Parsnip Mash

I came up with this recipe for Parsnip Mash on my new blog but thought I'd would share it here as well because it would be absolutely fantastic for babies too.Very simply made and even easier to eat, this would be great for adults or first weaners.Check out the recipe for Parsnip Mash by clicking on the lin...

Click Here To Get Download link

Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms are one of those foods people think are difficult to make.  "Life is too short to stuff a mushroom" a phrase apparently coined by Shirley Conran.  Stuffing a mushroom does sound difficult, or fiddly but I promise it's not. This super simple stuffing also makes it easy (and delicious).  I just had this as an adult meal for one but my son, a fan of both mushrooms and cheese would love these.  Do...

Click Here To Get Download link

Cauliflower Pakoras; great finger food for kids

Cauliflower pakoras are something I'd never made before until recently, but as part of my 7 a day challenge I made some vegetable pakoras using peas and loved them.  When I moved house a few days back and restocked my cupboards (including buying some gram flour), the helpful assistant in the shop suggested cauliflower was pretty good and, in fact her favourite.  She also said that fresh spinach was, in her opinion much better...

Click Here To Get Download link

Quesadillas for the Whole Family

Quesadillas was something I used to make for my son when he was very little.  This is a slightly updated version with plenty of sneaky hidden vegetables!Quesadillas - Serves 2 adults and a toddlerIngredients1 tomato, diced1 tbsp fresh coriander, cilantro chopped1/4 Green pepper (capsicum), finely choppedApprox 1-2 inches courgette (zucchini) finely chopped1/2 tin (drained, 120g, 4oz drained weight) red kidney beans1 Clove garlic1/2...

Click Here To Get Download link

Spinach and Carrot Cannelloni

Cannelloni is a surprisingly easy dish to cook for one.  I had made some tomato and pesto soup the other day and the leftovers were in the fridge.  It occurred to me that it would also make a really good pasta sauce.  But I had no cream cheese, no goats cheese, no mince, nothing traditional for a cannelloni filling in the house.  So why not vegetables.  Why not?  You know what, it didn't just work, it was...

Click Here To Get Download link

Gluten Free Pancakes

Chickpea pancakes might sound like an odd proposition for breakfast but bear with me.  Chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour or 'Besan' has a distinctive, savoury taste but there is something delicious about that served with syrup, just like that salty sweet combo of bacon and syrup is something fantastic, so was this.The amazing thing about chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour is it has over double the amount of protein compared with wheat flour...

Click Here To Get Download link

Baked Onion Rings

Onion rings, love them but don't love the oiliness.  I'm not some health freak but I can feel my arteries hardening as I eat!  These are cunningly baked so much less fatty!Baked Onion RingsIngredients1 Small onion cut into 2mm rings2 tbsp Mayo1 tbsp Milk20g, Just over 1/2oz Rice Krispies15g, 1/2 oz Plain (all purpose) flour1/2 tsp Garlic PowderSpray OilMethodPreheat the oven to 200oC, 400F, Gas Mark 6.  Line a tray with...

Click Here To Get Download link

7 a Day Challenge; Day 3 - Vegetable Pakoras

7 fruits and vegetables a day is a bit harder than I thought.A few days ago, I set myself a challenge to eat 7 fruits and vegetables minimum in 7 days to see how it affected me, my wellbeing and how hard or easy it might be.I'm on day 3 now and I need to find ways to liven things up!BreakfastI was at work early today so took breakfast of rice crispies and a banana.  This is actually far more than I'd normally eat for breakfast so...

Click Here To Get Download link

Cheesy Bean and Mushroom Crumble - Great for babies, toddlers and the whole family

My son loved this, a great way to get beans into your child without resorting to the ones in tomato sauce.  I think I might try it with a more garlicky sauce next time and mix up the beans and vegetables.People forget that beans can be one of your five a day and a great source of fibre.  Mash it up for babies not capable of lumps yet.Cheesy Bean and Mushroom Crumble - Serves 2-3Ingredients180g, 6oz (drained weight) tinned mixed...

Click Here To Get Download link

Goats cheese frittata, great for kids

My son eats pretty well, I know what you're thinking, "My kid won't eat goats' cheese and they're certainly not fans of broccoli!".  They can and they might just surprise you.  My 3 year old is a bit of a cheese fan (as am I) and I do love quiches.  The thing is, calorie wise and salt wise the pastry adds loads and, although I'm a fan of crisp, buttery pastry, the filling is where it's at with a quiche anyway and you know...

