Family Dinner Ideas: Chicken Rice Paper Rolls

I haven't written up any family dinner posts for a while, but, obviously we are still cooking family dinners almost every night of the week! With two toddlers in the house now, dinner time is certainly busy and a little chaotic, but we try pretty hard to have dinner together as a family. And seeing I don't have very much extra time, I still only like making one meal for everyone, it has worked well for us so far!

A couple of weeks ago I thought about trying out Rice Paper rolls for dinner. I had no idea how they would be received by the toddler duo! But, HURRAY, they were a hit! I know how frustrating it can be when you think, 'Oh they will love this for sure.' And, you put so much time and effort into making this great dinner, only to have little noses wrinkle up and declare, 'I don't like this', before they have even tasted it!! From Ez mostly of course, now that he is so aware of what everything is, and very wary of NEW things. Thankfully Willow eats everything and I mean everything, and LOTS of it. But still, trying new recipes can be a little daunting sometimes, and can open you up for a dinner time disaster.

These rice paper rolls are super easy, and great for the whole family! But, I am terrible at wrapping them, so just have a little giggle at how munted my rice paper wrapping is. Especially because this time I tried to cut them in half to make mini ones for the kids, I think leaving them whole and just putting less filling in would probably have been a wiser move on my part.

I've made them twice now.

The first time I used:
-Rice paper
-1 Chicken Breast (cut into small pieces & cooked in shallow water with a little soy-sauce)
- 1-2 cups bean sprouts
- 1-2 cups cabbage (thinly sliced)
- 2 medium carrots (grated)
- handful of coriander (chopped)

This made two large rolls for 2 adults and one each for the kids!! I just added a little bit of everything in each one and wrapped them up, with a little soy dipping sauce. I also added some Brown rice for the kids!

The second time (pictured)
-Rice Paper
- 1 Chicken breast (cut into small pieces & cooked in shallow water with lemongrass & a little soy-sauce)
- 1/2 a large Zucchini thinly sliced and cooked with the chicken
- 1-2 cups cabbage (thinly sliced)
- 2 medium carrots (grated)
- handful of coriander (chopped)

I served them with some Jasmine rice for the kids this time!

A relatively easy dinner, and I think they will start on the regular dinner rotation!

 

 

The Value of Family Dinners

Everyone sitting in 'their' spots around the table, tv is most definitely off, good, nutritious food served most nights, conversation, some sibling arguments, Mum and Dad asking us about how our day was and what's new.

This was most evenings in my house when I was growing up.

At around 6pm I would hear Dads voice bellowing though the house intercom (which seemed pretty common in 80's houses) calling us all from our corners of the house down for dinner. If I wasn't there within 5 minutes, someone would pick up the other receiver of the phone and tell me to get off the phone and get to the dining table. They knew me too well.

Needless to say Family Meals were a priority in our house. If you were grumpy or moody (which is also pretty common for young teens I believe) you didn't get to skip it, you ate at the table with everyone else. It was the one time of the day that we were all at the same place at the same time. To leave the table we had to ask to be excused, if someone else was still eating, you weren't excused.

What it really was though, was a lot more than just eating. My parents put a high value on family dinners. All 4 of us kids were given an opportunity to share about our day, to be listened to, to have real and undivided interest given to what we were saying or feeling. We got the opportunity to listen to each other share, and to participate in family discussions. It wasn't rushed (at least not when we were old enough to put ourselves to bed), Mum and Dad weren't shooing us away so they could get to the tellie. I believe that these dinners helped our family dynamic, they enabled us to connect on a real level with our parents, and know that we always had this time if we wanted to talk. Mum said often the ones who wanted to talk would stick around, whilst the rest of the kids went off to do their own things. They were more than just eating, they were about creating deeper relationships.

Since I've become a Mum myself I've started looking at these family dinners differently. Realising that they were deliberate, they were based on the family values my parents held. When Ezra started eating 'real' food, I became more aware of our own mealtime habits, which were mostly Joel and I sitting in front of the tv with our dinner on our laps. So, we made a specific decision to change this when Ez started eating dinner, because we both have experienced and understand the real value of family dinners.

Even though Ezra can't really talk yet, he can still participate in dinner. He watches and learns from us, he sees our example in the food we eat, and he eats it too. He listens to our conversations and we all interact together as a family. Its not always a relaxing meal, but, for me it is more about setting the precedent early on and getting him used to us all sitting down together. I don't know if this is why he pretty much eats most foods or not, I would like to think it is, but we could end up with a super picky eater next time round. We just make one meal at night, that we all eat (because I want to eat together, and because I'm lazy and I really hate the thought of having to prepare multiple meals every night). He's learnt to love meals that I never would have expected a toddler to enjoy and he's slowly learning how to behave at the dinner table.

