Cauliflower, Broccoli and Potato Puree Baby Food

I have been weaning my daughter for a couple of months, and now she is over seven months we have progressed onto a range of finger foods and lumpier textures but I began the process with a range of mostly homemade baby purees. I found with my first daughter a simple potato masher worked as the main tool, but this time I've made slightly larger batches of purees with the help of my Nutribullet.

I have no issue with baby food brands, and have used the likes of Hipp Organic, Ella's Kitchen and this time around, Babease, during the weaning process but I much prefer preparing my baby's food and knowing every single ingredient that is going into her food, at this crucial stage. There is extensive research out there, which suggests the more flavours and types of foods you introduce to your baby during the weaning stage, the less likely she (or he) is to be a fussy eater as they get older. Research also recommends introducing different textures between the ages of 6-9 months, to avoid them becoming fussy about 'lumps' so try not to rely solely on pouches which are mainly pureed and smooth at this age.

Remember also to introduce flavours individually during the early days - just parsnips, sweet potato, or carrots to begin with, and then combine. This has worked well for me at least - but as parents, we all just do our best and seem to find our own way - I'm not preaching, just bringing to the table what has worked for us :-) I also try to use the same pan to cook things - another bug bear of being a busy Mum, is the constant clean-up, and I know the convenience of pouches is what attracts many, so I've tried to create some purees where minimal mess and clear up is required.

This puree is simple - potato, broccoli and cauliflower - nothing else, besides water.

Potato Broccoli and Cauliflower Puree

Here's how:

• 1 white potato
• 3 florets of broccoli
• 3 florets of cauliflower

Bring a large pan of water to the boil - or if you're in a hurry, simply boil the kettle and add to a pan. 

Peel the potato and cut into small, 1 cm (ish) cubes and wash well to remove some of the starch, then add to the pan on a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for ten minutes, testing with a fork to see if the potato has become soft enough to blend. As soon as it has, remove the potato with a slotted spoon and place directly into a blender or Nutribullet to cool a little.

Now add the broccoli and cauliflower to the water and cook for about 6 minutes, until softened. Drain, and add the cooked vegetables to the blender or Nutribullet. 

Pour over 4 tablespoons of cold water and leave for five minutes to cool a little more. Then blitz to a smooth paste.

Portion up and store excess portions in sealable tubs or ice cube trays. Reheat by placing the container into a bowl or pot of boiled water and always test with your hand before serving to baby.

Baby Bites: Sweet Potato, Spinach and Pea Puree

Beatrice is six months old this week, and we are well established on the weaning front; she's been enjoying a range of homemade purees, and I will slowly start to introduce a wider selection of foods, meat, fish and different textures over the coming weeks.

In the meantime I will share some of the purees and meal ideas here, as I did with Bridget. Once again, I'm not anti-shop-bought when it comes to feeding babies and weaning, and am actually using the Aptamil Baby Porridge at the moment, for example, as the super soft texture is perfect for babies and I'm a huge fan of the Ella's Kitchen and Hipp Organic ranges too.

Recently we've been using the Lidl fruit pouches too, which are excellent and super convenient. In the main part, I do try to prepare most of the weaning dishes myself, because I can, and enjoy the knowledge that I know every ingredient that my baby is having, but having said that, I've found, like many parents before me from what I've heard, that second time around, I'm a lot more laid back around the whole weaning situation. I'm less neurotic over panicking if Beatrice has a taste of something that she shouldn't have at her age, she was in Crete last week, boiling and had a few licks of a frozen yoghurt - something I would never have done when Bridget was a baby, but she enjoyed it, didn't get a sore tummy, and it cooled her down into the bargain.

I stick by my original weaning 'tools' and say, that you can get by with a simple potato masher if that's all you have, it's what I used first time around and, still do for some of the meals. I'm so reliant on my Nutribullet these days though for myself, I use it at least once a day and it's excellent to help quickly blitz up a meal into a puree for weaning.

This puree is super simple; sweet potato, baked, and scooped out of the shell, a handful of washed, blanched spinach and a handful of boiled or steamed peas. Either mash all together with a little water or baby milk (breast or formula works) or pop into the Nutribullet, allow to cool a bit first, then blitz for 10 seconds.

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Pea Puree



You'll be left with a glorious, green coloured puree that doesn't look very appetising, but is full of goodness, and Beatrice has been wolfing it down.

Beatrice enjoying her Sweet Potato, Spinach and Pea Puree



If you use 1 medium sweet potato, one handful of spinach and the same of peas, this should make a good 3 portions. May your littles ones enjoy! 

