Learning cooking is the best tips & Recipes from our centres
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cooking is learning the best tips & Recipes from our centres
Dear families, At this time, we understand circumstances are quickly changing for families across Australia. With many spending so much time at home, we also understand this may come with added pressures – including the endless question of what to feed your little ones each day! Our centres have come together to provide a range of recipes to inspire your family during this time of social distancing and beyond. Our nutritional experts, chefs and cooks spend every day with children and know what works to tempt those little taste buds. We also know the importance of establishing healthy eating habits from an early age, laying the foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing. By introducing children to high-quality, nutritious food, young bodies can thrive, contributing to children’s wellbeing and self-confidence. This e-book is designed for you to explore the recipes and food together with your child. By cooking with your child, it motivates them to taste the ingredients, sample along the way and enjoy the finished products. Including children in the cooking process also supports literacy, mathematical and scientific understanding as you read the recipe, measure, weigh, combine and cook ingredients together to make something delicious! Whether you’re looking to find your new favourite spaghetti bolognaise recipe, or just looking for fresh inspiration for the whole family, this is a gift from us to you – with the intention to make your life that little bit easier at this time. Read on and enjoy.
Why is cooking with
your child so beneficial?
Apart from engaging in such an enjoyable and messy activity together, when your child is cooking with you,
they are:
• Improving their physical skills through mixing, • Exploring mathematical concepts such as
cutting, shaping and rolling. measuring by cup, teaspoon, grams, in whole,
half and quarter measures.
• Learning written words have meaning by
engaging with the recipe and following • Exploring how matter changes when
directions as you read them. combined, heated or cooled.
• Engaging in conversation and increasing their • Enjoying food socially from the making process
vocabulary as they explore new words in the to eating!
recipe.
start the day healthy pancakes
Forget about the shake and bake pancake mixes.
These pancakes are healthy, delicious and full of
goodness to kick off the morning perfectly.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup wholemeal flour 1/3 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon 1 banana, mashed
1 tbsp sugar 2 free range eggs
1/3 cup greek yogurt
METHOD
Bonus tip: If your
g
1. Mix the flour, cinnamon and sugar; add the yogurt and milk, child is too youn
in
and mix further. to help, pop them
me
2. Get your child to help you mash the banana. Add your mashed a highchair and na
banana and eggs to the mix. Stir until well combined. the ingredients as
od,
you prepare the fo
3. Heat a fry pan on low heat with your choice of oil, and pour small
amounts of batter, turning once they begin to form small bubbles. allowing children
d
to touch, smell an
4. Serve up and enjoy! ay.
taste along the w
banana chia loaf
Baking is always fun with children,
and especially when it results in
a delicious loaf to slice up and
enjoy for breakfast or morning
tea. This is a fun twist on banana
bread! Encourage little hands to be
stirring, measuring and spreading
to get them experiencing a variety
of cooking methods.
INGREDIENTS
½ cup oil
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup greek yoghurt
2 medium bananas, mashed
2 tbsp black chia seeds
METHOD
1. Preheat oven 175°C.
2. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the
oil and sugar.
4. Add the vanilla, mix well. Combine
the flour, baking soda, baking
powder and salt, stir into the
batter mixture until smooth. ent
nu s ti p: Tr yi ng all kinds of differ
Finally fold in the yoghurt, chia Bo .
in g m et ho ds is great for children
and bananas. Spread evenly into cook ing
er for a loaf, tear
the prepared pan. Stirring the batt
salad, grating a
the lettuce for a h,
5. Bake for 60 minutes or until cake sa lt, kneading doug
le m on , pi nc hi ng
tester comes out clean.
the list goes on...
spare-time sushi
Makes 4 rolls
This is a great one to make with children at
home if you have a bit of spare time on your
hands – hence the name! It’s a great fun way
to introduce some Japanese food and the
use of chopsticks. By letting children choose
their own fillings, they’re much more likely to
eat what they have put together.
INGREDIENTS METHOD
1 cup short-grain rice 1. Rinse rice under cold water and drain well.
Place rice and 2 cups of water in a saucepan and
1 tbsp caster sugar
bring to boil. Decrease heat to low and simmer
5 tbsp rice vinegar uncovered for 12-15 minutes, until the water is
absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand with
1 tsp saltv
lid on for a further 10 minutes.