Click Here To Get Download link

Baked Vanilla Custards - suitable for babies, children and adults

A very simple and not massively unhealthy pudding.  Less than 2 tsp sugar per serving.  Pretty thrifty ingredients too!Baked Vanilla Custards - makes 2Ingredients1 tbsp sugar2 Egg yolks150ml, 5 fl ounces, 2/3 cup Semi skimmed (2%) milk1/4 tsp Vanilla extract or pasteMethodPreheat the oven to 180oC / 350FMix all the ingredients together, pour into two ramekins.Put in a bain marie (a baking dish with water from the kettle in it...

Click Here To Get Download link

Roasted roots

You may have seen a slightly unusual accompaniment to my smoked mackerel fish cakes the other day.  Yes, they were roasted carrots and radishes!  Two things we don't often roast but I'd given my son boiled carrots earlier in the day and we were a little low on vegetables so didn't just want to give him the same.  I'd seen roasted radishes in gastropub type menus and thought "why not?"I often say to parents who have children...

Click Here To Get Download link

Vegetable fritters - great for babies and toddlers on finger foods

After making my sweetcorn fritter recipe; I was determined there must be a good vegetable fritter recipe in me.  Look, I know courgettes (zucchini) aren't terribly seasonal at this time of year but they are still available in the shops and I'm sure you could substitute for another ingredient if you prefer.This made a lovely, soft, pancake like texture which would be great for babies first finger foods, either alongside traditional...

Click Here To Get Download link

Onion Bhajis for Toddlers and Grown ups

Onion bhajis or pakoras; is there a more convenient finger food?  They are so ridiculously easy and cheap to make yourself too and you can mix up the type of vegetables in them.  Here I've included a bit of carrot.My son liked them but only the bits with smaller onion pieces, he found the long bits a bit stringy.  Next time I might make them with more finely chopped or grated vegetables.  He was a big fan of the spicy...

Click Here To Get Download link

Spinach and Potato Bites, great for babies and toddlers

I was out running this morning, as you do, and thought about something my Mum used to cook for us sometimes.  In retrospect I suspect it was a way to use up excess mashed potato but it was something I loved.  If I'm honest I was never a big fan of mashed potato on it's own and this mixed it up a bit.So I made them smaller, added spinach and made these.  They were a big hit with my son.  I gave him 6 and he ate them...

Click Here To Get Download link

Vegetarian Cottage Pie for all of the family

Sometimes you just need vegetables.  My son loved this!  He'd had a week of nothing really home made and was a touch bunged up if you don't mind me being crude so I was determined to get him a full on meal of delicious vegetables without either of us noticing we had no meat.Vegetarian Cottage Pie - Serves 3-4Ingredients1 Onion1 tsp Oil1 Clove of garlic1 Carrot, chopped150g, 5oz Butternut squash, peeled and chopped400g, 14oz Tin...

Click Here To Get Download link

Cheese and Onion Stuffed Jackets for the Whole Family

This was an improvised dish after I'd got some potatoes in the oven and I was determined to squeeze a small amount of vegetable into my son's diet (it had been 'one of those' days food wise) and I was a bit lacking in things 'suitable' for filling a jacket spud.What is it as well that salad feels right with a regular jacket spud but if you then stuff it, boiled or steamed veg suddenly seems ok?  Not sure but I wanted to go down the...

Click Here To Get Download link

Porridge for Babies, Toddlers and Grown Ups

Why don't more people eat porridge?  I think part of the reason is people think it's difficult.  It's not at all but if you make it on the hob it makes no sense to cook it for 1 and the pan ends up pretty mucky.  Making it in the microwave solves all of that.Until March this year, I was commuting for up to 90 minutes morning and night.  I'd been working at the site for several months before I realised they served porridge...

Click Here To Get Download link

Soba Noodle Salad

I've not tried this with my son yet but he has similar dishes with hot noodles so I see no reason not to try.  Certainly a meal for adults though or older kids and despite the humble ingredients it's substantial enough to make you feel you've really eaten something.Soba noodles are made with buckwheat.  They are often served chilled in Japan so having them in a salad isn't a big leap.  Buckwheat if pure, is gluten free....

Click Here To Get Download link

How I got my son eating lettuce

My son is generally a reluctant salad eater.  He will eat coleslaw, occasionally some cucumber but anything leafy is a flat refusal on the salad front.This got me thinking... what if I chop it smaller?  What I often say to people with fussy kids is to try cutting up the food or serving it in a different way.  I should say here, all parents think their kids are fussy sometimes and they'd be right.  All kids at least...

Click Here To Get Download link