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Another delicious soup recipe which formed part of my 'Seven Days of Soup' souping/liquid diet adventure pre-holiday and really helped boost my postnatal weight loss.

The parsnips make for a hearty, almost creamy soup but without the heavy calories of a cream-based soup and the sweetness is offset by the curry and spices - a traditional flavour pairing, but one that works time and time again. You can up-spice if you're a chilli fiend or make slightly milder if you have some diners that are less tolerant of heat.

Guarantee you'll make this more than once after the first time - so easy, so delicious and moreish. You can stir through a tablespoon of crème fraiche or sour cream at the end if you want a slightly richer finished article - but be warned it ups the calories and fat content significantly.

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

 

Here's how:

• 1 white onion
• 1 large clove garlic
• 400g parsnips
• 1.5 pints vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 heaped tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 bag spinach
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Firstly peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to a heavy-bottomed pan with the coconut oil and place on a low heat to soften.

Peel the parsnips and cube then add to the pan with the curry powder, salt, pepper and all the spices. Stir so all parsnips are slightly covered in the spices.

Make up the stock and cover the parsnips. Place the lid on and simmer for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool before blitzing with a blender or Nutribullet and then return to the pan to re-heat. Add the washed spinach one minute before dishing up as it will cook incredibly quickly. If adding crème fraiche stir through the entire pot before dishing up. Enjoy!

The other soups I enjoyed during my 'Seven Days of Soup' included:

Asparagus and Crispy Bacon Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Vegetable Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Pak Choi Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Chunky Lentil Bacon and Kale Soup

Pregnancy Food Diet: Week 15

When searching the internet for 'pregnancy diet' the findings aren't the most inspiring. Several websites offer advice in terms of what you should be having generally, such as two portions of fish a week, with one portion being an oily fish (such as salmon, mackerel, sardines), and lots of dark green vegetables and lean meats and pulses for the iron levels, there seems to be a distinct lack of recipe or meal ideas specifically for pregnancy.

So I've decided to offer a weekly pregnancy food diary from here on in, with meal ideas that are suitable for the whole family and that hopefully offer a varied, balanced diet with some naughty treats in there too for good measure.

I try to cook from scratch most days, but am not averse to a meal out or a takeaway so this is my honest account of pregnancy food. I hope it helps to inspire a few ideas for other pregnant ladies at a loss for what to cook for their families during this busy time when tiredness can be a key factor in turning to convenience.

Breakfasts - I've still been feeling fairly queasy this week, so breakfast has been a combination of different things. I've had Greek natural yoghurt with honey, blueberries and flaked almonds a couple of days, but most days it's been wholegrain toast topped with Marmite and a Nutriblast with a piece of fresh ginger to try and help keep the nausea at bay. I try to mix up the ingredients for my daily smoothie as it gets boring otherwise, and include a mixture of both vegetables and fruit. These are a great way of starting the day with a good fix of fibre and hitting half of your 'five a day' target. Here are three different variations I've enjoyed this week:

• Half Kale, small piece of ginger, handful each of blueberries, blackberries and strawberries and half a nectarine topped up with water
• Handful of Strawberries, a nectarine, handful of walnuts and coconut milk
• Half an avocado, small piece of ginger, handful kale, handful pumpkin seeds and handful blackberries Tuesday 16th August:

Lunches:

As I've been at work most of the week, this has been a variety of grab-and-go options, such as soups, salads and sandwiches from the likes of Pret, Marks & Spencer and Itsu. 

For a weekend brunch, I had my usual smoothie but with a slice of toast topped with mashed avocado, a handful of dried chilli flakes and a pinch of coarse sea salt - delicious.

Avocado on toast

Evening meals:

Mid-week I generally get home between 6:45-7:15 most evenings so Bridget will have already eaten, but Glen and I always sit down to a meal together, which I'll cook while he reads a bedtime story and does bath-time. I try and keep the meals under 30 minutes for both preparation and cooking time so that we eat by 8pm the latest every evening, where possible and here are some of the quick and easy meals we had during the week.

• Cajun-spiced pan-fried salmon (I use a Schwarz rub) with a selection of green vegetables and a 'jewelled couscous', which I whipped up whilst the salmon was frying. I top with the appropriate amount of boiled water and top with a plate for this and then chop up all my seasonings - in this case, cucumber, orange pepper, spring onions and fresh mint leaves, plus the seeds of an entire pomegranate for that 'jewelled' effect. Delicious.

