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• 2 tbls oil
• 500 g chicken thigh fillets (about 6 small fillets); chopped into baby bite sized pieces
• 1 small head of broccoli; florets broken off into smaller pieces
• 2 zucchini; sliced
• 3 carrots; sliced
• a handful of green beans , trimmed and sliced into 3cm pieces
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves (or use paste); crushed/finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons of minced ginger (use a fine grater to mince or use a ginger paste)
• 1 cup of roughly chopped coriander (cilantro)
• 400 g tin of coconut milk
• juice of half a lemon
• pinch of salt (I use celtic sea salt)

• Heat the oil in a frying pan and add chicken pieces. Cook until slightly browned. Then add the onion along with the garlic and ginger. Cook until the onion becomes translucent but not browed
• Add all the remaining ingredients except for the coriander. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Add up to 1/2 cup of water or stock if there is not enough liquid left in the pan. Remove from the heat and add the coriander. Stir to combine; serve with rice

For younger babies, add mixture to the blender and puree until the desired consistence in reached
Suitable to freeze  

I have been making a version of this dish for years.  It is a perfect mid-week meal – easy to prepare, super tasty, it all happens in the one pot so there isn’t a lot of clean up, and it’s always a hit.  

The spices are balanced beautifully with the sweetness of the currants and the yoghurt – it’s really delicious, I promise!  xx

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• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 250 g lamb mince (preferably organic)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups stock (beef, chicken or veggie)
• 2 big handfuls of currants
• 250 g punnet of small tomatoes (cherry or grape)
• 2 big handfuls of parsley; roughly chopped
• Natural yoghurt to serve

• Heat a frying pan over medium heat and and add the oil, cumin, cinnamon and curry powder. Stir to combine and add the mince. Stir until cooked through. Add the quinoa and stir to coat. Add the stock; bring to the boil. Cover, lower heat to as low as possible and cook for about 12 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through and the liquid had been absorbed.
• Add the tomatoes and currants; cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir through the chopped parsley reserving a little for garnish; serve with a good dollop of natural yoghurt.

The classic roast chook, it’s always a favourite at our table.  This recipe is really simple and the result is perfectly cooked chicken with juicy flesh and crispy skin, with hints of sage.

Up until fairly recently we always used the rotisserie to cook chicken, but with that no longer an option (apartment living!).  I have been experimenting in the oven to get a similar result.  The one thing that makes the biggest difference is allowing the bird to sit on the bench for 30 – 60 minutes before cooking – just like you would beef.  If it’s a hot day 30 minutes should do it, allow an hour for the colder days.

The bird goes in the oven for an hour and a half.  If you would like to add veggies, do so when there is about 40 minutes left on the clock (parboil potatoes if using as they will take longer).  A thermometer is a really useful tool for cooking meat.  If you have one chicken should be at least 75 degrees C (165 degrees F) once cooked through.

My budding food photographer

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• 1.8 kg free-range chicken
• 2 tablespoons sage; finely chopped
• 1 lemon; halved
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 50 grams butter; softened + 10-20 grams extra to rub on flesh
• salt

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Using your fingers, separate the skin from the breast so you have a pocket to add your herb butter.
• Combine the 50 grams of butter with the chopped sage place the entire amount under the skin. Use you hands to spread it around fairly evenly. Place the chopped lemon inside the chicken and tie the legs together with string. Rub the extra softened butter on the skin and sprinkle generously with salt.
• Place into a large baking dish and add the chicken stock to the dish. Cook for an hour and a half.
• Allow to rest for 15 minutes or so and serve

I served the chicken with roasted sweet potato, carrots, parsnips and eggplants. Toss in olive oil and roast when there is about 40 minutes remaining.

 The photos in the collage above were all taken by H.  No editing or cropping from me.  Clever little munchkin isn’t he – proud mumma!

