Nguyen Ngoc Huyen Trang, a 27-year-old Vietnamese mother of three in Jakarta, Indonesia, takes the time to prepare creative meals for her children, such as these porcupines in the jungle. |
"I was getting annoyed about how picky my children were with their food, so I decided to create nice-looking dishes for them. At first, I just wanted them to eat healthy food and enjoy it, but it gradually became a part of my daily routine,” said Trang. Her children are two, three and a half, and six years old. |
She started to wean her babies when they turned 6 months old. |
Trang said it takes her 20 to 40 minutes to prepare the food. Every night before going to bed, Trang spends 10 minutes checking up on what she should make for the kids the next day. |
"It's not that difficult, just a touch of creativity. Using the ingredients I have and with a little effort, my kids enjoy a happy meal," she said. |
Lunch with Doraemon made from rice, meatballs and boiled broccoli. |
The color of rice is made from natural sources: broccoli for green, beetroot for red and pink, red cabbage for purple, carrot and pumpkin for orange, and turmeric for yellow. |
One evening, the kids asked for biscuits and milk. Trang successfully persuaded them to wait for her “candies." That treat turned out to be fish with turmeric, boiled cauliflower and pumpkin soup. And they absolutely loved it. |
Blueberry rice with minced pork, fried with mushrooms, pumpkin and steamed broccoli. Since Trang started her mission, her kids have been eating all kinds of fruit and vegetables, even ones they did not like before. |
She said that her kids love the cute and creative food. No more complaining, no more reminders to wash their hands. They take their own chairs and spoons, sit at the table and enjoy their meals. Sometimes, her youngest child is so excited that he uses his hands. |
Trang runs her own business in Jakarta.. |