Cajun spiced salmon with jewelled couscous and vegetables

• Quick chicken curry using Marks & Spencer Jalfrezi Paste, onions, garlic, ginger and fresh chilli with green pepper and mushrooms, plus chicken thighs - frying all off which the curry paste then topping with tinned tomatoes and serving with microwave rice.
• Inspired by my brother's Instagram posts of Mykonos followed by Athens, I was craving Greek food and made this Greek Chicken One Pot.

• Jacket potato with cheese and coleslaw plus a generous salad on the night that Glen had football training as I didn't have much energy.
• A quick bolognese with lean steak mince and topped up with lentils served with spaghetti (onions and garlic fried gently in olive oil, the mince and finely diced carrot added with a pinch of salt and pepper. Once browned a teaspoon of cinnamon was added then a tin of tomatoes and a tablespoon of tomato puree plus a teaspoon of red wine vinegar. Cook for 20 minutes and add a teaspoon of dried oregano for the last five minutes).

Weekend Meals:

On the Saturday I prepared 'fish, mash and liquor' or to those who aren't so familiar with this meal, cod poached in a mixture of whole milk and water served with creamy mashed potato and peas and a parsley sauce made directly from the fish cooking liquor. Topped with lots of chilli vinegar and white pepper - this was fantastic and helped me hit my 'two portions of fish' target for the week.

Fish, mash and liquor

The Sunday was my youngest brother, Dean's birthday so we had a treat - dim sum feast at Dockland's Yi Ban.

Jerk Salmon

When I make a batch of Jerk sauce I split it, usually into three batches - it freezes well and you can either cover some meat or fish in the sauce then freeze, or simply freeze the sauce in a freezer bag.

I first happened upon fish 'jerked' in Jamaica a few years back and ever since I have been experimenting and my favourite fish with the jerk treatment absolutely has to be salmon. It's the sweetness of the salmon which completely offsets the aromatic, powerfully punchy hot jerk and makes for a marvellous mouthful.

Sometimes I serve it with the traditional 'rice and pea' combination, but here during my healthy eating and fat fighting regime, I had it with 50g fried cauliflower rice (pepper up with garlic, chilli and spring onions), fresh corn and a selection of green vegetables. It is utterly delicious and completely addictive!

These days I make my jerk sauce in my Nutribullet as it's much easier to clean than my traditional Kenwood blender. 

Jerk Salmon

Here's how: 

• 1 large onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 50g grated ginger
• 6 Scotch bonnets (including seeds) 
• 2 tbsp dried Thyme
• 1 tbsp Dunne's River All Purpose Seasoning
• 1 tsp allspice
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• Juice of 2 limes
• 4 tbsp Soy sauce
• 100g Brown sugar
• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper

Peel and chop the onion roughly and add to Nutribullet or blender. Peel the garlic and add to the onions.

Use plastic gloves if you have them to roughly chop the Scotch Bonnets then add to the blender. Now discard the gloves and wash your hands thoroughly - you really don't want that spice in your eye later!

Add all the other marinade ingredients, place the lid on and blitz to a smooth paste.

Now pour over the salmon, ensuring every part is covered so the sauce really permeates the flesh of the fish. I usually use a throwaway dish for jerk as it can be quite messy, so I tend to marinade in here also. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. If you haven't got that long, then leave the salmon for at least a couple of hours.

Jerk Salmon

When ready to cook the salmon, Remove from the fridge and allow to come back to room temperature whilst heating up the oven to 200 degrees. You want it nice and hot - salmon cooks quickly but you want some nice charred bits on the outside and you won't get that if the oven's not piping hot.

Place into the oven and cook for fifteen minutes. Serve with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

A couple of other ‘jerked’ recipes:

1. Jerk Chicken
2. Jerk Ham

Energy Fix Nutriblast

This is my go-to smoothie or Nutriblast when I need an injection of get-up-and-go - such as this morning!

The slow release energy from the banana and oats helps keep my stomach to feel fuller for longer and the caffeine and raw cacoa give a much needed caffeine boost for that energiser effect. The spinach is packed full of goodness, such as iron which is so important to keep your energy levels up and is also a great source of Vitamin A, B, C and K, manganese and magnesium and vitamin B13 and folic acid (especially important during pregnancy). The pear acts as a great -high-fibre but low calorie fruit to bulk the juice up and add a lovely sweetness whilst providing a great source of vitamin C too.

