Simple and delicious chocolate cookies

These are the easiest cookies to make, as they don't require me to lift down the kenwood chef from the high shelf, as they are made in a saucepan. 

Ingredients: 

• 125g butter
• 175g soft light butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150 plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 100g white, milk or dark chocolate chopped (I used a bag of chocolate chips)

Method

Preheat oven to gas mark 5 (180 degrees) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

Melt butter in a large saucepan, then add the sugar and take the pan off the heat. Beat in the egg, add the vanilla extract, then sift in the dry ingredients, giving it a good stir so that you don't start cooking the egg. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

These spread well, so leave a good gap when you spoon onto the baking sheets. 

Bake for about 10 minutes.

Leave for a few minutes to settle before sliding them on a wire rack to cool

Low GI Oaty vegetable bake

The glycaemic index (GI) is a rating system for foods containing carbohydrates. It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten on its own.

High GI foods

Carbohydrate foods that are broken down quickly by your body and cause a rapid increase in blood glucose have a high GI rating. High GI foods include:

• sugar and sugary foods
• sugary soft drinks
• white bread
• potatoes
• white rice

Low and medium GI foods

Low or medium GI foods are broken down more slowly and cause a gradual rise in blood sugar levels over time. They include:

• some fruit and vegetables (but not dried fruit)
• pulses
• wholegrain foods, such as porridge oats 

A wholesome winter bake, serves 4-6, lovely with some crusty bread and a green salad 

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped 
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped (I use the frozen cubes!)
• I tbsp fresh thyme leaves 
• 1 tea spoon dried chilli flakes
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes 
• 400g tin beans (I used mixed beans, but any would work)
• 125g porridge oats 
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach/kale 
• 125g frozen peas
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 50g grated cheese 
• 4-6 tbsps wholemeal breadcrumbs

You can alter the beans and veg depending on what you have around the kitchen. Courgette, aubergine and kale works well.                                     Method                                                  In a pan add the oil and fry the onion for a few mins, add the garlic, chilli and thyme, fry for a few more minutes, then add the tomatoes, beans and oats. Bring to the boil, simmer and add the spinach/kale, soy sauce, peas. Mix together then transfer to an oven dish - a lasagne dish works well.

Season and top with cheese and bread crumbs, grill until brown and crispy.

Note: I always find it difficult when a recipe calls for bread crumbs, so the last time I had a few crusts and a couple of slices to spare. I threw them in the food processor and then into some tupperware and froze it, so I have some to hand when ever I need some.

Vegetable lasagne

A tasty way to get the children to eat more veggies. There are many ways to make this, using jars, packet mixes or all from scratch, I slightly cheated with a packet cheese sauce!  It's also nice with 3 leeks and a pack of chestnut mushrooms.

In a large frying pan cook your veggies, whatever you have hiding in the bottom of the fridge. I used 2 sliced red peppers, a sliced leek, 3 sliced courgettes and half a chopped aubergine. During cooking I added a tin of chopped tomatoes, freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkling of chilli flakes (leave out if you don't like spicy).

Pour half into a lasagne dish, top with a layer of lasagne sheets (dried is fine), top with cheese sauce and some torn up buffalo mozzarella. Repeat with another layer of vegetables, lasagne sheets, cheese sauce and mozzarella.

Cook at around 220 degrees for 20-30 mins until brown and bubbling. Can be frozen in smaller portions once cooled . 

Lovely served with a green salad.

Slow cooker vegetable soup

This is the first time I've made soup in the slow cooker, but it was so easy and delicious.        My slow cooker fries, if yours doesn't, use a pan first.  Add a little oil to the pan, then some vegetables, whatever you have. I used sliced celery, sliced leek (washed), sliced carrot, half a bag of soup mix lentils. With these I never bother soaking over night, I rinse them and then boil them in cold water, and then add to the soup. Add stock to cover the vegetables and seasoning to taste. If for children use low salt stock and don't add salt.

