Baby chicken

Makes 2 - 4 meals

• 100g skinless chicken fillet,


• ½ pepper (green, yellow or red)


• ¼ chopped avocado

Dice chicken and steam for 8-10 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked through thoroughly by cutting it in half. Add the chicken and 1-2 tbsps of stock (from steamer) or boiled water to the blender and puree until they are the consistancy you like. Add the avocado to the puree and blitz again, serve.

Nectarine & Pear Cream

• 1 nectarine
• 3 ripe pears
• 3-4 teaspoons baby rice
• 50ml baby milk
  

Peel, core and slice the pears, put in a microwaveable dish with a little water. Cover and microwave until tender, drain and cool.Peel the nectarine, remove the stone and chop into small pieces.Liquidise or mash the pear, nectarine, baby rice and milk together

Vegtable and lentil casserole

Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 2oz lentils, cooked according to instructions on pack


• 4oz potatoes


• 2oz cauliflower


• 2 oz broccoli


• 2oz carrots


• 2oz parsnips


• 6 fl oz milk

Cook all vegtables in water without salt, once cooked put all the ingredients together in a blender or liquidiser and blend until consistancy that you want. Divide into portions and freeze when cool.

Vegtable mash

Makes 4 - 6 meals

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 potato, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp peas, fresh or frozen
• 2 tbsp sweetcorn kernels, frozen or tinned (unsalted)
• 4 tbsp water

Heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the carrot and fry until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potato, peas , sweetcorn and water and stir to mix. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Puree by pushing through a sieve or by using a liquidizer. Add a little more water if a thinner consistency is preferred.

Banana & avocado puree

This recipe makes 2-4 servings.

• ½ ripe banana, peeled and sliced
• ½ small avocado, peeled and sliced
• 4 tbsp full fat natural yoghurt
  
  

Mash the banana and avocado together with a fork or puree in a blender until soft. Stir in the yoghurt thoroughly.

Carrot and courgette rice

• 2 carrots
• 1 courgette
• Water
• 2 teaspoons baby rice
  

Peel and slice the carrot. Wash and slice the courgette. Boil the carrot and courgette together in a small amount of water until tender. Drain, retaining the cooking water. Liquidise the carrot and courgette with about 60mls of the cooking water then add the 2 teaspoons of baby rice and stir.

Great Combinations

At first, you will be feeding your baby single foods, but as they grow, you may want to try out some of these combinations

• pears and plums
• sweet potatoes and apples
• bananas and apples
• apples and pumpkin
• apples and blueberries
• banana and avocado
  

Its a case of trial and error, toddlers have no problem spitting out somthing they do not like so our tip is if you are trying something new for the first time stand well back after the first mouthful and prepare yourself for the change in the nappies content!

Apple & Banana Bash

• 1 apple


• 1 Banana

Or as many as you like if you are making a batch to freeze

Peel, core and cut 1 apple into slices/chunks, place slices or chunks into a pan with just enough water to slightly cover apples. Boil until tender; be sure to check on the water level. Peel a ripe banana and mash in a bowl with a fork. Puree if necessary but mashing with a potato masher will get this mix smooth.

Apple & Carrot mix up

This is a great simple dish.

• 1/2 medium apple, cored and peeled
• 1/2 carrot, washed and peeled
• 2 Tablespoons fruit juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Puree all ingredients in blender. Or, grate apples and carrot and mix with juice before serving.

Banana Baby smoothie

Could not be simpler!

• 1 Banana
• Milk or water

Peel a ripe banana - do not cook. Place banana in a food processor/food mill or blender and puree. You can also mash the banana in a bowl using a fork

Add formula/breast milk, water to thin or add a little baby cereal to thicken up.

Done in a minute.

Basic Fruit recipe

Preparing fruit
When preparing fruits, wash, peel, remove all seeds, chop into chunks and place into a pot. Cover with just a small bit of water and boil until tender, usually about 10-15 minutes, depending on the type of fruit chosen and the size of the chunks. Once the fruit is fully cooked, puree and store. It is a good idea to label freezer bags with not only the contents, but also the date so that you use up the oldest batches first.

FRESH FRUIT

You can try different varieties of fruit in this recipe.

• 3/4 cup ripe fruit (uncooked peaches, nectarines, bananas, pears, apricots, apples)
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened fruit juice

Remove skin and seeds from fruit. Puree ingredients in blender until smooth. Serve or freeze.

Basic Vegtable recipe

Preparing vegtables
The best way to prepare the vegtables is to wash them throughly, remove skins any bruised bits, cut them into chunks and then steam them but if you haven't got a steamer, boil them in a pan till soft. Once they are cooked put them in a blender or foodprocessor until they are pureed. Once you have the puree ready, you can store in a tightly covered container in the fridge for up to two days or freeze for up to a month so date the packs

BASIC VEGETABLE RECIPE

This recipe applies to most vegtables, once you establish which your child likes then you can go on to be a bit more adventerous

Do not add salt, sugar, or fat.

• 1 cup cooked fresh or frozen vegetables without salt (use potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, yellow squash)
• 4-8 Tablespoons cooking liquid, formula, or water

Puree vegetables and liquid in blender until smooth. Serve or freeze.

When to start feeding solids

It is always best to consult your baby's midwife or G.P. for advice on when to introduce solid foods if you are unsure or have any concerns.

Typically, babies are fed exclusively breast milk or infant formula for the first six months of life, but your doctor will have specific recommendations based on your baby's size and development. When you do begin feeding pureed foods, it is a good idea to introduce them one at a time, watching to be sure that your baby doesn't have an adverse reaction. If you see any reaction get medical advice straight away.

Warning: Never give honey to a child under 1 year. Honey sometimes contains botulism, which can be deadly to babies.

Weaning Chart

This chart gives a basic idea of the type of things to give at the various ages, remember every child is different if you have any concerns speak to a medical proffesional. No salt is needed to be added to a childs food until they are over 1 year

4 - 5 months - semi-liquid purees of things like apple, pear, carrot, potato etc.
5 - 6 months - chicken, dried fruit, apricot, melon, peas, leek, dairy products, peach etc.
6 - 7 months - minced or mashed foods which may include citrus,berries, sweetcorn
7 - 12 months - you can now introduce other meats and vary things a bit more with a chunkier texture.