Box Hill mum gains international attention for her healthy, Disney inspired kids meals
A Melbourne mum is getting international love from Ellen DeGeneres, Jamie Oliver and Disney for her healthy and colourful kids meal creations. Here’s how to make them at home.
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With a scoop of healthy ingredients and a dash of artistic flair, a Melbourne mum is getting an international attention for her creative food creations.
Just four years ago, Laleh Mohmedi from Box Hill made her son Jacob’s spelt pancakes into a lion, instantly sparking an interest in nutritious, creative children’s meals.
As her passion — and celebrity interest — grew, the former medical recruiter gained more than 180,000 followers on social media, appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show, was praised by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and got the tick of approval from licencing juggernauts Disney and Pixar.
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“When I started cooking creative meals for Jacob, I didn’t even understand what Instagram was, but my friends encouraged me that what I was doing was unique and worthwhile putting out into the world,” she says.
While most artist’s palettes are filled with paint, Mohmedi’s temporary artworks are created with pantry items and natural ingredients such as using beetroot to colour mashed potato, cabbage to dye noodles and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
While Mohmedi has had no professional art training, her unique talent has seen her tackle everything from Toy Story to Monsters Inc, The Lion King and Snow White, while even Kermit the Frog and Will Smith have had their faces dished up on a plate.
“My husband is a chef so food is a big thing in our house,” she says.
“All the dishes I created were real meals for Jacob to eat; it’s about showing parents how to make healthy food fun.”
Mohmedi says her biggest lesson in getting children to embrace healthy food is to involve them in the cooking process.
“My biggest piece of advice is to talk with your children about food and cooking,” she says.
“By showing them the process of preparing a meal and getting them to participate, they can see what goes into it; and seeing the finished product they feel as though they have achieved something too,” she said.
And while the mother-of-two admits parents can have a lot on their plate during back to school time, she is adamant that her dishes are achievable.
“While the finished products might look intimidating, they are actually really simple.”
“I use a lot of grains and seeds and spelt flour pancakes and fruits and vegetables are also wonderful to use because they are so naturally bright in colour.”
With growing international interest and as daughter Charlie, now 16 months, begins experimenting more with solid food, Mohmedi says there are a lot more dishes to come.
There’s just one recipe she refuses to tackle again.
“Snoop Dogg is so hard,” she says of the American rapper.
“I would hate to do a celebrity dish and offend them,” she laughs.
LUNCH BOX TREAT: SULLY RICE PAPER ROLLS
1. In a small bowl mix 1 tbsp honey and 1 tsp soy sauce. Cut 400g of chicken thighs into strips and marinate for 15 minutes
2. In a small pot place a piece of purple cabbage and allow to boil. Once boiled add a pinch of baking soda to the water — this will make the water blue.
3. Allow the cabbage to cook until it starts to appear blue around the edges. Remove and allow to cool
4. Place 1 cup vermicelli noodles into the blue water and cook.; once cooked, remove and strain.
5. Cut a carrot, cucumber and purple cabbage into slices. Place on a separate plate.
6. Place coconut oil onto pan and cook the marinated chicken.
7. While the noodles are cooking you can prepare the facial features using carrot, a slice of radish, a black pancake, the remaining purple cabbage to create the eyes, teeth, horns and nose.
8. Place the rice paper sheet into a bowl of water for approximately 5 seconds. The sheet should still remain a little hard when removing — this will soften when plating.
Place the noodles in the centre of the rice paper sheet
Place the chicken and vegetables on top.
Fold the sides of the sheet inward followed by the top and bottom to create an oval shaped roll and add your facial features
12. Try using avocado, egg and cabbage to create other characters
AFTER SCHOOL SNACK: TSUM TSUM NUT BALLS
1. Place ¼ cup quinoa and oats into oven and heat until fragrant- remove and allow to cool
2. Melt 1tbs each of coconut oil and honey in a small pot
3. Blitz 1 cup mixed nuts and two 2 medjool dates in a food processor
4. Pour nuts into a small bowl, stir in honey and oil, quinoa and oat mixture, ¼ cup goji berries and ¼ cup chia seeds and mix well.
5. Roll mixture into balls
6. Use strawberries, blueberries, pumpkin seeds, desiccated coconuts, slithered almonds and paw paw to create some of your favourite characters. Place in refrigerator.
THE DISNEY MEAL CREATIONS
WINNIE THE POOH
Sweet potato spelt gnocchi with Napoli + spinach sauce
SNOW WHITE
Spelt pancakes with fruit
RAPUNZEL & PASQAL from TANGLED
Mash potato, fettuccine, purple cabbage, avocado, cucumber, white tortilla wrap
HEATH LEDGER AS THE JOKER
Mash potato, cream cheese, purple cabbage, sweet potato noodles, sesame seeds
CARL FROM UP
Mash potato, bread, bao buns
WILL SMITH AS THE FRESH PRINCE
Mash potato, tea, wild rice, whole meal wrap, radish, melon
ERNIE FROM SESAME STREET
Dahl (red lentils) with wild rice, corn, capsicum, tomato and cucumber
BEAST FROM BEAUTY & THE BEAST
Waffles with spelt chocolate pancakes, dragon fruit, blueberries and banana
SCAR FROM THE LION KING
Dahl (lentils) with mash potato and wild rice
PRINCESS JASMINE FROM ALADDIN
Noodles with black fungus, yellow capsicum, purple cabbage, pickled ginger and radish
KERMIT FROM THE MUPPETS
Grapes, apples, cucumber and bocconcini
Images taken from 2Jacobs — Food — Diaries Instagram account
Readers can start collecting a 15-book set of Disney Pixar titles next week with the Sunday Herald Sun, including Frozen, Moana, Monsters Inc and Finding Dory. The first book, The Lion King, is free with the paper on February 3. Details: MagicalStory.com.au
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