Useful tools we have found...

I have got a few recipes lined up to make and post about but recently we have been VERY busy so I have found myself utilising quite a bit of my freezer stash and also doing a lot of roasted and steamed vegetables because these are simple and yet Little Miss finds them delicious. I think part of the reason she likes them is that they are really good to get a handle on herself whereas some of the other foods can be a bit crumbly although a great learning experience for handling them.

Anyway, to keep up with posts I have decided to show you a few of the things we have found to be particularly useful for baby-led weaning.

1) the "highchair". We have a high-chair which attaches to the family table so that Little Miss can sit directly with us at the table to eat. It looks a bit like a levitation act! This works for us but may not work for other people for example you cannot use these on glass tables. Plus, even though it has rubber covers to protect the top of the table, it does leave slight marks underneath. If you get a free standing high chair I would really advise getting one with adjustable tray positions and possibly even adjustable height positions.

Our "highchair"

2) Floor protection! I'd say at least half of most meals ends up on the floor and it can be a nightmare to clean up so we bought some wipeclean floor mats to put underneath the table. The one in the picture is the one we use at the house. It is really big (although folded in half here) so can go below the entire table. It is also quite heavy which makes it easier to wipe down. I also bought a couple of lightweight waterproof picnic mats to take with us to other people's houses (or to have picnics on!) which are less bulky to carry with us.

Our floormat

3) Food mat. We have various bowls and plates for Little Miss but I think the best thing we have for her to eat off is a silicone mat which suckers on to the table. It is easy to clean and Little Miss can't do what she likes best which is to throw it/drop it off the table.

Our foodmat

3) Long-sleeved bib. These are an absolute must as food gets everywhere. Dribble bibs and ones that just cover the chest do not cut it. The longer the bib the better as well. Here is Little Miss modelling one of our many long-sleeved bibs (I think we probably have 8-10):

Long-sleeved bib

4) Cups. Lots of mums rave about the cups which don't spill when they go upside down. This might be great for mum but actually it does not teach the child new skills and really about the physics of liquids. Instead, the sippy cups or normal cups tend to be better. We tend to use sippy cups more as they are easy to take out filled with water but also use a doidy cup at home which has one side longer than the other to be a middle step between a sippy cup and a normal cup. Little Miss likes both of these now but the sippy cup has less spillage (although she does enjoy turning it upside down and watching the water pour out).

Orange sippy cup and purple doidy cup

Other than that it helps to have some baby spoons and bowls/plates etc. but really teaspoons and normal bowls can be used too..you just need to be a bit more careful.

Anyway I hope that has given you some ideas of what might be useful although everyone is different.

JULES XOXO

Simple vegetable and coconut stew

Today has been a bit chaotic, well this afternoon really, which has meant I had not planned dinner for Little Miss and had hardly anytime to prepare it. We had a few vegetables in the fridge so I decided to do a simple stew. i won't put quantities down as you can put whatever you have in and use any vegetables you fancy but I will tell you what I did.

I fried some onions in some sunflower oil for a few minutes and then added chopped carrots and butternut squash. These cooked for about 8 minutes (I added some extra water in but be careful if you do this can it can react with the oil and spit) then I poured in some passata and added some dessicated coconut (coconut milk or cream would also work and it would be perfectly fine without the coconut but I wanted to add a bit of extra fat and flavour).


And here it is:

Such a quick and easy meal you can do with little time and whatever vegetables you happen to have in. I must admit, despite it's simplicity I really loved it myself and would happily wolf down a couple of bowls.

JULES XOXO

Spinach, mushroom and butterbean sandwich filling

I don't know about you but we seem to get stuck on houmous and salad/roasted vegetables as our sandwich fillings. I try to mix it up by making different houmous flavours but it still is nice to try different things. I hadn't tried Little Miss on spinach yet and we had mushrooms to use up so I decided to create a new sandwich filling from these things. The recipe below makes several sandwiches worth for mummy and baby so you may want to reduce the quantities.