Slow cook for around 3-4 hours until vegetables soft. I put this on this morning prior to baby group and was ready in time for lunch

Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry

I'd recommend a slow cooker to any busy parent, I know the idea of cooking something for 4-8 hours may seem like a waste of time. But personally I find it a life saver! I put the dinner on when the little people are having their afternoon nap. Then when I've finally put them to bed, tidied up their mess, the last thing I want to do is start cooking, which is why the slow cooker works so well! It's great for meat eaters, you could put on beef casserole in the morning and it would be lovely and succulent by the evening. 

However my husband doesn't eat red meat - and I'm not keen on chicken, therefore I mostly do veggie meals, and finding veggie recipes for slow cookers isn't that easy. Check out my stuffed peppers in the slow cooker. Stuffed peppers

Here is my vegetable curry recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (use powder if not available)
• 1 onion. sliced
• 2 curry leaves (not always so easy to find in a supermarket - I have some growing in the garden which i had found in a garden centre.
• 1 in piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and chopped
• 2 tbsp curry paste (any according to your preference, I used tikka
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 cauliflour, cut into florets
• 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• pinch tumeric
• 250mls hot vegetable or chicken stock
• 85g frozen peas
• 115g mangetout

My slow cooker fry's, if yours doesn't you may want to use a frying pan first. 

• Heat the oil in the slow cooker on fry setting.
• Add cumin to the pan, if using seeds, when it start popping add the curry leaves and then the onion slices. 
• Stir for a few minutes until the onion has softened.
• Add the ginger and chillies and cook stirring occasionally for a minute
• Stir in the curry paste, cook and stir for a few minutes
• Add the cauliflower and carrots, cook for 5 mins 
• Add the tomatoes, turmeric and season with salt and pepper if required
• Cook for a few minutes, then add stock and bring to the boil
• turn to slow cooker setting, low, medium or high, depending on how quick you need it. I found 2 hours on high was works, but probably best 5 hours on low for the best flavour
• I added the mange tout and peas near the end of cooking, as I found that the mange touts wilt and they both lose their colour.

Here are how I served it for my 11 month old and my 2.5 year old, went down very well.

Check out my stir fry veg rice: stir-fry-vegetable-rice-

Stir fry vegetable rice - great for little people

My favourite food is rice, I should have been born in a different continent - I could eat it all day and all night. 

This is a very quick and easy dinner for little people - and full of healthy veggies.

I made a large batch of rice in the rice cooker (I actually have a slow cooker/ rice cooker in one - fab for making family meals).

In a pan cook some stir fry veg - I usually have a pack in the freezer, or any veg will do (carrot sticks, peas, sweetcorn, courgette sticks, mange tout). Add rice, and some soy sauce if you what, bear in mind soy sauce is high in salt, but you can get low sodium versions. If it's for a very young child, I'd leave out the soy sauce. 

Easy Yummy Fish Pie

It's cold outside, so thought I'd make something warm and tasty for dinner. I don't actually measure anything, I'm once of those throw it all in the pan cooks and hope it all works out. It did on this occasion, but didn't a few days ago when I put too much bicarbonate in my cookies!

Anyway this easy fish pie:

Poach some fish, I used a small skinless boneless fillet of salmon and 2 skinless fillets of cod. Cut into bite size peices and cooked in a pan with a little butter and covered with milk. Cook about 10 mins. Can also use a pack of fish pie mix.

I peeled and chopped into medium sized pieces about 4 large potatoes. Boil for about 20 mins until soft. Drain water, mash with a little butter, pepper if you like (I don't add salt to anything, but you can if you wish), and a little milk to bind. When the fish is cooked I threw in a couple of handfuls of frozen mixed veg - peas, sweetcorn, carrot and chopped green beans, and some pepper. Cook for about 5 mins.

Pour mixture into a large dish and top with potato. I added a little more pepper and sprinkling of grated cheese.

Cook at about 200 degrees until brown and bubbling - about 20 -30 mins.

Lovely served with a green salad.

Great for the whole family including little people 

Healthy Home Cooked Baby foods (no jars in sight)

My little person is 10 months now and the bigger little person is nearly 2 and a half, so I thought I'd share some little person foods.

Currently my 2 year old is munching through a bowl of blueberries and the baby is making lots of mess with spaghetti! 

