Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

This was a surprisingly quick meal to make. Next time I make this I think I will add more veggies, some lentils and diced apple.

For this I used:

1 small onion

1 clove garlic

1 small sweet potato

1 small tin chickpeas

1 tin plum tomatoes

250ml coconut milk (I use Alpro Coconut milk - see below!)

1 tsp coriander leaf

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ginger

Olive oil

Rice

To begin with dice up the onion, garlic, carrot and sweet potato into small pieces. (I cut the potato quite small to cook quicker). Add the spices and put into saucepan with a bit of olive oil and cook for a couple of minutes. 

Then add the tinned tomatoes and coconut milk and bring to the boil. I like to use the Alpro Coconut milk off the milk aisle in supermarkets as I find tinned coconut milk has too many stabilisers and added flavours etc. but that's just my personal taste! (I also find it useful to freeze this milk in an ice cube tray and use specifically for cooking as it works out cheaper and healthier!) then add the chickpeas. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has thickened. For me this took about 20-30 minutes. Whilst this is cooking, boil a separate pan with water and cook the rice as per the packet instructions. Once veg is soft take off the heat and you are ready to serve. I also froze up a few lots of this as its a handy meal to have in the freezer! 

Nice Cream

This is a great way to get your child to eat loads of fruit without realising! My boy seems to turn his nose up at bananas (seriously must be the only baby!) and this is mainly banana based and he still enjoyed it!

For this you will need

1 banana (frozen)

Any other fruit of your choice

Blender 

Banana Nice Cream

Cut up banana into pieces and freeze. Once banana is frozen put into a food processor/blender and blend until a creamy consistency... And it's as easy as that!

Mixed Berry Nice Cream

I added a mix of raspberries, blueberries and cherries to the already creamy banana nice cream and blended together. Then I placed this into a freezable container and left until frozen.

Then using a spoon I was able to scoop out the nice cream quite easily and served this as a breakfast! This is so easy and yummy and can be made with any smoothie recipe!

Home made bread

I had bought a bread tin and flour a little while ago but just haven't had the chance to try out some bread recipes... Until now! This made a small loaf which was the perfect size for toddlers! 

I used a Paul Hollywood recipe but changed it up as usual by halving the ingredients as the tin I was using was quite small.

For this you will need:

200g stone-ground strong wholemeal bread flour, plus extra for dusting 

50g strong white bread flour

5g salt

5g instant yeast

20g unsalted butter (softened)

160ml tepid water 

Olive oil for kneading

Seeds for topping (optional)

Tip the flours into a large mixing bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the butter and three quarters of the water, and turn the mixture around with your fingers. Add water a little at a time until you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all the water, or you may need to add more — you want dough that is soft, but not soggy. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl, folding the edges into the middle. Keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough.

Coat the work surface with a little olive oil, then tip the dough onto it and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 5–10 minutes until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin. 

When your dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least doubled in size — at least 1 hour, but it’s fine to leave it for 2 or even 3 hours. 

Dust your work surface lightly with flour and tip your dough onto it. Knock the air out of the dough by folding it inwards repeatedly until the dough is smooth. Line the baking tin with baking paper and put the dough in. If using seeds place onto top of dough and lightly press in.

Put the tray into a clean plastic bag. Leave to prove for about an hour, until the dough is at least doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it lightly with your finger. 

Heat your oven to 200C. Put the loaf into the oven and fill a roasting tray or oven proof dish with hot water. This will create steam in the oven, which helps give the bread a lighter crust. 

Bake the loaf for 30 minutes, then check it is cooked by tapping the base — it should sound hollow. Cool on a wire rack.

Mini Egg Frittata Muffins

These were really simple to make and can be stored in the freezer for up to one month - perfect for picnic season!

To make these you will need:

6 eggs

Splash of milk

Handful of fresh basil 

Handful of cherry tomatoes

Ricotta cheese

Salt and pepper (optional)

Method 

Preheat oven to 200C.