We eat a lot of fruit in our house.  The little dude just loves it, so I always like to mix things up a little.  This fruit salad has a lovely orange vanilla glaze drizzled over the top, then I added a dollop of my homemade mascarpone and some toasted almonds.  It would make a…

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Mascarpone cheese is incredibly easy to make and its a lot of fun.  It only requires two ingredient and about 10 minutes of effort for thick, creamy and delicious mascarpone cheese the next morning.   A lot of recipes on the web call for heavy cream, which in Australia is most similar to pure cream.  Don’t…

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This is my idea of summer – A refreshing puree of lychee, pineapple & apricot.  Perfect for baby and the entire family.   No cooking which is always a bonus and could be served as a snack or with a dollop of natural yoghurt for breakfast. Baby will love it…

I just had to include the picture above.  Check out the lower left hand corner.  It’s a baby Tyrannosaurus Rex!  I noticed it when I was going through my photos – too cute!  These shots were the best of the bunch, as that spice in the dish was everywhere and he was using it as…

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I’m sharing a simple recipe with you today – perfect stove top popcorn. Who doesn’t love salty buttery popcorn! It’s a H favourite so I make it often, minus the butter. I use coconut oil instead and it works a treat. I of course have nothing against butter, so feel free to melt a little…

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Salads and toddlers aren’t two words that generally go well together!  But, we love salads, and they are one of H’s favourite things to eat.  The trick is to add ingredients that they love, and then sneak in the rest.   This warm lentil, potato and corn salad has all of H’s favourite things.  I have snuck in…

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H and I have been doing a stack of baking lately – homemade bread, pizzas, cakes and muffins.  I think the winter weather has something to do with it!  I’ve experimented a lot with muffin recipes and I have to say, I think I’ve found a winner.  These healthy zucchini, corn and tomato muffins are easy…

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These corn fritters are perfect as a starter to a main meal or they make a great light lunch or breakfast, just top with a poached egg and you have yourself a quick but healthy meal in a flash. You could also make them mini sized and serve them as finger food at your next party, topped…

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Energy balls, bliss balls, apricot balls, whatever you want to call them, are delicious little things that are perfect for lunch boxes and a quick snack. My energy balls contain hemp seeds which have a rich nutrition profile with high levels of antioxidants, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins.  They also contain oats, chia seeds, unsweetened coconut, dried…

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Green smoothies are to H what lollies are to a lot of kids – he absolutely loves them. Guaranteed if we walk past a juice bar, he will drag me kicking and screaming until he gets one – he loves to choose the ingredients and it has become his little treat after daycare a couple of times a…

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This post has been a long time coming.  I usually have 3 or 4 recipes ready to go but I have had a number of flops recently and have become a little over it! First there was my lemony asparagus pasta that I make often but turned to mush on this occasion.  Then I attempted a…

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Salads and toddlers aren’t two words that generally go well together!  But, we love salads, and they are one of H’s favourite things to eat.  The trick is to add ingredients that they love, and then sneak in the rest.   This warm lentil, potato and corn salad has all of H’s favourite things.  I have snuck in…

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Broccoli is my favourite green vegetable and H is a pretty big fan as well.  In this recipe the broccoli taste is very subtle because of the huge amount of herbs, but I love that there is another veggie in there. I very quickly pulsed the broccoli in a food processor to achieve a rice like consistency and then cooked…

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Frittatas are a really great option for lunch or a light dinner.  They are also a great way to use up leftovers or all of those extra veggies in your fridge that need to be used.  Basically all you need are eggs and then add any veggies that you like.  I love the combination of asparagus…

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 This is my go to super easy lunch/dinner for Little Big H if I haven’t had time to prepare anything.   He loves it and its ready in 15 minutes. It’s best served cold, so make it ahead of time if you can.  If you don’t have a lots of fresh veggies on hand, it’s just…

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A delicious green smoothie that isn’t at all leafy tasting.  H just loves it – he finished the glass in a matter of minutes!

Big H loves this salad and it is super easy and quick to make.  Shelling the broad beans is a little time-consuming but you could use frozen shelled broad bean instead if  you like.  

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• 1 large red capsicum (red bell pepper)
• 3/4 cup grape or cherry tomatoes; quartered or halved if making larger muffins
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (celtic sea salt is best)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced thyme
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta – reserving a little to sprinkle on top

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F)
• Rub capsicum with olive oil and roast or grill until the skin has blistered and the flesh is soft. Place in a bag and let cool for about 15 min. Once cooled, peel, core and slice; set aside
• Sift flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, milk, olive oil, thyme, oregano and feta. Then add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined; batter should be a little lumpy. Add a touch more milk if the batter is too thick
• Grease and fill muffin pan three-quarters full with the mixture, sprinkle with reserved feta
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan for a few minutes and turn out onto a wire rack

Makes 12 standard muffins – I used a 24 mini muffin tinIf you like a cheesier muffin – try adding 1/2 cup of grated tasty cheese with a touch more milk

Suitable to freeze

Adapted from Muffins and Small Cakes by Suzie Smith