COOKING FOR TODDLERS SUCKS
Since Edward's last hospital stay and after every hospital stay where he goes on the IV drip for any period of time, it is very difficult to get Edward to eat independently. With the exception of his oats and berries because weirdly enough, he will even eat that with a line in! Edward used to have the most amazing appetite but the Carbamazapine which he takes for his seizures has dramatically reduced his palate. We have daily battles at lunch and dinner.
For the last 6 months, I have been serving, on average, around 5-6 different meals twice a day. Initially it was distaste for leftovers, he wanted fresh cooked meals only. Fair enough. This expanded into orange coloured food only. Then white foods only. No hard bits, nothing that requires chewing. He recently went through a phase where the only food group he would eat was round foods: rice balls, grapes, boiled egg... you get the picture. It was very tedious. It is still very tedious.
Last week I called a stop to the madness and said no more! I can't take it any more you teeny tiny little dictator! One meal is all you shall have, just like everyone else. Like it or lump it, I am actually not trying to poison you! But after all these dramas over the last 6months, it's like my meal-making brain has tapped out and gone MIA. At the end of the week I am out of ideas he hasn't rejected yet and I can't string a recipe together. (Totally unlike me, I never use recipes and usually make my own)
No Edward, yoghurt is not a food group and you may only eat after dinner. Not for dinner.
Last week, these simple, no thinking required Mexican meal kits absolutely saved my sanity. I still don't cook to the rule book, in fact I'm not even sure what the recipe on the back says. But I don't need to think about the spices or condiments - the gluten free flavour blends are just perfect as is. You could probably use anything in your fridge or pantry - beans, lentils, whatevs! Just add your proteins and veges of choices. I made ours using fried tofu, so you really don't need cheese!
Sauté in olive oil roughly diced veg:
1/2 White Onion until clear then add to pan
1 x Red Capsicum
1 x Orange Bell Pepper
250g Button Mushrooms until starting to brown then set aside
More olive oil to the same pan, don't wash in between! Keep the flavour in!
500g of Firm Tofu, cubed + fried with spice mix tipped on top, straight into the pan.
I served in wraps with slabs of avocado and dollops of coconut yoghurt + squeezes of fresh lemon!
(Coconut Yoghurt Recipe below, scroll down)
Next time I will add:
-fresh coriander or mint
-fresh green chilli chopped in to mine
-fresh spring onion
PRIZE TIME!!! I have 2 of these delicious Mexican Kits to giveaway for when you just Mexican't think of what to make for tea - I will have these on standby from now on. Click the heart below and comment your emergency meal (mine: scrambled eggs) to enter! Share the post for extra entry!
COCONUT YOGHURT RECIPE
Before you start, you need 3 clean jars of 380g or the size of a Pic's Peanut Butter. IL will not quite fill all 3 jars and you need that extra room at the top to allow for fizz action. I topped mine up yesterday with extra coconut cream from the fridge which is why they overflowed. In summer you can "cook" the yoghurt in the sun apparently. But as the temperature is so variable, that has never worked for me. A nice gentle warm slow heat is what you need for brewing the yoghurt. A night or two in the hot water cupboard works great for me. Don't forget to pop the jars on a tray or lay down a towel in case they overflow. Like mine did today on snapchat (@wellfitmumnz). Fail! Ha!
1L of KARA Coconut Cream
1-6 caps of 50billion or higher probiotic (I use 4 caps of GO Healthy 75 but Nutralife 50 is yum too)
I-2tsp of sugar per jar (this is to feed the bacteria, don't worry, it wont make the yoghurt too sweet)
1. Pour half the cart of cream equally between the 3 jars
2. Twist the caps gently open over the top of each jar and tip the contents in (might need to squeeze)
3. Add 1-2 tsp of organic icing sugar or raw sugar (icing sugar dissolves faster, raw tastes better)
4. Stir to combine thoroughly
5. Top up the jars with the remainder of the cream and share the 4th cap between 3 jars.
6. Screw shut and then wind the lid back a fraction so it's slightly loose. This allows them to breathe.
7. Overnight in the hot water cupboard.
8. Check for taste next day. If it's sweet, pop it back into the hot water cupboard for a night or two.
Couple of Notes:
- You can also add another cap if you need the coconut yoghurt el pronto.
- 2 caps per jar is also really good if you are like me and love a nice tart yoghurt / are impatient and want it to brew quickly.
- If you like a nice thick/stiff yoghurt you have a few options to achieve that.
- Storing the coconut cream cart in the fridge prior to making the yogurt will separate the fat solids from the coconut milk. Squeeze out the thick stuff at the top and keep the milk aside for another recipe. This will yield significantly less yoghurt obv and it will take longer to "cook".
- In Thailand I used young coconut flesh to make things set to a jelly consistency but that's not readily available here... if for some reason you have the hook ups, use that.
- You can use chia seeds in the yoghurt
- Cornstarch mixed into a little of the cocomilk then stirred in
- Ground flaxseed or if you are not vegan, gelatine.
All of these will alter the flavour and texture of your yoghurt so it comes down to personal taste and preference, as will all the measurements I mentioned above. Please let me know what works for you!
If you liked this recipe, I would really appreciate if you would click on the little heart below! It helps me know what content works for you and that I'm not just talking to myself when I write these posts!
A share on social will also put you in the draw to win one of those great Fajita packs above :) xx Katy
MEXICAN FAJITA WINNERS:
Carolyn MacDonald
Fran Brynildsen