Grease muffin tins ready (or prepare muffin cases ready)

Beat the eggs in a bowl and add other ingredients. Mix together and spoon mixture into muffin tins 3/4 full. 

Cook in the oven for 20 mins.

When they are golden, they are done! These are a great snack for babies as they are so easy to chew and rip apart - not too challenging! 

French Toast Roll Ups

These are a cool twist on French toast and quick to make which I was surprised by!

For this I used:

2 pieces bread (with crusts removed)

1 egg beaten

Cinnamon (optional)

For fillings:

I used cream cheese and raspberries, but you could use anything, from peanut butter and banana, Nutella and strawberries, plain berries, jam etc

First you will need to remove crusts from bread and roll flat with rolling pin.

Then add your filling along the edge of one sides of the bread as shown below:

Then using the side with the filling first, roll up tightly. Then cover with the beaten egg and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Then fry in a pan on a medium heat until golden all over.

And there we go!

You could either serve up as they are or cut into smaller pieces. 

A Made Up Moussaka

With the leftover aubergine from the pizzas, I had it in my head I would make a moussaka, not that I had a clue how to make it! I read a couple of recipes online but they were all really time consuming and would haven't taken over an hour to cook - my cook time is done during Oscar's nap time, so it needs to be quick!

So I basically took the ingredients from a few recipes and made it up!

For this I used:

3/4 of an aubergine (would've been better with a whole 1!)

2 spring onions diced

3 mushrooms diced

1 clove garlic

Olive oil

Dried rosemary

Dried sage

1 cup dried lentils

1 bay leaf

Tin plum tomatoes

1tbsp tomato purée 

1-2 Mozzarellas

1 sweet potato peeled and cut into disks

Breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms to a pan and drizzle with olive oil. Fry for a few minutes. 

Then add the tinned tomatoes, paste and herbs and bay leaf and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and add the lentils. Then boil these for 20 minutes until cooked through. 

Meanwhile peel the aubergine and cut into 1cm disks. Do the same with the sweet potato . Put potato into a pan of water and parboil. 

In an oven dish layer some of the aubergine disks in the bottom.

Then add a layer of the tomato sauce and tear up mozzarella over the top. 

Then repeat with the aubergine, tomato and mozzarella and then add your potato disks to the top. 

Then finish with some breadcrumbs and roast in the oven for 30 mins.

I then portioned one bowl up for dinner and froze the rest. This will obviously need to be chopped up before serving as the aubergine can be quite difficult to chew without teeth! 

And voila!

Pear Butter

This is essentially a posh name for puréed pears! Although with more of a jam consistency. I only made enough for one piece of toast as I wasn't sure what the boy would think of it, however I wish I had made more now! 

I saw this recipe on Pinterest of course! But changed it up slightly to suit what I already had in the store cupboard. 

For this I used:

1 small pear (this was enough for one piece of toast so can be used as guide to quantity!)

Half tsp cinnamon

Half tsp ginger

Splash lemon juice

Pinch nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

Pinch salt

1 tbsp agave nectar 

First I skinned the pear and boiled on a medium heat for 5-10 mins until the pear was really soft. 

Then drain and combine all ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until thickened. 

As I had used such a small quantity, I only left it for 20-30 mins. Be sure to check this has not stuck to the pan!

Then leave to cool and blend until smooth or until you have the consistency you prefer. I then stored this in a sterilised container. From the image below you can see that it only made a tiny amount! So let the size of the pears be your guide to the quantity you want to make! I will definitely be making this again, but will make a larger amount! I would say to store this for up to a week. I served mine on toast for breakfast with some scrambled eggs.

Halloumi and Watermelon Salad

This is such a yummy salad! To begin with I thought the flavour combination was a bit weird, but they work so well together! This is a great summer salad especially as watermelons are in season.

For this I used:

Halloumi (two slices)

Giant couscous 

Watermelon (1 fan piece)

Fresh basil 

Balsamic glaze (pre made)

Olive oil

As I was only making for one, the quantity used was small, so just increase due to the amount of mouths being fed!

