5pm Panic – Cheats Spaghetti Carbonara

As a kid Spaghetti Carbonara was my brother’s favorite teatime food and I think Freddie has inherited his taste buds! This version of Spaghetti Carbonara is very similar to the one my mum used to dish up over twenty five years ago! It really doesn’t take long to whip up and if you serve it with some vegetables on the side you have a well balanced meal.

If you are a regular follower of my blog you’ll know that ‘eggy’ is one of Freddie’s favorite foods at the moment. This is a recent development, until about 15 months old he wasn’t a fan of the texture and refused to eat them. So if your little one is turning their nose up at eggs at the moment maybe give them another try again in a few months time.

I’m a real fan of using eggs as part of kids meals and they can be introduced from stage 2 onwards (around 7 months). Eggs are affordable and available all year round and an easily absorbed, ‘complete’ protein source. That means that they contain all the essential amino acids needed for healthy body functions. If you want to find out more about why eggs are such a great, cheap food the NZ Nutrition Foundation has an interesting article about eggs on their website.

Although eggs are high in cholesterol current research suggests that they have little impact on blood cholesterol or heart disease,  The New Zealand Heart Foundation suggest up to 6 eggs per week for adults as part of a healthy balanced diet, the UK Food Standards Agency sets no upper limit and The World Health Organisation suggests up to 10 per week for adults.

The only downside is that eggs are one of the foods listed to be introduced with caution for families with allergies. In New Zealand the advice  for families with a history of allergies is to be wary of the following foods until at least one: nuts (including peanut butter), eggs, fish and seafood and wheat. If you have concerns about allergies and excluding or introducing specific foods, this is something you could discuss with your plunket nurse, health visitor or doctor.

Spaghetti Carbonara
Makes: 2 toddler’s portions
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
100g pasta – any type
1 egg
3 slices ham or two rashers of bacon
Grated cheese to serve

Place the pasta in boiling water and cook until soft.

While the pasta is cooking crack the egg into a bowl and combine. If you are using bacon instead of ham grill in until cooked and slightly crispy. Cut the cooked bacon or ham into bite sized pieces.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the saucepan.

Add the ham and eggs to the pan over a low heat and combine. Cook until the eggs have scrambled and the ham is hot.

Serve with vegetables on the side and a sprinkling of cheese.

I hope your little ones enjoy this as much as Freddie does!