RSSCategory: Weaning & Mealtime

Pumpkin and Apple Muffins Recipe

| October 1, 2013

Pumpkins will be out in force over the coming weeks as Halloween approaches. My family loves eating pumpkin. We find this versatile orange fleshed vegetable delicious in soups, pasta, rice, salads, baking and as a sweet roasted vegetable.

pumpkin and apple muffins

My Pumpkin and Apple Muffins

Pumpkin is highly nutritious and contains the antioxidant beta-carotene and vitamin C.

The sweet flavour of pumpkin is perfect when weaning your baby and pumpkin puree can be given to babies from the age of 6 months. Pumpkin was one of the first vegetables my baby tried and it has remained a firm favourite.

Now that the weather is cooler you might like to try a quick and easy recipe for Pumpkin and Apple Muffins. In this recipe the pumpkin, apple and raisins have a natural sweetness and the cinnamon provides a hint of warm spice to the muffins.

Makes 12 muffins.

Pumpkin and Apple Muffins

  • 2 cups Self-Raising Flour
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 cup pureed Pumpkin (I used Butternut Squash)
  • 1 grated Apple
  • 1/3 cup Raisins

1. Peel and cut the pumpkin into cubes. Boil until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife. Drain. Puree the pumpkin in a food processor, with a hand blender or by hand.

2. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper muffin cases.

3. Wash and grate the apple.

4. Add the vegetable oil to the pureed pumpkin, grated apple and raisins. Stir through until just blended.

5. Add the eggs and mix well.

6. Gently stir in the cinnamon and flour.

7. Bake at 180 C for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

8. Leave the muffins to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes.

These Pumpkin and Apple muffins are great for the family to enjoy at breakfast time or as a tasty snack during the day.

Mummy and Me MagazineLydia Oliver – Nutritional Advisor Only Best For Baby

This article was published in the October 2013 edition of Mummy and Me Magazine

I offer one to one nutrition programmes for breastfeeding, post pregnancy weight loss, weaning advice, weight management and health. Contact me.

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No Sugar Banana, Apple and Carrot Muffins

| September 11, 2013

banana apple carrot muffinsWe made fruit muffins this week which are delicious snacks to take out when we’re at the playground and have spent the morning or afternoon running around, climbing and on the swings.

They’re also perfect for breakfast when you’re on the run.

These healthy muffins have no added sugar as the fresh fruit mixture and raisins naturally sweeten them.

Makes 12

Prep time 10 minutes.

Cooking time 20-25 minutes.

Let’s make No Sugar Muffins with Banana, Apple, Carrot and Raisins

You’ll Need:

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 organic apple
  • 1 large organic carrot
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1 1/2 cups self-raising organic flour
  • 1 free-range organic egg
  • 1/4 cup organic milk
  • 75g organic butter

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C.

2. Grate the carrot and apple.

3. Mash the bananas.

4. Add the carrot, apples and raisins to the mashed banana.

5. Melt the butter and add to the fruit mix, stirring through until just blended.

6. Add the egg and mix well.

7. Stir in flour, add milk and mix lightly.

8. Add the mixture to a lightly greased muffin tin or add to paper muffin cups.

9. Bake at 170 C for 20-25 minutes or until a cake skewer comes clean.

10. Place the muffins on a wire tray to cool for a few minutes.

Mashing the banana with a fork.

muffins

Adding the grated carrot, apple and raisins to the banana.

muffins

Ready for tasting!

banana apple carrot muffins

Looking for ideas for nutritious and quick Family Meals? Try my healthy recipes:

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Introducing Your Baby to Dairy

| September 2, 2013

Nutritionally, babies need breastmilk or infant formula until they are one year old. From the age of six months full-fat cow’s milk can be used in cooking and with baby’s breakfast cereals and cow’s milk can be introduced as a main drink from the age of 12 months.

baby

Dairy is an important part of your child’s diet providing essential nutrients such as calcium. When you start weaning your baby at around six months of age you can begin to slowly introduce a variety of foods.

Dairy can be given to baby from the age of six months in the form of cheese but avoid giving blue cheese or soft unpasteurised cheese, such as Camembert and Brie, until your baby is at least one year old. Blue cheese and unpasteurised cheese contain live bacteria which carries the risk of food poisoning.

Yoghurt is a good source of dairy for baby and can be given from the age of six months.

Allergies to Cow’s Milk

Some babies are allergic to cow’s milk so it is important when weaning your baby to introduce foods one at a time over a few days to check for any allergic reactions. You should seek urgent medical help if you think your baby is having an allergic reaction.

A food allergy is when the immune system reacts to a certain food protein resulting in a physical reaction which can occur immediately or within three days.

If your child has cow’s milk allergy the symptoms will start when cow’s milk is introduced into their diet. Symptoms of cow’s milk allergy could result in diarrhoea, vomiting, skin rashes, stomach cramps and difficulty breathing. In rare cases cow’s milk allergy can cause anaphylaxis.

Cow’s milk allergy is a common food allergy in children and most children who have this allergy grow out of it by the age of three, although it is estimated that 20 per cent of adults will continue to have cow’s milk allergy.

Alternatives

Aside from cow’s milk products there are many food sources that contain high levels of calcium. So if your child does have an allergy to dairy products you can still make sure your child’s diet is rich in calcium. Some good sources of calcium rich foods include sesame seeds, sardines canned in oil, spring greens, tofu, watercress and kale.

dairyLydia Oliver – Nutritional Advisor Only Best For Baby

This article was published in the September 2013 edition of Mummy and Me Magazine

I offer one to one nutrition programmes for breastfeeding, post pregnancy weight loss, weaning, weight management and health. Contact me.