1 tube wasabi paste
2. Place rice in a large bowl. In a separate bowl,
1 jar of pickled ginger combine the sugar, 2 tablespoons vinegar and
1 teaspoon salt, and pour over rice. Stir to
4 nori sheets combine. Cover a flat tray with aluminum foil
and spread rice on it to cool. The rice should be
Try these toppings: completely cool before using.
Strips of red capsicum and cucumber 3. Choose from a variety of fillings. We used tuna,
Grated carrot cucumber and avocado. Combine remaining
vinegar and 300ml cold water in a bowl.
Canned tuna, mixed with a little mayonnaise
4. Place 1 nori sheet, shiny-side down, on a bamboo
Blanched green beans mat (or non-stick baking paper). Make sure
Cooked teriyaki chicken strips longest edge of nori is at top of mat. Dip hands in
water mixture (to prevent rice from sticking) and
Smoked salmon strips spread a quarter of rice over bottom two-thirds
Japanese low sodium soy sauce, to serve of nori, leaving a small border around edge.
5. Spread a thin line of wasabi along the middle
of the rice and arrange a little of the filling and
, t idea for vegetables alongside the wasabi. Gently lift the
Bonus tip: It s a grea end of the mat closest to you, and roll it over the
y in meal
children to have a sa ingredients to enclose.
simple:
planning, but keep it
n or pork? 6. Continue rolling the mat forward to make a
pasta or rice? Chicke
for the complete roll. With one hand on top, gently roll
Write your meal plan mat back and forth a few times to make a nice
d in the
week on a whiteboar round shape. Use a sharp knife to slice the rolls
yone have
kitchen, letting ever at 2cm intervals. Serve with pickled ginger, soy
ribution for
their individual cont sauce and extra wasabi.
, e.
what they d like to se
slow cooker spaghetti
Makes approx. 4 serves
Spaghetti bolognaise is always a family
favourite. Equally loved by children and adults,
it’s filling, nutritious and, best of all, easy to
make in bulk.
Thanks to this being a recipe for the slow
cooker, it’s also perfect for time-poor parents.
Whether you’re rushing off to work or
spending more time at home, simply put it on
in the morning, and it’ll be ready for you to
enjoy within six to eight hours.
Depending on personal preference, you can
switch out the spaghetti for zucchini noodles,
wholemeal pasta or a gluten-free alternative.
INGREDIENTS METHOD
1 tbsp olive oil 1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat.
500g lean beef mince 2. Add the diced onion, garlic and gently sauté until onion
is translucent and cooked through.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3. Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker bowl.
1 brown onion, diced
4. Heat remaining olive oil in pan and add the mince. Use a
1/2 cup salt reduced beef stock (or 2 beef
wooden spoon to break it up and move around the pan.
stock cubes + 1/2 cup boiling water)
5. Transfer mince to slow cooker bowl.
400g diced tinned tomatoes
6. Pour the beef stock into pan (or add beef stock cube
2 Tbsp tomato paste
and boiling water to slow cooker bowl then go to step
1 carrot, diced 7). Bring stock to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer for a couple of minutes before pouring into the
1 stalk of celery, diced slow cooker.
1/2 cup mushrooms, diced 7. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and diced veggies, bay
1/2 cup spinach leaves, diced leaves and herbs and stir to combine.
2 tsp mixed herbs 8. Switch slow cooker to ‘low’ and cook for six to eight
hours.
3 bay leaves
9. When sauce is almost finished, fill a saucepan with
300-400gm packet of wholemeal water and bring to the boil. Cook pasta according to
spaghetti or gluten free alternative packet instructions.
Handful fresh basil leaves 10. Serve spaghetti topped with bolognaise sauce, chopped
1 cup grated cheese fresh basil leaves and grated cheese. Enjoy!
Bonus tips on
stocking the
pantry from
Nutrition and
Health Coach,
Karla Gilbert
These tips are perfect for ensuring that you’re
getting the most out of your supermarket shop,
so you can make the trip less often!
