A New Year!

Fletcher & I. December 2012

Boy am I looking forward to the NEW YEAR!!!

A new start, a new opportunity to do something wonderful, a new road ahead with no speed bumps, detours or roundabouts. NEW!

Isn't this how we all feel at the end of a year, looking longingly to the next year with bright eyes and optimism for what we can achieve.

Well, this time. I mean it. No really, I do!

You see, I started this blog and journey of discovery for my son, knowing full well it was something that I needed to do as well. The only problem is, I choose what Fletcher eats. He doesn't have a say in the matter and so he is having great success being dairy free. Me on the other hand, I'm an adult.... a free thinker who feels I can justify away my decisions. "A little piece of Christmas Pudding won't hurt". HA - what about the lashings of custard that go with it? Or the fact that it's made out of dried fruit which contains so much sugar I  thought I would go into a sugar induced coma.... This journey finding "friendly foods" is a bigger challenge for an adult than for an infant. BUT it's a journey I am committed to.

From now on.

For 2013.

For my health.

 For my son's health.

For our future.

FOREVER.

So who's with me?

Berry Yummy Mini Cakes

A good friend of mine at work is a caeliac and when she brings something for a staff morning tea it's always yummy! This recipe is an adaptation of her Berry & Almond Cake.

I've made some modifications to make it baby & toddler friendly.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups frozen berries, thawed
6 eggs
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 1/2 cups almond meal
a good shake of chia seeds


Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160 degree.
2. Grease 2x mini muffin trays with olive oil spray.
3. Beat eggs and sugar on high for 10 - 12min until thick and glossy.
4. Gently mix in berries and almond/chia mix alternately.
5. Use a dessert spoon to fill trays (they don't rise, so don't be afraid to fill them!)
6. Bake for 20min, until golden and firm to touch
7. Allow to cool for 10min in pan then scoop out with a teaspoon and place on a wire rack to cool.

Tropical Porridge Fingers

Porridge Fingers are one of the best breakfast recipes for a baby or toddler. The original recipe came from the Baby Led Weaning Cookbook, but me being the creative soul that I am, didn't stick to the recipe for very long!

No need to use cutlery to eat this yummy breakfast!!

Fletcher's favourite is the Tropical Porridge Fingers, and I now make it for him once a week!

Ingredients:
3 tbs rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind)
4 tbs rice milk*
a good shake of chia seeds
1 tsp coconut
1 tsp sultanas

*(I tried using Almond milk - epic fail! 
Zymil works for those who can have dairy)

Method:
1. Combine the rolled oats and the milk in a microwave proof bowl. Allow the oats time to soak in some of the milk, approx 1min.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
3. Cook in the microwave on high for 2min.
4. Immediately remove from the bowl by using a spoon to softly unstick it from the sides.
5. Cut into "fingers" for a baby just starting out, or cut in half for a more experienced bub.
6. Allow to cool, and then serve to your bubba... and watch them devour it!!

NOTE
~ For a non-tropical version, omit the coconut & sultanas.

Other flavours that work....
~ Frozen blueberries
~ Mashed banana (although personally.. yuck!)
~ Goji berries

Basic Pancake Recipe

In yesterday's post I mentioned that recently my "go to" food for Fletch has been my pancakes. Well, even though next week I'm going to be playing with my pancake recipe to make them a little more healthy, I thought I should share the original recipe with you.

These pancakes are not really pancakes... they are based loosely on a recipe from the Baby Led Weaning Cookbook, but the real trick is what you put in them!

Pancakes are a wonderful, wonderful way to "hide" lots of weird and wonderful things from your baby (or husband!), in a tasty and easy to eat form!

So here's the basic recipe... and following that are some of my favourite additions!

Bon Appetite!!

Katie's Basic Pancake Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 egg
150ml milk (I have used almond milk, rice milk and zymil and we can't taste the difference!)
a good shake of chia seeds (for a good burst of protein, always add chia!)

Method:
1. Combine all basic ingredients.
2. Add additional extras (see notes below)
3. Spoon small amounts into heated non-stick pan (dry cook or use nuttalex)
4. Cook for 3 - 4 min on medium heat, until cooked through

This recipe makes enough for approximately 10 pancakes.

