Baby Bites: Weaning Breakfast Yoghurt and Banana

At six months old, Beatrice is well under way with weaning and like her big sister Bridget, she enjoys pretty much everything, she's a hungry baby and has been super content since the journey with solid food began.

For breakfast, we started out with the Aptamil Baby Porridge, and I do still give this a couple of days a week, but I like to offer variety and this yoghurt breakfast has been going down really well the past week, so I thought I'd share it.

Weaning Breakfast Yoghurt and Banana

 



A spoonful of Greek Natural Yoghurt, with a 2-3cm piece of banana, mashed with a fork, and then all mixed in together. It's a lovely, healthy breakfast, and one that my toddler loves too - her version is slightly more grown up with chopped banana, strawberries and blueberries and a drizzle of honey. I'm sure it won't be long until Beatrice enjoys the blueberries and strawberries as finger foods, but please remember honey is off limits for baby's under 12 months.

Natural Yoghurt with Mashed Banana



I still only allow Bridget to have Greek Natural Yoghurt as it only has the natural sugars inside - all the yoghurts aimed at children seem to have a shocking amount of added sugars and nasties - even the Yeo Valley Little Yeo's range, have a shocking amount of sugar per pot - it works out to almost 10% so just be cautious of these 'healthy' ranges aimed direct at your little ones. Enjoy!

Beatrice enjoying her yoghurt and banana

Smoked Salmon Shred Salad with Horseradish Dressing

Here's another delicious salad that comes in at only 315 calories and includes a delicious, creamy and punchy dressing too.

The smoked salmon provides a wonderful source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids plus lots of vitamins and minerals and the 125g smoked salmon is a generous amount too. The horseradish dressing works so well with the smoked salmon too and this doesn't feel like a 'diet' dish - it's utterly delicious and filling.

Smoked Salmon Shred Salmon with Horseradish Dressing

Here’s how:

• 125g smoked salmon
• 50g watercress
• 50g carrot
• 50g red cabbage
• 50g cucumber
• 50g radish
• 1 tbsp 0% Natural Yoghurt (I use Yeo Valley) 
• 1 tsp creamed horseradish
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 cherry tomatoes
• Pinch black pepper

Grate the carrot, red cabbage, cucumber and radish and add to the plate with the watercress and halved cherry tomatoes.

Pop the salmon on and squeeze over the lemon over the entire plate and then sprinkle on the black pepper - be generous as lemon and pepper over smoked salmon is delicious.

Now add the Fat Free Yoghurt and the creamed horseradish to a small bowl or cup and mix then add to the plate for a gorgeous dressing. Enjoy!

Pancake Day: Classic British Pancakes

There are so many variations of pancakes out there and I am fond of most, sweet, savoury, filled, thick and fluffy, flat and light, crepes...I could go on but suffice to say pancakes are a big winner at our house.

Pancake day though, to me signals a homeliness I associate with childhood - rushing home from school to eat a whole stack of pancakes lovingly prepared by my Mum and the joyful tradition of seeing how well she could flip them in the air. So for today's festivities, for me it always has to be the flat British type, topped with lemon juice and a sprinkling of sugar with the additional sweetness of a 1 large tablespoon of 0% fat natural yoghurt and some mixed berries. These are great for all the family too - including weaning ones who love them as a finger food.

This variation yields perfect pancakes every time, the perfect balance between sweet and savoury too. I do insist on a good fat ratio and prefer rapeseed or light olive oil although butter works well for a richer flavour - my Mum used to use lard back in the day!

This makes about 8 thin, delicious pancakes if made in a usual pan. Try to leave the batter once mixed for at least 30 minutes as it will result in better pancakes. In fact the batter lasts overnight so make the night before if you can.

Classic British Pancakes

Here's how:

• 125g plain flour
• 300ml milk (full fat works best here) 
• Pinch salt
• 1 egg and 1 egg yolk
• 1 drop good quality vanilla essence
• Rapeseed oil, light olive oil or butter
• 1 lemon (a Jif Lemon will suffice if fresh is not available) 
• Sprinkling of granulated sugar
• 0% fat natural yoghurt (I use Yeo Valley) 
• Handful mixed berries per person
• Zest from 1 lemon

Pop the flour into a mixing jug and pour over a third of the milk, then whisk it through as best you can, slowly adding the rest of the milk till it resembles a batter.

Now add the egg and yolk, the salt and vanilla and give a good whisk till it's light and airy. Now place some clingfilm over the top, not too tightly, and place into the fridge if leaving overnight or leave on the kitchen side if using shortly.

Once ready to make the pancakes, place the oven on at 150g and pop a plate in there in preparation to keep the made pancakes warm.

Now add a little rapeseed oil (or your preferred choice of oil/fat) to a non-stick pan and place on a medium heat. Once hot, turn the pan down a bit and use a ladle to pour in enough batter for the first pancake.

