Chicken & Peach Mash

In one of my previous post I talked about how happy I was that Issac finally seemed to be settling in into his day-care. You're going to think I'm crazy, but I think I'm sad my son is actually quite comfortable with his teachers at kindy and is still smiling as he watches me walk away.

It’s not just the teachers in day-care. It’s everyone he jumps into the arms of. It’s all those times I hold out my arms for him and he turns his back on me, obviously more comfortable in a strangers arms!

There used to be a time a couple of months ago, when Renju had to just walk past and Issac would flail and twist and turn in my arms until his Dada picked him up. He would then settle into Renju’s arms and shoot me weird looks like I was a random stranger from the street.

It totally broke my heart! I felt so dejected. Isaac was seriously in love with Renju. He always wanted Renju if he's there. Luckily now, mostly by the end of the day, my son wants to snuggle and love me. He will reach for me, even when Renju was holding him.

Oh don't get me wrong, I love my son. I love him so much, more than anything. Sometimes it's so hard to see him love and want someone more than me! I guess it’s a blessing that he has a Dad he is attached to and in love with. He has such a great Dad. No wonder he is obsessed with him. I am too... J

I guess it’s just a phase and he'll soon outgrow it.But until then, I'll continue to be jealous of all those he chooses over me.

Today's recipe combines chicken with fruit - a combination that works surprisingly well ... and particularly appeals to babies!

This may not top Issac's favorites at the moment but at least he eats it. This seems to be the only way I can get him to eat rice right now.


Chicken & Peach Mash
Recipe Source Homemade Baby Food Recipes

1/2 cup cooked, boneless chicken, chopped
1/4 cup cooked rice (Refer Notes)
1 ripe peach
1 tbsp formula/breast milk

Remove the skin and stone from the peach, then quarter.
Place the peach, chicken, rice and milk into a food processor.
Chop roughly - (this recipe is suitable for babies capable of chewing soft lumps).

Notes

You can use white or brown rice as you prefer.

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Creamy Chicken Pasta

What would it be like if kids narrated BBC's show 'Planet Earth'? This is just so damn cute. Must watch!

On a completely different note, pasta is the perfect addition to your little one's menu. Issac is a fan of pasta just like his Mum, so I guess it goes without saying this dish disappeared pretty fast. Of all of Issac's favorites, at the moment, this tops the list.

Creamy Chicken Pasta
Adapted from Homemade Baby Food Recipes

2 skinless chicken thighs (refer Notes)
1 cup homemade or no-salt chicken broth/stock
1 slice whole wheat bread
1/4 cup milk
pinch dried thyme (optional)
1 cup mini pasta shapes

In a small saucepan, simmer the chicken breast and thyme (if using) in the broth until cooked throughout.
Remove the chicken (reserving the broth) and allow to cool a little.
Soak the bread in the milk until softened, then add 1/2 cup of the reserved broth.
Place in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
Shred the chicken, then combine with the sauce.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions until tender, but without adding salt. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and serve warm.

Notes

Since the dark meat of a chicken contains twice as much iron and zinc as the breast and tends to be moister, it's a good idea sometimes to use the thighs instead.

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Happy Mother's Day - Beef Mince & Veges

Why are you crying?" he asked his mom.

"Because I'm a mother," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said.

His mom just hugged him and said, "You never will!"

Later the little boy asked his father why Mother

seemed to cry for no reason.

"All mothers cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering

why mothers cry. So he finally put in a call to God, and

when God got on the phone the man said,

"God, why do mothers cry so easily?"

God said, "You see son, when I made mothers they had

to be special. I made their shoulders strong enough to

carry the weight of the world, yet gently enough to give

comfort. I gave them an inner strength to endure childbirth

and the rejection that many times come from their children."

"I gave them a hardiness that allows them to keep going

when everyone else gives up, and to take care of their

families through sickness and fatigue without complaining."

"I gave them the sensitivity to love their children under all

circumstances, even when their child has hurt them very

badly. This same sensitivity helps them to make a child's boo-boo

feel better and helps them share a teenager's anxieties and fears."

"I gave them a tear to shed. It's theirs exclusively to use whenever

it's needed.

It's their only weakness.

 It's a tear for mankind."

...Author Unknown

I received this via email from a friend and thought it was really nice and worth sharing. 

Nothing compares to the joy of actually being a mother this year. This little one has brought me so much happiness than I ever thought possible.

Happy's Mothers Day to all moms out there and I hope you had a blessed day!

Beef Mince & Veges
Today's recipe is something I whipped up with random ingredients I had on hand. I've been meaning to introduce  red meat to Issac's diet for quite a while now and never seemed to find the right time.I've used minced beef in the recipe, but you can adapt it as you like and use whatever meat you have on hand.

Issac wasn't too keen on the taste at first but a couple of spoonfuls later, it was like bring it on!!!