Ingredients

-A couple of handfuls of cooked spinach. I used about 8 frozen blocks of spinach (sorry about the mismatch of measurements in this recipe. My brain obviously wasn't fully engaged when I tried this out).
-4 large mushrooms or the equivalent in small
-2 cloves of garlic
-a 400g tin of butterbeans or the equivalent of homecooked butterbeans
-some olive oil/vegetable oil for frying

Method

- Fry the garlic (minced) and chopped mushrooms in the oil until soft and tender
-Cook/defrost the spinach if uncooked
-Put all the ingredients into a food processor and whizz up until it is a little smoother.
-If you don't have a food processor when you chop up your mushrooms make the pieces quite small. Also mash up your butterbeans with a fork. Then the ingredients can all be mixed together.

It is such a simple recipe and a great way to get your little one to try different vegetables and to boost your own vegetable intake. We had it in sandwiches, as a dip for rice cakes and also for vegetables.

The photographs don't really advertise it very well because it is not exactly pretty but it was really popular with Little Miss, especially when the rice cakes were dipped into it.

On mini rice cakes

Not the prettiest but still pretty yummy 

Have to have one for each hand obviously!

All in!

You may notice that it is white bread that is used. We are usually a wholemeal seeded bread kind of family but for little ones the fibre fills up their tummies too much to get enough calories in so white bread is usually recommended (as far as my research has shown me but please check this out for yourselves especially since guidance is always changing!).

I hope the look of it doesn't put you off. I really enjoyed this sandwich filling and will definitely be having it again myself.


JULES XOXO

Carrot, orange and ginger muffins

I think these are my favourite recipe that I have experimented with so far. Originally I had planned a carrot and apple muffin as I knew I had some apples to use up but when I got them from the fruit bowl I found they were a little too far gone. I had plenty of lovely big oranges so decided to do something with them instead.

I made mini muffins and this recipe made about 15 of those but would maybe make 8ish normal sized muffins.

Ingredients

3 medium carrots

Juice and zest of 2 large oranges

2 mashed bananas

2 tbs blackstrap molasses (information about blackstrap molasses below the post)

2 cups plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ginger powder

Method

Grate the carrots finely into your mixing bowl then add the orange juice, zest and bananas and mix well. Then stir in the molasses. Sift in the remaining ingredients and stir well. There is no need for sugar in this recipe as the molasses and banana sweeten it enough and the banana also acts as a binding agent. Spoon into your muffin cases or greased muffin tins and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celcius. mine took around 15 minutes to cook (when a knife comes out clean) but larger ones may take longer and shallower ones may take less time.
I was going to try and freeze some of these but they were very popular with all of these so they are disappearing to fast. They were a big hit with Little Miss and are great for breakfast or as snacks. 

Blackstrap molasses

Blackstrap molasses are a byproduct of the refinement of cane sugar. It contains magnesium, potassium, iron, vitamin B6, calcium and other minerals so makes a healthy sweetener to your foods. I put a tablespoon in my porridge most mornings (and drink a glass of orange juice) to boost my iron. At first I wasn't at all keen on the taste and had to add in naughty golden syrup too but now I enjoy it with just the molasses. It really complements the ginger in this recipe and gives it a rich flavour and just enough sweetness.

Enjoy,

Jules XOXO

Bubble and Squeak Bites

These little beauties are just 3 ingredients (plus some oil to fry the onions) and make great finger food for little vegans and a great side dish for adults.

All you need are potatoes, cabbage, onion and a dash of oil. I used 4 medium/large potatoes, 500g of cabbage (I used white because that was what I had in the fridge but green would have looked great) and 2 medium onions. This made enough for 3 meals for all of us (with the adults having another dish with it).

Boil the cabbage and the potatoes. If you are cooking them together start the potatoes off first as they take longer to cook. No need to peel the potatoes as there is lots of goodness in the skins (although they do need chopping. I cut them into about 6 pieces each and shredded the cabbage). While these are cooking, fry the onions (diced) in your oil- probably about a tablespoon.

Once all of the vegetables are cooked, mash the potatoes and mix in the cabbage and onions. Fashion into small "cakes". The first time I cooked these I fried the cakes but found that they fell apart but the next time I baked them for about 10 minutes at 180 degrees celcius until they started to brown. When they were baked they held their shape much more easily and was better finger food for mini fingers.