When shopping, look for canned
and frozen vegetables, tinned and
frozen fish, legumes and beans,
bread, rice, quinoa and whole-wheat
pasta. These are all ingredients that
will enable you to mix and match to
easily create healthy meals.
Utilize canned beans and halve
the amount of meat used in a
dish to extend the time between
supermarket visits. Try a spaghetti
bolognese sauce with veggies and
lentils, tacos made from mince and
black beans, chickpea falafel balls
or meatballs simmered in tinned
tomatoes and butter beans.
Having pizza bases, tortillas and
taco kits on hand will also ensure
that variety is maintained with
meal planning, keeping children
content! You can freeze pizza bases,
individual portions of chopped
vegetables and even grated cheese.
DIY rainbow pizzas
Makes 2 (each pizza can serve 12)
Children may not like their vegetables, but they
love their pizzas, and it’s amazing what they
can eat if they have created it themselves! You
can get inventive with many different colours
and vegetables. Get older children suggesting
toppings to match each colour.
Here are some ideas for each colour to get you
started:
Purple – Spanish onion, eggplant, red cabbage
Green – Broccoli, green capsicum, zucchini
Red – Tomatoes, red capsicum
Yellow – Corn, yellow capsicum, yellow squash ip: See if
Bonus t ipe
u c a n find rec
yo he
nts in t
DOUGH INGREDIENTS TOPPING INGREDIENTS ingredie ther,
r m a r k et toge
supe or
3/4 cup lukewarm water 2 tsp olive oil, extra r o n l in e shop f
o ,
ie n t s t ogether
1 tsp dried yeast 3/4 cup tomato puree or pizza sauce ingred t
in g t o work ou
tr y a
1 ½ tsp honey 2 cup (200g) grated cheese ategory
which c nt
2 tsp olive oil 1 small red onion, diced ingredie
certain
in!
2 cups plain flour 1 head broccoli, roughly chopped may be
1/2 tsp salt 125g can corn kernels, drained
200g punnet cherry tomatoes, cut in half
METHOD
1. In a small bowl, whisk together water, yeast and honey, sit 5 minutes or until it begins to foam. Stir in oil.
2. Place the yeast mixture into a stand–up mixer, with dough hook. Gradually add flour and salt, knead for
3-5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. (Or get your children kneading!)
3. Form the dough into 2 balls, place into greased bowls, cover lightly with plastic and let sit for 40 minutes,
or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease and line trays/pizza trays. Roll dough to approx. 20cm. Brush with extra
oil. Top with cheese.
5. Arrange with alternating colours of vegetables, let your children get creative with the pizzas. Bake for 15
minutes, or until crust is crisp and top golden.
6. Cut into slices and serve.
hy not
Bonus tip: W
lazy vegetarian tacos od from
test out fo
Makes 10 tacos res? Spin
other cultu
ether
a globe tog
dish from
Sometimes it’s nice to lighten things up a bit – and these and cook a
ur finger
vegetarian tacos are quick, healthy and easy to serve up wherever yo
lands!
deconstructed. Simply put each ingredient in its own bowl
and let the little ones build their own tacos to their tastes.
INGREDIENTS METHOD
1. Heat tomatoes in a pot, add the water
250g tomatoes, diced 150g shredded cheese
and garlic.
200ml water 1/2 head shredded 2. Bring to the boil and add grated carrot
lettuce and zucchini. When boiling, add the
2.5 tsp garlic, minced lentils and seasoning.
10 wraps, wholegrain
250g carrot, grated or gluten free substitute 3. Turn to low, stirring frequently until the
mixture thickens, add more water if
250g zucchini, grated needed
4. Keep on a low simmer until mixture
400g red lentils
thickens and lentils are no longer visible.
1 tsp taco seasoning 5. Serve with salad, cheese and soft tacos
for children to build!
porcupine meatballs
There’s nothing spiky about these
delicious meatballs, which make the
perfect hot dinner – especially when
the weather’s cooling down outside!
Get little hands helping to roll the
meatballs and place them into the
oven-proof dish.
INGREDIENTS
500g lean beef mince
1 small onion, chopped
1 zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 egg
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp garlic, minced garlic
500ml condensed tomato
soup, salt reduced
150g white medium grain rice Bonus tip:
ll,
Talk to your children about the sme
cook,
Frozen vegetables to serve taste and texture of food as you
on side developing their language skills!
