To all the One Handed Cooks I am in awe of your patience, your commitment and the amount of love you have to give to your children. It is a huge job caring for a little one – I admire and respect you all – you deserve big hugs, recognition and an occasional child free nights sleep 🙂
Poppy and grandmamma loves you too little pumpkin face 🙂 .
Recipes and Images from Baby Pip Eats by Amie Harper (Murdoch Books) available in all bookshops and online.
YELLOW PEACH CRUNCH
Y IS FOR YELLOW PEACH
eat me from: 7–8 months (once chewing developed)
Source of: DIETARY FIBRE, VITAMIN A & C
Serves: 1 BABY AND 2 ADULTS FOR BREAKFAST
Steam 3 halved and de-stoned yellow peaches in a steamer for 5 minutes or until soft. Remove the peaches from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Place a peach half into each bowl, top with natural yoghurt and muesli (granola), then top with
another peach half and more yoghurt and muesli. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Recipes and Images from Baby Pip Eats by Amie Harper (Murdoch Books) available in all bookshops and online.
CHICKEN SOUP
C IS FOR CHICKEN
eat me from: 7–8 months (once chewing developed)
Source of: iron & Zinc
Serves: 1 baby & family of 4
Heat a non-stick sauté pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil or butter. Add 1 washed and chopped leek (pale part only) and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until soft. Add 2 diced carrots, 2 diced celery sticks and 2 tsp chopped thyme. Cook for a further 3 minutes. Add 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) chopped chicken thigh fillets and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add 1.5 litres (52 fl oz/6 cups) water or chicken stock (homemade stock is best as it’s less salty, or use a reduced-salt one) and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1–1½ hours. Alternatively you can transfer the mixture to a slow cooker after the stock has been added and cook for 4 hours on the fast setting or 6–8 hours on the slow setting. Remove the chicken from the soup and shred into small pieces. Return the chicken to the soup, stir through, then serve with bread and mashed pumpkin for dipping.
Try: You can use diced skinless chicken breast fillets instead of thighs; they don’t take as long to cook, so reduce the simmering time to 30 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are soft). I don’t recommend using breast meat if you’re cooking this in a slow cooker, though, as the meat tends to dry out.
Recipes and Images from Baby Pip Eats by Amie Harper (Murdoch Books) available in all bookshops and online.
Pumpkin Risotto
J is for jap pumpkin
eat me from: 7–8 months (once chewing developed)
Source of: beta carotene, iron, vitamin c & Potassium
Serves: 1 baby & family of 4
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 diced brown onion and cook for 3 minutes until soft. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add 275 g (9¾ oz/1¼ cups) arborio rice and stir gently for 1 minute. Add 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) chicken stock (homemade is best as it’s less salty, or use a reduced-salt one) and 200 g (7 oz) peeled and chopped jap (kent) pumpkin (squash). Cook, stirring regularly, for 20 minutes or until the rice is al dente and the pumpkin is soft. Remove from the heat and stir through 25 g (1 oz/¼ cup) finely grated parmesan. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Try: Substitute butternut squash if jap is unavailable. It has a sweeter flavour
(similar to a mix between pumpkin and sweet potato) that your baby will love.
** my hint – substitute vegetable stock if you prefer.**
Baby Pip Eats
Amie Harper
Murdoch Books
ISBN: 9781743368510
Description:
Introduce your baby to nutritious food that the whole family will love.
You only have one chance to introduce your little one to food.
In Baby Pip Eats, nutritionist, recipe developer and stylist Amie Harper transforms this rite of passage into a vibrant learning experience for both you and your bub. Featuring an A-Z of nourishing recipes that are quick, easy and perfect for the whole family, this book is full of delicious ideas for feeding your baby or toddler.
See your child become a passionate, petite foodie with this charmingly styled collection of a new family’s food moments.
My View:
As those who regularly read my blog will know I have recently become a first time grandmamma. It is a delightful time in my life – I am loving being part of my grandson’s life. He is currently 9 weeks old and already I am planning the books I will start reading to him (this week reading starts) and I am planning the foods I am going to make for him when he starts on solids.
I am very keen to ensure that his healthy start to life continues by making him fresh, interesting, organic, nutritious meals free from artificial colourings, flavourings, and preservatives or salt. The recipes here are for meals that both you and your baby (who has started to try solids) can enjoy. Simple yet tasty meals – like pumpkin risotto, potato pancakes, fritters with sweet potato and ricotta… beef and mushroom ragu with pasta…
The book is beautifully presented – each recipe is accompanied by a full sized image of the meal on the opposite page; you can sit and “read” this book with your child – a fun kind of food “Show and Tell, a great way to help develop language or you can just make and enjoy. This book is a great tool for first time grandparents’ and parents alike.
Reading, Writing and Riesling 