Part of preparing him for school includes introducing him to eating solids for breakfast. Most of his life, he's had liquids for breakfast - mainly milk or smooth baby cereals.
This school holidays, I started introducing solids for breakfast. It requires quite a bit of experimenting and so I chose the school holidays to start. It's too stressful to introduce it on school days as we're already so rushed for time.
It's been hard getting him to eat, and not just drink his breakfast. In the first place, he takes a long time to drink his milk. Secondly, he tends to gag when he has solids for breakfast. I'm not sure if it's because it's too early in the morning or if he's not yet used to chewing at breakfast.
I'm not a good cook and not a morning person. So, it was most helpful that his therapist suggested two healthy, hearty recipes. I asked a few friends what their kids had for breakfast. Two mums said it was just milk as it was too early (kids have no appetite), but one mum packs home cooked snacks for her kids' morning snack (she wakes at 5.45am). Another said cereals or bread.
So far, I've only come up with these options for a breakfast that's filling and healthy. I'm trying to achieve some mix of complex carbohydrates, grains, protein, milk, veg, with minimal processed ingredients and minimal preparation time. It's not easy to achieve to be honest.
Rice Porridge - to provide variety, I'd have to change the protein element (e.g. chicken, pork, fish) and veg (carrot, french bean, spinach).
I tried using brown rice instead of my usual basmathi rice, but it turned out too gooey and gunky. I might have to experiment with different quantities of rice to water ratio and/or cooking times. I use a slow cooker and let it cook overnight because I'm not a morning person!
Grains - this was the recipe from his therapist, which is a bit like a sweet Chinese dessert. Barley, green mung beans, gingko nuts, dried fruits for sweetness and fibre, gets cooked in a slow cooker overnight on low heat.
I tried it with brown rice as the main grain with apples and almonds as suggested by his therapist, but turned out gunky. I might experiment with different proportions of ingredients to water. I'll also try out nutrition dense grains like millet and quinoa but have no idea how it'll turn out. I do know that I cant give him almonds and gingko nuts as he gags and vomits on it, after a few spoonfuls, even though it's soft.
Soft boiled eggs - this is the only one that has been fail safe (where he eats it all up). But I cant give it too often or he'll grow bored of it. I've also not found the right timing to boil the eggs and sometimes forget to bring it out from the fridge the night before (to let it warm up to room temperature).
I serve it without soya sauce or salt. He takes about one and a half Grade B eggs, or about one Grade A egg. I've not served it with toast, because it already takes some time for him to finish it.
I am concerned about salmonella in under cooked eggs, so I'm going against my instincts (I'd previously written about it in my blog) in serving it. I read that soft boiled eggs is an Asian thing!
Omelletes - I might reserve that for weekends as it'll require a bit more time in preparing it and because he has gagged and vomitted on it on different occassions.
Cereals from a box - I've never given him cereals targetted at kids like Honey Stars or Koko Krunch as it's just too loaded with sugar (and he'd not like the gooey texture after it's been soaked in milk). So far, the only ones I've given him which he likes are Nestle's Cheerios (not sugar coated), and Post's Honey Bunches of Oats.
Recipe book
Tonight, I came across an article in the Star newspaper (it was probably Sunday's paper & yes, I read whatever news I can even if it's stale news because I dont have time) that mentioned a new recipe book by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, targetted at babies to pre-schoolers. I've had a quick scroll through it and it sure looks tempting! It's divided into age groups, and has breakfast recipes.
I have surfed the web to find breakfast recipes previously but it's too time consuming - some contain simple carbohydrates (e.g. pancakes), or ingredients not easily available locally, or are not age appropriate.
So when I discovered this gem tonight, I felt relieved. The book is available for free in soft copy format at : http://www.nutriweb.org.my/downloads/Nutritionist's%20Choice%20Cbook_lr.pdf
Suggestions please
What does your child have for breakfast on school days? What time saving tips do you use when preparing breakfast?
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