Here's how:

• 1 small banana (Fun size or children's ones)
• 1 small pear (Fun size)
• 60g spinach
• 25g porridge oats
• 1 tsp raw cacao
• 1 tsp instant coffee (I use Nescafe Azeera)
• 10g sunflower seeds
• 120ml water

Peel the banana and core the pear then add all the ingredients to your blender or Nutribullet. Blast for 20 seconds, check if everything is blitzed, if not blast again for another 20 seconds. Enjoy!

Jerk Ham

I cooked this at Christmas for an alternative festive ham with a slightly less conventional twist to my Hairy Bikers Honey and Marmalade Glazed Ham, mainly for my brother as he is a huge jerk fan and it was fantastic. Alongside the traditional Christmas Dinner mark two which we usually enjoy on Boxing Day, I served the Jerk Ham for my brother with a quickly knocked up Macaroni Cheese and carrot, apple and red onion slaw and it went down a storm.

This is a slightly sweeter version from my Jerk Chicken recipe, and I actually threw together the marinade in my Nutribullet too which blitzed everything up in a matter of seconds. I must advise to marinade at least overnight and if possible for a full 24 hours before cooking - the result will be so much more intensely satisfying.


This is a great alternative joint of meat for a Sunday – I’ll be making it with rice & pea very soon.

Jerk Ham

Here's how:

• 1 piece of smoked ham around 1.4kg
• 6 Scotch bonnets
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 red onions
• 2 tbsp dried thyme
• 100g brown sugar
• Handful of cloves
• 50g fresh ginger roughly chopped
• 1 tsp Allspice
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp All Purpose Seasoning
• 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 3 limes
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Firstly you need to make the marinade. If you have a Nutribullet or equivalent, then simply add all of the ingredients into the large cup, removing the skin and ends of the onions, garlic and ginger and taking off the stalk of the Scotch bonnets. If you wish for a milder taste you can remove the seeds but this isn't essential and I personally don't. If you have a more traditional blender that might need the ingredients chopped a little first then do so before placing into the blender. Blitz until the marinade is a thick, brown, sludgey looking liquid - this is your jerk marinade. There's enough here for two portions, so place half into a Tupperware container or a freezer bag and pop into the freezer for another time.

Now remove any packaging from the ham, including the outer skin and place into a dish that you can place in the oven but that you have a space for in the fridge too. Now smother the jerk sauce all over the ham, using your hands - you can use gloves - to make sure every part of the ham is covered. If there are any little slits or holes make sure the sauce gets pushed into these cavities as it will help the flavour to permeate the meat.

Now cover with tin foil tightly and place into the fridge until you need it - preferably at least 24 hours from now.

Now take out the ham and allow the meat to come back to room temperature for 30 minutes or so, in the meantime place the oven onto 170 degrees.

Keep the foil covering the meat loosely and cook for 1.5-2 hours. Remove from the oven and take the foil away.

Return to the oven for a further thirty minutes in which time the marinade which will still be a little wet will crisp up and char, making a really delicious gnarly coating.

Put back into the oven for thirty minutes and turn the oven down to 150 to prevent the meat from charring too quickly. (Of course read cooking time instructions on any packaging too and adjust accordingly).

One the ham is cooked, remove from the pan and place onto a plate to rest for at least 1 hour before carving. The meat will keep for a week once cooked and is incredibly versatile. Enjoy!

TIP: If you'd like to serve it with a refreshing slaw like I mentioned above, coarsely grate 1-2 carrots, 1 large red onion and 2 apples into a bowl. Add a teaspoon of white wine vinegar, the juice of a lime, a pinch of salt and black pepper and 2 tbsp mayonnaise.

Sweet Tomato Smoothie

I've been enjoying a Nutriblast most days for breakfast during this healthy eating phase in a bid to lose weight. I love the fact they are so simple to prepare and the clean-up operation isn't too taxing.

Here's a lovely, sweet juice to start the day with. It comes in at 224 calories.

Sweet Tomato Smoothie

• 2 tomatoes
• 4 frozen strawberries
• 65g mango (fresh or frozen is fine) 
• 1 orange
• 1small pear
• 10g sunflower seeds
• 100ml water

Firstly peel the orange and throw into your Nutribullet or blender. Now remove the stalk and the core from the pear (no need to peel) and also add. Pop everything else in and adjust the water according to the consistency of smoothie you prefer.

Blitz for twenty seconds. Enjoy!

Here are some of my other favourite smoothie ideas:

• Green Goodness Smoothie
• Sunshine Bright Smoothie
• Apple and Mango Mojito
• Berry Blast Smoothie
• Banana Mocha Smoothie

Apple and Mango Mojito Smoothie

This healthy eating lark doesn't all have to be kale and garlic smoothies - although I'm getting quite into the more 'greens' based nutriblasts, variety is most certainly the spice of life and helps to keep me motivated, that's for sure. 