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. water and add to the sauce mix. Once well
mixed, pour over the meatballs.
2. To make the meatballs, mix the beef mince,
half of the onion, egg, garlic, grated carrot, 5. Place dish in oven, cover and simmer for 40
zucchini, and uncooked rice together. Roll into mins or until the rice is tender and meatballs
about 10 meatballs. are cooked through.
3. Place the meatballs into an oven-proof dish. 6. Serve with cooked frozen veggies of your
choice.
4. Mix together in a big jug the tomato soup,
Worcestershire sauce and the other half of the
onion. Fill the empty tomato soup can withthe perfect pasta bake
A truly delicious pasta bake needs no real
explanation. This one incorporates tuna and
vegetables to make a nutritious yet child-
friendly and family-loving menu option.
INGREDIENTS
500g tin tuna in spring water, drained
300g macaroni*
600g frozen peas
200g frozen corn kernels
1 small onion
250g cauliflower
2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheese
our child
50g margarine bonus tip: If y
ns of
is showing sig
it may be
1/4 cup plain flour* fussy eating,
posing
a process of ex
*Or substitute with gluten-free options a certain
the new food
es. Offer
amount of tim
ngside a
METHOD new foods alo
already
food they are
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a baking dish. o; try
accustomed t
food
2. Cook pasta in a saucepan of boiling water, following packet and reduce new
directions, until just tender. Drain. Transfer to a bowl. owing
anxiety by all
experiment
3. Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add your child to
es in
flour. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 to 2 with vegetabl
ies and
minutes or until mixture bubbles. Gradually stir in milk. craft activit
Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring, r leave a
tea parties;, o ,
for 5 minutes or until thickened, add half the cheese. Cook fr o m t h e fa iries
note
for 2 minutes or until combined and cheese melted. , vourite
or their fa, ouraging
4. Stir in tuna, onion, frozen vegetables, cauliflower, and superhero enc
pasta and stir until heated through. Spoon into prepared mething
them to try so
dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 reens
new, such as g
minutes or until golden. Stand for 5 minutes. Serve. y garden.
from the fairBonus tip: Get
the kids
banana monkey muffins involved in ev
ery step –
Makes 12 muffins including sett
ing the table,
cleaning the k
itchen after
cooking by pu
tting things in
This recipe makes muffins that even the cheekiest the rubbish bin
, and assisting
monkey would go bananas for! With no refined in clearing th
e table after
dinner!
sugar and delicious elements such as Greek yogurt
and cinnamon, they won’t last long out of the oven.
INGREDIENTS METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
1 and 3/4 cups wholemeal
self-raising flour 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder,
baking soda and cinnamon. Mix them together with a whisk.
1/4 cup milk
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil and honey and beat
1 tsp baking soda together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then add the
yogurt and vanilla. Mix well. (If the coconut oil solidifies in contact
1/2 tsp cinnamon with cold ingredients, gently warm the mixture in the microwave
in 30 second bursts.)
1/2 cup honey
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon,
just until combined (a few lumps are ok).
1/3 cup coconut oil
5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups
2 eggs
6. Bake the muffins for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the muffins are
1 tsp vanilla essence golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out
clean.
1 cups greek yoghurt 7. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool – and enjoy!
1 cups banana, choppeddiy apple donuts
with yoghurt
and berries
Donuts with a twist, coming right
up! This great snack option is fun
for the whole family thanks to
children being able to get hands-on
and creative, taking ownership of
their food. With delicious all-natural
ingredients, this is unlike any donut
you’ve had before.
INGREDIENTS METHOD
1. Slice the apples and use a small cookie cutter to remove
Apples, sliced and cored
cores. Set out small bowls of rolled oats, coconut, berries
Rolled oats or gluten free alternative and cinnamon, adjusting quantities to allow for how
many need to be fed!
Shredded coconut 2. Serve each child a serve of yoghurt with serve of apples,
and encourage them to spread the yogurt over the
A pinch of cinnamon apples. Then let them scatter their own toppings over
the yogurt, eat and enjoy!
