Parmesan Crusted Fish Bites

When Isaac grew out of his picky eater phase I could not thank God enough. But then two days later, Lucas, who has always been my perfect eater, started turning up his nose at food. OMG! I don’t know what started it or triggered it, but just like that one day he decided he was not going to be my perfect eater and was just going to put me through the drama I used to have with Isaac all over again. I give up! What is up with these kids? Aren’t they supposed to eat more as they grow older? With my boys they seem to eat less as they grow up!!! Grrrrrrrrr

So its back to the drawing board for me. I have to come up with different and interesting recipes that he will like at least enough to take a couple of bites out of. The funny thing is that they both have entirely different tastes. For example, Lucas likes fish whereas Isaac will throw up if I gave him anything but those store bought fish fingers.  Isaac likes chicken but Lucas will just chew the chicken for a bit, get all the juices out and just spit out the meat…. Oyez, lucky me! J

So for most of the part any recipes that I put up from now on will be Lucas’ favourites and hopefully something Issac might eat too. Today’s recipe is a fish one and I know it’s a winner coz both my kids managed to eat a couple of pieces.. This parmesan crusted fish bites were delish. Yes, I had a couple too and so did my husband! J For adults, I’d recommend pairing it with a spicy sauce like Southwest or Chipotle sauce and for kids just ketchup should be fine. This was very simple and quick to make and since it was baked, quite healthy. Serve it with some steamed veges and rice on the side and there you’ve got a completely balanced nutritious meal for your baby!

You can use any white, flaky fish fillets here like cod, tilapia etc. I used Terakihi as that’s what I had on hand. I used Parmesan cheese as it has a strong sharp flavour that is perfect for flavouring fish. And also you can use regular breadcrumbs if you do not have Panko in your pantry. Panko is just Japanese breadcrumbs, pretty much the same as regular breadcrumbs but I think the bits are a bit bigger and coarser than regular ones.

This is such a simple and effortless dish that if you have all your ingredients ready to go, you can make this entire meal in 30 minutes start to finish. J

Parmesan Crusted Fish Bites

Recipe Source: Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:

8 oz fish fillets (thawed), cut into nugget pieces
1 cup panko (bread crumbs)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the fish into 1.5-2 inches pieces, pat fry with paper towels. Set on a dish.
2. Spread panko in a thin layer on rimmed baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, until light brown. Transfer the panko to a shallow dish and mix in the Parmesan cheese and salt. Drizzle the oil and mix well. Set out the flour and eggs in separate dishes. Place a wire rack on the baking sheet, lightly coat with cooking spray.
3. In small batches, coat the fish in flour, shaking off any excess, dip in egg, and lastly coat well with panko. Transfer to the rack. Bake the fish until desired tenderness, about 15 minutes, turning when halfway through. Serve the fish nuggets with ketchup.

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Mushroom Pulao

I admit it. I am lousy at being pregnant. While other moms are being complimented on their healthy glow, I spend the first trimester of my pregnancy looking puffy, bloated, and blotchy. I may not be able to hold down anything more than cheese crackers, but I still somehow manage to put on an extra 75 pounds over the course of 40 weeks. I can't take a flight of steps without sitting to rest midway up or down, and my feet swell up so much they look like Barney’s paws!

As if all this weren't enough, I awoke one morning to find that I was unable to stand up without help, sit in a chair, or walk without excruciating pain. I contacted my midwife to learn that I was suffering from a rather common condition known as pregnancy-related sciatica or, what I would call, "major pain in the rear!"

What is sciatica, I asked Google and according to Google - Women with sciatica often experience shooting pains or paralyzing numbness in the lower back or buttocks area and sometimes down the backs of the thighs. The pain can be severe enough to limit a person's mobility almost entirely, and because it is caused by the position of the baby inside the womb, there's very little that can be done to relieve the situation entirely until the baby is born… blah...blah… blah. And lucky for me Google also had a few exercises I could do to reduce the stress on my sciatica nerve this reducing the pain I was in... Thank God for  the Internet!

So with all of this excitement(not!!) going on and not to mention feeling dead tired all the time, I have been trying my very best to still find the energy to cook interesting/tasty foods for Kochu. I absolutely love mushrooms, so does my Dad and I've been trying to get Kochu to enjoy them as much as we do… And so far so good J

Pilaf, Pulav, Pulao. They are all the same.

It is a pretty simple recipe and I got it from Vazhyila.com… You should check out that blog. She has some wonderful South-Indian recipes and we can of-course always adjust the recipe to suit our little person’s taste buds.  

A simple one pot meal, this pulao our favourite for a quick dinner which definitely does not lack in colour or flavour. Together with some cool Cucumber Raita and Pappadom, its almost vegetarian biryani heaven.

