I have been a little obsessed with labneh ever since I made it myself awhile back.  You can find the recipe here if you want to give it ago.   It’s super simple to make but store bought is fine if you want to skip that step. Labneh is often served in savoury dishes but this time around I’m…

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Baked apples is a classic dessert. It’s so easy to prepare and this version is also healthy. So healthy in fact that it would make an equally delicious breakfast.   Most nights dessert for the little guy is natural yoghurt with a few berries, but its nice to go to a little more trouble on occasion. Baked…

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Pickled veggies may not appear to be the most toddler friendly of dishes but my little one certainly approved.  The pickling liquid isn’t too heavy on the vinegar so give it a try, you can always add a little extra sugar if you think it is still too vinegary. This is my favourite salad to serve…

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This Mexican black bean salad is super easy and super quick.  I’ve used canned beans for convenience.  They are the perfect fast food and I always have some in the cupboard ready for a quick side dish or lunch.   I started giving H beans and chickpeas early on and would simply mash them with…

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 My little man has been off his food due to croup, so I made him a smoothie that I knew he would love.  Its packed full of goodness, but it still tastes great.  H loved it… 

I couldn’t resist buying these super cute minikin pumpkins.  I have stuffed them with pearl barley and mixed veggies and it did quite nicely for a healthy meat-free dinner.

Slice into portions or scoop out the flesh along with the pearl barley and mash for your little one.

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• 1 medium size pumpkin or 2 mini pumpkins
• olive oil

• 1/2 onion , finely chopped
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 1 1/2 cups organic chicken stock
• 3 large tomatoes , diced
• 1 zucchini , diced
• 1 celery stick , diced
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• Celtic sea salt + pepper (optional)

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F)
• Wash and cut the top off the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and fibre; set aside

• Saute the onions in a frying pan (use one that has a lid) until tender
• Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil
• Cover with lid, lower heat to a simmer & cook for approximately 20 min or until the pearl barley is cooked through (if the filling is too dry add a little extra stock or water so the filling is quite moist)
• Place pumpkin on a baking tray and stuff with the filling mixture; pop pumpkin lid on and brush/spray with olive oil; wrap pumpkin in foil
• Bake for 2 hrs or until tender. Test by piercing the flesh with a sharp knife
• Remove foil and pop under the grill for a few minutes if you would like it nicely browned on top
• Cut into portions or scoop out the flesh and mash (depending on your child’s chewing ability)

You can eat the pumpkin skinUse any vegetables that you have handy. You could also add currants, nuts, etc.

Divide into portions and freeze

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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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