Fried Apple and Cinnamon Pudding for Babies and Toddlers

I have to admit this wasn't my idea. I picked this up on a 'desserts' thread on a forum but it's such a good and simple idea, I thought I'd pass it on.

Sometimes I imagine my son as a teenager saying "but Mum I've never liked xxx"*
*Insert thing he's always liked here.

So for the past few days it's been fruit. My son loves fruit. Two weeks ago it was pretty much all you could guarantee he would eat, I mean if he'd had a bad eating day, satsumas, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, they were all going in, so much so I had to limit him because it was all getting a bit squishy at the other end.

But nada. I mean he went from deciding clementines weren't *quite* as nice as satsumas (actually, I'm with him there), then, well I don't fancy these green grapes but the red ones are ok. No, I've never liked blueberries! What are you feeding me strawberries for????

Anyway, I will keep offering. To stop, well therein lies the path of a fussy toddler and however heartbreaking it is to see (expensive and messy) fruit land on the floor, offering a few pieces then eating the rest myself if he's not interested will do me no harm.

But it's also a good idea to keep offering things which are new and things presented in new ways. So, in the spirit of that, here is an apple recipe. I've been a bit nervous about apples since he choked on one at 10 months old (I mean properly choked, not just gagged) but this makes them softer.

Fried Apples with Cinnamon - suitable for babies on finger foods (if traditional weaning, puree or mash before serving if you're not confident) - serves 1 hungry toddler but would probably serve 2 babies (perhaps use any leftovers mashed and mixed with plain greek yoghurt)

Ingredients

1 Apple, peeled, cored and cut into pieces appropriately sized for your child
Unsalted butter
Cinnamon or mixed spice

Method

Heat a knob (perhaps half an ounce) of butter in the pan, add the apple and as much or as little spice as you like. Fry until softening. Turn onto a plate and allow to cool until at a suitable temperature for your baby or toddler.

Went down a treat with my son and after which he then ate some halved grapes! Go figure!

No Added Sugar Apple and Sultana Mini Muffins

If you're like me and often end up buying a bag of apples thinking 'maybe I'll feed them to my son' then chickening out because you once fed him apple and it ended up with a very scary choking incident, you have a lot of apples nearing the end of their life in your fruitbowl.




Anyway, here's the recipe to use up those apples, please try it, if anything they're more delicious than the sweet potato ones and even harder to detect there's no added sugar.

No Added Sugar Apple and Sultana Muffins - suitable for 9 months or so plus.  (Babies on finger foods.)  Also tasty for adults and older children.

Ingredients

1 apple, (don't peel it), coarsely grated back to the core, should be about 100g
2 eggs
4 tbsp milk
150g sultanas
2 tbsp vegetable oil
150g SR flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 - 220 degrees centigrade.


Oil a cupcake or mini muffin tin.  I use spray oil and find if you use a silicone or non stick cupcake tin they come out fine, otherwise they stick to cupcake cases.
Mix the egg, apple, sultanas, milk and oil.  Put the flour and spices in a bowl then add the wet mixture mixing (don't overmix).  Put a generous dsp into the trays and bake for 15-17 minutes or until cooked (check to see if they spring back when pressed on the top.)

(Freeze well.)

Kinda Vietnamese Chicken Salad for Grown Ups

I've included this here because although this is probably a complete no-go for kids; the chilli and the salt from the fish sauce makes it a very difficult sell nutritionally, however, for adults, it's actually pretty healthy (salt aside, hey, cut down tomorrow.)






Anyway, this is a good idea because it's difficult to prepare food to serve quickly.  I am sure there are millions of other households like ours where bedtime is around 7pm, so it's too early to eat before you start the bedtime routine (also it's too difficult and hard for everyone to be home in time) so you end up eating something quickly prepared and not always all that nutritious.  So this is where the 'stick it in the oven' meal comes in.  Most cookers have a timer on them where you can set the overall cook time as well as the overall finish time; so, for example, you can set the oven to come on for 30 mins to finish cooking at 7:15pm without having to be there to switch it on at 6:45pm.  Check your oven instructions if you're not sure.


So I do this all of the time, there's no real big risk to letting some raw meat sit in an oven for 15 minutes before it starts cooking, just be aware that as the oven will be cold when the cooking time starts, you might need to extend it a little; just check.


Anyway, this kind of cooking you would think would lend itself to heavy, wintery dishes but here's something a bit more summery.  The other thing is it can cook on for a bit longer if bedtime takes longer than you think or even be served cold (I cooked extra tonight for my lunch tomorrow.)