As I have previously shared I am a huge advocate of baby led weaning, although my husband is majorly not a fan - due to the mess and wastage! 

Although I do think the problem lies with the fact that little person sits on this Mamas & Papas Snug seat and will not keep the tray on, and big little person sits in the high chair, therefore little person drops food all over the floor. The reason for this, is the toddler will not sit still for 2 minutes unless firmly strapped into a highchair, and I don't want to go down the route of buying another high chair, when she really should be sitting at her little person table and chairs that my dad very kindly got made and shipped to us!

Here is just a small selection of easy little person foods thats good to keep handy

• Hard boiled egg cut into quarters 
• Potato (cooked whole potato sliced or small ones left whole)
• Roast potatoes
• Toast soldiers 
• Steamed broccoli - long stem is great
• Pasta tubes/spirals/Spaghetti served plain or with a try small sprinkle of cheese or tomato sauce
• Steamed rice especially sushi rice as sticky and easy to pick up
• Sliced fruit
• Mashed banana on toast
• Little wholemeal pancakes 
• Vegetable batons and hummus
• Frozen/ tinned sweetcorn and peas are great if your little person has the dexterity, I add them to rice and pasta

What we often do is cook extra for us, and leave a variety for the girls for a pick and mix for their lunch, sunday lunch or friday night dinner is great for this. 

I agree with the BLW theory that there is no such thing as baby food - that all food can be suitable for little people and eating what we eat (as long as it's healthy and suitable) is best for little people.

Note: I'm not preaching, but I never add salt when cooking, as babies kidneys can't process salt well, also no honey to under 1's.

Banana and chocolate chip mini muffins - baby led weaning treat

I'm lucky enough to still see all the mums and babies from my antenatal classes that we attended prior to my oldest little person, and today I'm having them all round, as one if the mums is due another little person in a few weeks.

When having a gathering of little people and adults in can be difficult to decide what to serve. Obviously my favourite limoncello mini cupcakes are out, and so is anything with chocolate - toddlers and my cream couch don't mix - I learned that one the hard way! 

So I'm making my old favourite mini chocolate and banana muffins. 

Very easy to do, and healthy - as far as cakes go!

Also freezable!

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas mashed
• 100g chocolate chips
• 75g caster sugar 
• 100ml milk
• 1tsp baking powder
• 200g Self raising flour 
• 2 large eggs
• 100g butter 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line 2 x 12 hole mini-muffin tins with small paper cases, or use  silicone tins. Melt the butter in a small pan and leave to cool slightly. Peel and mash the bananas.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk, sugar, eggs and melted butter.
3. 
   Sift in the flour and baking powder and add the banana and chocolate. Using a large metal spoon, fold everything together until combined but don’t over-mix.
4. Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 25 minutes until risen and golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Yummy Homemade Pizza - Perfect toddler food

I've made pizza many times for hubby and friends - it's great for a cheap and easy dinner party. For adults I normally make the dough (in my trusty bread machine), then roll out 4 pizza bases and put loads of toppings in to bowls, and when the guests arrive they can make their own. It normally turns into a competition between couples - very amusing.

This time I made small pizza bases, topped with pizza topping (i also use pasta sauce sometimes), and grated cheese. Oven cook until crispy - about 10 mins.

To make large pizzas (dough can be frozen):

• 500g bread flour (i used 50:50 wholemeal and white)
• 60ml Oilve oil
• 360ml Warm water
• Pinch of salt
• 7g yeast

Throw into a bread machine, put on dough setting, split into 4 and roll flat, then add toppings.

Baby led weaning

I am a huge fan of baby led weaning (blw), mainly because i can be a little lazy and with a 2 year old and an 8 month old - anything that makes my life easier is hugely welcome! 

The way I see it, is why spend ages pureeing and spoon feeding or using packets and jars of who knows what, when you can just plonk down some banana or toast on the high chair and they feed themselves. 

Here's a little breakdown 

When babies are 6 months, able to sit up with little or no support and have an interest in food, then you can start weaning them on to food.

