy cooking!!