3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp grated Cheddar cheese
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 an onion, chopped finely
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1 carrot , peeled and grated
1 small potatoe , peeled and cut into chunks
1 zucchini , chopped
150g lean minced beef
50 ml homemade stock or water (refer Notes)
A pinch of dried thyme

Put the potatoes into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and cook until tender. Drain and mash together with the butter, milk and grated cheese.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the onion over a low heat for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Add the garlic and cook for half a minute. Add the grated carrot and zucchini and saute until tender.
In a separate pan, dry fry the minced beef until browned, stirring occasionally. Add to the sauteed vege mix.Pour in the stock and add the thyme. Cover and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes.

Mash or puree as necessary.

Stir in the mashed potatoes before serving. Serve warm!



Notes
You can find the recipe to make homemade stock here.

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Lentils and Apple Purée

Sleep deprivation is a form of torture that is every parents nightmare. Before Issac was born, all my friends and acquaintances told me I could kiss my good night sleeps goodbye. What I wasn't prepared for was that my baby was not a napper at all. I could never get him to take regular naps during the day or to sleep undisturbed throughout the night no matter how hard I tried.
The first month was particularly hard. My mum and I took turns staying awake at nights while Issac slept in our arms. I was exhausted. I don't know how he did it. He could stay up for hours and not seem even the tiny bit tired or sleepy.He would sometimes take a cat-nap, a 30 minute deep sleep, that would then give him the energy to stay up for another good six hours!

People keep telling me it would get better as he got  older. But how old, I ask? Issac's 8 months old now and he is still waking up three times a night ― to nurse, to play, to cry, to do anything but sleep. We just don’t understand why he isn't more tired, when we are utterly exhausted and drained. We have a daily night time routine that I try and follow as much as we can; dinner, bath time, and milk before bed with the lights dimmed low.And like it had been since the day he was born, some nights Issac would go right to sleep, and some nights, perhaps once every couple of weeks, we would get lucky and he would sleep through the night.

To make it worse, my husband is one of those gifted people who falls asleep as soon as his head hits the bed and can stay asleep. Its not his fault he is a deep sleeper but couldn't he have passed his gift on to our son too?? Was that just too much to ask for?

My search for the best technique to regulate my baby's sleeping patterns continue and I'll definitely keep you guys posted. Does anyone out there have a fail proof plan you use to get your baby to sleep through the night? I would definitely love to hear about it.

Today's recipe is a weird combo but is one of Issac's favourites. The sweetness from the apple and the aromatic spices are bound to tingle your wee ones taste buds!

Lentils and Apple Purée
Adapted from Homemade Baby Food Recipes

1/2 cup red lentils
2 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 small apple, cored and diced (refer Notes)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
pinch cinnamon

Roast the lentils in a heavy bottomed pan (without oil). Boil the water and add the roasted lentils. Cook till the lentils are done.
Whilst the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a small frying pan and saute the diced onion until tender.
Add the diced apple and crushed garlic to the onion, then stir in all the spices.
Cook for a few more minutes, until the apple is tender.
Tip the onion/apple mixture into the lentil pot and leave it to simmer for 5 more mins.
Allow to cool.
Mash well using a spoon if you want some texture for older babies or you can just run it in a food processor or blender for a few seconds until smooth.
Leftovers will freeze well or can stay in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Notes
You can use any lentils you like(yellow, red or green). I used red as they cook faster.
You may prefer to peel the apples. I now have started to leave the apples unpeeled as Issac has no problems with the peels.
You can find more information about whether to peel or not here.

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Creamy Zucchini Soup & Daycare

This morning when Renju & I dropped Issac off at daycare he didn't cry! This is a hugely major achievement for us. It has taken a long time but I guess he's finally reached that point where he knows that his teachers are not ogres and that they will look after him (well almost!) as much as I would and that at the end of the day I would definitely come and get him.

The most difficult milestone, in Issac's development so far, for me was dropping him off at daycare that first time. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

At first I had thought Issac would do well in daycare as he was a very social baby and definitely loved being around other kids.But I couldn't have been more wrong.Once we arrived at the daycare the poor bub hung onto us for dear life.Naturally I cried my eyes out when Renju and I got back in the car. I was warned about these emotions but back then I thought they were just exaggerating and I really didn't think I would be the one crying.But he has been my whole world for 7 months and now I'm was missing every little smile and tear. I was devastated missing him.


It was a trying day and I couldn't wait until home time rolled over. I was hoping I would come to pick up a happy smiley baby that evening, but no such luck. He was sitting up in a swing and when he saw me he cried his heart out and held his hands out for me to take him.

It took me a while to get over the guilty feeling that was gnawing at me inside. I couldn't help but feel that maybe I was not a fit mother. But slowly(and painfully) he started getting used to the routine.