Kochu finds this to be yummy enough on its own, but me being me, I usually add in a boiled egg for some added protein for him. I promise you, you’re bubs won’t be disappointed.

Mushroom Pulao

Adapted from vazhayila.com

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 2 cup
Mushroom - 250 gm
Onion chopped - 2
Ginger and garlic crushed - 2 1/2 tsp'

Yogurt - 4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Water - 4 cups
Cardamom pods - 3
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon stick - 1
Bay leaves - 1

Method:
1. Soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes and drain.
2. Heat butter or oil in a cooking vessel, and add whole cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves.

3. Toss it for 30 seconds and add chopped onions. Sauté till the onions are soft and pink.

4. Add crushed ginger and garlic and stir fry till their raw smell disappears.

5. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and sauté for 4-5 minutes (dice it into chunks since it gets small while sauteing.)

6. Add turmeric powder and garam masala and 4 tsp yogurt and mix it well.

7. Add the soaked rice and fry it for a minute or two.

8. Add 4 cups of water and cook it covered on medium flame until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed. Switch off the flame and let it stand covered for 10 minutes before serving.

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Pumpkin & Raisin Bread

I can't believe we are into the 3rd week of October already. Life seems to be just passing me by and I feel like 24 hours a day is just not enough. Juggling work and family is definitely not easy as I thought it would be.

And it definitely does not get easier when someone or the other keeps falling sick in your household. Both R and I have used up all of our sick leave in the past couple of months as it seems out of the three of us, someone is always sick, the usual culprits being me and Issac. :(

I guess I should be thankful that my workplace is a family friendly environment or else I don't know what I would have done. At times when I think about it, I feel that I would have fired me with the amount of days I've been off work! But lucky for me, my manager doesn't feel the same way and I'm glad that they are flexible enough to let me work from home to make up hours now and then.

Every woman I know who has a job and is a parent has to deal every day with making enough time for both. I never really am able to do it. I just keep stealing from one part of my life to give to the other. (I figure by the time my son is in college, I'll be caught up.) Balancing it all is definitely one of the biggest sources of stress in my life.

Of late I feel that Issac has been missing out on a lot of motherly care. With the new job and additional responsibilities, I just can’t seem to find the time or the energy to cook proper homemade meals for him like I used to when I was a stay-at-home mom. And with the added minus of the sickness rotation we are on, he definitely is in dire need of showers of affection and care.

I struggle mightily in my role as a full-time working mother. A role I feel I've never quite come to fully balance, resulting in the unsettling sense that I’m juggling two extremely volatile balls, either of which I’m in constant danger of dropping at any given moment.

Furthermore, it’s a role that only allows me to spend, on average, three quality hours each day with Issac throughout a five-day work week. Weekends aside, that amounts to a mere 15 hours per week - barely a part-time job. And not always the fun kind when you stop to consider that most of those hours occur at the end of the day, when we’re both tired and cranky and not exactly the most ideal versions of ourselves.

I realize, of course, that this isn't necessarily an issue for some working moms – namely, those who derive a great deal of personal identity and satisfaction through their chosen professions. Unfortunately, I am not one of those women.

In truth, I have always worked more out of necessity than to fulfill any real calling in life. With a fair amount of shame, I will admit that I simply never quite figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up. And so I've spent my adult life wandering rather aimlessly down a meandering career path, with no real sense of where I've been or where I’m going.

So, it’s only natural that I should feel a certain amount of envy for the stay-at-home moms who spend their days with their children, while I in turn sit chained to a desk.

You can guess where I’m going with this… Yes, I think I've got a case of the Working Mom’s Guilt. So, what do I do to make myself feel better? 

I've promised myself that from now on, no matter how stressful or busy my work day has been I wouldn't take my work home with me as I've been doing of late. Even if I get only few measly hours of quality time with Issac on a week day, I’m going to make the most of it. Even if I’m tired and exhausted beyond thought, I’d still find the energy to run around the house playing peek a boo or roll on the floor with him pretending to be a puppy!!

Today’s recipe is a result of my guilt as well. I've been pretty slack in making Issac more of my homemade meals and he’s been thriving mainly on instant oats and rice and veges and yogurt for a while now. L

So I've finally got my act together again and so you can be darn sure to see more interesting toddler recipes coming your way soon! J Now onto today’s special- Pumpkin and Raisin Bread. It’s very straightforward to make (a simple process of mixing wet and dry ingredients) and the slightly dense texture is perfect for little ones as it’s very soft and ‘squidgy’.

It’s suitable for babies who are already confident with finger foods and it’s a painless way to get them to eat up their veggies.

I wouldn't say it was a super duper hit at home, but my picky eater did definitely eat most of it. And he most certainly did not just turn his nose up at it  instantly and totally ignore it, so that's always a plus in my book.