Vietnamese Chicken Salad - serves 2 grown ups after a long, hard day

Ingredients

Boneless chicken thighs (4-5)
4 tbsp (or to your taste) fish sauce
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 red chilli, finely chopped (remove the seeds unless you like it very hot)
1-2 tbsp sugar (to your taste)
Juice of a lime

To serve

Shredded raw vegetables of your choice; I used carrot, onion, sugar snap peas, red pepper and cucumber.  Radish is also good.
Fresh coriander leaf
Unsalted peanuts (I just buy salted which are cheaper and rinse off the salt)

Method

Mix the fish sauce, garlic, chilli, sugar and lime together and pour over the chicken thighs.  You can leave them to marinade or not, to be honest I don't think it makes that much difference but I often prepare this in the morning as my son is eating his breakfast and stick it in the fridge until later in the day.

Bake the whole dish, marinade and all in the oven at 220oC for 40-45 minutes.  Serve on the shredded vegetables with the peanuts and coriander and some of the cooked marinade spooned over.  If you're having it cold, especially if you're serving it a while later or taking it to work for lunch, let the chicken and marinade cool first and refrigerate until you want to eat.

I've sent this in for approval for "the spice trail" challenge which for November 2013 is on chillis!

Fishcakes without Potato!

I came up with this recipe when wanting to make some fishcakes but not having the time to wait for potatoes to cook, cool etc.  Not quite as popular as the potato based ones but I think I liked them more so it might be a recipe I adapt for adults and make more when he's a little older and has some teeth for chewing.

Fishcakes (made with Salmon and breadcrumbs, no potato) - serves 1-2 depending on appetite.  Ok for baby led weaners but a bit crunchy so probably 10 months plus.



Ingredients

100g Salmon Fillet
1 slice (approx 30g) bread whizzed into breadcrumbs
1 egg
Herbs of your choice (I used parsley and garlic chives)

Method

Cook the salmon, I used frozen salmon which can be microwaved which makes it a piece of (fish)cake.  Allow to cool a little, then flake it and mix with the breadcrumbs and herbs.  Add the egg and form into loose patties.

Fry for about 3 mins each side or until thoroughly cooked.

As I said, they were nice but probably on the crunchy side for my little fella.  Maybe I'll try baking them next time or waiting till he has molars.

If you fancy some fishcakes with potato, give my salmon and spinach fishcakes a try.

Advice for people with babies who don't sleep

My son has had another sleep regression.  I think (hope) he's coming out of it now but I may have to accept that morning starts with the number 5.

Anyway, this got me thinking about babies who don't sleep as well and other peoples reactions.  Parents who have one child often imply it's my fault or that it's 'strange' unless they have a little sleep dodger themselves.  Can I let you know all you lovely people out there?  This doesn't help to have people who barely know your son pass judgement on your parenting techniques.  Likewise it's tough being sleep deprived.  It can make you depressed (literally), run down, prone to illness etc.  Telling someone to 'cheer up and be more positive' is also not helpful.  I actually defriended someone on facebook for this.  I was fed up with her telling me how negative I was.

People with more than one child know better as inevitably you don't get two who sleep well.

So, what has worked so far?  Well at different times in his life he's gone through different problems, frequent night wakings, feeding through the night and early wakings.

So here's my advice based upon experience of 1 so unlikely to work with anyone else's child, but hey, I know how it is, anything is worth a shot.

At all ages:

Get black out blinds.  Don't just rely on black out linings, particularly if you have a curtain rod rather than a track.  Think about landing / hallway windows too as if you have to feed or settle at 4am in the summer you will be opening your child's door and letting in light.

Get outside during the day, get natural light, cover with sun tan lotion or a snow suit if needed but getting fresh air is good for both of you.

Before 6 months:

For night wakings at this age, unfortunately just go with it.  There was nothing I found which helped and if breastfeeding you need night feedings to get a decent supply.

At 6 months:

If still nightwaking a lot, try pick up put down if you can stand to do it to work down to two night wakings.  Here's a forum with advice on this.

Try not to do the morning feed before 6am to avoid early waking becoming a habit.

Try, if you can to put your baby down awake at bedtime rather than feeding to sleep.

At 8 months:

If still waking up twice, try and get down to 1 night feed using pick up put down again.  (Some people swear by a 'dream feed' where you feed your child half asleep at 11pm but it never worked for us.)

Try not to do the morning feed before 6am to avoid early waking becoming a habit.  

Try, if you can to put your baby down awake at bedtime rather than feeding to sleep.

At 10-12 months:

If still waking up, try and get down to no night feeds using pick up put down again.