There are two options:

• Parent led weaning 
• Baby led weaning

Parent lead weaning normally involves purées and spoon feeding

Baby led weaning involves finger foods and babies feeding themselves when they have the motor skills to pick up food and put it in their mouths.

Some people - normally the ones without children think I'm a bit bonkers following this, and hubby is not a fan of the mess. 

When my now 2 year old was about 6 or 7 months old we went out to a coffee shop for lunch with the mums and babies from my antenatal group. While they were all sitting round the table spoon feeding mush to their babies, I was sitting back enjoying my hot chocolate and Ava was eating a sandwich and some cucumber batons that we brought from home.

A health visitor, called Gill Rapley, wrote a book a while ago, called baby led weaning. In it she explains that many moons ago the government use to recommended weaning at 4 months, but then they did some research and found that babies digestive systems couldn't cope with food prior to 6 months. What Gill found was that by 6 months babies had the motor skills to sit up and feed themselves, so they had missed the pureeing and spoon feeding stage (this method is good for premature babies who should be fed at 4 months, but consult your Dr first)

I did actually start pureeing and spoon feeding Ava at 5.5 months, as I thought that's what you do, it wasn't until a couple of weeks later when she was taking toast out of my hand and feeding herself, that I realised there was no point, and baby led weaning just sort of happened in my house.

So with my now 8 month old, I always knew I was going to follow blw, although husband likes to spoon feed her the occasional thing like natural yoghurt and home made soup, it's working really well and she loves food.

The good thing about blw is that the children can eat regular family food and we can all sit together as a family.

I read book a while ago, French children don't throw food. It's fantastic, better than Gina Ford any day! Basically it is about the experiences of a American journalist and her English husband raising their 3 children in Paris. She talks about going out for lunch with her husband and  their oldest child when he was a toddler and having an awful lunch, while all these French families are sitting nicely eating. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it's all down to baby led weaning, but I think a big part of it is children from a young age sitting with their family eating daily.

Also apparently there are no children's menus in restaurants so children eat just smaller portions of what adults eat. According to the book Parisian children don't snack in Paris, this I agree with! Where as over here the supermarkets have a massive aisle devoted to baby and childrens foods, normally rice cakes, biscuits and raisins, this doesn't exist in Paris. I never really understood the need to give babies snacks of rice cakes, crisps and raisins all day.

I'm certainly not saying I'm a perfect mother and what I feed my children will have them being the next Einstein, and I'm not saying that you won't see fish fingers in my house (who doesn't love a fish finger!), but I'm just sharing my love for the ease of baby led weaning. I can't think of anything nicer than seeing my 8 month old tucking into roasted veg or home made falafel

More info found on:

http://www.rapleyweaning.com/

http://www.babyledweaning.com

Wholemeal blueberry pancakes - baby led weaning at it's best!

Well it's a lovely summers day today, so thought I'd make a lovely breakfast for the little ones.

Here's how to make wholemeal blueberry pancakes. Although I didn't actually measure anything, as I didn't want a large amount - I normally make a mountain and end up eating them for a week. 

Ingredients:

• Handful of wholemeal flour,
• Handful of currants 
• Handful of blueberries
• 1 egg
• And enough milk to make a thick consistency and not too runny

Method

• Mix together
• Place spoonfuls in a non stick pan.

I like small ones which are perfect finger foods for the girls, although you could do a really big one for an adult

I served this for my 2 year old with a few blueberries and some natural yoghurt.

My 8 month old is following baby led weaning (blw) and this is perfect for blw.

More on blw to follow

Summer evenings vegetarian dinner

It worked! Can't believe it wasn't as difficult as I thought, and actually quite yummy! 

I know it's been a little while since I posted, children are very time consuming!

But I just had to share these fab homemade vegetable samosas.

Made with peas, sweetcorn, red onion and feta cheese, with a sprinkling of tikki seasoning and wrapped in filo pastry.

Reasonably healthy as baked in the oven and so yummy ! 

Both my 2 year old and hubby love them, and they're perfect for a picnic, or a summers evening dinner. My daughter has hers with steamed veg and new potatoes and hubby and I are going to have ours with some tabbouleh, which by the way I've never made before ! 