And what do you know, I've actually got step by step pics for this one (not that it was really needed!). But I had my phone on hand and I just clicked away. Since I took the pics on my phone, the clarity ain't that great but you'll get the picture :)

Pumpkin & Raisin Bread
Recipe adapted from : AllRecipes.com

DRY INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup light brown sugar
big pinch baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
big pinch allspice
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

WET INGREDIENTS

1 egg
few drops vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade) Refer Notes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

2. Thoroughly mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

3. In a second bowl, stir together all the wet ingredients.

4. Combine the contents of both bowls and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon until everything is well mixed (the mixture will be quite ‘wet’).

5.  Empty into a small, greased cake tin and bake for 40 to 50 mins until firm and golden. You can use a loaf tin here but I just used what I had on hand.

6.  Serve warm with some honey or golden syrup (optional).

Notes:

To make your own pumpkin puree:

Peel the pumpkin, cut into dice and place into a saucepan. Just cover with water.
Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender (approximately 5 to 10 min).
Drain and mash well.

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Rice, Lentils & Egg

Ever since I've been back at work, I've had this nagging feeling of needing to prove my worth all over again. Its like I've been away for ages and there's been so much of changes around the place, I hardly recognise it anymore. So many new faces around the office and most of them look at me like I'm the newbie, when actually I'm not. All my hard work and achievements have pretty much been forgotten and I'm sure most of these people don't even know who I am or what I actually do here.  But then again, I'm not sure I know anymore either.

Thankfully my team leader decided that  my brain would need a huge jolt to get it out of the "baby brain"mode and back into the programming mode and so put me on a  new SharePoint project instead of my usual role as Applications Support.  And I couldn't  have agreed more with him.  Being on this project has not just given me the jolt I needed but more like the shock treatment my system needed to get back into the rhythm of things at work. The project has been a huge challenge and I can confess that there have been more than a couple of times when I've wanted to just give up.

I never thought that it would be so hard to get back into it.But then again in all fairness I've been so out of it all for  almost over a year, if you also count the time while I was pregnant and my team was sweet enough to keep all the hard/stressful work  away from me. My brain was almost dead with all that inactivity by the time I came back to work!!

Anyways, my project's almost come to an end, and I must say I'm very happy with how it all turned out.  And it couldn't have all happened at a perfect time too. A new opening's just come up in our team and it is a perfect opprtunity for me and I now feel that its time I took the next step in my career. I just hope my employers feel the same way. Well, at least with this project, I've got actual proof to show them I'm ready to move up the ladder now. Wish me luck guys!!! :)

Now, getting back to what this blog's all about, ofcourse, my little angel Issac!! He stood up on his own a couple of times now, YAY!! I can't tell you how excited I got when I see him stand up on his own. My heart almost burst with pride. Issac is becoming more and more a little dude and doing sweet little things that show us his personality more every day. He’s started eating “big boy food” , he’s been eating solid fruits, hummus and crackers and he abolutely loves music! His favourite song at the moment is Chamak Challo from Ra-One… he’s growing up! June 25th he stood on his own and has been working at it everyday since, I’m sure he’ll be running through the house soon. My mind is blown with each passing day.

Today's recipe is something naadan. Its rice with lentils(parippu char) and egg. Its full of yummy goodness and am sure your bubs will love it. I guess its pretty much like Kichdi, but am not calling it that as it was not a one pot meal. I made the parippu just like how we would for adults minu the chillies. And then just added cooked rice and egg.

Rice, Lentils & Egg

Rice - 2 cup
Egg - 2
Milk - 2 tsp
Cheruparippu (moong dal) - 1 cup
Desicated coconut – 1/4 cup
Jeera (cumin) – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Ghee – 2-3 tsp
Water – 1/2 ltr
Small onion – 3-4
Mustard seeds – a pinch
Curry leaves
Salt

Cook rice and keep aside.

Grind together the coconut, jeera & turmeric powder.
Roast the moong dal in a heavy bottomed pan (without oil).
Boil half a litre water and add the roasted dal to this.
Cook till the dal is done.
Mash it well or you can just run it in a food processor or blender for a few seconds.
Add ground paste, salt and 1/2 – 1 cup water to the mashed dal and let it boil.
Remove from heat. Allow to cool.
Heat oil/ghee in another pan and splutter mustard seeds.
Add small onion and curry leaves .
Fry till small onion becomes golden brown. Pour over cooked dal and keep aside.

Crack the eggs into a glass mixing bowl and beat them until they turn a pale yellow color.
Heat a heavy-bottomed nonstick sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and let it melt.
Add the milk to the eggs and season to taste with salt and white pepper and whisk well.
When the butter in the pan is hot enough to make a drop of water hiss, pour in the eggs. Scramble well.
Transfer to a plate when the eggs are set but still moist and soft. Eggs are delicate, so they'll continue to cook for a few moments after they're on the plate.