Try not to do the morning feed before 6am to avoid early waking becoming a habit.  

It now becomes even more important to put baby down awake at bedtime rather than feeding to sleep.  If on formula transitioning to a sippy cup can help with this.

12 months plus:

If waking early, look at naps, it might be your baby needs more or it might be s/he needs fewer but longer naps.  

To transition from 2 naps to 1, try taking your baby out for a 5-10 min nap in the pram in the morning and sticking with a longer nap in the afternoon.

Have your longer nap at home (on nursery or child minder) rather than on the move, every day apart from minor exceptions if you can.  

Do lots with your toddler in the day to wear them out!  I always find swimming, going on the swings, and doing inside obstacle courses are good.  Don't keep them strapped into pushchairs or carseats all day.  Not easy when your child isn't walking like mine but it is important for them to be active.

Treat early wakings as a night waking.  No doubt at this age s/he will stand up in their cot.  Try just lying them back down again.  Sometimes it works.

For early wakings, try putting your child to bed earlier.  Didn't work for my son but I've heard people say it works for them.  

If all else fails, try putting to bed later or just accepting it and going to bed a little earlier yourself.  Sometimes there are things just not worth fighting about.  Remember that all the smug parents telling you you're doing something wrong will face problems somewhere, I don't think any parenting life is truly hassle free!

Oh and throw the books away.  There is so much 'should' and 'must' in those books.  I remember reading in one how pick up put down doesn't work on kids over the age of 6 months.  Well you adapt it for age but yes, it still works in my 14 month old if he needs it.  Kids don't read books.  They don't know how much sleep they 'should' be getting at their age.  Remember as well if you live in a different culture you'd have different expectations.  For example, in Spain adults go to bed late, get up early and have a siesta in the afternoon so children must have very different sleeping habits there.  Ultimately if your child seems happy and not exhausted, you're probably doing a pretty good job.

Bolognese for Adults and Babies

I have never been to Bologna so I can't claim this is in any way authentic but like Chicken Tikka Masala, Bolognese is a dish which has been taken on by the Brits and no doubt changed beyond all recognition.  All cultures do this to some degree and don't seem to feel as embarrassed about it as British people do.  




An American spaghetti and meatballs is nothing like you'd ever get in Italy but they don't seem to care, I've had a McAloo burger (a potato burger from McDonalds) in Delhi and no-one seems to think it's 'inauthentic'; it's just changing the recipe to match local beliefs, customs and ingredients.


So this is my inauthentic recipe.  There are some variations in it and tips for younger kids.  I know I have a bit of a kitchen crush on my slow cooker but with a child it's great as it doesn't need stirring more than once or twice in the whole cooking time, also the mince is softer which is useful when you're getting your baby used to more textures.  You can make it on the hob if you don't have a slow cooker (but they are very cheap to buy.)


Note that if your child is taking vitamin drops, it's probably a good idea to leave out the liver.  I've kind of given up with them as he eats so well and eats a wide variety of foods.  I also started to think it was pointless to avoid nutritious food like liver with him just so he could take some drops.  

Bolognese - Ok for Adults, children and babies who are on meat and soft lumps, e.g. 8/9 months plus (with the adaptations given)

Ingredients

500g lean beef mince - do buy lean, I have experimented with cheaper minces and not only do you tend to come across gristle, everything ends up too fatty
A small pot (approx 200g) of chicken livers defrosted and chopped finely (optional)
Splash of olive oil
One onion, peeled and finely diced
One carrot finely diced
5 or so Mushrooms, finely diced
1-2 tins chopped tomotoes or 1 small carton of passata
1 beef stock cube (over 1 year only or use a low salt stock cube like Heinz baby or Kallo very low salt)
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 bay leaf
Handful of fresh mixed herbs including rosemary, oregano and thyme (or 1-2 tsp of dried)

Method

Fry the mince in a dry pan (even lean mince has a lot of fat) until browned breaking it up with a wooden spatula.  Put this in the slow cooker with the chicken livers if using.  Soften the onion, carrot and garlic in the oil and add to the slow cooker.  Add the mushrooms to the slow cooker followed by the tomatoes or passata.  If using tinned tomatoes, you may want to drain off some of the juice if they're a bit watery.  Add the stock cube if using and bay leaf.  Cook on high until boiling then reduce the heat to low and cook for 6 hours.  If cooking on the hob it will take a much shorter amount of time.  Remove the bay leaf and add the chopped fresh or dried herbs and serve with the pasta of your choice.