Little Miss really seemed to enjoy these. Next time I may try adding some garlic into the mix to add to the flavours. Nutritional yeast could be added to the mash for a cheesy taste and to add vitamins. You could also add margarine and/or soya yoghurt to the mash to make it more creamy.

These are the fried version and had to be remolded back to shape

These are the baked version

I am not very good at frying foods well (pancakes often turn into what we now call "scramble") so you may have more success with frying  but I like how the baked version is dry and crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside.

I froze about 20 of these small cakes in the freezer and popped them straight in a warm oven for easy snacks or meals which worked great. These will go with most foods so are very handy to have on standby although I found them quite addictive.

I hope you and your little ones enjoy these.

Jules XOXO

What we have when we are out for the day

Today we went to the V-delicious and Allergy Free shows in London which had lots of vegan options and we came back with much too much shopping. Knowing we would be out for the day I prepared some simple roasted vegetables for Little Miss. We had butternut squash (loved by most babies I know), carrots and aubergine. I also always carry a trusty bag of organic baby rice cakes for emergencies. Apple flavour is both Little Miss' and my favourite.

Little Miss enjoying her carrot

Along the way I also let Little Miss try some of the samples that I was eating too providing they weren't too salty or sugary...she always wants anything I have. Normally I would have shared my lunch with her but there were so many samples to try that I didn't need lunch which is why I was so glad I had prepared the vegetables to take.

Jules XOXO

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

I was sent a link by a friend to a shepherd's pie recipe with a potato and parsnip topping which, other than the meat, sounded delicious. She had made it vegetarian using lentils and soya mince so I thought I would give it a go too.

I made this before deciding to do this blog so I didn't record the measurements I used properly but with recipes like this common sense will get you there! I have estimated what I used to make Little Miss, Mister L and I 3 very decent portions, 2 of which I froze.

Ingredients
250g lentils
6 medium parsnips
6 medium potatoes
half a courgette (zucchini)
half an aubergine (eggplant)
1 large carrot/2 medium carrots
500g passata
About 40g textured vegetable protein (TVP)/dried soya mince

Method
The first thing to do is to cook your lentils. My instructions said to rinse them well, boil them for 10 minutes and then simmer for a further 35 minutes but others may be slightly different!

Along side this boil the parsnips and  potatoes cut into chunks (wash them but no need to peel as there is lots of goodness in vegetable skin). I find they are usually done in about 10 minutes (once they are nice and soft because they need mashing!). These can be mashed and put aside. I didn't this time but a knob of margarine or some soya (or other non-dairy yoghurt) can be delicious. Don't add salt at this time so your mini vegan doesn't get extra sodium!

Once the lentils are cooked, grate in the courgette, aubergine and carrot while still on the heat. Then add in the passata. Then finally stir in the TVP or soya mince.

The lentil, vegetable and mince mixture can then be put into an oven proof dish and topped with your mash. This is great for freezing into portions for other days or otherwise can be cooked in the oven straight away. For this put your oven at 180 degrees celcius for about 20 minutes when the topping starts to get a bit crispy.

The first time I made this it was a massive hit with Little Miss but tonight she got very distracted by her water cup although she still made a good go of it. Mr L and I really enjoyed it both times though so it makes a great dinner suitable for all the family and brilliant for making in bulk for later meals! For me, making things in advance is a necessity for a lot of meals and I usually cook or prep while Little Miss is in bed ready for the next day unless Mr L is home before dinner.

Lentilly goodness!

More interested in licking the bottom of her sippy cup

This is a very delicious recipe and the parsnip mash just makes it that little bit special. I have to admit I like to add a bit of salt to my portion and the original recipe had spices in the mash so a splash of chili sauce is also a great addition for the adults.

Bon appetit

Jules XOXO


***EDIT: the person that sent me the recipe noticed I hadn't added in the turmeric and coriander into the mash that was in the recipe! This was not intentional I was just doing my usual of reading a recipe beforehand rather than following it so I completely forgot. I bet these would make an amazing addition and I will definitely be adding them next time! She also mentioned adding in cumin which sounds delicious. Cumin, to me, is one of the best spices around!***

Aubergine Pizzas

Tonight's dinner was really simple and yet probably one of the most well received dinners by Little Miss!

I remembered a pinterest page I had seen about courgette pizzas and had wanted to try them out. We didn't have any courgettes to hand but I had bought some absolutely beautiful aubergines (or eggplants).