Bulghar wheat, red onion, tomato, lemon juice and zest, olive oil and parsley and mint from the garden! 

So there we have it, a perfect summers evening dinner!

Samosas, tabbouleh, tzatiki and halloumi

Vegetable Samosas

I know it's been a little while since I posted, children are very time consuming!

But I just had to share these fab homemade vegetable samosas.

Made with peas, sweetcorn, red onion and feta cheese, with a sprinkling of tikki seasoning and wrapped in filo pastry.

Reasonably healthy as baked in the oven and so yummy ! 

Both my 2 year old and hubby love them, and they're perfect for a picnic, or a summers evening dinner. My daughter has hers with steamed veg and new potatoes and hubby and I are going to have ours with some tabbouleh, which by the way I've never made before ! 

Baby led weaning

Here is my 6 month old enjoying pasta salad. 

I am a huge advocate of Baby Led Weaning (BLW), no purées or spoon feeding in my house (well only when hubby is in charge!)

I love BLW, mainly because I can be a little lazy and with a 2 year old and an 8 month old - anything that makes my life easier is hugely welcome! 

The way I see it, is why spend ages pureeing and spoon feeding or using packets and jars of who knows what, when you can just plonk down some banana or toast on the high chair and they feed themselves. 

Yes it can be a little messier and there is some wastage. But we have found giving her just a little bit at a time helps, otherwise she gets a bit excited and food - especially spaghetti or noodles goes everywhere!

Here's a little breakdown 

When babies are 6 months, able to sit up with little or no support and have an interest in food, then you can start weaning them on to food.

There are two options:

• Parent led weaning 
• Baby led weaning

Parent lead weaning normally involves purées and spoon feeding

Baby led weaning involves finger foods and babies feeding themselves when they have the motor skills to pick up food and put it in their mouths.

Some people - normally the ones without children think I'm a bit bonkers following this, and hubby is not a fan of the mess. 

When my now 2 year old was about 6 or 7 months old we went out to a coffee shop for lunch with the mums and babies from my antenatal group. While they were all sitting round the table spoon feeding mush to their babies, I was sitting back enjoying my hot chocolate and Ava was eating a sandwich and some cucumber batons that we brought from home.

A health visitor, called Gill Rapley, wrote a book a while ago, called baby led weaning. In it she explains that many moons ago the government use to recommended weaning at 4 months, but then they did some research and found that babies digestive systems couldn't cope with food prior to 6 months. What Gill found was that by 6 months babies had the motor skills to sit up and feed themselves, so they had missed the pureeing and spoon feeding stage (this method is good for premature babies who should be fed at 4 months, but consult your Dr first)

I did actually start pureeing and spoon feeding Ava at 5.5 months, as I thought that's what you do, it wasn't until a couple of weeks later when she was taking toast out of my hand and feeding herself, that I realised there was no point, and baby led weaning just sort of happened in my house.

So with my now 8 month old, I always knew I was going to follow blw, although husband likes to spoon feed her the occasional thing like natural yoghurt and home made soup, it's working really well and she loves food.

The good thing about blw is that the children can eat regular family food and we can all sit together as a family.

I read book a while ago, French children don't throw food. It's fantastic, better than Gina Ford any day! Basically it is about the experiences of a American journalist and her English husband raising their 3 children in Paris. She talks about going out for lunch with her husband and  their oldest child when he was a toddler and having an awful lunch, while all these French families are sitting nicely eating. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it's all down to baby led weaning, but I think a big part of it is children from a young age sitting with their family eating daily.

Also apparently there are no children's menus in restaurants in Paris, so children eat just smaller portions of what adults eat. According to the book, Parisian children don't snack in Paris, this I agree with! Where as over here the supermarkets have a massive aisle devoted to baby and childrens foods, normally rice cakes, biscuits and raisins, this doesn't exist in Paris. No idea if this is true, Hubby if you're reading this, please take me to Paris, I've only been asking for the last 4 years.

More info found on:

http://www.rapleyweaning.com/

http://www.babyledweaning.com

You may also like:

http://jsavvymums.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/wholemeal-blueberry-pancakes-baby-led.html