EASY AND HEALTHY RECIPES FOR THE LITTLE ONES AT HOME

Nutrition plays a fundamental role in well-being, especially when sharing the 'cooking moment' with the little ones at home. Beyond teaching them the value of the effort behind each dish, this activity becomes a fun and, above all, healthy family ritual. Today, we want to share with you some easy, healthy, and delicious recipes from the hands of Mónica Valls. Discover them and enjoy cooking with your family!

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

Granola is a staple in our house! Almost every Sunday afternoon, we make it to have granola always on hand for breakfast and/or snacks. The problem with conventional ones is the large amount of sugars they contain, which is why making them at home allows you to better control the ingredients, besides being delicious and loved by the kids.

INGREDIENTS

• About 400g of oat flakes
• A couple of generous handfuls of nuts (walnuts, almonds...)
• 1 bag of mixed seeds (including pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia...)
• 3 tablespoons of melted extra virgin coconut oil
• 3 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 3 teaspoons of honey

STEPS TO FOLLOW

• First, heat a saucepan with the coconut oil until it melts. Then, add the honey and cinnamon and mix well. Set the mixture aside.
• On the other hand, mix the dry ingredients on a baking tray and pour the mixture over them. You can use a spatula to mix all the ingredients well (make sure all the flakes and seeds are well coated with the mixture).
• Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180°C or until it is crispy and golden. Make sure to mix every 10 minutes to avoid burning the top.
• Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely. Before storing it in an airtight glass jar, you can add any toppings you like (cacao nibs, shredded coconut, sultanas, etc.).
• Enjoy with cow's milk, plant-based milk, yogurt... or just by the handful! 😊

HEALTHY PANCAKES

If you ask at home what the favorite Sunday breakfast is, it's our version of classic American "pancakes," but with a healthier twist. In fact, these only have 3 ingredients, and the kids love making them.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 banana
• 1 egg
• 1 handful of oat flakes

STEPS TO FOLLOW

• First, mash the banana in a bowl (the riper, the better!).
• Then, beat the egg and add it to the banana.
• Finally, add a handful of oat flakes (you can use your palm as a measure and fit them there). Mix again. You'll see it has a pancake-like consistency.
• Put coconut oil or butter in the pan and pour the batter in the size you prefer (my daughters like to use an ice cream serving spoon and make small pancake doughs). In this case, an adult should be the one to flip them in the pan.
• Once on the plate, the fun part begins: adding a sweetener (at home, we're fans of honey or maple syrup) + toppings (berries, banana...).

HOMEMADE PIZZA

We really enjoy making pizza at home on some Friday nights. On one hand, making pizza as a family helps us spend time together; it's a fun activity but also essential for children to learn important concepts like quantity, measurements, cooking time, and the effort put into making something themselves. Plus, it's much healthier:

INGREDIENTS

• 400 grams whole wheat flour
• 200 milliliters warm water 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 15 grams fresh yeast
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 onion
• 100 grams mozzarella (optional)
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon oregano

STEPS TO FOLLOW

• Take a large bowl and pour in the oil, warm water, and yeast. Mix these three ingredients, and when combined, add the flour and salt. Then mix again until you have a homogeneous mixture.
• The trick to this step starts with cleaning the countertop well and sprinkling plenty of flour on it.
• Then we'll pour the dough onto the flour so that it doesn't stick and knead continuously for 4 or 5 minutes.
• Once we've kneaded it well, let it rest for an hour. During this time, the dough will increase in size, and we'll need to divide it in two to make two pizzas, or we can freeze the other half.
• After taking half of our dough, it's time to roll it out. We need to knead it again and then roll it out with a rolling pin (the thinner it is, the less time it will need in the oven).
• Now that we have our dough rolled out, we start adding the ingredients. First, preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Then we take the tomato, wash it, and cut it into thin slices. We've opted for fresh tomato instead of using tomato sauce because it contains a large amount of sugar.
• After placing the tomato slices according to taste, we'll do the same with the onion. It's advisable to slice them thinly so that they cook better in the oven.
• Then we'll add the red bell pepper, cut it into thin strips, and distribute it evenly.
• The penultimate step will be to add the mozzarella. If it's fresh and you grate it at home, even better!
• Finally, sprinkle oregano to taste and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil... and into the oven! It's usually ready in about 10-15 minutes.

SMOOTHIE

A creative and healthy way for children to get their daily servings of fruits and vegetables is through smoothies or "smoothies." Additionally, a trick is to "hide" some vegetables without them noticing and without affecting the taste!

There are countless recipes online depending on the fruits and vegetables that are in season, but we bring you one that never fails at home:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 handful of frozen berries (they can be fresh, but frozen ones provide more creaminess)
• 1 tablespoon of almond/peanut butter
• 1 handful of spinach - it really doesn't affect the taste!
• Milk or plant-based milk (add more or less depending on the consistency you prefer, thicker or more liquid)

STEPS TO FOLLOW

• Place all the ingredients in the blender, adding the milk or plant-based milk last.
• Optionally, add some additional sweetener or ice cubes (only if you like it very cold).
• Blend and serve in a bowl.
• We love adding the homemade granola that we shared in the first recipe on top; it's an ideal snack or breakfast: filling, delicious, and very healthy!