Working mums, we know how busy you are. You’ve got your full-time job to juggle with your household chores, ensuring your marriage stays afloat and a very needy child. Every day you feel like you’re doing sprints but also training for a marathon. How exhausting, right?
So, we get it. It can be tempting to get ready-made or frozen meals for our kids sometimes… it’s easier, of course… but so many of us WANT to prepare healthy, fresh meals for our kids.
So we asked 10 busy working mums what their favourite healthy go-to-meals are to prepare for their kids to ensure their child’s gut health is still well taken care of.
Good Gut Health Recipes - Breakfast Ideas
1. Mama J’s Loaded Overnight Oatmeal (prep time: 5 minutes)
Mama J: I love this because I can prepare it the night before and then just take it out half an hour before serving the kids in the mornings. Saves me cooking time in the morning!
Ingredients:
⅓ cup of rolled oats
1 tbsp of chia seeds
¼ tsp of ground cinnamon
½ mashed banana
1 tbsp peanut butter (substitute with other nut butters if child is allergic to peanuts)
½ cup of Dumex Mamil milk
Steps:
Combine all the dry ingredients into a jar.
Add the banana, peanut butter and half the milk.
Stir well and let it sit.
Add in the rest of the milk.
Refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours).
Remove and enjoy!
Bonus tip: Oats are rich in fibre that is good for the digestive system!
2. Mama B’s Fruity Yogurt Parfait (prep time: 5 minutes)
Mama B: My kids hated yogurt until I created this parfait. Now this is one of their favourite breakfast foods and we make it together in the mornings.
Ingredients:
½ cup of yogurt
¼ cup of fresh fruits (mangoes or berries)
1 tbsp of chia seeds
¼ cup of smashed up animal crackers
¼ cup of Dumex Mamil milk
Steps:
Layer a thick layer of yogurt in a jar.
Put a layer of fruit.
Put another layer of yogurt.
Sprinkle the chia seeds on top.
Add the smashed up animal crackers.
Pour the milk in and stir all ingredients right before serving.
Bonus tip: Chia seeds are great for filling up the tummy and making you feel full for a longer period.
3. Mama S’s Cheesy Scrambled Eggs (prep and cook time: 5 minutes)
Mama S: I use Jamie Oliver’s technique to cook my scrambled eggs and the kids LOVE it (and hubby, too!).
Ingredients:
2 medium or large sized eggs
¼ cup of grated mozzarella cheese
¼ cup of Dumex Mamil milk
A sliver of butter
Steps:
Heat a pan on the stove to medium heat.
Add in the butter and let melt.
Scramble the eggs, milk and cheese together and pour the mixture onto the pan.
Cook on heat for 20 seconds and remove from heat for 10 seconds. Repeat process until well cooked.
Bonus tip: Adding in the milk makes the scrambled eggs so much creamier and tastier too! You can also make it a more balanced meal by adding in spinach or other leafy greens, amping up their nutritional intake.
Good Gut Health Recipes - Lunch or Dinner Ideas
4. Mama T’s Chicken Porridge (prep and cook time: 10 minutes)
Mama T: Sometimes, I cook a big pot so that it can be eaten for both lunch and dinner.
Ingredients:
1 cup of rice
2 cups of water
1 cube of chicken stock
1 chicken fillet, cut into small pieces
1 carrot, cut up into small pieces
½ ginger, sliced
2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup of Dumex Mamil
Steps:
Boil the rice, water, ginger, garlic and chicken stock together.
Add in the chicken fillet and carrot and cook for 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper (for the adults) once served.
Add in the milk for a creamier texture.
Bonus tip: Children need plenty of protein for their growth and development. So you can try other types of meats with the porridge, including turkey or fish. Throw in some pumpkin or sweet potatoes to sweeten the dish too.
5. Mama D’s Fish Noodle Soup (prep and cook time: 10 minutes)
Mama D: This is an easy favourite for the whole family and perfect to comfort the tummies.
Ingredients:
150g of sliced fish (Dory or cod or mackerel)
½ ginger, sliced
3 cups of water
1 small tomato (cut into 6 pieces)
½ cup of Chinese lettuce
Sesame oil (to taste)
Light soy sauce (to taste)
1 cube of fish stock
1 packet of mihun
¼ cup of Dumex Mamil milk
Steps:
Bring the water, fish stock and ginger to a boil.