First, slice the aubergine length ways so the slices are a couple of millimeters in depth. As aubergines take a little longer to cook than courgettes I griddled (a frying pan would be fine too) them with a little olive oil until they were softer. Then they can be put on a baking tray and topped with tomato purée and vegetables. I chose to keep it quite simple with cherry tomatoes and mushrooms but may branch out a bit more next time! I didn't add any vegan cheese but I'm sure that would be nice too. At the moment I am keeping things as un-processed as possible but may try some homemade cheese soon. Once the pizzas are topped they can be put in the oven. It takes hardly any time at all to cook. Probably around 5 or 10 minutes in an oven at 180 degrees celcius depending on the thickness of your pizzas so keep checking to avoid burning.

Once they come out they should look something like this:

Fresh from the oven

For Little Miss I cut these into more manageable slices but kept them this size for me and Mr L. I don't really need to tell you to let them cool down before giving them to babies but feel I should write it somewhere!

As you can see they went down a treat:

YUM!

Passing the food inspection

It always ends up in the eyebrows

I LOVE aubergine but these would be equally great on courgettes I'm sure. They make a great quick and healthy meal!

Enjoy, Jules XOXO

Hello and welcome...

Hi! My name is Jules and I have an amazing mini vegan who I will call Little Miss! Although my partner is not vegan we have decided to bring Little Miss up as a vegan! Yay!

A lot of people look a bit shocked when we say we are bringing up our child vegan but let me assure you it is perfectly healthy provided the right care is taken which goes for every type of diet! Plus it can have many beneficial health effects. Although we are not from America I want to quote The American Dietetic Association because they have a very clear and well written statement saying "...that appropriately planned vegetarian, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.".

But why are we vegan? There are several reasons! Firstly we are vegan because we don't want animals to have to suffer or die for our food when we can be perfectly healthy without that. In addition to this, eating plant-based foods means there is enough food and water to sustain the whole world population; much of the plant foods grown go on raising livestock and also producing 1 kilogram of meat takes a lot more water than producing a kilogram of cereals. Vegan diets are also better for the environment and a well-balanced vegan diet has great health benefits. If you would like to know more then I would suggest visiting the Vegan Society website as a starter but there is a wealth of information out there.

If you have found my blog then you probably know what baby-led weaning is but in case you don't here is a little breakdown:

Baby-led weaning throws out the idea of force-feeding babies with purées. Instead, it puts the power in the hands of the babies. Just like babies learn to crawl and walk and talk on their own this process allows them to explore food for themselves. By providing them with food they can handle themselves and put in their mouths, they decide whether they want to eat something or not and only swallow when they are ready. It may sound a little scary but babies have a good gag reflex that is further forward. There can be gagging (but this happens with purées too) and there are rare instances of choking. However, choking also can occur when purées are fed, in fact I have read somewhere (sorry I don't have the source) that there may be more choking instances with purées because the babies are not in control. By letting them take control they can actually learn faster and also tend to have a better relationship with food and mealtimes; being force-fed purées is not fun! If you are new to baby-led weaning, please read all the proper information first. There is a brilliant book by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett which gives great insight into this process and provides all the information you need to get going. It doesn't matter if you started with purées, you can begin baby-led weaning at any time!

Just to add:

Not all babies may take to baby-led weaning. Purée feeding is not the wrong way by any means and may suit some babies better. Baby-led weaning is just another possible approach to introducing complementary foods.

Little Miss is now seven and a half months old. We started baby-led weaning when she was five and a half months because she grabbed a piece of cucumber from my plate, put it in her mouth and started "chewing" (she has no teeth yet!). For the first little while we mainly gave her sticks of cooked vegetables and fruit. We then branched out into some pitta bread fingers and houmous and other simple foods but now things have got more exciting! We are now having foods that the whole family can have although often we have our bigger dinner later as well as a snack with Little Miss. I wanted to start this blog so that I could document the foods that I make for us and to help create a small resource from which other mums can get inspiration!

I hope you enjoy reading this and trying out the recipes as much as I enjoy making them!

Broccoli and cucumber are definitely favourites for simple finger food!

Jules XOXO