Now that we are in the habit, we are not about to break it. My hope is that we can be as successful in our value of family dinners and the positive impact they have, as my parents were.

How do/did dinners work in your house?

Karen xx

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Toddler Lunch: Vegetable Macaroni and Cheese

I only recently learnt how to make a white/cheese sauce. I know, I'm almost 30 and I had never made my own white sauce. I only learnt how when my ever resourceful husband taught me! Upon talking to my Mum this week I was informed that my Dad actually is not a big fan of white sauces. Hence, why we never really had them growing up, and why I never knew how to make them.  Phew, that makes me feel so much better about my lack of cooking ability!

The only thing I ever use my newly found white sauce skills for (and usually under the guided help of my resident expert white sauce maker) is good old Mac'n Cheese. I actually had never eaten Mac'n Cheese before I went to America. But, now it is something I love to make for Ezra's lunches, which I will of course eat as well! Or for a quick and easy no fuss family dinner. So if you are looking for an easy alternative to sandwiches for toddler/kids lunches, this is it!!

 I also like to add a huge amount of broccoli and cauliflower to our Mac'n Cheese, but if you have a fussy eater you can chop them really tiny, or hide some other veggies in the cheesy goodness! This makes a lot, so you have leftovers to freeze portions or to eat the next day.

Ok so the sauce is really easy, but you have to be on your game (i.e. not trying to facebook, tweet or load pictures on instagram at the same time) and keep stirring or you'll end up with a burnt gluggy sauce.

Ingredients:

3  heaping Tbsp Butter
3  Tbsp Plain Flour
2 cups Milk
1 1/2 cups Cheese (the more flavoursome the better, so you could mix a tasty cheese with parmesan to mix it up)
Sage (and any other spices you think will work, I should have put oregano in last time I made this)
Salt and Pepper to taste if desired.
Head of broccoli
Half a head of cauliflower
Macaroni

These amounts are just a good guess, we make it until it is the right consistency. You want the butter and flour mix to be thick and smooth.

Method:

Boil a large pot of water with a sprinkle of salt.
Add the chopped broccoli and cauliflower and macaroni noodles to the pot, and boil until the pasta is cooked.

Heat a medium sized pan and add the butter. Keep stirring until the butter melts.
Then add the flour, one Tbsp at a time until you get a nice smooth consistency, that is fairly thick
(you can always add more butter to even it out if you put in too much flour, just keep stirring so it doesn't burn)
Then you add your milk. Continue to stir. The mix should begin to thicken into a sauce/gravy like consistency.
Add your herbs and spices
Add your cheese, all the while still stirring until the sauce becomes nice and smooth.

Drain the veggie and noodle mix and then put back into the pot, or a large serving bowl.
Pour the sauce over the top and stir in.
Add more salt and pepper to your taste.

For more toddler lunch and dinner ideas, you might like these:

Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons
Vegetable Muffins
Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

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Karen xx

Family Dinner: Homemade Pesto with Chicken and Vegetables

This is another one of my go-to dinners for the whole family, including baby! 

When Ezra was younger this was a meal that I could quickly puree and give to him, and now he can eat the same meal as us. It is so easy, and yummy. I love the strong basil flavour this meal has. 

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breast

Zucchini 

Carrot

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Pumpkin (Butternut Squash) 

Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese

Making the Pesto:

You need: Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese and Basil (optional extras Pine nuts or cashews) 

Basically you mix about 2 cups of Basil leaves, with a handful of Parmesan and about a half a cup of olive oil in a food processor until the basil leaves are chopped finely. You want it to have a paste like texture. Add more olive oil if it is too dry.

You then roughly chop all the vegetables, I add about a cup of each vegetable, but you can tailor it to your own size family.

 Cut the chicken breast into smaller pieces and add both the chicken and vegetables into a Slow Cooker or Casserole dish. I listed the vegetables I use but you can add potatoes, sweet potato or any other vegetables you like. 

Drizzle the pesto mixture over the chicken and vegetables and stir in. 

Add a cup of water if you are cooking in a slow cooker. 

In my slow cooker I cover and leave it on high for about 3 hours and it comes out beautifully. 

In the oven, I cover and cook for about 45 mins at 180 degrees celsius (approx 350 fahrenheit).

When the vegetables are soft and the chicken is cooked through then it is ready to go. 

Serve and enjoy. 

It would also taste great served with couscous or quinoa. 

It is delicious, healthy and so, so easy. 

I hope you enjoy.

Karen xx