Oodles of Noodles for toddlers

An 'OMG what am I going to feed him' moment came upon me a few days ago.  Not that the fridge wasn't groaning but it was groaning with all the high fat foods for the festivities to come.  So I came up with this.  A delicious (if I say so myself) slightly sweet sauce which worked well with the noodles and would also be great with some chicken.

Carrot, Ginger and Pumpkin Soup

A zinger of a soup to cheer up your jaded taste buds from the days of excess!  Ginger is meant to help reduce feelings of nausea which is great if you've overdone it over the past few days.

My son was initially a bit unsure about this soup but once he started dunking with the bread he was well away.  It packs a punch so if you're a little unsure, tone down the ginger or serve in small portions but after the last few days, small portions are probably a very good thing indeed!

Merry Christmas!

I hope that Santa fills your stockings with everything you desire...

...and that Santa has a few black coffees on his route!

Top Tips for Christmas Dinner

Christmas is fast approaching and although I have a couple of recipes I need to blog, I thought I'd have a quick rundown of the top tips and hints for Christmas day.  I've made Christmas dinner a few times now on my own but even when I was younger I used to help my Mum.  There are some keeping your sanity tips here but also food safety tips (which is what I do as a job) because there is always a spike in food poisoning at this time of year and toddlers more than anyone need to be protected.

Apple and Berry Crumble for the Whole Family (low sugar)

My husband had a rough morning at the weekend with my son.  It's my fault, we're trying to get him to go swimming and we haven't done so regularly since he was a baby.  It was always something I'd intended to do but my son was a bad sleeper and getting him to nap was vital for a night's sleep.  Ironically bad naps in the day meant bad sleeping at night.

All of the baby swimming classes seemed to coincide with when he normally napped and they were all things I needed to commit to for 10 weeks or more.  So, I just didn't.

Fast forward to 2 and a half and we have a little boy who is a bit scared of water.  He will get in but clings like a limpet around your neck.  We started taking him to classes (or rather my husband did) and things were gradually improving but then this Sunday, it all took a turn for the worse.

So this is what I made to cheer up my husband.  Not sugar free baking but certainly low sugar.  Only 20g added sugar per portion.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta Bake for the Whole Family

Sorry about the lack of posts.  As I'm sure all Mummies feel at this time of year, it's like one foot is in the supermarket, one at work, a hand holding my son's hand and the other is stirring mincemeat / cake mixtures or writing menus.  It's like some festive torturous form of Twister!

So all of this plate spinning / balancing and generally spreading myself thinner than the merest scrape of Gentleman's Relish has meant I've not posted recently.  For that, kind readers, I apologise and will try harder in future!

This was a dish I made last weekend.  Serve, if liked, with some vegetables or salad.  Yummy!

Sausage Casserole for the Whole Family

Could there be a more warming, family friendly autumnal or wintery dish?  I say "no" and I'm wondering why I didn't think of this around bonfire night?

This is the poor relation to a cassoulet but tasty nonetheless and thrifty too.  I used 700g of sausages in this recipe which easily would have fed 5 adults and by reducing the amount of meat each person has and increasing the amount of pulses it's not only environmentally friendly (especially being cooked in a slow cooker) but it's also great health wise.

Eat Your Greens Soup for toddlers and adults

I love soup.  The most versatile dish, using up bits and bobs from the fridge and cupboard.  It's incredibly thrifty and a sneaky way to hide the vegetables if your child (or partner) is less than keen.

So this soup has three green vegetables as well as onion in it.  There is a bit of salt from the bacon so not for babies but my toddler certainly enjoyed it asking for seconds.  He might be going through a bit of a growth spurt at the moment though.  I hope so, he's eating me out of house and home!

For soups, frozen vegetables are also great as texture isn't so important.  Mix this up a bit, try other vegetables, as Louis Walsh would say, "You made it your own!"

Parsnip Chips for Babies and Toddlers

Nothing wrong with adults having them either!  A great recipe for the slightly reluctant vegetable eater as these look a bit like chips, they taste sweeter but handily, unlike potato based chips or fries, these count towards your five a day.

12 Days of Christmas

As advent is here, I thought I'd have a bit of fun, here are my 12 days of Christmas in recipes and great gifts for foodie types and a few words of wisdom...