First cook your couscous as per the packet instructions. Mine took 6-10 mins.  Whilst that is cooking, cut the halloumi into slices and cut the watermelon into manageable pieces. Then once couscous is cooked, drain and leave to cool. Griddle the halloumi in a pan with a little oil, until golden brown lines are on each side (2-3 mins). Then add to a bowl with remaining ingredients. Drizzle with a little olive oil and top with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. I then added a sprinkle of chia seeds and mixed seeds! 

Aubergine Mini Pizzas

This was the first time I had given Oscar aubergine, so I wasn't sure if he would like it as he tends to get fussy trying new food. However, he really enjoyed it!

To make these you will need:

1 aubergine

Mozzarella

Tomatoes

Tomato purée/paste

1 small onion

Basil

Italian seasoning 

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 200C.

First cut the aubergine into disks. I cut mine so they were about 1.5cm thick. Leave to blot on a piece of kitchen paper to absorb the moisture from both sides of the disks. Then brush on a tiny amount of olive oil onto each disk and place onto oven tray. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until they are almost soft and haven't lost their shape. 

Whilst they are roasting, chop up tomatoes and 1/4 onion finely to create an almost salsa type consistency. (The amount you will need to make will depend on the amount of aubergine you are roasting. I only used 4 disks of aubergine and used 6 cherry tomatoes for the sauce.) 

Fry in a pan on a medium heat with a little oil and add the tomato paste. Then add a sprinkle of dried Italian seasoning or herbs of your choice. Take off heat and leave to one side.

Once the aubergine is done, take out of oven but leave oven on. Spread tomato mixture over each disk and add pieces of mozzarella and basil leaves. 

Then place back into the oven until the cheese is melted. 

These would work great as a party snack, or just as a healthy alternative to pizza! 

Annabel Karmel's Asian Chicken Balls

I saw this recipe on Annabel's Instagram, but changed it slightly... I wasn't sure on whether to add chilli or not and when I deseeded a small amount and tried it myself my face was on fire for a good 15 mins! And I can handle spicy food! So I chose not to include!

For this you will need

1 red chilli deseeded and diced (if you want to risk it!)

1 1/2 tsp ginger grated

1 onion finely chopped 

4 spring onions finely chopped

Zest of half a lime 

4oz breadcrumbs

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tap Chinese five spice

A little plain flour

3 tbsp sunflower oil (I used coconut)

16oz Chicken

Measure the onion, spring onion, ginger, chilli (if using) and lime zest into a food processor. Blitz until finely chopped. Add the chicken, breadcrumbs, sweet chilli sauce, Chinese five spice and egg yolk, season and blitz until combined. 

Roll into small balls. Coat in the flour . Heat up the oil in a frying pan and fry the balls until golden and cooked through. 

German Pancakes/Pancake Muffins

I found this recipe again on good old Pinterest, but changed it up slightly again to suit me.

You will need:

50g flour

50ml milk

1 egg 

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

15g butter melted 

Mix all ingredients together to create batter. Grease a muffin tray and pour batter into each tin about half way up.  Bake for 15 mins until golden. This made 10 pancakes. What I did find was you will need to try and remove them out of the tin when they are still warm, unless it was just my muffin tray... I did find with the ones I left to cool got stuck!!

I then filled mine with a raspberry chia jam and blueberries - yum!! They were very tasty but because of the butter they were a little bit greasy/indulgent so they're not suitable for everyday breakfast! They're quite similar to Yorkshire puddings - they had risen up loads in the oven but deflated once they were taken out. But anyway, they were pretty tasty!

Guacamole Avocado Pasta

This was such a quick dish, was ready in about 15 mins!

You will need:

1 avocado (if making for more than one)

Splash lemon juice

1 small clove garlic

Chopped cherry tomatoes

Crack black pepper

Cook the pasta as to the packet instructions. I used whole wheat high protein pasta. This was actually cheaper than regular pasta in the supermarket! I usually find the more health benefitting foods are the cheaper ones! 

