Haricot Bean and Mushroom Gratin for Babies, Toddlers and Adults

This is a yummy meal in itself or could be a great side dish for Christmas dinner (with the handy benefit of having something which feels like a main dish should a vegetarian arrive.)

I would think it would scale up pretty well but I would keep it fairly shallow in the baking dish to avoid it being too runny.

Falafels for Babies, Toddlers and the Whole Family

This is genuinely a whole family recipe.  If I don't say so myself, I'm really impressed with myself for these and it's all completely my invention.

Sugar Free Cheesecake for babies, toddlers and the whole family

Cheesecake with no added sugar?  Really?  Yep.  Bang on!  I've done it!  So this is a cheesecake which you can feel comfortable giving to your baby (if on textured food), toddler and the whole family without feeling (too) guilty.  There are variations below for very young babies too.  This is linked up here.

The cunning idea is to use wheatgerm rather than biscuits which saves a lot of sugar.  Surprisingly if you've never used wheatgerm it is subtly sweet anyway.  Definitely an adequate substitute in my mind. My husband (used to my white chocolate cheesecake) was slightly less convinced.

Sugar free wheatgerm and oat biscuits for babies and toddlers

I've been struggling for a sugar free biscuit for some time.  This almost gets there.  It's not really sweet but passed the test with my son.  He's already eaten all of his tea and his pudding and saw these on the cooling rack.  He pointed to them so I gave him one.  3 biscuits later...

My only reservation is they are really crumbly so I will experiment with reducing the amount of wheatgerm and increasing the amount of flour which should improve the structure.  That said, they hold together a little better when cool and my son coped with them.  They'd be pretty awesome with cheese actually.

Poached Pears for Babies and Toddlers

You know how it is, you've not had time to go to the shop, the fruitbowl is looking a little unexciting, there are virtually no grapes left, there is no yoghurt in the fridge and the pears are hard as bullets.

Well, here's an idea for something different to feed your little one for pudding.  It comes out beautifully soft for babies just starting on lumps but with the spice there's a lovely flavour to it too.  Any leftovers are great served as below with the syrup or would be tasty put into a crumble.

Rum and Apple Bread and Butter Pudding (Just for Adults!)

I came up with this recipe when we had some staling bread.  It made me think; why don't we value bread anymore?  It used to be that every household would have a left over bread recipe.  We have bread and butter pudding, bread pudding, stuffing, rarebit, Italy has panzanella and ribollita the French have croutons and pan perdu.

We seem to have forgotten this thrift though!  Why?  Bread and butter pudding is probably more often consumed from a ready meal packet than made from scratch.  How strange a dish to use up old bread is now specifically bought in a plastic dish from a factory miles away.  Somewhat ironic!

Anyway, the point is it's easy and tasty to make yourself.  I've suggested a slightly whacky combination of dried apple and rum which might not be to your taste but if you want something more conventional, switch it for brandy and raisins.

Slow Cooker Risotto for Babies, Toddlers and Adults

It may have been a few days since I've posted but don't think I've not been busy!

I've been meaning to cook risotto for my son since he was on soft lumps but had never got round to it.  I tried risi e bisi which was nice but lacked some creaminess.  Part of it is all that standing and stirring; completely impractical for a toddler.  Anyway, I'd heard it was possible to cook risotto in a slow cooker and seeing as I have a kitchen crush for mine, I thought I'd give it a go (but I might need a new slow cooker for Christmas Santa.... hint, hint.)

Cottage Pie for Babies and Toddlers - VERY easy!

I proudly proclaimed the BEST COTTAGE PIE EVER the other day.  Well this comes close and is a bit of a cheat because it's more assembly than cooking.  Apologies for the photo; potato topped pies seem incredibly difficult to look pretty and I refuse to top them with a face made out of peas and carrots.  Ah what the hey!  It tastes nice!

The reason why recipes have been a little thin on the ground this weekend is my son's not well and he's off his food.  He had a temperature of 39.2 yesterday which was frightening.  Fortunately things seem to be getting better.  Unfortunately as he's now a toddler and he's been feeling rotten he seems to have discovered the "No" word when it comes to food.