For babies on the 'soft lumps' stage, mix with small pasta shapes (no need to use the tiny ones in the baby food section, you can use the small pasta shapes in the pasta aisle e.g. farfalline from tesco or asda have two types.)  If your baby is a bit iffy with lumps it's an idea to blend the sauce before mixing with the pasta until they get used to the coarser texture of mince.

Freezes fantastically.

Sorry about the poor quality photo, I'm resorting to my mobile phone at the mo!  The photo is of a batch without the chicken livers simply because I didn't have any but if you do have the opportunity, get some and try it.  Not only does it bulk out the batch and makes it go far further but at 43p for a pack of frozen chicken livers (from Asda or Tesco) it's a fantastic price, ups the iron content and it makes it taste much meatier.


If you want to bulk it out further, also try adding a courgette chopped into fine cubes.  It's surprising when you have a mince dish like this how much hidden veg you can sneak in which makes it cost effective and healthier. 

Tomato and Brie Tart

Apologies for the lack of photography, my husband has taken his camera away from me.  Boo hiss.


Anyway, my son has gone from feeling off his food to eating everything you put in front of him so I felt it was time to be a bit more adventurous.  



Note that although I've said this isn't a baby recipe, it's for toddlers and older only, that's because of salt not because of the brie.  There is a risk giving mould ripened cheeses to babies that they could contract Listeria and babies are far more prone to getting complications from food bugs.  Listeria though is pretty easily killed off by cooking, especially something like this which is thin and so will reach a high temperature throughout pretty quickly.  So on whether to serve it to babies; it's up to you.  I've not worked it out but I suspect the pastry and cheese add a significant amount of salt so just be wary of that.


If you use the ready to roll pastry, this is something you could knock up very quickly.

Tomato and Brie Tart - for Adults and Toddlers, possibly too much salt for babies; enough to feed one adult and one child.

Ingredients

Piece of puff pasty approx 5 inches by 12 inches from a ready rolled block or rolled out (or your home made pastry.  Really?  Does anyone with a child have time to do this?)
3 tomatoes (or more if they're small / cherry type), sliced thickly
100g Brie cut into small slices / chunks
A little milk for brushing the edge

Method

Preheat your oven to 200oC.

Lay out the pastry; conveniently I've found the ready rolled is often interleaved with greaseproof paper so if you get a really sharp knife you can cut through the pastry and the paper and bake it on that!  Genius lazy work!

Score (ie don't cut all the way through) all the way around so there's a 1cm - 1.5cm edge of pastry.  Lay the slices of tomato on top and follow with the brie staying within your scored line.  Brush the edge of the pastry with milk and bake for approx 15-18 mins until the cheese is melting and brown and the pastry is browned.

Leave to cool for a bit before serving, best served warm rather than hot.

My son did pick off and eat the tomatoes (he's not normally bothered about fresh tomatoes so that was a revelation) and the brie then he worked onto the flaky pieces of pastry at the edge but most of the softer pastry underneath went on the floor.  So mostly a success and I thought it was very tasty.

My poorly wee fella

So it's happened.  The first time.  That call from the nursery saying "we're sorry to bother you but..."

My little pumpkin has conjunctivitis.  He's had a few days of it, bless him.  Friday night he came home from nursery all smiles; within an hour we had projectile vomiting (a viral stomach bug) and now he has conjunctivitis. Of course I'm beating myself up about it now because I gave up breastfeeding nearly a month ago and now I'm thinking "well if I continued, perhaps he'd not be coming down with everything."  I suppose two illnesses in four days isn't 'everything' but it is a lot.  The other frustrating thing is I'm down to the tiniest drops of breastmilk left now if I expressed and I used to use breastmilk to treat sticky eyes when he was a little baby.  It works really well, must be the antibodies.  Magic stuff boobie milk.

It makes my current struggle with his early wakings seem like piffle though.  I mean my son is ill, he can wake up when he damn well wants!

Anyway, I have an enforced day away from work which is ironic because I got called in on Sunday night for an emergency.  I was on site for three and a half hours and thought at the time, "Ah well, it's annoying but at least I'll build up some goodwill for when I inevitably get *that* call".

So what to feed the grumpy little fella?  He's not quite recovered from Friday's vomitus maximus yet and has been a bit off his food but today I think I will try him on some curry for lunch and some spinach pasta for tea with some date cake or maybe some pannacotta for pudding.  Yes, I know that sounds like a rich mix of flavours but my son is never one for shying away unless he's really ill (on Saturday pretty much all he'd eat was plain Greek yoghurt.)  We might pop out to our local Aldi and get some interesting fruit too.

Any suggestions for cheering up a little man with sticky eyes?