This juice/smoothie is a take on a mojito cocktail and frankly anything that reminds me of cocktails during diet and healthy eating regimes is a good thing. It's 308 calories and is really delicious. You can of course use fresh mango, but I like to use frozen as gives a lovely smooth and creamy texture to the juice and the chill is reminiscent of a drink in a bar!

Apple and Mango Mojito Smoothie

• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 1/2 avocado
• Whole lime (peel removed)
• 70g frozen mango 
• Handful fresh mint leaves

Add to the Nutribullet or blender the half avocado, frozen mango, mint leaves, the peeled lime and the cored apple. Top up with water (approx 100-150ml) and then blitz for 20 seconds. Enjoy.

Sunshine Bright Smoothie

There is something rather fabulous about brightly hued smoothies first thing in the morning and this Sunshine Bright Smoothie just reminds me of more tropical climes - I think it's the combination of the banana and mango. The porridge oats help keep hunger at bay for a few hours too. It's a winner.

This smoothie contains 367 calories if you stick to the measurements below. 

Sunshine Bright Smoothie

• 1 banana
• 80g fresh mango
• 50g cucumber
• 10g sunflower seeds
• Handful mint leaves
• 25g porridge oats

Peel the banana and mango and throw into the Nutribullet or blender with the cucumber, sunflower seeds, porridge oats and mint leaves and blitz for 20 seconds. 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!

Green Goodness Smoothie

This is my Green Goodness smoothie and incorporates kale, kiwi, pear and lime plus some sunflower seeds for a hit of morning protein. It has 244 calories so saves plenty of calories for the rest of the day. The lime and ginger give it a really sharp and fresh flavour too.

Green Goodness Smoothie

• 50g kale
• 1 kiwi
• 1 pear
• Juice of a whole lime
• 1 tsp pumpkin seeds
• 10g fresh ginger
• 100-150ml water

Core the pear and then add all of the ingredients to your Nutribullet or blender and blitz for 20 seconds. Enjoy. 

Berry Blast Smoothie

Here’s another smoothie or Nutriblast (juice) idea. This one isn’t vegetable based and does use a ton of berries, so mix it up on other days. Berries are full of antioxidants and since I’ve been enjoying a combination of smoothies, I’ve really noticed my skin is brighter and feels nicer, so hopefully it’s refreshing my insides too.

This one is 372 calories and is enriched with Goji berries and sunflower seeds. Using just 1 tbsp of 0% fat natural yoghurt helps to give a creamy consistency too which makes it taste absolutely delicious. The banana gives you slow-release energy so this helps keep you full up for a few hours too.

Berry Blast Smoothie

• 100g mixed berries (I use frozen but you can use a combination of your favourites)
• 1 banana
• 1 kiwi
• 1 tbsp goji berries
• 1 tsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp 0% fat natural yoghurt (I use Yeo Valley)

Peel the banana and add to the Nutribullet or blender, then add all of the other ingredients and 100-150ml water. Blitz for 20 seconds – enjoy!

Green Zinger Smoothie

As with most of the UK, I have resolved to begin the new year a little healthier and shed the last stone of baby weight that I’m still holding onto 15 months later. I have added a couple of exercise sessions a week to my lifestyle and so far, so good, but most importantly, I’ve started making some small changes to my diet, as I do like to indulge and so am restricting calories and cutting down on carbs whilst trying to still enjoy a balanced diet.

Late in 2015 I invested in a Nutribullet and I have loved experimenting with flavours and fruit and vegetable combinations. The rule is that these should be at least half vegetable based to avoid being a sugar-laden start to the day which I do follow as much as possible.I like to start my day with a Nutriblast/Smoothie/Juice - whatever you call them, they are great.

Here’s one of my favourites which I like to call the Green Zinger – the ginger gives it a lovely zing (hence the name) and the avocado makes it a lovely creamy consistency. It’s 376 calories which is quite high compared to some of the others, but it’s a great combination that is filling and full of green goodness.

Green Zinger Smoothie

• ½ avocado
• 1 kiwi
• 10g ginger
• 40g kale
• 10g sunflower seeds
• 100-150ml water (depends on which consistency you prefer)

Remove the avocado from its shell/skin, pop the kiwi (no need to peel), kale, sunflower seeds and fresh ginger into your Nutribullet or blender. Add the water and blitz for 20 seconds.