Banana and coconut mini muffins for babies and toddlers

Hmm.  What do you do when you come up with a recipe which is 'ok' not perfection?  Well, in the spirit of nothing being perfect in Mummy World, I've posted it anyway.

I am not saying this does not have room for improvement; it does, it's just a little on the savoury side for what was intended to be a sweet muffin.  The texture is great though.  So if you wanted to sneak on a little icing, I don't think that would be unreasonable!  Perhaps as well if you use a proper turning black kind of banana that might up the sweetness a little.  Anyway, pumpkin likes which either says he's ok with a more 'savoury' tasting sweet thing or he has to put up with my cooking a lot!

Bubble and Squeak for Babies and Toddlers

Readers outside the UK will no doubt have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.  Bubble and squeak is a traditional English recipe for using up leftover vegetables.  Potatoes must be included and cabbage or brussel sprouts are traditional but from then on it's up to you.  Use any left over or freshly cooked vegetables you like!

This would be great for baby led weaners I reckon.

Sugar Free Banana Bread for Babies

This is a tasty yet sweet treat without any added sugar.  Great for using up bananas which are getting a bit black in the fruit bowl; in fact it's better to use them as they will be sweeter.  I'm quite pleased with this.  Although it doesn't use as many bananas as some banana loaf recipes, it's a much lighter recipe for it.

Creamy Mustard Chicken for Babies and Toddlers

I'm thinking older babies here, the ones on finger foods and larger lumps.  I'm tempted to suggest an adventurous palate to cope with the garlic and mustard but my son was eating some very surprising things at that age.  I remember him eating some porchetta style pork belly stuffed with garlic and herbs which my sister had made at his first birthday party and loving it.  Perhaps sometimes we're not adventurous enough with our kids?

Baked Glazed Gammon

I'm not suggesting this for little kids (although without the glaze you could use a little bit of the ham in recipes if you are careful about the day's salt content) but this falls into the category of "bung in the oven while you're sorting out bedtime" and it's a 3 ingredient recipe which tastes like so much more.

Swede and Carrot Puree for Babies, Toddlers and Adults

Puree?  For adults?  Toddlers too?  Are you mad?!

Well possibly but this puree recipe is neither the cause nor the symptom.

Roasted Courgette Chips for Babies and Toddlers

Courgette (Zucchini) is one of those vegetables which sneaks into my cooking more as a bulking and 'secret vegetable' rather than a star in its own right.  I'm not sure how this situation came about and it's even more annoying because I love growing courgettes and generally have had some real success with them.  There is something so beautiful about them, especially the yellow and 'ball' varieties.

Pa Amb Tomaquet for Toddlers and Adults

If you're not familiar with the name, let me explain.  This would be lofty to call this a 'dish' but it's kind of a way of serving bread in Catalonia (Spain) which is absolutely delicious and fantastic with good Spanish ham or cured meats.

This is typical of Spanish cooking.  Take good bread, good tomatoes, good olive oil and make something which elevates all of them.

Savoury Welsh Cakes for Babies and Toddlers

Why on earth did I not think of this before?  A welsh cake is a bit like a scone but cooked on a frying pan (well traditionally it would have been cooked on a griddle but that confuses people because I don't mean a ridged griddle pan, a griddle is flat without sides.  My mum is the only person I know who has one.)  I suspect they could be cooked directly onto an Aga plate but I don't have one and I suspect very few of my readers have an Aga either.

The Best Cottage Pie EVER!

I'm not generally prone to overstatement but this is certainly the best cottage pie I've ever eaten even if my presentation is a bit rubbish.  I mean it's almost worth making yesterday's pot roast just to have the ingredients!

Beef Pot Roast for Babies, Toddlers and Adults

Sorry to all US readers if this is inauthentic.  This is based upon a recipe I found in "Making the Most of your Slow Cooker" by Catherine Atkinson.

Roasted Vegetables for Babies and Toddlers

Well probably more for toddlers but baby led weaners would find this a useful recipe I think.  I've included meat and vegetarian options to the recipe.  Just keep an eye on the day's salt intake if feeding to babies younger than 12 months or miss out the feta.