BANANA & BLUEBERRY OAT PANCAKES
Full of antioxidants, vitamins, and slow-release energy, these blueberry, banana and oat pancakes make a power-packed breakfast for the whole family!
Health
There’s no time more important to keep energy levels high and tummies full of nourishing food than when your child is at school or nursery. Annabel Karmel’s recipes are bursting with goodness, quick to prepare and full of flavour, but just as importantly, they’re meals kids will want to eat. Whether it’s a grab-and-go breakfast, a balanced lunch to keep them focused, a super-fuelled snack or a fuss-free (and brain-boosting) family dinner, we’ve got them covered.
Published
Full of antioxidants, vitamins, and slow-release energy, these blueberry, banana and oat pancakes make a power-packed breakfast for the whole family!
MAKES 12 MINI PANCAKES
Suitable from 6 months
Suitable for freezing
1 egg
1 ripe banana, mashed
¼ cup oats
¼ tsp baking powder
75g blueberries, halved
1. Put the egg, banana, oats and baking powder into a jug. Blend until smooth using a stick blender.
2. Leave the mixture to stand for 15 minutes to thicken slightly, then stir in the blueberries.
Packed with carrot, courgette and sweetcorn, this tasty lunchbox snack packs a nutritious punch - perfect for tiny hands and hungry tums! You can double the recipe and freeze a batch for another day.
MAKES: 24 MINI MUFFINS
Suitable from 6 months
Suitable for freezing
100g courgette, grated
50g carrot, peeled and grated
25g tinned sweetcorn
75g Cheddar cheese, grated
50ml milk
50g Greek yoghurt
1 egg, beaten
110g self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
1. Preheat the oven to 180C Fan.
2. Line a 24-hole mini muffin tin with mini muffin cases.
3. Put all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix well and season lightly (for babies over one year).
4. Spoon into the cases. Bake for 15 minutes until well risen and lightly golden on top.
Swap sugary cereal bars for power-packed energy balls. Sweetened with dried fruit, fresh carrot and apple – and packed with oats for slow-release energy – these are a healthy take on carrot cake. The perfect quick, easy, energy boosting snack to power them through the day – and they’re ready in 10 minutes!
MAKES: 16 ENERGY BALLS
Suitable from 9 months
Suitable for freezing
100g soft pitted dates, chopped
6 tbsp boiling water
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 apple, peeled and grated
100g porridge oats
40g desiccated coconut
50g raisins
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
3 tbsp sunflower oil
Toppings
Desiccated coconut
Ground / finely chopped nuts
1. Put the dates and boiling water into a heatproof bowl and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Put the date mixture into a food processor and whizz until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and whizz again until finely chopped and the mixture comes together.
2. Using your hands, shape the mixture into small balls. Roll the balls in your choice of topping. Chill on a plate in the fridge to firm up before eating.
3. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze in a plastic freezer container for 2–3 months. When needed, thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
Children should have a portion of oily fish such as salmon each week as it aids brain development. Fritters are a fantastic finger food for independent eaters and this recipe offers a great new way to serve up salmon and those essential omega 3s!
MAKES: 10 FRITTERS
Suitable from 6 months
Suitable for freezing
1 egg, beaten
20g cornflour
100g raw salmon fillet, finely diced
15g spinach, shredded
25g Parmesan cheese, grated
25g cherry tomatoes, chopped
3 spring onions, sliced
1. Put the egg and cornflour into a mixing bowl. Add the salmon, spinach, Parmesan, tomatoes and spring onions. Mix well.
2. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan. Add heaped tablespoons of the mixture to the pan and spread out slightly to make thin fritters.
3. Fry for 4 minutes on both sides until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly before tucking in.
CHOOSE OATS
Swap sugary breakfast cereals for oats. Choose porridge, make overnight oats, or simply toast with finely chopped nuts and seeds then serve with Greek yoghurt and berries. Oats are also a great base for healthy pancakes – all you need is mashed banana, egg and oats.
FAST FOOD SWAPS
Try preparing their favourite foods in different ways. Perhaps they enjoy pizza so why not task them with topping a tortilla base with lots of different healthy and colourful ingredients? Or, if fish and chips is a favourite, try making your own with tasty and nutritious sweet potato chips.
HOMEMADE ICE LOLLIES
These will be lower in sugar than shop-bought ones, and you can supercharge them with veggies too. It’s also a great way to make the most of fruit or veg that need using up. One of my favourite combinations is beetroot and berry, or why not try carrot, kiwi, mango and banana? See my app for more lolly ideas.
SAVOURY BAKING
Swap sweet muffins with savoury versions using grated carrot, courgette or butternut squash. Toddlers will love to help you in the kitchen and will be more inclined to give something a try if they’ve had a hand in the prep.
DIY YOGHURTS
Blitz their favourite fruits…. strawberry, blueberries, peach….and blend into plain Greek yoghurt. You can also freeze the fruit in lolly moulds.
ALWAYS AVAILABLE SNACK PLATTERS
Cut up some batons of cucumber, carrot and red pepper or some naturally sweet sugar snaps and leave on a plate as an ‘always on’ snack. The likelihood is those veggies will be gone before you know it. Kids love to dunk and dip so why not add some tasty dips such as guacamole, fresh tomato salsa or hummus to the mix.
Looking for mealtime inspiration for your baby or toddler? Annabel’s award-winning recipe app is home to 1,300+ simple and delicious ideas for the whole family, PLUS new recipes every week. Packed with expert weaning support, including Annabel’s #1 listen-along guide, it’s a kitchen essential for happy, healthy mealtimes.
Start your FREE trial today!
With expertise spanning over 30 years, London-born mother of three Annabel Karmel is a global expert in baby and children’s food. She is a bestselling international author and a world-leading expert on devising delicious, nutritious meals for babies, children and families. She launched her revolutionary cookbook for babies, The Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner three decades ago and it became a feeding 'bible’, which has sold over six million copies and become the 2nd bestselling non-fiction hardback of all time. She has produced 51 cookbooks, an impressive Baby & Toddler Recipe App and an award-winning supermarket food range, along with attracting a vast digital following. In 2006, Annabel received an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for her outstanding work in the field of child nutrition.
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