In the end, we all made it through. Issac now greets me with his coveted smiles when I pick him up and he was still smiling when we dropped him off this morning.

I know it'll get better.  With time, it'll be easier to be away from him. Many many moms do this everyday.  I can too, right?  Time to buck up.

Photo courtesy: http://www.epicurean.com   

Creamy Zucchini Soup

2  zucchinis (refer to Notes)
1 medium potato
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp unsalted butter
1/4 onion, roughly chopped
2 cups homemade chicken stock(refer to Notes)
1/4 cup whole milk or light cream
Dried dill (optional)

Dice the zucchinis and potatoes and keep aside.
In a small saucepan, heat the oil and the butter together.
Add the onions and saute over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until they are golden.
Add the zucchinis and potatoes and toss together, then stir in 1 cup of the stock.
Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Pour in the rest of the stock, then replace the lid and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Finally, remove the lid and turn the heat right up.
Boil the mixture rapidly, spooning off any frothy bits that appear on the surface, until the mixture has reduced by around one third. This step really concentrates and intensifies the flavour of the soup.
Remove from the heat and puree the mixture.
And now for the last step – stir in the milk/cream and the dried dill(if using) and warm through.
Your baby soup is now ready to serve.

Notes
Zucchini is also known as courgettes, Italian squash or vegetable marrow.
There are a lot of easy recipes for baby specific broths out there. These are much better than the ready made store bought ones as you can control what goes into them.

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Apple & Banana Suprise

Being a parent can be really stressful some days. Having kids is just awesome, but haven't you had one of those days when you just want to give up?

You need a little stress relief to get you through the day. I’ve learned that if you can't learn to find the humour in the situation, you'll go crazy or maybe because I’ve already gone crazy I find it. Either way, you’ll feel better if you can laugh, it relieves stress.

 So what is it, that got me talking about stress and laughter, how about the concept of a clean house with a baby???

I used to have a beautiful, spotless, immaculate house. I could take pride in how shiny my kitchen and bathroom floors were, how everything was exactly where they should be and I could dare someone to find a speck of dust anywhere! What can I say, I was a cleanliness freak. I think I got it from my Mom. I still remember how she would go absolutely berserk if anything was out of place!! This more or less usually happened when she visited MY bedroom.

Just to be clear, I wasn't born this way. Before I got married, I did like everything to be neat and tidy, but could not be bothered to do it myself. After marriage though, once you have your own family and your own place, things change. You can't have enough of that pride swelling up inside you when someone randomly visits your house and comments that your kitchen floors are so clean that they could literally eat off them! Ahh, those were happy times.

 Nowadays it’s a major achievement if I can even manage to get through the day without Issac making the living room look like Santa Claus' goody bag exploded in there.

Ever since I've been back at work, things have started to get slightly out of hand. The house looks like a tornado went through it. It’s embarrassing. And it’s no help when you have a baby waiting for just after you have tidied up to crawl over and decide he definitely likes everything thrown across the floor rather than tidily stacked up on the shelves.

Oh well, at least one of us is having fun J

OK, now that I’ve had my rant for the day, here’s today’s recipe. This is a simple yet delicious snack that you can whip up in no time and is always a winner.

Apple & Banana Surprise

Image courtesy: http://recipes.lovetoknow.com

1 small apple, cored and sliced

1/2 ripe banana, mashed
1 heaped teaspoon raisins, chopped
drop of vanilla (optional)
pinch ground cinnamon

Cook the apple with the raisins in a small saucepan with a little water on a low heat until tender. This would take roughly 3 to 4 minutes.
Purée the apples and raisins lightly.
Combine with a drop of vanilla,if using, and the mashed banana in baby’s serving bowl.
Stir in the cinnamon and serve while still warm.

Notes
I choose to not peel the apple as most of the nutrients are on the skin. But for younger babies I would recommend peeling.
You can add a little more water if necessary as the apple is cooking, but make sure you don’t add too much or overcook it as the apple will become watery and flavourless.
You can also add some yoghurt(natural or flavored) into the mix to give it a more thicker texture and for that extra boost of calcium. 

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Creamed Spinach & Egg

Like all mothers, I want my baby to eat healthy food. But no matter how much I want it, my son begs to differ. Issac loves sweet stuff, so naturally he prefers fruits to veges. Don't get me wrong, he does eat his veges but only the sweet ones like pumpkin, carrots and sweet potato. Everything else is just met with a disapproving look and absolute refusal to open his mouth for the second spoonful.

But come on, if he gets tired of eating the same vegetables day in and day out, I'm even more bored of cooking the same stuff everyday! So I decided it was high time to introduce something new. Why spinach you ask? Well, the truth be told I was already making some spinach stir fry for our lunch and so I thought why not?