Cook for a couple of minutes or until the liquid batter has formed a squidgy solid, then use an egg slice to gently slide under all the edges, till it's easy to move then flip over and cook the other side for the same amount of time.

Once cooked place on the hot plate and cover with foil and pop back into the oven, and repeat the process till all the pancakes are cooked.

Now serve with lemon squeezed over then sprinkle with sugar. Top with the yoghurt and berries and for a final, flavoursome flourish add a grating of some of the lemon zest which will also help to make a very pretty plate too. Enjoy!

Here are a few alternative pancake recipes if you prefer something less traditional:

1. Yoghurt Berry Pancakes
2. Courgette & Corn Pancakes
3. Salmon & Dill Pancakes

And here are my favourite London spots for pancakes if you won't be flipping any this year:

1. Tom's Kitchen
2. The Modern Pantry
3. My Old Dutch 

Skinny Spicy Breaded King Prawns with Chilli and Garlic Fried Vegetables and Sriracha Dressing

These were an experiment of mine that, happily, worked out very well indeed. During my healthy eating regime, I really should detox from social media as every time I care to take a glance I see a Tweet or an Instagram post containing something utterly delicious looking that is well and truly off limits.

These prawns were as a result of seeing some gorgeous looking deep fried breaded Thai prawns online, it got me thinking, how can I create a healthier version.

The result was the below - a crumb, created by Melba toast and flavoured with chilli, garlic, coriander and plenty of salt and pepper. They worked perfectly too, soft, sweet and juicy prawns contained in a spicy, crisp coating. Winner. Served alongside some chilli and garlic fried kale and asparagus and a low calorie Sriracha dressing made with my new favourite ingredient 0% Fat Natural yoghurt, a portion of the below comes in at 486 calories.

The below serves two.

Skinny Spicy Breaded King Prawns with Chilli and Garlic Fried Vegetables and Sriracha Dressing

Here's how:

• 200g King prawns
• 1x packet (20g) Melba toasts (I use Asda)
• 1 red chilli
• 2 cloves garlic
• Bunch coriander
• Salt
• Pepper
• 4 spring onions
• Dried chilli flakes
• 5ml coconut oil
• 150g kale
• Bunch asparagus
• 1 egg
• 50g plain flour
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp 0% Fat Natural Yoghurt (I use Yeo Valley)
• 1 tsp Sriracha sauce

Place the oven on at 180 degrees.

Firstly prepare the prawns by de-veining and placing onto a plate or bowl with some kitchen towel to absorb any excess moisture.

In the meantime place the flour into a bowl with the cayenne, paprika and a large pinch each of salt (preferably coarse sea salt but table will do) and black pepper. Stir and set aside.

Now finely chop the chilli and crush one of cloves of garlic and add to another small bowl. Chop the coriander finely and add. Now crumble in the melba toasts. Try to have a combination of textures both small and crumbly and larger pieces too - it all adds to the dish. Give a good stir and set aside.

Now crack an egg into one final bowl and quickly beat.

Now get an oven sheet or tray ready and add a layer or parchment paper.

Firstly coat each prawn into the seasoned flour, then into the egg and then toss in the crumb mix. Now place onto the oven sheet ready to be cooked. Repeat until all prawns are coated. 

Skinny Spicy Breaded King Prawns

The prawns will take ten minutes to cook so set aside for the moment while you prepare the accompaniments.

Finely slice the spring onions and remaining garlic and add to a non-stick pan with the coconut oil and half of the dried chilli flakes and place onto a medium heat.

Once the oil is warmed and starting to sizzle (but not burn), add the asparagus. Cook gently for four minutes and once the asparagus is in the pan also pop the prawns into the oven to bake.

Get a piece of tin foil ready that will easily wrap the asparagus and once the four minutes is up, remove from the pan and add the kale and the remaining dried chilli flakes for a further four minutes. Wrap the asparagus to keep it warm.

Now whilst the kale is cooking place 1 tbsp of 0% fat natural yoghurt into a small bowl with 1 tsp sriracha and stir. Taste and adjust accordingly.

Remove the prawns from the pan and plate up with the kale and asparagus. Enjoy!

Banana Mocha Smoothie

This is my favourite smoothie or Nutriblast by far for pre-workout, or if you know you have a hectic morning planned. The caffeine from the raw cacao and coffee granules gives you a real energy boost and the porridge oats and banana act to give slow-release energy which will keep you fuller for longer.

Not to mention this smoothie looks, tastes and feels (consistency-wise) like an indulgent milkshake but is simply 281 calories.

• 1 medium banana
• 1 tsp coffee granules or powder (I use Nescafe Azera Americano)
• 1 tsp raw cacao powder
• 10g sunflower seeds
• 10g Porridge Oats
• 1 tbsp 0% fat natural yoghurt (I use Yeo Valley)
• 100-150ml water

Peel the banana and add to the Nutribullet or blender with all of the other ingredients. Blitz for 20 seconds. Enjoy!