Iron-Rich Recipes Your Kids Will LOVE

AI generated image of baked egg shakshuka

Ingredients: 

• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 brown onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 cans of cherry tomatoes
• 100g spinach, roughly chopped
• 6 eggs
• 4 tsp parsley, finely chopped
• A slice of wholemeal bread

Method: 

• Heat your oven to 170ºC
• Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof frying pan over medium heat.
• Add the onion and capsicum to the pan, stir and cooking until soft.
• Stir and cook garlic for 1 minute, add in the cumin and paprika, and cook for another minute.
• Add tomato cans into the pan (breakup the tomatoes). Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook at a simmer, stirring, for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
• Stir in the spinach until combined, then gently crack the eggs into the tomato mixture (be careful not to crack the yolks!).
• Transfer the pan into the oven and bake for 7 - 10 minutes, until the egg yolks have just set.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the parsley.
• Serve with the bread. 

Notes: 

• Do your kids like spice? Add some fresh chili when you add your tomato cans!
• For a vegan option you can swap out the eggs with 2 cans of chickpeas.
• Add sliced avocado as a topping for a creamy texture. 

AI generated image of homemade sun-dried tomato, spinach, feta & egg muffins

Ingredients:

• 4 whole eggs
• ¾ cup egg whites
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
• 2 cups spinach chopped
• ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• Pinch salt and pepper

Method: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 190C.
2. Spray a muffin tray with cooking spray.
3. In a bowl, mix whole eggs, egg whites, spinach, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
4. Pour egg mix into prepared muffin tray cups. Fill each cup about ¾ of the way (do not overfill or the mixture will overflow!).
5. Sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese over egg mixture.
6. Cook for 15 - 18 minutes.
7. Take out of oven and let the tray cool for at least 5 minutes. Use a knife to go around the edges of each egg cup to loosen sides. Lift each egg muffin cup out of muffin pan.

Notes: 

• If you don’t have cooking spray to coat the muffin trays, you can use butter.
• You can keep the muffins in the fridge for up to five days. If you prefer egg muffins warm, after storing the fridge, reheat them in the microwave for 20 seconds or so.
• You can pre-make a batch and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

AI generated image of homemade Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients: 

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 sticks of celery, finely diced
• 500g lean beef mince
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 500 ml vegetable stock + ¼ cup extra
• 1 tsp gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
• 4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp butter

Method: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C
2. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a frying pan at medium heat.
3. Place onion, 1 tsp of garlic, carrot and celery in pan and stir until the veggies are soft.
4. Add the beef mince to the pan and cook until brown.
5. Place the tomato paste, vegetable stock and Worcestershire sauce in the pan. Bring to the boil and then drop to a simmer. Cook for another 30 minutes, stirring every so often until the sauce becomes thick.
6. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
7. While cooking the mince mixture, cook the potatoes in a saucepan of salted boiling water.
8. Drain the potatoes, then return to the pan with the butter, the rest of the extra olive oil garlic.
9. Mash the potatoes until smooth, then add the extra vegetable stock and mix. Add a bit of salt and pepper.
10. Place the the beef mixture into a large ovenproof dish, smoothing to create a flat surface. Spread the mashed potato mixture to cover the meat.
11. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the potato is lightly golden. 

Notes: 

• You can swap out the beef for two cans of lentils.
• You can swap out the Worcestershire sauce with tamari.
• You can add cheese onto top after the pie has been cooked. Just return to the oven for another 5 - 10 minutes.

AI generated image of date nut bar

Ingredients: 

• 1 ½ cups pitted dates (about 10 - 12 total dates)
• 1 ½ cup nuts
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips
• Sea salt for sprinkling on top
• *Optional drizzle: 2 tbsp of runny peanut butter + ½ teaspoon of coconut oil over the top of the nut bar

Method: 

1. Soak the dates in warm water for about 10 minutes to soften them. Drain the water and lightly squeeze the dates to release excess moisture.
2. Place the dates in a blender and pulse a few times to break them down.
3. Add in the vanilla essence, nuts and pulse until the nuts are broken into smaller pieces (a few larger chunks are okay too!).
4. In a small baking dish lined with baking paper, press the date and nut mixture into the bottom so that it’s even.
5. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between. Pour the chocolate over the date and nut mixture and spread evenly.
6. If using the peanut butter drizzle, microwave the peanut butter and coconut oil until combined and then drizzle it over the chocolate. I use a toothpick to kind of swirl it in but that’s not essential.
7. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top.
8. Place in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate is completely hardened and then slice to your preferred size.

Notes: 

• I use a mix of cashews and almonds but really anything would work well!
• If you dates are older or on the harder side, I'd recommend soaking them for longer. 
• Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. The bars will last for 2-3 days in room temperature. 7-10 days in the fridge. For longer storage life, you can always freeze them in freezer safe containers or ziploc bags.