PUMPKIN RECIPES YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE

A bright orange vegetable that has a delicate flavor and saturated with vitamins and microelements, healthy for moms, dads, and their children! That's right, today we will talk about cooking a variety of pumpkin dishes for children of any age - from the smallest to the not so small kids. All recipes are simple and quick to cook, and the dishes are nutritious, easy and tasty - your kids will LOVE them.

Just the color of a pumpkin is already uplifting, and even more so with its contents. It contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals, among which are potassium, vitamins, necessary for normalization of metabolic processes, and vitamin K, which is responsible for the proper synthesis of bones.

Despite the fact that this vegetable has enough sugar to make it an attractive product for toddlers of every age, it is easily and quickly absorbed. Pediatricians advocate the introduction of pumpkin into the diet of small children, because it does not have much fiber, and it is very easy to digest, not injuring and not loading the not yet developed digestive system of babies.

It goes well with any kind of vegetables, cereals, meat, dairy products, so it is so good in dishes for children. Your little ones will definitely like this new pumpkin kids menu!

Pumpkin Dishes for Kids
Pumpkin Puree
Babies can be introduced to pumpkins at around 7 months. It should be a simple puree, prepared as follows.

Ingredients
Fresh pumpkin - 100 g
Filtered water - ¼ cup

Cooking
1. Wash and separate the vegetable from the seeds, cut it into pieces and pour in water, put it to cook under a lid in a small saucepan over low heat or steam in a steamer.
2. After 15 - 20 minutes, when the vegetable becomes soft, pour out excess water, if there is, and pass it through a sieve. Why a sieve if there is a blender? The fact is that a blender, no matter how hard you try, “skips” large fibers. For an adult, they are not noticeable at all, but a baby, who has not tried anything other than liquid food, may not like them at all. 

3. To improve the taste, you can add some breast milk or formula. Done! You can feed your little munchkin!

Pumpkin Soup-puree
Your baby has grown up, gotten used to new tastes. He wants diversity, and you pamper him with new foods. Try to incorporate this new pumpkin dish that is suitable for children from 8 - 9 months.

Ingredients
Pumpkin - 50 g
Potatoes - 30 g
Carrots - 30 g
Zucchini - 30 g
Broccoli - 30 g
Water - ¼ cup
Refined vegetable oil - ½ tsp

Cooking

1. Wash all the vegetables, cut them, put them in a small saucepan and, fill with water, boil them until ready - they should be soft and easily pierced with a fork.
2. If water remains, do not pour it out, leave to give the dish a more liquid consistency.
3. Blend the ingredients together, add your vegetable oil.
Pumpkin puree soup for your little one is ready!

If your son or daughter is more than a year old or even two, the following pumpkin dishes will surely fall for them both in age and taste!



Millet porridge with pumpkin

This dish can be given to children from one and a half to two years old, even adults will like it, because it turns out sweet, nutritious and very healthy, so we will cook for several servings at once, so that is enough for even mom and dad.

Ingredients

Wheat groats - 2 tbsp.

Pumpkin (peeled and cut into pieces) - 400 g

Milk - 700 

Water - 700g

Salt - 1 tsp.

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Butter - calculated individually, when serving

Cooking

1. As we remember, our pumpkin has already been cleaned and cut, which means that we put it immediately to cook, adding water bit by bit so that only the pieces are slightly covered.

2. While the pumpkin is boiling, rinse the millet thoroughly. Plain grits can be very dirty, so take the time to do this and wash it several times.

3. After 20 minutes, when the pumpkin is soft, mash it up, but only lightly! No need to turn it into a homogeneous mass, just enough to mash the individual pieces, that way the porridge will be tastier and more unusual - the pumpkin taste will be much more tangible, and the bright orange pieces will delight your kid.

4. Now pour the hot milk, remaining water into the saucepan with pumpkin, and pour in the millet.

5. As soon as the porridge boils, reduce the heat and, take off the lid, cook until final readiness for at least 25-30 minutes.

6. Add salt and sugar at the very end, 5 minutes before the end. If possible, leave the porridge for a while ( about 10-15 minutes - so the taste will be even richer).

7. When serving, place a piece of butter in the plate. Another baby pumpkin dish is ready!

• Now we pour hot milk, the remaining water into a saucepan with vegetables, and pour in millet.
  As soon as the porridge boils, reduce the heat and, opening the lid, cook until final readiness for at least 25-30 minutes. Add salt and sugar at the very end, 5 minutes before the end of cooking.
  If possible, let the porridge stand for a while. Wrap it for 15-20 minutes - so the taste will be even more rich and deep.
  When serving, place a piece of butter in the plate. Another baby pumpkin dish is ready!