 I freeze them individually in ziplock bags and they make a great, easy snack for FJ during the week!

FJ enjoying a pancake while out and about

Additional Extras - now lets get into the fun stuff!

Sweet Alternatives:
~ Goji berries (approx 2tbs)
~ Raspberries (a good shake)
~ Banana (1 mashed)
~ Blueberries (a good shake)
~ Coconut & sultanas (1 tbs of each)
~ Lemon (1/2 a lemon freshly squeezed)

Savoury Alternatives:
~ Basil Pesto (1tbs)
~ Sun-dried tomato (2tbs - including juice)
~ Tuna (1/2 a 90g tin)
~ Corn (1/3 of a small tin)
~ Carrot (1/2 carrot, grated and squeezed to remove excess water)
~ Chives (1 small "stick", finely chopped)

As you can see, anything goes with this great snack foods, the only limit is your imagination!!

High Protein Zucchini & Tuna Fritters

This morning I decided to make fritters. After going for a walk at Sandgate with a friend we were heading out to my parent's house and I thought it would be good to know that we'd started the day well, and that lunch was sorted after the long drive!

But what to make.. usually my "go to" food is my version of pancakes, but I'm trying to cut down (ie. remove!) carbs from Fletcher and my diet so pancakes weren't a good choice!

So I trolled through one of my favourite websites, Teresa Cutter's The Healthy Chef and found a recipe for gluten free zucchini fritters. But being a breakfast food, I wanted them to be high protein.

So I came up with High Protein Zucchini & Tuna Fritters... my first official "friendly food for Fletcher"!

High Protein Zucchini & Tuna Fritters

Ingredients:
400g zucchini - grated and squeezed (to remove excess fluid)
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped
4 spring onions (I use just the green bits)
black pepper (Freshly ground)
1 tsp lemon juice
3 eggs
1 - 1.5 cups almond meal
1 small tin tuna
a good shake of chia seeds

Method:
1. Place all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Stir to combine well.
3. Dry cook in a non-stick frying pan (alternatively use a small amount of nuttelex or olive oil) for approximately 2 minutes each side, or until cooked through.
4. Serve with half an avocado.

Tips:
Teresa Cutter suggests you can use other types of flour (eg. brown rice flour, coconut flour or chickpea flour) but to be honest, I couldn't even taste the almond meal!

As you can see from the photo, Fletcher absolutely loved them... and to be honest so did I!!

An Introduction

I was born to a wonderful Mother.

Looking back on my childhood I have absolutely no memories of feeling like I was deprived, or missing out, because of my allergies. I had a low threshold for sugars (Mum had to monitor the natural sugar content in foods) and I was lactose intolerant at a time when there no alternatives (except soy - which made me projectile vomit [20 years later we discovered I was anaphylactic to soy... no wonder my body wouldn't tolerate it!]). But never, not once do I remember not fitting in, struggling to find things to eat or crying over the injustice of my allergy. It was just who I was.

This is what I want for my son Fletcher. Just because he was diagnosed with an intolerance and suspected allergy to both lactose and the protein in cows milk at the age of 6 weeks... and then 4 months later had a suspected allergic reaction to pear... doesn't mean he should miss out on things throughout his life.

Now, FJ doesn't have the worst children's allergies I've ever heard of. I know of a number of children who are very, very limited in what they can eat, and I feel for their parents, because there is a long and difficult road ahead to find things that are nutritious, tasty and easy to cook. And that's where I hope I can help, even if it's only in a small way.

I am in no way an expert, nor a nutritionist. I am not a chef and I am definitely not the healthiest person I know. However I am is a Mother with a passion and a drive to help... and a love of baking.

This journey I am on is one for my son. I love him with all my heart and soul, and I will try anything if it there's a chance he'll benefit in some way. This journey will also see a change in the eating habits of my husband and I. I still have my allergies, and a few intolerances... I also have about 50kg to lose. Chances are by making the foods in our house "friendly" we'll all benefit from my hard work and exploration!

And I hope your household can too!