But as usual I was pretty stumped as to how I would make the spinach purée appealing.Then I remembered seeing an ad on TV(Food In a Minute) about creamed spinach. It sounded really good and I gave it a shot. And what do you know, he loved it!!! I was shocked, but there he was, knocking back the mushy spinach like it was the best thing since ice cream. I know, I'm horribly biased but my baby rocks!J

Creamed Spinach and Egg

3 blocks of frozen spinach
2 hard boiled egg yolks
1 3/4 cups full cream or whole milk, or a mix of both
1/4 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 tablespoons olive oil / unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of nutmeg

Place spinach in a microwavable bowl. Cook, covered, until wilted, about 2 to 4 minutes. Press or squeeze out the excess liquid.Coarsely chop the wrung-out spinach.

Heat milk or cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until warm. Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic, if using, in the olive oil/butter in another saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the flour avoiding lumps. Add the milk or cream in slowly, stirring constantly to prevent lumps, and simmer until thickened for three to four minutes. Stir in nutmeg, spinach, a pinch of salt and pepper(optional) to taste until heated through.

Purée the mixture by using a food processor or hand blender. The mixture will not be runny but more on the mushier side.

Crumble the cooked egg yolk into the spinach mash and serve while still warm.

Notes
I used frozen spinach as it was the only ones I had on hand. The fresh variety would be much better in taste if you can get them.

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Fruity Breakfast Porridge

Issac, aka Kochu, is 8 months now. He has started crawling and pulling himself up and exploring more parts of the house. Up till now his cruising was restricted to the lounge and our kitchen, but of late he has dared to venture down the corridor and sit outside the bedroom doors trying to decided whether or not he should go inside. Exciting times ahead!

Now onto today's recipe.Oats are a pretty filling breakfast for both bubs and adults alike. And with the added fruits my son loves the sweet taste. I prefer to use the rolled oats rather than those instant ones as they are more healthy. You can use any fruits you like. Issac really(I mean, really) loves his bananas. He will eat absolutely anything that has bananas in it! So as you'll notice, most of my recipes will have bananas in it :)

Fruity Breakfast Porridge
Adapted from Homemade Baby Foods

1 tbsp rolled oats
90 ml milk (can use breast milk or formula instead)
1/2 small, very ripe banana, mashed
1 small pear, peeled, cored and diced
1 tbsp raisins, chopped
pinch nutmeg (optional)

Mix together the oats, milk, banana, pear and raisins in a small saucepan over a medium heat.
Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to very low and cover.
Simmer gently for a few mins until the oats, pear and raisins are cooked well.
Sprinkle with the nutmeg just before serving.

Notes 
The original recipe uses water instead of milk. I prefer milk as it gives a more thicker and creamier texture. 
I used  a  soft pear(Taylors Gold) as they cook pretty quickly and are much sweeter than the hard pear variety..

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Getting Started

The inspiration behind this blog was  mainly  being in a foreign land with no parents or grandparents readily available on hand to help me raise my lil boy. I've had to resort to my imagination and also endless hours spent searching the net for recipes for foods I could give my son when he started solids.

To be totally honest with you, the only baby I have ever had anything to do with is my son! So as you can guess I was pretty LOST. My son, Issac, is a very fussy and picky eater and so not just any puree will make him open his mouth for the next spoonful.

Hopefully this blog will be of use to others like me who wish there was a place they could go and easily find recipes to make adventurous new foods for their babies.

My wee man, Issac, was never really fond of his milk/food, from the very beginning. We had a hard time getting him to drink milk, so I had to start him up on solids pretty early to make sure he was getting the nutrition he needed.

Initially I started him off on all the usuals like Raagi (Kurumpullu), Cerelac, Broken Wheat (Sooji Gothambu) and Banana Powder(Ethekya Podi).

Around 7 months, I decided it was time to start introducing him to more interesting foods.For a while I did try those processed foods you get at the supermarkets until the day I actually tasted one of them! Words couldn't begin to describe the ugly taste it left in my mouth. That explained the tantrums and tears at meal times.

So from then on I took to preparing Issac's food myself.I started him of with lots of fruits and veges like pumpkin and sweet potato(kumara) as I discovered he has a sweet tooth. Hmmmm.. I wonder where he got that from ;)

One interesting fact I learnt pretty soon was that babies like variety as much as adults do. So I try and vary the tastes and textures of the foods I feed him at least every two days, so that he doesn't get bored. As of late I have started seasoning his food with the likes of dried dill, thyme, black pepper etc and I must say I have definitely noticed some excitement!!

So here are some simple recipes that will take only minutes to make but will leave you feeling all happy chappy inside knowing that your bub is getting the best of the best.

Some of the information provided here comes from 2 of my favorite Baby Food sites called Wholesome Baby Food and Homemade Baby Food Recipes.You can find loads of information on these sites and they sure helped me a lot!

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