As parents, we are always trying to find nutritious recipes for our children... and with a lot of us battling the clock daily, it can be really hard and exhausting (not to mention a heinously time consuming task) to pre make foods and freeze them.
Let's be honest... make ahead meals are a STEALLAR idea! They really are. But with our lives being so full on these days, the only time we really have to un wind is in the evening - if you're kids go to bed early enough and before you pass out after a massive day - or the weekend - and then it's family time and you're stuck between time with the family, washing, dishes, cleaning to get ready for the week ahead. So really... having to sacrifice MORE of your relaxing time or special one on one time with your Luvahh to get everything ready and prepped for the week ahead... to me is just unfair.
So I thought I'd share what I do to help myself get ahead for the week, but also keep on top of the diets for all in the family by making nutritious meals without sacrificing as much time as I would have too if I did week ahead prep with freezable meals.
Each to their own, but this is what I do and it works.
SO! Whenever I'm cooking a meal, I always make a little extra when what I am making is foods that can be re heated and re served... like pasta sauce, mashed sweet potato, etc. This isn't limited to just dinner. I also do it for what ever we have for breakfast and lunch! But what if I'm not making meals that can be re heated? Or something spicy that my babies aren't ready to try yet? Then I simply make other things, when I have a lull in what I'm cooking. For example, If I am cooking Roast chicken and vegetables, I peel and grate extra vegetables to make baby food, and put a pot of water on so it's there if I need it. Sometimes I'll make some rice, or GF Quinoa Pasta, or Quinoa, even chick peas and lentils. All of these things are great because you can put them on to cook and not have to tend to them much and you can always leave the grated vegetables raw (my fave), or if you chop them then throw them in the pot as well with what ever grain or legume you are cooking. The brilliance in doing this is, if you don't need the water in the end, you can just empty the pot, run a tea towel around it and put it back in the drawers. I do this while the chicken is cooking and I'm waiting to put the vegetables in the oven. I like doing it this way because this is time I wouldn't be sitting and relaxing anyway because I'd be cooking dinner, so it makes sense to me to just re arrange the things I'm doing and be more constructive with the time I am actually in the kitchen.
When I made these little Rice bites, I was cooking a vegetable frittata. It already had carrot and zucchini in it, so I grated extra for these bites and left them to the side. When the Frittata went into the oven, I then measured and got the rice ready. While the rice was cooking, I organised my storage for the rice bites, and when the rice was ready, I added the vegetables and placed the lid back on to cool while we ate. Then the frittata was ready. I pulled the frittata out of the oven to cool on the bench until able to the handled and tidied up while cooling. Served Dinner, once everyone had finished eating, the rice and vegetable mix was cool enough to be handled and I rolled into the balls and stored them away.
It's all about utilising the time you DO have and doing the most you can in that time! I realise this method isn't for everyone, but it certainly works for me! I am a busy mum of 3 under 3, I run my own business from home and am studying - so at the end of the day I want to sit down with my tea, and relax. Not run around the house and go to bed all stressed wondering if I've done everything. This is why I've found this method extremely helpful.
Anyhow! On with the rest!
In our house, I follow a STRICT Paleo lifestyle for myself. I have so many health concerns that are upset by grains, processed foods, additives, sugar, dairy and am coeliac so no gluten here ( and there wouldn't be even if we weren't a coeliac household - shits nasty )... so we generally don't have things like rice laying around. For our three year old son and hubby, they follow the same eating practices that I do. However since having the twins, I have just wanted to introduce things like Rice, Teff, Chickpeas, Lentils etc to them, so there are no adverse reactions in future. They don't eat this stuff all the time, but in my personal opinion, I feel it is important to introduce a wide range of foods to babies as young as you can. So I always keep a pack of chick peas, Organic Arborio Rice, and Quinoa etc on board just so they have a little variety every now and then.
If you are going to feed your bubs rice, I ask this with sincere PLEADING! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEEEE only give them organic rice. Rice crops are sprayed with arsenic to rid rats from the crops... which means, you guessed it, arsenic remains on the rice when you feed it to your family. This includes all rice snacks, normal rice, rice cakes, biscuits, you name it. Please only ever choose Certified Organic and make sure it has the logo that ensures the product is properly certified organic and not just trademarked. ( Yes, companies can pay for a trademark for Organic which means the product doesn't actually have to be organic ). Apart from the rice being organic, please make sure when you feed your little ones that you give them organic produce where possible. This is important because we want them to be eating the skin on vegetables and fruits to make sure they are getting great amounts of fibre and pre biotics for their little digestions. I understand not everyone can afford to do this... and you know what - if you don't do it at all that's totally fine. But here's a simple suggestion if you can't afford a completely organic produce shop but want to do the best by your fam - If you eat the skin, buy organic, if you throw the skin away you can choose normal veg and fruit. This way you are getting the best of both worlds, price and health.
This recipe is so simple you'll love me for it. And it makes about 6 - 7 serves of Rice bites so you can freeze them and pull them out in the morning to defrost in the fridge as you need them. When making these, you need to use a sticky rice like Arborio. I like to keep food for the babies as simple as possible (actually, even for us all) as our digestion can only handle so much at a time. The less ingredients something has, the easier it is for the body to break down and absorb the nutrients. This is why I like using a sticky rice, so I don't have to add a binding agent like Egg or Chia seeds...it also limits the amount of time in the kitchen and your dishes while eliminating needing to do a second lot of cooking to cook through the egg if that's what you use to bind the mixture together. So sticky rice = less fuss, less mess and lessssss stress!
When adding the vegetables to the pot, since the veggies for this are grated, I prefer them to be raw. It ensures maximum nutrients and enzymes remain in the food, so I only ever add the vegetables to the pot once the rice has already absorbed all the water and the heat is turned off. Of course you can add them earlier if you like, it's totally up to you. I just prefer maximum nutrients through less heat administration.
Well! Since I've told you all my tips and tricks, I best get on with the recipe!
As usual, if you give it a go, let me know in the comments and share far and wide to make sure we are showing mums and dads all over how easy it can be to make something nutritious for our little loves!
Recipe
Serves - 6-7 depending on size rolled.
Time - 20 Minutes plus Cooling and Rolling Time -
Age - 8 months +
What you need:
1 Cup Organic Arborio Rice
Water amount as per the absorption method instructions for the rice on the packet ( handy hint - use bone or vegetable broth instead of water for added nutrition)
1 Whole Grated Organic Carrot
1 Whole Grated Organic Zucchini (including stem on the top)
What to do:
Cook your rice as per the absorption method on the back of the packet of rice you are using with the water or broth.
Grate your Carrot and Zucchini and give a little squeeze to get rid of some of the water. It doesn't have to be extremely dry, just to rid the excess.
Once the Rice has absorbed the water (or broth) add the grated veg and mix thoroughly.
Let sit until cool enough to handle.
Once you are able to handle the mixture, roll into balls. The size will be up to your discression based on how old you little one(s) is/are.
Serve Warm, or place in container and refrigerate. You can also freeze them and then pull them out in the morning the day you need them.
I find my twins enjoy about 4 each per serve (if they aren't having anything else with the meal)
Voila! Enjoy!