Now combine the rice, lentils and egg. Serve warm...

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Finger Foods - Sweet Corn Mini Fritters

It’s funny that I almost don’t know what to do with myself when I’m not looking after Issac. Looking back at my pre Issac days of being bored or tired, I didn’t know the meaning of tired until now and there’s no time for boredom but all jokes aside, I love being a mother.  It’s hard at times but incredibly satisfying to watch this little lovely being grow into a happy little boy.

Issac’s 9.5 months now and he has been pulling himself up to stand (everywhere) and I may have to get him a baby helmet because he keeps falling down and hitting his head.  But most of the time he goes plonk on his butt. Thank God for nappies!! J He is so much more talkative and expressive.  It’s so funny to watch some of the faces he comes up with.

The Plunket nurse suggested it was high time I got him started on finger foods and left me with a list of stuff,complied by Watties, I could get him started on. I thought I’d share this with you to give you an idea:

• Cooked Broccoli 

• Cooked Carrot 

• Cheese slices

• Small Sandwiches with Peanut Butter or Marmite

• Biscuits

• Crackers

• Slices of sausage luncheon

• Dried Apricot

• Fruits like peach, pear, apple, banana (all sliced or diced into bit sized pieces)

• Grated Cheese

• Cooked Pasta

• Raisins

• Cooked Peas

Keep an eye out for more Finger Food recipes. These would be great for kids all ages!

Every kid loves sweet corn and so does Issac! Today’s recipe is a great way to sneak in cheese and other veges along with the sweet corn. They are a source of protein to fill up little tummies, as they’re made with an egg. An all-round winner in my book!

You can add some seasonings and voila you have a great tea time snack for the parents too.

Sweet Corn Mini Fritters

Recipe Source : Freddie's Food

1/2 cup self-rising flour

1 egg

1 cup frozen sweet corn

1/2 cup grated cheese

1/2 grated carrot (refer Notes)

Blend sweet corn until just less than finely pureed. 

Add egg and blend again and keep aside.
Mix flour, cheese and grated carrot and combine well.
Combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Spoon batter into the hot oil, each fritter is about a heaped tablespoon, and cook for a couple of minutes until the surface starts to bubble. Flip and cook until golden. The trick is not to get it too hot so they turn a lovely golden color and are still soft.

Notes

You can use either frozen or canned or fresh sweet corn for this.

Play around with the recipe by adding different veges like courgette, tomatoes, cucumbers, potato or anyting else your child likes.

For older kids you can even add in some bacon or ham to add some pizzaz to the mix!
You can make the batter in advance while your little one is asleep (it will keep in the fridge for 24 hours) and the fritters freeze well for those days when you run out of time to cook something fresh.

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Creamed Spinach & Egg

Like all mothers, I want my baby to eat healthy food. But no matter how much I want it, my son begs to differ. Issac loves sweet stuff, so naturally he prefers fruits to veges. Don't get me wrong, he does eat his veges but only the sweet ones like pumpkin, carrots and sweet potato. Everything else is just met with a disapproving look and absolute refusal to open his mouth for the second spoonful.

But come on, if he gets tired of eating the same vegetables day in and day out, I'm even more bored of cooking the same stuff everyday! So I decided it was high time to introduce something new. Why spinach you ask? Well, the truth be told I was already making some spinach stir fry for our lunch and so I thought why not?

But as usual I was pretty stumped as to how I would make the spinach purée appealing.Then I remembered seeing an ad on TV(Food In a Minute) about creamed spinach. It sounded really good and I gave it a shot. And what do you know, he loved it!!! I was shocked, but there he was, knocking back the mushy spinach like it was the best thing since ice cream. I know, I'm horribly biased but my baby rocks!J

Creamed Spinach and Egg

3 blocks of frozen spinach
2 hard boiled egg yolks
1 3/4 cups full cream or whole milk, or a mix of both
1/4 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 tablespoons olive oil / unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of nutmeg

Place spinach in a microwavable bowl. Cook, covered, until wilted, about 2 to 4 minutes. Press or squeeze out the excess liquid.Coarsely chop the wrung-out spinach.

Heat milk or cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until warm. Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic, if using, in the olive oil/butter in another saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the flour avoiding lumps. Add the milk or cream in slowly, stirring constantly to prevent lumps, and simmer until thickened for three to four minutes. Stir in nutmeg, spinach, a pinch of salt and pepper(optional) to taste until heated through.

Purée the mixture by using a food processor or hand blender. The mixture will not be runny but more on the mushier side.

Crumble the cooked egg yolk into the spinach mash and serve while still warm.

Notes
I used frozen spinach as it was the only ones I had on hand. The fresh variety would be much better in taste if you can get them.

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