How To Make Sneaky Zucchini Oats For Kids

Krissy from @HerNourishedKids shares some tips for adding extra vitamins to your kid’s favourite meals.

Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Krissy, university qualified in psychology, certified in early childhood nutrition and, perhaps most importantly, a mum to three children. I’m right there in the mealtime trenches with you! I’m the owner of Her Nourished Kids, the author of three family/kids recipe books and my goal is to help you to navigate meal times and motherhood. I share helpful and realistic resources, tips and recipes on Instagram @hernourishedkids and on hernourishedkids.com.

What are you cooking for us today?
Our all-time favourite breakfast, Zucchini Oats! This recipe is such a brilliant way to preload the day, not only for us but for our kids too. We hear from our HNK families time and time again that this simple recipe reduces their meal time worry as they know their little ones have started the day with a (delicious) serve of vegetables.

Serves: 2-3
Prep: 2 mins
Cook: 3-5 mins

Ingredients

1 cup oats, rolled or quick
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 medium zucchini
1 1/2 cups water (enough to cover)
1/2-1 cup milk of choice
1 tbsp pure maple syrup (optional)

Method

1. Add oats and chia seeds to a medium sized pot and add water until just covered. Allow to soak for a few minutes.
2. Using a fine grater, grate zucchini (tip: peel first for the kids who won’t eat it if they can see it). Add grated zucchini to the pot and bring to boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly and adding additional milk of choice to reach your desired porridge consistency.
4. To serve, spoon into a bowl and arrange chopped fruit over porridge. Drizzle with pure maple syrup or honey (for bubs over 12 months).

What’s one utensil every kitchen should have?
A fine grater! If you have kids then you’ll know how valuable a grater is at meal times!

What’s your favourite budget meal to cook?
Our HNK vegetarian lentil bolognese is a quick and simple meal using canned lentils, pureed tomatoes, grated vegetables, herbs and spices. The kids love it just as much as the adults!

What do you think is the most overlooked ingredient in the average supermarket?
Pulse pasta! They have been readily available throughout this Pandemic and what you might not know is that pulses and legumes count towards your recommended daily servings of vegetables! Pulse pastas such as chickpea pasta or our family favourite, red lentil pasta, are brilliant for fussier eaters too. Varying the types of pasta you eat is a great way to vary nutrients, and for the kiddies who aren’t so keen on meat, they are a great source of plant based protein.

You only have 5 minutes in the grocery store - what do you fill your basket with to last you a week?
Haha, I have 3 kids so I’m lucky if our food lasts a day! In my trolley you’ll always find pulse pasta, oats, chicken, lentils, broccoli, apples, bananas, mountain bread wraps and spinach.

Who would be at your dream dinner party?
Our entire family as we are spread out across two countries and many cities.

Where’s the best place to find more recipes of yours?
I share all of my free kid-friendly recipes on Instagram @hernourishedkids. You can also watch my daily mum life via stories on @her.nourished. For our recipe books, Meal Time Success programs for fussy eaters and more head to hernourishedkids.com