Muffin Tin Monday

I know some of you are probably thinking, "oh not again. I came here to look at cake". It is kind of turning into a Muffin Tin Monday blog, isn't it?

But fear not, dear readers - there is sugar on the way, I swear. But I beg your indulgence just for a moment, as it is indeed Muffin Tin Monday again. This week there was no theme (although as The Muffin pointed out, "it looks like it's circles again, Mummy!" This was completely unintentional!).

Top Row: Buttered pikelets; grapes (and a few mini floral lollies from a party loot bag); more pikelets.
Bottom Row: Carrot circles; Dip made from cooked beetroot, yoghurt, lemon juice & garlic; cheese faces.

The After Shot:

As you can see, she left some carrots, but I gave her quite a lot of them this time, so I was actually quite impressed by how many she did eat. She ate more of the dip than this picture makes it look, although less than I thought she might. She liked it though - had the rest on her fish at dinner time! :o) This dip was actually so yummy that I'm giving you the recipe (which I made up, hence the vagueness with quantities - but you really can adjust everything to taste anyway):-

Beetroot Yoghurt Dip

Grate 1 fresh raw beetroot, and combine in a small saucepan with 1 or 2 teaspoons of butter, a dribble of water and a pinch of salt. Cover & cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes (but make sure it doesn't boil dry as this will cause it to burn). Take lid off and boil off any excess liquid. Set aside to cool slightly. Next combine about 1/3 cup of natural yoghurt, a little bit of raw crushed garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add beetroot & blitz with a stick mixer until smooth. Taste & adjust seasoning.

Note: this dip turned out quite runny. If you want it thicker (and if you can be bothered), you could drain the yoghurt overnight first. Or just add less yoghurt.

To check out more Muffin Tin meals, head over to The Muffin Tin Mom, to see what other mummies did this week!

Muffin Tin Monday - Flowers!

It's Muffin Tin Monday again! The Muffin really looks forward to these already. Each Monday morning she says "Mummy, what day is it?" with this cagey look on her face. Then when I say Monday she gets a big grin on her face and says "will it be Muffin Tin Monday?"

The theme was Thanksgiving this week, but as we don't celebrate that in Australia, I made up my own theme for this tin - flowers!

Top Row: Plain yoghurt with grapes; Cheese & tomato sauce sandwich; bananas & berries.

Bottom Row: Cucumber flowers; Cheese & tomato sauce sandwich; leftover sausage.

The After Shot:-

Woo-hoo! The cucumber-hating child ate 4 cucumber flowers, announcing "I don't like them on their own. But I do like them if I dip them in the yoghurt."

Now head on over to check out the tins other mummies made today: Muffin Tin Mom.

Muffin Tin Monday - The Food Pyramid

This week's theme for Muffin Tin Monday was "The Food Pyramid / Nutrition". As I have never introduced The Muffin to the idea of the Food Pyramid before, I thought the Pyramid theme sounded more fun than just a healthier-than-usual lunch.

So here is my take on the Food Pyramid theme:
Bottom row: Carrot circles (flushed with my first success last week); Vegemite sandwiches; same again; grapes. (ie. Wholegrains, vegies, fruit)
Middle row: Natural yoghurt with a little lime juice & salt added (for dipping carrots); egg poached directly in the silicon cupcake liner (oh wow, this is the coolest idea EVER). (ie. Dairy & protein)
Top row: Contents of a fun-size box of Smarties. (ie. Sometimes-foods)

I also printed out a picture of a simple version of the Food Pyramid that I found on the web, and while we prepared and ate our lunch we discussed which types of food are good for us, which ones we should only eat occasionally, etc. The Muffin enjoyed comparing the Food Pyramid picture with her lunch version, and spotting the foods she was eating on the picture.

Can You Spot The Irony: I know, I know, the theme is about being healthy, and my daughter ate a whole box of Smarties. Which seems A Bit Weird. The thing is, I actually wanted to put some kind of sweetie in this one so that I could make the point about there being less of those than of other types of food. And the Smarties were from a birthday party loot bag she got recently, so I figured she would have eaten them eventually anyway.

The after shot:

The Muffin ate almost everything, but left half her egg, as it was overcooked. "I like my eggs runny, mummy. This one is hard." Yeah, I couldn't blame her really. Poached eggs are an art form that I have not mastered at all. I'm getting better with them - occasionally I even produce The Perfect Poached Egg. But clearly not today.

Anyway, if you want to check out what Muffin Tin Meals were made by other mummies today, head on over to Muffin Tin Mom's blog - why not even join the fun next week?

My first Muffin Tin Monday

So in an attempt to coerce The Muffin into eating some new (and hopefully healthy) things, and also (let's Be Honest) because I think it's rather fun, I have decided to join Muffin Tin Mondays!

This is a really cool idea, hosted by Michelle of Muffin Tin Mom. Essentially it's very simple: Put Your Child's Lunch In A Muffin Tin. Instant Fun Ensues. And guess what - it actually works!

This week there was no theme, so I made up my own: Circles. And here it is:


Top row: Vegemite sandwiches; same again; buttered pikelets.
Bottom row: Carrot circles; Yoghurt & spinach dipping sauce; Blackcurrants & a marshmallow.

And she ate almost all of it! "After" shot:

Woo hoo! And this is a child who never eats raw carrot. She loved dipping them in the sauce.

The verdict? Muffin Tin Mondays are here to stay.