My favourite spinach recipes for kids!

Popeye had it right, spinach is a great and healthy food but getting it into a child is difficult right?  Nope!

I was looking through my blog recently and had a realisation that my son eats a lot of spinach.  This might be a shocking realisation to other mothers of two year olds but I'm not talking about feeding him floppy green mush alongside his sausage and mash, no, I use spinach a lot in recipes and I thought I'd share some ones I've published over the past couple of years and you might have missed.

Spinach and Cream Cheese pasta.  This was one of my first posts and one of the recipes where I first thought "maybe I should write this down".  It's something I fed a lot to my son when he was first on the soft lumps stage of weaning and it's something we still all eat now.  The great thing about it is you probably have all of the ingredients in stock already so no need to race out especially.  Unopened, cream cheese keeps for ages in the fridge and everything else is super long shelf life.

Goats cheese and Spinach cannelloni.  My first ever attempt at making cannelloni and an idea off the top of my head.  Goats cheese seems to have a natural affinity for spinach.

Chickpea and Spinach curry.  Curries work brilliantly with spinach and it adds that kind of irony edge to the flavour but at the same time not being so prominent as to put people off.

Spinach and goats cheese bites were another combination of spinach with goats cheese.  A winning one though and a variation on my most popular recipe.

A while back I posted some spinach and feta mini muffins.  I came up with the idea after thinking about making some spanakopitta (although I did eventually get round to making that too).  I know one of my friends makes these sometimes for her husband's lunchbox.

Another curry but this was my first attempt to feed my son spicier food, dahl was a great way to introduce him to more texture, flavour and with lentils, sweet potato and spinach, a great way to his five a day.

Salmon and spinach fishcakes are a fantastic way to not only include some spinach but also some omega 3.  Great as well if you're doing baby led weaning or your child is going through the stage of wanting to self feed but not being all that great with a spoon!  Much tidier than a fish pie!

I told you spinach and goats cheese are natural partners, they also work in stuffed jackets.

Although frozen spinach is brilliant, fresh baby leaf spinach is beautiful as a salad leaf and also keeps pretty well in the fridge.  If you fancy giving it a go for adults, this Goat's cheese salad is a winner.  Blimey!  We do eat a lot of goat's cheese!

I hope all of that has given you some inspiration to turn to the humble leaf and give your toddler or baby a try with something a bit more interesting and healthy!