Add in the fish and tomato.
Add in the sesame oil and light soy sauce to taste.
Add in the mihun and cook for 2 minutes (or until the noodles have softened).
Pour the milk last and serve.
Bonus tip: Cod fish is particularly high in DHA.
6. Mama Z’s Macaroni and 3 Cheese (prep and cook time: 10 minutes)
Ingredients:
4 tbsp of butter
2 cup of Dumex Mamil milk
½ cup of cheddar (shredded)
¼ cup of mozzarella cheese
¼ cup of parmesan cheese (grated/powdered)
½ cup of heavy cream
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
1 packet of macaroni
Steps:
Boil the macaroni until soft and set aside.
In another pan, melt the butter.
Add in the milk to the butter and let it simmer.
Add in the cheeses and let it melt. Stir often.
Add in the heavy cream and bread crumbs towards the end.
Add in the macaroni and mix well.
Bonus tip: You can play around with different types of cheeses. Cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese are good probiotic sources.
7. Mama C’s Soba in Miso Soup with Milk (cook and prep time: 10 minutes)
Mama C: It’s so easy, I can even make this when we travel!
Ingredients:
½ chicken breast
2 tbsp of butter
3 tbsp of miso paste
2 cups of baby spinach leaves
½ big yellow onion
4 baby potatoes (cut into small cubes)
½ tofu block (cut into cubes)
1 packet of soba noodles
1 cup of water
1 cup of Dumex Mamil milk
Steps:
Melt butter on medium heat in a pan.
Add in the chicken breast and cook well.
Add in the onions and potatoes, cook till soft.
Pour in water and mix miso paste until well blended.
Add in tofu cubes and baby spinach.
Add in the soba noodles and cook till soft.
Pour the milk in right before serving.
Bonus tip: Soba noodles are lower in carbohydrates and the miso paste has plenty of probiotics!
8. Mama M’s MEGA Meatballs (cook and prep time: 10 minutes)
Mama M: These meatballs are low calorie and keto-friendly (for parents who might be on the keto diet!)
Ingredients:
1 packet of minced beef
Dried oregano
Dried parsley
Dried rosemary
Dried thyme
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 large eggs
Grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp of olive oil
Steps:
In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mixed it with your hands.
Roll the raw mixture into little balls.
Drizzle some olive oil into a pan on medium heat.
Put the meatballs in and cook till browned.
Optional:
Make a tomato paste sauce using tomato puree and add in some Dumex Mamil milk to make it extra creamy!
Can be eaten with pasta or rice or mashed potatoes.
Bonus tip: Parmesan cheese contains probiotics so feel free to be generous with the cheese!
9. Mama E’s Hainanese Chicken Rice
Ingredients:
1 bunch of pandan leaves
1 cup of rice
3 cups of water
½ ginger, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 chicken breast
Sesame oil to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Light soy sauce
Steps:
Put the rice, water, pandan leaves, ginger and garlic into a rice cooker and let cook.
On a medium heated pan, drizzle some oil and cook chicken breast through.
Slice chicken breast once cooked and drizzle with light soy sauce and sesame oil.
Bonus tip: Serve with a side of Dumex Mamil milk and a plate of leafy greens to make it a balanced meal!
10. Mama H’s Cottage Pie (prep time: 10 minutes, cook time: 1 hour)
Mama H: Cook a big enough portion, your kids can bring to school the next day.
Ingredients:
1 packet minced beef
2 carrots, chopped
1 big yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery
6 cloves of garlic
¼ cup of tomato puree
½ cup of beef stock
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
5 russet potatoes
4 tbsp of butter
½ cup of grated cheese
1 cup of Dumex Mamil milk
Steps:
For the filling
Heat up some olive oil over medium heat.
Stir in the beef till brown.
Throw in the carrots, celery, garlic and onion, cook till brown.
Add in the tomato puree, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves.
Leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
For the potato topping
Boil a pot of water and put the potatoes in.
Boil until potatoes are soft.
Drain the water and mashed the potatoes.
Add butter and the milk until creamy.
Overall
Preheat the oven to 200 C.
In an oven-safe dish, pour the beef mixture into an even layer.
Add in the mashed potatoes in an even layer on top of the beef.
Sprinkle the grated cheese on top.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Take it out and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.