Interview with Niamh McAnuty

Niamh is a mum of two, a passionate foodie & a Home Economics Teacher. She specialises in sharing her top tips for cooking & baking Gluten Free— check out her fantastic profile on Instagram: @a_glutenfree_mummy

Do you have meals/snack hacks to encourage healthy eating for fussy eaters that you could share with other parents? 

Evie-Marie and Páidí are both fussy eaters, and would happily live on yoghurts, cheese and crackers. Honestly, Páidí's most used word is "SNACK?". For me, the only way to get vegetables into their diets is to sneak them in. I find homemade vegetable soups brilliant. Smoothies are another winner. Since they both love pasta, I make a hidden vegetable pasta sauce by adding lots of roasted veggies to organic tomato passata and then blending it to a smooth consistency. The blender is my best friend when it comes to getting fruit and vegetables into my kid's diets.

Do you have any advice that you were once given that was very useful?

The most useful tip I've picked up over the years is the value of batch cooking and freezing. We're up at 6.30am every weekday morning and don't get back home until 5.30pm. By then I have zero energy to cook healthy meals from scratch. Every weekend, I try to batch cook at least two healthy meals (beef stew, chicken and vegetable curry, meatballs/Bolognese in my homemade roasted veggie tomato sauce), which I then portion and freeze so that I have quick and healthy meals to hand throughout the week. I pick up lots of great make-ahead recipes and tips from Lou Robbie @littleloucooks. Her book Make & Freeze is a great investment for anyone who is looking to save time but still wants to feed their family nutritious snacks and meals.

What is your favourite meal to cook that suits the whole family? 

Spaghetti Meatballs in my homemade roasted veggie pasta sauce is the meal that both of my kids eat at the moment. Next week, who knows! Their food likes and food dislikes are as temperamental and unpredictable as the Irish weather.

What is your go-to meal for your busiest days?

Fish fingers, potato waffles, beans and Mama Bear ketchup. My two prefer my homemade fish fingers, but Bird's Eye gluten free fish fingers are my go-to on busy days.

Any advice for dealing with children who are fussy eaters?

I try to involve my children in cooking and baking as often as possible. As a Home Economics teacher, I see first-hand how children react more positively to food when they've been involved in preparing the ingredients and cooking the meal. In almost every case, children/teenagers will at least taste (but often enjoy) a meal they're made themselves, even if it contains an ingredient (e.g. onion) that they "don't like".

How often do you sit down as a family to enjoy a meal together?

Each evening.

What's one thing that drives you crazy about one of your children’s food choices? 

I really wish that they would eat more fruit and vegetables without me having to blend and disguise them. Some day, hopefully, I'll live in hope!

What do you like about Mama Bear Ketchups?

I love that Mama Bear ketchups are only made with real and honest ingredients. In a time where our supermarkets are packed with ultra processed and unhealthy 'foods', it can be a minefield trying to choose the healthiest options for our kids. I love that Mama Bear is an Irish brand that focuses on making nutritionally better condiments, with less sugar but lots of flavour.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen your kids put ketchup on?

Their fingers. Páidí loves to dip his fingers in ketchup and lick it off (I wish I was joking!).

If you could choose one parenting mantra for yourself, what would it be?

I may not be able to give my children everything that they want, but I can give them everything that they need: my love, my time, and my attention.