Yogurt
Berries
Bonus tip:
Create a healt
hy
picnic lunch
or
dinner featu
ring a
roast chicken
from
the supermar
ket,
store-bought
sushi
rolls and fres
h
items such as
grapes,
cheese cubes
, berries
and cherry t
omatoes.
Have some fu
n with
the backyard
set-up
too, and invit
e the
teddy bears a
long!best-ever strawberry
oats smoothie
Makes 5 serves of 150ml smoothies
Be sure to stock up on frozen fruit
for this one. There’s a reason we call
it the best-ever smoothie - children
can’t get enough of it, and we’ve
seen the evidence in our centres!
It’s perfect for those afternoons
when you need something
refreshing yet delicious.
INGREDIENTS
1 litre milk or unsweetened
almond milk
3/4 cup of rolled oats or gluten free
alternative
1 cup frozen strawberries (add up to
1/2 cup more for a thicker smoothie)
2 medium bananas, chopped and
frozen
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp honey (optional)
METHOD
1. Place all ingredients in a blender,
adding in a couple of handfuls of ice
if desired and blend until smooth.
ou can
2. Pour into individual cups of 150ml each. Bonus tip: Y
as an
use cooking
y to chat
opportunit
our
more with y
out where
children ab
from and
food comes
learning
extend the
or books
into videos
ing.
about farmBonus tip: Ther ,
e s nothing be
tter
overnight, gluten-free than baked go
odies straight
out
bran and date muffins of the oven. T
his batter last
for four to fi s
Makes 12 large muffins ve days when
refrigerated,
so if you have
bigger family a
, you can mak
a double batc e
The best thing about this recipe is that it’s best h to keep in th
fridge and en e
to leave overnight – so why not mix it up around joy fresh-bak
muffins for br ed
dinnertime and leave the batter in the fridge, eakfast over
few mornings! a
ready to cook the next day? This makes breakfast
or morning tea a healthy and delicious breeze!
INGREDIENTS METHOD
1. Combine, in a medium bowl, the flour,
1 and 1/4 cups gluten-free self-raising flour
cinnamon, and sugar.
1 tsp cinnamon 2. Add the finely chopped dates, bran and
oats.
1/2 cup sugar (use any sugar you prefer
- coconut, brown or white) 3. Make a well in the centre of the dry
ingredients and add the oil, buttermilk and
1 cup rice bran lightly beaten egg until it is well combined.
4. Cover and leave in the refrigerator
¾ cup gluten-free oats
overnight.
125g dates, chopped 5. The next morning, preheat oven to 200°C.
Place some muffin paper cases into a
1/2 cup vegetable oil 12-hole muffin tin and fill generously.
1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk 6. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes or until
(or use dairy-free alternatives) golden brown and cooked when tested.
1 eggReady to get your children
in the kitchen with you?
Here are all our helpful tips for getting little ones involved - all
summarised in one place for easy reference!
Trying all kinds of different cooking methods is great for
children and developing their fine motor skills. Stirring the batter for a loaf, tearing the
lettuce for a salad, grating a lemon, pinching salt, kneading dough, the list goes on...
Get the kids involved in every step – including setting the table, cleaning the kitchen
after cooking by putting things in the rubbish bin, and assisting in clearing the table
after dinner!
Talk to your children about the smell, taste and texture of food as you cook, developing
their language skills.
It’s a great idea for children to have a say in meal planning, but keep it simple: pasta or
rice? Chicken or pork?
Write your meal plan for the week on a whiteboard in the kitchen, letting everyone
have their individual contribution for what they’d like to see.
See if you can find recipe ingredients in the supermarket together – or, while online
shopping at your supermarket of choice, try to work together to guess which category a
certain ingredient may be in.
Why not test out food from other cultures? Spin a globe together and cook a dish from
wherever your finger lands! Or talk to your child about the culture of origin for their
meal.
You can also use cooking as an opportunity to chat more
with your children about where food comes from and
extend the learning into videos or books about farming.
- be
If your child is too young to help, pop them in a highchair Above all
and name the ingredients as you prepare the food, allowing messy, try
new things
children to touch, smell and taste along the way. un!
and have fCasa Bambini Early Education Centre
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