Tag: family meals
You Are What You Eat
The range of baby food available in my local supermarket is vast. You can buy everything from baby porridge to pasta to purees to toddler meals to rusks and every imaginable snack in between.
There is a greater choice of baby food available now than there was a few decades ago, with many brands producing organic baby purees and toddler meals. Despite this growth in the selection of baby food, it is still better for your baby to eat fresh homemade purees and meals.
As tempting as it can be to buy ready made baby food, it is important to be aware that some baby food contains artificial additives, salt and sugar. These added ingredients are unnecessary and are of no nutritional benefit to your baby. Sugar can lead to your baby developing a habit for sweet tasting foods as well as increasing the risk of tooth decay. Salt places strain on your baby’s immature kidneys and can lead to dehydration.
When you make your own baby food you know exactly what is being eaten by your baby. You can guarantee the freshness of the ingredients and you know the amount of each food type that has gone in to your baby’s puree or meal. As well as being a healthier option for your baby, it is also more cost effective to make your own and will save you and your family money.
I always think of the importance of what my baby is eating for her health and wellbeing. A healthy diet from the outset will give your baby the best start in life. Fresh, natural food is full of nutrients that provide us with nourishment and energy. These nutrients assist us to grow, aid in the repair of cells and help to fight off disease.
Developing your baby’s tastes and their enjoyment of the natural texture of food is vital for when baby is ready to eat family meals.
It takes less than 15 minutes a day to make a healthy meal that will give you and your family vital nutrients to keep you healthy. As a healthy and cheaper alternative to buying ready made baby food and to save time, I often make more than enough for one meal and save a portion for the following day. Another easy way to have fresh homemade baby meals available is to freeze small portions of puree or a freshly made family meal. These can then be defrosted and served when you need a meal for your baby that is quick and nutritious.
Experiment with new recipes and enjoy cooking for you and your family. Good nutrition is one of the key building blocks to your child’s development, growth and health.
Lydia Oliver – Nutritional Advisor Only Best For Baby
This article was published in the June 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.
Wobbles When Weaning
Before long you will have mastered the art of weaning your baby with pureed fruit and vegetables. After a couple of months of puree your baby will be ready for the next stage of weaning, eating foods with more texture.
Adding texture is an important stage in weaning and development for your baby. It helps to strengthen jaw muscles, encourages the development of speech, helps to ensure healthy teeth and prepares your baby for chewing food and eating family meals.
The best advice I received when I was introducing texture to my baby was to take things slowly. There’s no need to get anxious or frustrated if your baby spits out the lumpy bits or refuses textured food altogether.
You may find your baby takes to textured food straight away or it could be some time before your baby is happy chewing and swallowing lumpier food. Either way, there are things you can do to help make this next stage of weaning as easy as possible for both you and your baby.
Tips for the Smooth Introduction of Texture
1. Until your baby is at least ten months old they should be able to easily mush any lumps in their mouth, with or without teeth.
Lumps in food need to be small, soft and manageable for your baby.
2. Begin by slowly adding texture to the foods your baby likes.
Introducing texture to your baby’s puree will most likely be met with a surprised face! You can start by adding grated fruit, mashed vegetable or finely chopped food to your baby’s puree which is a subtle way of encouraging your baby to eat thicker and lumpier food. Introduce new food textures one at a time.
3. Keep baby interested in texture.
When your baby is happy with some texture you can start to vary the texture you give by adding baby pasta shapes or grains such as couscous into their favourite meals.
4. Offer your baby finger foods if they’re developmentally ready.
Babies will often eat lumpier foods if they’re feeding themselves.
5. Don’t force your baby to try something if they don’t want to.
The key is to keep things relaxed and fun so your baby looks forward to mealtimes. This helps to avoid fussy eaters later on.
Initially, I found my baby was happy to eat food with a thicker consistency but she didn’t enjoy food with lumps in it. She would spit the lumps out or refuse to try what I was offering. I took my time and continued to give her food with texture for several weeks until one day she just ate the spoonful of lumpy food as if it were the most normal thing to do!
Lydia Oliver – Nutritional Advisor Only Best For Baby
This article was published in the April 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.
Savoury Muffins Recipe
I adore Savoury Muffins and have yet to find any muffins that come close to the hearty New Zealand variety. For this week’s Family Meals idea I made a batch of savoury muffins with Cheese, Onion, Sweetcorn and Broccoli using a recipe I’ve had since my Uni days in Wellington.
These savoury muffins are great as a snack for hungry, active toddlers and children. And they’re perfect with a cup of tea when Mum and Dad need to take a rest!
Makes 12 Muffins
Prep Time 10 minutes. Cooking Time 20 minutes at 190 degrees Celcius fan bake.
You’ll Need:
- 2 cups Brown Self Raising Flour (I use Duchy Organic Brown Self Raising Flour)
- 2 free range Eggs
- 1 cup of Milk
- Sprinkle of Dried Herbs (I use an Italian mix)
- Drizzle of Olive Oil
Savoury Mix:
- 1 medium Red Onion
- 1 cup Sweetcorn (from frozen)
- 5 medium florets of Broccoli
- 1 cup grated Low Fat Mild Cheese
The delicious savoury muffin filling.
Let’s Make Savoury Muffins
1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius fan bake.
2. Peel and chop the Onion. Saute in a small amount of Olive Oil until tender. Add Sweetcorn and cook for another couple of minutes.
3. Wash and finely cut the Broccoli. Boil for 30 seconds. Drain and let cool.
4. Grate 1 cup Low Fat Cheese.
5. Add the Flour, Dried Herbs, Onion, Sweetcorn and Broccoli into a mixing bowl. Gently stir in the Cheese. Create a well in the centre.
6. Whisk the Egg and Milk with a fork.
7. Add the Egg and Milk mixture into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients.
8. Gently mix the dry and wet ingredients, being careful not to over mix. It should be a stiff mixture.
9. Put spoonfuls of the muffin mixture into a lightly greased deep muffin tray.
10. Bake for 20 minutes at 190 degrees Celcius fan bake.
11. Serve warm from the oven or eat within a day. Perfect for packed lunches!
Looking for ideas for nutritious and quick Family Meals? Try my healthy recipes:
