RECIPE: #InstaWeanTeam Challenge - Date & Butternut Squash Tagine

Last week I made my Healthy Lunchbox Snack (Date & Walnut Cereal Bars) using dates so for this week's challenge I wanted to do something completely different. My sister bought me a tagine a couple of years ago and I hadn't used it for a while so I decided to dust it off to make a Moroccan-inspired dish this week. I originally planned to use lamb but the supermarket only had full lamb shoulders which intimidated me a bit so I went with a vegetarian version instead. Fear not, carnivores, it's still a hearty, satisfying dish :)

YOU'LL NEED:
4 chopped Medjool dates
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tin cherry tomatoes
4-5 chopped walnuts
250g frozen butternut squash (cutting this stuff is my pet hate so I bought a lazy version!)
100g sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cinnamon
A squeeze of runny honey

METHOD:
1. Defrost the frozen mushrooms and butternut squash (I poured boiled water over mine and left for 5 minutes or so until it was soft).
2. Slice the onion and dates, lay in the bottom of the tagine
3. Add the butternut squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, spices, sesame seeds, garlic and honey. Stir well.
4. Add a splash of water to loosen the mixture slightly
5. Bake in the oven as Gas 4 for 1 hour.
6. Eat chocolate while it cooks - optional but highly recommended! :)

I served ours with wholemeal giant cous cous and a sprinkle of sesame seeds and chopped walnuts on top. Delish!
 
Note - The NHS guidance is that honey should only be given over the age of one. I'm not sure if this changes if the honey is cooked but personally I always err on the side of caution and would skip it for younger babies.

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the team have made for Date Week by visiting our Facebook Page 

Healthy eating out and about...

Little Dude and I went shopping today. My plan to make a quick dash to get him some new shoes turned into a casual jaunt round a dozen shops and before I knew it, it was 11.30. I'd packed some snacks - raisins and a Nom Nom Kids smoothie pouch filled with kiwi, banana and apple - but nothing substantial enough for lunch. The smoothie was still half frozen at that point anyway - excellent planning Mama!

Usually when we eat out I pack a full homemade lunch box to take with us. Quite honestly, kids menus at most cafes and pubs make me cringe; the majority of them don't seem to extend beyond fish fingers, chicken nuggets, and burgers. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to serve the odd thing like this in moderation (white chocolate buttons are a particular weakness for both of us!) but I'd much prefer to do it when I can read the packet myself and check out the salt content, amongst other things.

L tends to nap after lunch so I figured it was worth braving it and ordering a couple of things for us to share, rather than let him fall asleep on the way home and go to bed with an empty tum. Mama needed coffee so we headed to Starbucks and I picked a cheese and ham toastie and a chicken salad. The food selection was obviously aimed at adults but both of these seemed suitable enough for the pair of us. I figured Little Dude would be all about the carbs but he surprised me by merrily munching through a handful of sugar snap peas and bravely sampling a huge slice of lime. It's just a shame I didn't capture the faces he pulled on camera - he went back for several tastes though so must have liked it!

This got me thinking... where else can I find decent children's menus? I generally really enjoy putting a lunchbox together for him but it'd also be handy to have more places that I can visit on a whim without stressing about what there is for him to eat. I'd love to hear from other Mamas about their favourite places to take little ones for decent, healthy food. Let me know your recommendations here or on the BLWMamaUK Facebook page and I'll put a list together for us all to share.

RECIPE - #InstaWeanTeam Prawn Spring Roll Challenge!

Ok, so my #InstaWeanTeam Chinese Food challenge isn't the most photogenic this week but it definitely tastes good. Next time I make these spring rolls I'll brush them with melted butter instead of egg, I was just curious to see how egg would turn out this time! (I've put butter in the recipe below instead because I think this will give them a more even colour). Mr BLWMamaUK and I had these for dinner with a stir fry. Little Dude had his the next day as an afternoon snack. Nom :)

YOU'LL NEED:
1/2 Tsp Chinese Five Spice
1 Small Garlic Clove (crushed)
1 Tsp Sesame Seeds
1/2 Tsp Low Salt Soy
1/2 Tsp Mirin Rice Wine
1/2 Cup Cooked Prawns
2 Cups Mixed Stir Fry Veg - I used pepper, beansprouts, carrot and onion
Unsalted Butter (melted) 
2 Filo Pastry Sheets
Organic Coconut oil for frying (or your usual oil)

METHOD:
1. Put the oil, spice, seeds, soy and rice wine in a pan with the prawns and veg. Fry for 3-5 minutes until softened. Set aside to cool.
2. Lay a filo sheet out length ways on a floured surface, cut vertically into 3 strips.
3. Cut across the strips horizontally so you have 6 rectangles of pastry.
4. Lay a blob of filling across the bottom of a pastry strip. Gentle roll it up and into a sausage shape. Seal the end with a little melted butter.
5. Flip the pastry roll over and paint the ends with a little more butter, fold them over to seal them.
6. Lay the spring roll on a greased baking tray and brush lightly with melted butter.
7. Repeat until all your mixture is used up - mine made 8 spring rolls.
8. Bake at Gas Mark 5 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

** Note - rice wine does contain alcohol. I was happy that I heated it enough to cook it out but if you're not comfortable, skip this ingredient**

Don't forgot to check the InstaWeanTeam Facebook page to see what the other ladies made this week!

RECIPE - #InstaWeanTeam Mexican Challenge

Mmmm, Mexican food! I was pretty spoiled for choice this week because I love this kind of grub. Old El Pasa fajitas tend to make an appearance in our house when I'm having a lazy chef moment but still fancy something tasty with plenty of veggies. Although I was tempted to make a baby-friendly version of this old fave it's something I've done before so I chose to mix it up with a new dish - pulled pork burritos. 

I roasted the pulled pork at the weekend so kept some aside knowing I had burritos on the menu later in the week. This is a great one for using up whatever leftovers you have; chicken, beef or pork would work just as well. Same deal for the veg, you can't really go wrong once it's wrapped in a tortilla. Go nuts!

 

YOU'LL NEED:

Leftover Pulled Pork

1 Red Pepper 

1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes

1 Tin Kidney Beans

1/2 Tsp Oregano

1/2 Tsp Cumin (x 2)

1 Tsp Smoked Paprika

1/8 Tsp Low Salt Soy Sauce

1/2 Cup Wild & Basmati Rice

Handful Grated Cheddar Cheese

4 Kos Lettuce Leaves

3 Tortilla Wraps

Chilli Flakes (optional)

METHOD:
1. Put the rice in a pan, cover with boiled water, add the 1/2 tsp of cumin and simmer until cooked (mine took 25 mins), then drain and set aside.
2. Empty the tomatoes, rinsed kidney beans, spices (including the other 1/2 tsp cumin), soy and oregano into a pan.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 10 minutes until the mixture has reduced slightly. 
4. Take off the heat, mash slightly with a fork and leave to cool
5. Slice the pepper into thin 'sticks' and set aside
6. Warm the tortilla wraps in the microwave for 30 seconds (it helps them bend)
7. Take a deep breath - you are ready to roll your burritos! :)
8. Lay out a sheet of foil, slap a tortilla on top, then a lettuce leaf.
9. Add a couple of spoonfuls of rice, bean mixture, some pork, and 4-5 peppers
10. Sprinkle a little cheese and some chilli flakes on top then carefully wrap the whole burrito into a sausage shape using the foil the seal it together at both ends.
11. If the filling has cooled too much, pop the burritos in the oven for 5 mins to warm through.
12. Serve (roll the foil down as you eat to stop it falling apart).If you have extra filling, just stick it on the plate as well.

Note - young children will need the foil removing for them. I served Little Dude a de-constructed version of the burrito with all the separate parts laid out on his tray for him to explore but it coulsd just as easily be cut into slices for a baby or toddler. The photo on the right shows the version for myself and Mr BLWMamaUK. It looks a bit like an explosion in a burrito factory but boy, was it good!

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the #InstaWeanTeam made for Mexico Week by visiting our Facebook Page.

RECIPE - #InstaWeanTeam Avocado Challenge!

This week's #InstaWeanTeam Challenge was inspired by a recent episode of Masterchef. One of the contestants made an avocado chocolate pudding that was slated because it tasted like avocado however, it looked DELICIOUS!

I didn't get it. Avocado. Chocolate. What's not to like? 

I decided the only way to know for sure was to make something similar myself. I trawled the Internet and found loads of different recipes with some weird and wonderful ingredients - coconut oil, raw cacao, agave. In the end, I mashed a few together and made a version using whatever I already had in the cupboard. 

The results? Mixed. L liked it and looked adorable with yummy avocado-choccy-goodness all round his chops. However, I found it quite difficult to reconcile the creamy chocolate hit with a distinct aftertaste of avocado. It looked like a rich chocolate ganache and my brain couldn't quite process the fact that it wasn't. I'll definitely try it again and perhaps tweak the ingredients a bit - a less ripe avocado would make a big difference as it wouldn't taste quite so strongly. Perhaps the addition of a little naughty melted chocolate too...? Anyway, he's my base recipe for you to play around with as you see fit.

* Note this includes honey which needs to be substituted with something else for children under 1 *

YOU'LL NEED:
1 Ripe Avocado
3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder (I used Green & Blacks Organic)
2 Tablespoons Runny Honey
1 Teaspoon Almond Butter
1/2 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
4 Tablespoons Whole Milk

METHOD:
1. Throw everything in a food processor. Blend.
2. Spoon into a dish and refrigerate

As ever, let me know if you make this and check out the InstaWeanTeam Facebook page for the recipes from the rest of the gang :)

RECIPE: The #InstaWeanTeam Courgette Challenge

One of the things I love about being part of the #InstaWeanTeam Challenge is that it encourages me to get out of my cooking rut and experiment with something new. Courgette (or zucchini to our American friends) is something I already use a lot but I didn't want to re-post one of my old recipes so when I spotted some forgotten filo pastry nestling in the depths of my freezer, the deal was done. Mama is making samosas!

Don't forget to look at the InstaWeanTeam Facebook page to see the courgette recipes from the rest of the gang!


YOU'LL NEED:
2 Sheets Filo Pastry
1 Medium Courgette
1 Medium Carrot
1/2 Medium Onion
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
1/2 Tsp Turmeric
1/2 Tsp Coriander Leaf
Unsalted Butter (melted)

METHOD:
1. Chop the veg into small cubes/chunks. 
2. Add to a pan with a knob of butter, a splash of water and the spices. Put a lid on the pan and sweat the veg for 10 minutes until tender. Keep an eye on it and add more water if it gets too dry (you don't want the veg to brown)
3. Lay out one sheet of filo, use a sharp knife to divide it into 3 strips lengthwise
4. Cut each strip in half so you have 6 strips of pastry
5. Brush each strip with a little melted butter
6. Spoon a little veg mixture at the end of your first pastry strip (careful not to put too much down otherwise it won't fold up). 
7. Fold the bottom left corner of the pastry over the veg mixture and so it lines up with the opposite edge and forms a triangle (I wish I'd taken photos of this!).
8. Repeat this fold in the opposite direction. Keep going until you reach the end of the pastry strip. Tuck the end underneath the samosa and lay it on a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper.
9. Repeat until you've run out of mixture (I made 12 samosas)
10. Brush the tops with a little melted butter then bake for approx. 20 mins at Gas 6 until golden


 

RECIPE: The #InstaWeanTeam Asparagus Challenge!

I have a confession: I've never actually cooked asparagus before. 

I've eaten it loads of times (I'll basically eat anything except Boc Choy and water chestnuts - bleugh, it's a texture thing) but it's never been something on my weekly shopping list so this is a great challenge for me. It didn't take me long to decide that my dish for this week would be a risotto - I haven't made one for a little while but when I do, I tend to stick to just a couple of my tried and tested recipes so trying it with a new ingredient felt like a good plan. 

Risotto also goes quite thick and sticky so is perfect for baby to grab little handfuls of.

Asparagus Risotto Prep...

YOU'LL NEED:
8 Asparagus Spears
200g Arborio Rice
1/2 Cup Garden Peas
1/2 Lemon  
1.75 Pints Water
140g Cream Cheese 
4 Rashers Streaky Bacon
1 Baby (low salt) Vegetable Stock Cube (I get mine in Boots)
Black Pepper
Dried Parsley
Knob Unsalted Butter


 METHOD:
1. Put the butter and rice in a large pan. Toast the rice gently for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add 1.5 pints of water mixed with the baby stock cube, a pinch of parsley and a pinch of black pepper. The water should start bubbling away almost immediately. Turn it down to a simmer and keep an eye on it to make sure the pan doesn't run dry. You shouldn't have to touch it again for 20 minutes or so.
3. Lay the bacon out in a frying pan and cook on a low heat for around 15 minutes until crispy. Once done, lay out on some kitchen paper to cool (this will absorb any excess fat) 
4. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and lay on a baking tray. Sprinkle some black pepper on top and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes at Gas Mark 7 until tender.
5. At this point you should have three things cooking away - I recommend a rest and a cup of tea :)
6. Cut the cooled bacon in small pieces and set aside.
7. Remove the asparagus from the oven and chop into small slices. Keep a few of the spear 'tops' aside for decoration if you're feeling fancy...!
8. By now the rice should have been cooking for 20 minutes. Add a further 1/4 pint of water, the peas, asparagus, cream cheese and stir well for 5 minutes to make sure it doesn't stick. Add a dash more more water if necessary. 
9. Take the rice off the heat and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lemon.
10. At this point I separated 4 baby sized portions (1 for now and 3 for the freezer). I sprinkled 4-5 tiny pieces of bacon onto each of the baby portions and stirred the rest into the adult portion. 

Note: Bacon is super salty (mine had 1g of salt per 2 rashers) so be very careful on how much you give to baby. I didn't give any bacon before L was a year old.

If you make this, or anything else from the #InstaWeanTeam challenges over the coming weeks please tag me (@BLWMamaUK). The best will get a re-post!

10 Easy Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast is one of those meals we don't tend to give a lot of love to. It can be particularly difficult to muster much enthusiasm when you're half asleep, bleary eyed and have been up most of the night with a teething/ill/partying baby (delete as appropriate).

Before I had Little Dude breakfast for me was either a five minute rush job as I dashed out the house (handful of nuts or quick bowl of cornflakes) or some soggy toast from the work canteen. Being on maternity leave rekindled my love with what my own Mama still tells me is 'the most important meal of the day'. Suddenly I had the time and inclination (what better motivation is there than the need to fill your baby's little tummy?) to try out some new ideas. Here are my top ten favourites to inspire you on those sleepy mornings...

1. Banana Pancakes - Just two ingredients and less than ten minutes to make, these delicious pancakes really couldn't be easier. Mash a banana, mix in a beaten egg and fry in a little unsalted butter. I get best results using a heavy frying pan (so it doesn't get too hot) and grilling the top of them before flipping them over. To add more backbone, throw in a handful of oats and for a naughty twist, a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder.

2. Fruity Porridge - I often make this with leftover fruit or pre-made puree. A handful of oats, a generous splash of whole milk, microwave for 90 seconds then stir in your fruit. I let mine cool then spoon it onto L's tray in little balls for a quick, BLW-friendly breakfast.

3. Homemade Cereal Bars - Blend a small packet of mixed nuts with 5-6 dried dates then mix with an egg and a few handfuls of oats. Spoon the mixture onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper then bake for 25ish minutes until cooked through. Slice into finger shapes before serving.

4. Rice Pudding Balls - Little Dude loves these. I make a batch of rice pudding the night before using 50g pudding rice, 550ml whole milk and a handful of sultanas. I roll small bowls of cold mixture then dust them with cinnamon. 

5. Fruit Medley - Super simple but colourful, healthy and great for experimenting with textures. Pretty much anything works cut into finger shapes; watermelon, galia melon, apple (softened in the microwave for 30 seconds), peaches, pear, avocado... go crazy!

6. Crepes - Those who follow my Instagram feed will know I'm slightly obsessed with pancakes. My favourite method is to stew some blueberries in a little water until they're breaking down, then mix them into the pancake batter. I use a Good Food recipe for the batter which never fails. 

7. French Toast / Eggy Bread - This makes a great weekend breakfast for the whole family. Beat one egg, add a splash of milk then cut a slice of bread in half and dip it into the mixture for a few seconds to soak it through. Fry in a little unsalted butter and serve with strawberries. Mmmmm...


8. Weetabix - Quite a simple one but L absolutely loves it. I cut them into slices with a sharp knife, put them on his tray they pour milk on top to soften them. He enjoys the theatre of watching the milk pour down while I tell him to 'wait... wait... wait' before he gets stuck in. Beware: the stuff sets like concrete so make sure you clean up properly afterwards!

9. Fruit Teacake - Toasted, cut into finger shapes and slathered in butter. Comfort food at its best!

10. Crumpets and cream cheese - I never give more than 1/2 crumpet because the salt content tends to be high, but they work well alongside something else like fruit or a few cornflakes or cheerios. 

 What is your favourite breakfast? Comment below or tag me on Instagram @blwmamauk

RECIPE: Sweet Potato and Pea Pancakes

This recipe is great if, like me, you always seem to have a lonely sweet potato lurking in the cupboard and not much inspiration about what to do with it. 

The quantities might need tweaking depending on the size of your potato.  Mine made a batch of 14 cakes; they freeze really well so just wrap a couple together in clingfilm and then defrost them overnight (or in the microwave) for lunch at short notice. They're also not too messy to eat so perfect for minimising the mess when you're eating out :)


YOU'LL NEED:
1 Large Sweet Potato
2 Eggs
Approx. 50-75g Plain White Flour 
Approx. 200ml Whole Milk 
1/2 Cup Peas
Unsalted Butter for frying

METHOD:
1. Chop the sweet potato into cubes and boil for 10 minutes until soft.
2. Mash the potato until smooth.
3. Add the beaten eggs, flour (sieve it to avoid lumps), milk and peas. Mix well.
4. Heat a little butter in a heavy pan and dollop a palm-sized amount of batter into it.
5. Fry each pancake for 8-10 minutes until it has firmed up and changed to a lovely orange colour.

** Important - the batter needs to be the consistency of quite a runny yoghurt, mess with the milk and flour until it looks right!**

I usually serve them warm, cut into strips with a little butter or cream cheese.

TELL ME... About Your BLW Experience

So...further to my earlier post HERE, I've gathered together the answers to the other questions I asked my Instagram and Facebook Baby Led Weaning Mommas and Papas.

BEGINNERS - this should give you a good flavour (no pun intended!) of how other people's babies have taken to BLW. In short - they are all completely different!

A reminder of the questions...

1. What made you choose to do BLW? (see my previous post)
2. How old was your little one when they started eating (rather than just playing)? 
3. What have been your biggest challenges or successes with BLW?
4. What's your 'go to' meal - guaranteed to be gobbled up?
5. If you started again, what piece of advice/tip would you tell yourself? 


Because some small part of me clearly misses working in an office, I've decided to illustrate the answers to question two by way of a jazzy pie chart...

So it turns out that Little Dude wasn't so slow on the uptake after all. Interesting that many of the babas were well over 6 months (the moment when it feels like our baby has to magically graduate from a milk only diet to eating three square meals a day overnight :-\ ) when they started properly eating food.



3. What have been your biggest challenges or successes with BLW?

4. What's your 'go to' meal - guaranteed to be gobbled up? 

"'Alpha bites' cereal, blueberries, beetroot (not altogether, though that's been done...)" @asbellina 

"Go to 'meal' is little egg tortillas. He loves them, which is great coz they are so easy to make and they're freezable." @twelvetwelvebaby

"Spaghetti Bolognese with peas followed by Greek yogurt and banana" @vblogg

"For my daughter, it was porridge blobs (like porridge fingers but the can't-be-arsed version) and for my little guy, it's lasagne or pasta with tomato and chorizo" @aoifekids

"Avocado, salmon, omelette, blueberries" @cookingforgrey

"Go-to meal is crab cakes! They absolutely love them. If I'm in a hurry, it's a chicken and hummus quesadilla." @babiesgotsnack

"Cheese on toast, chicken and carrots (not usually together!)" @suzie_crossland

"Banana and savoury flap jacks (recommended in the BLW cook book)" @mrs30

"There's not one specific persistent favourite - she's unfussy. At the moment her favourite is noodles/spaghetti. She's 14 months." @azalea_and_mum

"Since we are still pretty new, we don't really have a 'go to' meal yet. He loves sweet potato, asparagus and steak so for now that's the go to!" @dylansfoodadventures

5. If you started again, what piece of advice/tip would you tell yourself?

"Don't worry - he'll eat when he's ready 😀" @blwmamauk

"Go with your gut you're his mum it doesn't matter what others think / say." @annakaura

"I'd probably give myself the same advice as I try to with all the other aspects of this parenting thing; every baby is different, try not to compare them. :-) " @twelvetwelvebaby

"Stick at it - it'll take time. Plan meals at the beginning of the week as otherwise it can be tough to get enough variety." @suzie_crossland

"Start with easy things, if you are scared to give him chunks of food, but want him to eat independently, grate cooked veggies into little mounds easy to pick up, make little pancakes of stuff, ease into it!" @cookingforgrey

"I would tell myself to trust my son. My instinct was to trust him but the norm for introducing solids in the US is purees and I started to question myself and his abilities. After a week I stopped looking to other people and what everyone else was doing and trusted my instincts and my sons abilities." @dylansfoodadventures

"I would say don't try to be super mum and cook three healthy meals per day and clean up too...., you will never get out the house! Just try to enjoy your baby exploring and remember food before one for fun' " @mrs30

"Buy an ANTILOP high chair!" @bramblebites

TELL ME... Getting Started #1

Every time I speak to someone about weaning their baby I hear a different story. Some little ones are into food from day one, others take their time in learning to love their grub. Lots of people make a deliberate choice to BLW, others sort of fall into it like I did. I love hearing about all the different journeys other Mums, Dads and babies have been on; everyone seems to have different challenges along the way and it's helpful to know that when your baby is joyfully lobbing mashed potato at the wall or refusing to eat anything except raisins, the chances are that someone else has been there (and come out the other side!).

I asked my Instagram and Facebook buddies five quick questions to get the lowdown on their weaning adventures. The variety of answers in just this small group of people is really interesting but there are a couple of reoccurring themes from this wise little bunch:  

Trust your instincts, trust your baby and eventually you'll both figure it out. 

In the meantime - enjoy yourself!

1. What made you choose to do BLW?

"Little Dude's absolute refusal to be spoonfed. We battled with purée for a month or so then switched to BLW. We've never looked back!" @blwmamauk

"I chose BLW because our little guy seemed more interested in touching the food and looking at it himself than having a spoon" @bramblebites

"I was actually very anti BLW at first, wasn't until I watch a video - yes video at my local Health Centre that I got to understand more about it and saw the benefits of BLW. Then when I showed my husband YouTube clips he was adamant that was the route we would take." @blwinspiration

"I decided to do BLW after watching a good friend of mine do it with her son. I was terrified and wasn't completely on board...until my daughter reached on my plate at 6.5 months and took a piece of meatloaf off and tried to eat it. From that point on we have been strict BLW" @babiesgotsnack

"I had read about it but was scared about choking and stuff. I started with purée and oddly my baby could self feed herself at 5 months [yes early - but she was ready, proper ready, holding her head up, 5 teeth, could sit and stand independently, showed an interest in food and hand to mouth coordination] :/ a few of my other friends were doing BLW so I tried her with stuff. She preferred it and we carried on- the rest is history!" @azalea_and_mum

"I wanted my little boy to have a healthy relationship with food and thought if he didn't need to be spoon fed purees and could just eat what we do it would make an easier life for all of us" @annakaura

"My pal did it with her wee boy while I was pregnant so I read up in it and just went with it!" @vblogg

"A few friends tried it and sounded good. Fitted with my lifestyle. As a single mum, I liked the idea of eating together (rather than me feed him then eat myself)." @asbellina

"I choose BLW as my sister done it with my 2 nephews. I was pretty sure I would do a combination of BLW and purées as I was terrified when I had to give the boys lunch when I was babysitting. Turns out (like most things) it's totally different when it's your own little bundle and I haven't puréed a thing!" @twelvetwelvebaby

"It just seemed like a no-brainer to me. I read the BLW book when Millar was about 4 months and it all just made sense. I liked the idea that it was fun and gave the baby control" @suzie_crossland

"little man refused the spoon after three weeks of purées?" @mrs30

 "Feeling that there's not much nutritional value or fun in rice cereal and advice from nurses at the hospital who were (very surprisingly) pro-blw. They didn't call it that, but suggested to forgo the cereal and start with strips of cooked veggies and chicken (same thing!)" @cookingforgrey

"I have no idea how we ended up with BLW. I had always know I wanted to be a'free-range' parent and that my kids would get bumps and bruises, stiches and casts. I wanted to be abe t oinclude them, to bring them to resturants and to travel the world with us, I knew I wanted to breastfeed for a year but I had never thought about how I wanted to introduce solids.I have no idea how I found it but I do remember thinking 'oh this makes much more sense!'" @dylansfoodadventures

"Chose BLW after seeing so many other kids at my job (preschool teacher) and my daughter's cousins who were being bribed, coaxed and tricked to eat. I wanted my daughter to have a self awareness of her eating and a good relationship with food." @ashjos

" had read a bit about it online when my daughter was a baby and got the boom when she was about 4 months old. It seemed to follow on naturally from on-demand breastfeeding for me, and since weight problems run on my side of the family and fussy eating runs on my husband's side, we thought it would be a great idea. It went so well with our daughter that we didn't even think twice about doing it again this time round with our little guy." @aoifekids

"Wir haben mit 5 Monaten mit Beikost begonnen, und nach 2 Wochen wollte er keinen Brei mehr, da ich sowieso von Anfang an auch Fingerfood gegeben habe gabs dann nur noch das! Den letzten anstoß hat mir das Buch "Einmal breifrei, bitte" gegeben."  @chrischdl85

"I did a lot of research and reading and it seemed like the right thing for our family" @mydairyfreedinner


I'll post the answers to the other 4 questions shortly once I've caught up with them all... :)

RECIPE - Veggie and Lentil Bakes

YOU'LL NEED:
1/2 red onion
4-5 broccoli florets
4-5 cauliflower florets
1 medium carrot
1/3 cup washed red lentils
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
1 slice bread grated
Handful cheddar cheese
 1 egg

METHOD:
1. Finely chop the veg and cook in pan with a little butter and the spices/herbs until soft. 
2. Meanwhile, boil the lentils according to the instructions on the packet for around 20 minutes until soft and going slightly mushy.
3. Transfer the veg to a mixing bowl and mash slightly.
4. Add the lentils and egg, stirring thoroughly
5. Spoon into silicone cupcake cases (or a lightly buttered dish if you want to make a bigger version)
6. Sprinkle the cheese and breadcrumb mixture on top
7. Bake at Gas 5 for 25 minutes or until the topping is golder brown.

These freeze really well too - I just defrost them with a blast in the microwave for around 40-50 seconds until piping hot.

Surviving a food strike

We made it! It took a few weeks but the food strike is finally over and Little Dude is eating like a champ again... until the next time.

From talking to my Mummy friends, food strikes seem to be a common occurrence and come in all shapes and forms. Just in my little circle of friends we've had:

• Refusal to eat any solids and very little milk (this was L)
• Taking food into mouth then spitting it out immediately (yup, L again)
• Refusal to eat any savoury food
• Sudden refusal to be spoonfed
• Refusal of foods that were previously favourites 
• Sudden refusal to eat breakfast (all other meals were fine)
• One random week of happily eating from a spoon, which stopped as suddenly as it started (L again)
• Gleefully blowing all food out of the mouth in sudden explosive raspberries (not good news for sofas, walls and carpets!) 

In my experience, the reason for the food strike isn't often clear until after it's passed. The first one L had was a combination of teething and a tummy bug. I'm pretty sure on this because we shared the tummy bug and I struggled to eat for a good week myself - I can't blame him for feeling the same way. The second one was due to a nasty cold and temperature. Being off solid food I could handle, but watching him push his bottle of milk away was more stressful because I worried about his hydration. It turns out that, as often is the case, baby seems to know best. After a couple of days of eating very little, things started to get back on track. 

Obviously it's important to contact a Doctor if you have any concerns about your baby not eating. I am now on first name terms with everyone at my local out of hours GP service, particularly those manning the phones at 3am. Reassured that L wasn't going to starve himself, I tried a few different things...

• Stopping solid food altogether while he had a temperature. Under 1, milk is the most important source of nutrition so I focused on making sure he had enough of that and forgot about everything else.
• Offering at least one favourite food at each meal. I figured if he wasn't going to eat that, he wasn't going to eat anything.
• Sticking to comforting, plain foods - omelette, porridge, pasta,mashed potato - when he was getting back into it. Nothing too acidic or strongly flavoured.
• Making yogurt smoothie pops - a way of getting liquids and milk into him which also soothed sore gums and/or throat
• Using my freezer stash - spending time preparing meals then throwing them in the bin can be a bit soul destroying so I raided my freezer for things that could be prepared quickly
• Repeating to myself 'This too shall pass'. A lot.

It's taken a good 4 or 5 weeks to get back to where we were with his food. In the meantime I recommend patience, perseverance and plenty of chocolate for Mama. :)

RECIPE - Peach Crumbles

YOU'LL NEED:
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon ground almonds
1 tablespoon porridge oats
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (depending on your taste preference)
15g unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)
6 peach slices (I used tinned in juice, not syrup)

METHOD:
1. Leave the butter out of the fridge until soft
2. Put the flour, oats, almonds and cinnamon in a bowl and stir to mix.
3. Add the butter and 'rub' into the mixture using your thumbs and forefingers until the mixture has turned slightly golden and looks like crumbs. Shake the bowl to bring the big crumbs (unmixed butter) to the surface and repeat until the texture is fine enough.
4. Stir in the sugar (optional) - I added this because I wanted to make a slightly sweet dessert and my peaches were quite tangy. If you're serving it with a sweet custard (I didn't) it's probably not necessary. It's a personal choice on whether you want to give your baby sugar - L rarely has any so I made an exception this time.
5. Chop the peaches and split the mixture across two ramekins
6. Spoon the crumble on top
7. Bake at Gas Mark 4 for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Little Dude is 10 months old and surprised me by eating an entire crumble! He's often not too fussed about fruit and would rather each savoury, so this was a great sucess, particularly as you could substitute the peaches for apples, pears, blackberries etc.

Tag me on Instagram @blwmamuk if you make this!

RECIPE - Smokey Bean Pancake Quesadilla

YOU'LL NEED:
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin kidney beans
1/2 tin chickpeas
1/2 teaspoon Basil
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Handful Grated Cheddar Cheese

Wraps - I used leftover pancakes which were nice and soft. Tortilla wraps would work very well too, although they do contain salt.

METHOD:
1. Tip the tomatoes, washed kidney beans, chickpeas, herbs and spice into a pan.
2. Boil for 5-8 minutes until the beans are warmed through and soft
3. Take the pan off the heat and mash (roughly - no need to make it smooth) 
4. Spread onto your 'wrap' of choice
5. Sprinkle on the cheese
6. Fold in half and grill for 3/4 minutes on each side until slightly crisp.
7. Slice and enjoy!

Little Dude is 9 (almost 10) months old and absolutely wolfed this down, eating two portions. A definite success!

Tag me on Instagram if you make this, I'd love to see how they turn out! @blwmamauk

An introduction...

Hello and Welcome! 

It's now June 2015 and we're almost a year into our weaning journey! I recently re-wrote this post for Yummy Mummy's World so I'm posting the updated version here....

Little Dude has always had his own ideas when it comes to food. Our breastfeeding journey was extremely challenging and although we battled through for four months - when he finally decided to stop latching altogether - I still feel a little disappointed that we didn’t get it ‘right’. Introducing solids felt like a fresh start and I was determined to fill my beautiful firstborn’s rapidly expanding tummy with delicious, home cooked purees. Yes, you read that right!

We started with traditional weaning when Little Dude was five months old. Despite a healthy appetite for milk his little tum was rumbling between feeds and he showed plenty of interest in what Mama and Daddy were eating so I figured he was ready. Given that he barely ate a crumb for the first two and a half months, he probably wasn’t. Regardless, I lovingly batch cooked all the usual purees - apple, pear, sweet potato, broccoli, parsnip - and steadfastly popped L into his Bumbo twice a day. What followed was several weeks of me desperately waving a spoon in his direction while he even more desperately wiggled out of the way and bellowed at me. You've got to give it to the little fella – he definitely knows his own mind.

I'd heard about Baby Led Weaning and quite honestly I thought it sounded pretty terrifying. Giving real food to my tiny baby who still managed to choke on his milk half the time? No chance. Instead I made a seemingly endless list of excuses: he didn’t like the taste of that particular puree. Maybe it was too cold or too hot. Perhaps I’d used the wrong spoon. He wasn’t comfy in his Bumbo that day. He was too hungry or not hungry enough. He was too tired, too playful, too cuddly. After a month of his complete refusal to be spoon fed, I reluctantly put the cutlery down and picked up my secret weapon: an avocado.

We started very slowly. Although everything I’d read about BLW suggested that babies are physically capable of handling ‘proper’ food from 6 month and up, I was very nervous about the possibility of choking. The gag reflex was unnerving at first but is a completely normal part of the learning process and drastically reduced within a few weeks as he learned to move the food around his mouth. At first I offered sticks or bite sized pieces of soft food like avocado or steamed carrot and things that dissolved in his mouth like sweet potato mash or grated cheese. Certain foods I’d expected to be perfect for starting out didn’t work for us at all – banana was too sticky and made him gag while toast fingers got cemented to the roof of his mouth and stayed there for half an hour while I wondered what on earth I was supposed to do about it. Other foods that I’d expected him to hate seemed to be firm favourites; broccoli, sprouts, and lentils were all eagerly explored. Even my husband won’t eat some of those! 

Every day we both learned a little more and it wasn’t long before I was serving him hearty home cooked food like chicken casserole, chilli con carne and stir fried veg. Even wet foods that don’t seem to naturally lend themselves to BLW are no match for determined little fingers and a carb-heavy accompaniment like pasta, cous cous or mashed potato (to soak up the juice). Sure, my kitchen walls were regularly plastered with mashed potato and there was always Weetabix in our hair but we were having fun. One of the things I credit to BLW is Little Dude’s fantastic pincer grip. He mastered this very early by picking up grains of rice, pieces of pancake, Cheerios… even if it was just so he could drop them triumphantly over the side of the high chair.

It hasn’t all be plain sailing. L was 7.5 months old before he actually started chewing and swallowing his food rather than popping it into his mouth and just spitting it out again. Since then we’ve had food strikes, changing tastes, mess (lots and lots of mess) and the ultimate challenge - eating out without leaving a trail of destruction behind us. It’s been totally worth it though; there is something so wholesome and satisfying about sitting down to a family roast dinner on a Sunday when we’re all eating exactly the same thing. The clue really is in the name – let your baby lead the way and everything else will follow.

Top Tips:

• Research, research, research. ‘Baby Led Weaning’ by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett is fantastic because it explains the different stages babies go through when learning to eat. ‘Weaning Made Easy’ by Dr Rana Conway is another good one for explaining the reasons behind weaning guidelines and recommendations, particularly around what age to start
• Attend a paediatric first aid course so you know how to react in the unlikely event that your baby chokes. I booked onto one run by a Private Health Visitor but my local Surestart Children’s Centre runs them too.
• Dedicate a freezer drawer to baby food and cook in batches. That way you can offer a variety of flavours at each meal without spending hours on food prep – the key is to offer different things and let your baby choose what to eat
• Trust your instincts. If you want to start slowly with bite size foods or just one flavour, do it. You know your baby best.

Some more 'official' resources on weaning:

• NHS - Your Baby's First Solid Food
• Unicef - Weaning 
• Baby Led Weaning