Once pasta is cooked, drain and rerurn back to pan. Add a little olive oil and heat on low heat. Add the chopped garlic and fry for about a minute before taking off heat. Mash up avocado in separate bowl and add to the pasta. Then add the lemon juice, pepper and chopped tomatoes. For an extra kick I added some fresh chopped chilli to my portion. And that is it!!

Coconut Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries

This recipe is a great one to make as both elements to the meal take the same amount of time to cook. To save on the washing up, you can cook these in the same dish! I came across this recipe on Pinterest of course but changed it to suit me and my store cupboard! (Original recipe can be found here.)

I planned on making only one small portion of this meal as I had already saved two mini chicken fillets in the fridge from being frozen. So to make a bigger batch, just judge the other ingredients on the amount of chicken being used.

For this I used:

For chicken:

2 chicken mini fillets

Coconut milk (enough to cover the chicken in a small bowl)

1 tsp ground ginger

1 garlic clove crushed

A few basil leaves

A glug of lemon juice (lime would work as well, if not better!)

Pinch brown sugar

A pinch of salt and pepper 

For fries:

1 small sweet potato

Mixed herbs

Vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 200C

Basically combine all ingredients together in a bowl and leave to sit together for around half an hour. Whilst you are waiting, time to prepare the fries. Take one small sweet potato and scrub skin with water. Then cut into manageable pieces and put into a roasting tray. I would usually leave the skins on as they have the most nutritional, however I did find these were difficult for the boy to chew so I ended up peeling them off after they were cooked! Cover with a little vegetable oil and mixed herbs. By this point the chicken should have marinated for a long enough time. Transfer into a oven proof dish (with a little of the milk mixture covering the chicken).

Place both the chicken and sweet potatoes into the oven and leave to cook for 25-30 mins until chicken is white right through and potatoes are easy to cut through. 

With the fries, I transfer these onto a plate with kitchen roll on to absorb any additional oil. 

Banana Toast

This is another quick breakfast recipe, literally took 5 mins! 

You will need:

1 slice bread

1 banana

Splash of milk

Sprinkle cinnamon

Mash the banana in a bowl and add the milk and cinnamon. Cover the bread in the mixture so there is an even layer on both sides. Heat s frying pan to a medium heat and cook the bread until lightly golden on each side and then cut into fingers! How easy is that?!

My boy hates banana - however I did manage to con him into eating a few pieces of this! I think I might try this next time with an egg involved similar to the 3 ingredient pancakes! I served mine with some natural yogurt and strawberry and apple purée. 

A Very Veggie Pasta and Cheat's Garlic Bread

This meal was made up on the spot based on the foods I already had! The boy loves pasta, so it's pretty easy to bulk up a pasta sauce with lots of veggies without him taking too much notice! This is a great meal to freeze too.

For this I used:

1/2 white onion

1 garlic clove

Handful fresh basil

Dried thyme 

1 small carrot 

1/4 butternut squash 

1/3 red bell pepper

Handful cherry tomatoes

Handful spinach

1/2 tin plum tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato purée 

Pasta (I used soup pasta as its small)

Olive oil

Dice all veg in preparation.

In a saucepan heat the onion, carrot and butternut squash with a little oil until sautéed. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and herbs. Then add the bell pepper and cherry tomatoes. Cook until all veg is soft. Then add the spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted and you are done! 

This is such a quick recipe to make and can obviously be adapted to suit you with whatever veg and herbs you already have. I managed to make up a batch of this whilst the boy was napping! And had enough time after to have a bit of time to myself! Perfect!! 

For the Cheat's garlic bread you will need:

1 slice bread

1 garlic clove

Butter

Parsley

Toast the bread. Then rub one clove of garlic over the toast. Butter and sprinkle parsley over the top. This is also good toasted under the grill with cheese on! Just remember the garlic is essentially raw, so will taste strong!