Weaning made easy in the thermomix - Stage 1

It's always fun when you get round to that baby stage of weaning!

I remember reading an article that was circulating Facebook a while back that described weaning a baby something like this:

1.  Make some holes in a watermelon and empty out as much of the fruit as you can.
2.  Fill 'said' watermelon with some kind of green mush (keeping some aside for feeding).
3.  Hang 'said' watermelon from the kitchen ceiling and swing it.
4.  While dodging flying green mush, attempt to put some of the leftovers into the holes in the moving watermelon with the smallest spoon you can find.
5.  Stand back and admire the mess you now have to clean up (3 times a day).
6.  If you were successful then you are ready to wean your baby!!

This did make me chuckle as I can whole heartedly relate to the mess!!  I've got to the stage now where I am starting to give Miss L some bits of food and (semi) control of the spoon so she can start to feed herself.  She's just over 8 months now and I probably should have started to do this a while ago, but I'd got feeding her with a spoon without any mess down to a such a fine art that I've really had to dig deep to give her control of the spoon!!!!

Since having my thermomix I have found the process of weaning  SO MUCH EASIER than I did with my other two.  I can remember having every chopping board out and every single pot and steamer going all at the same time just to get one meal cooked.  Then the worst bit was the 'blending'.  Mashing all the cooked fuit and veg down into a puree without either burning myself or splatting it all over the kitchen was impossible!!  And then I'd have to wash it all up and start again, just so that they weren't eating the same thing three times a day for a week.  Oh and those weeks just fly by too.  That sense of achievement you get when you have filled the freezer up with lots of little pots of pureed food only seems to last a couple of days before the freezer starts to look empty again!

With my thermie, I've been able to make just about anything I want in less than 30 minutes from start to finish without even taking a pot out of the cupboard!!!!!!!  Yes, it really is my kitchen princess!  The only problem I've had is finding good thermomix recipes for making 'baby food'.  So I have decided to make some of my own recipes and share them with you all.  I have taken a lot of my inspiration from Annabel Karmel, who is, in my eyes, the guru of baby cooking and weaning.

Here is a great all rounder that my miss L just loves!

Sweet, Creamy Vegetables
This could be made with any combination of vegetable that you have in the cupboard, but this is what I used:

Ingredients
1/2 onion
75g carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
150g sweet potato peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbs olive oil
200ml water
40g sweetcorn (frozen or tinned)
35g frozen peas
50g formula milk

Method:
Add the onion and chop on speed 6 for 3 seconds
Add the oil and saute for 1.5 minutes at 90 degrees on speed 1
Add sweet potato, carrot, peas and sweetcorn and chop on speed 6 for 5 seconds

Add the water and cook for 20-25 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.

Drain out all excess water using the thermomix basket.

Add the formula milk and blend by turning the dial slowly from 1-10 for 20 seconds.

You can easily alter both the speed you blend at and the length of time you blend for to give you different textures from very very smooth to more lumpy.

Transfer the puree to a bowl and leave it to cool for half an hour and put them in your pots ready for the freezer.  Give the thermomix a quick rinse and you're ready to start the next meal!!  EASY PEASY!!  For a bit of variation you could also add 70g of grated cheese just before you blend or 150g of steamed fish which you can cook in the varoma at the same time as your veggies.

As a general rule, I have found that mixing two to three fruits or vegetable together always works.  If your baby is not so keen on veggies, try adding two veg plus one fruit together.  Here are some great basic combinations for puree's that I have made :

Apple and pear
Pear and blueberry
Banana and Mango
Apple and carrot
Sweet potato, carrot and apple
Broccoli, pea and pear
Butternut, sweetcorn and spinach

All veggies I cook at 100 degrees on speed 1 for between 20-25 minutes and fruit I tend to cook at 90 degrees on speed 1 for between 10 and 15 minutes.

A bit blurry but she was jumping up and down and waving her arms around so much it was nearly impossible to get a good shot!

Next I will be venturing onto cooking some proteins.  I have not yet started Miss L on meat, but that is my next project.

Do you have any fabulous baby puree recipes??  I''d love to hear from you as I'm always looking for new, exciting things to cook for the kids.

How to clean your tummy (aka. The Green Smoothie Challenge)

"What's that??" Miss H asks, as I hand her a cup of bright green juice.  "It's a green smoothie" I tell her "It's SO yummy!"  "I don't like it!" she replies, rather bluntly.  "I want my milk!"  "But you haven't even tried it yet - it's super yummy!  It has apples in it........" I'm trying my best to coax her into trying a little sip.  "I don't like it!" she tells me again - equally as bluntly but with a slight whine in her voice.   I just know that if I persist, that whine is going to turn into a high pitched wail and I really can't be doing with that on the first morning that I've switched from coffee to 'green smoothies'.  So I try Master J instead and surprisingly he necks the whole cup!!  "That was yum mum!  What was it?"  "Green smoothie!" I tell him".  It helps to clean your tummy making you nice and healthy and extra clever, so we have to drink it every morning.  Just like brushing your teeth."  "Oh, ok" he says!  Just like that!!

"I want to clean my tummy too" whines Miss H (she's really not a morning person).  "But I thought you didn't like it??" I ask her.  "But I do like it mama, it has apples!!" ("Isn't that what I just said, I'm thinking????")

On New Years day I decided to join up and do the 30 day Green Smoothie Challenge.

If you were wondering?????  The smoothies I've made so far have actually been delicious!  I was a little sceptical about putting 'veggies' in my smoothies and thought I might have to drink a few while holding my nose (a trick I learnt as a kid to block out the taste of yucky foods).  However, I've been so surprised by how delicious they are that not only have I started to get braver with my ingredients but I think I might keep this 30 day habit for a little longer - maybe even forever!!

I've had several requests from my lovely readers for the recipes, so here are a few.  I've just made my recipes up, so you'll have to just trust me that they taste good.   You can always try the simple Green Smoothie website for some 'proper' recipes if you'd prefer.

I've used my thermomix, but you don't have one, a good blender will do.

The key-lime kiwi
2 green apples, quartered
1 banana (frozen or fresh)
half a lime (peeled)
a large handful of spinach
1 whole kiwi (peeled)
1 tray of ice
1.5 cups of water

Throw it all into the bowl and whizz for 45 seconds on speed 9.  Whilst the thermie is whizzing squeeze the juice of 1 large orange onto the lid and let it drip in.  Pour into glasses and serve!

A serving for the whole family - even little Miss L

The Bok Banana

2 green apples, quartered
10 green grapes
1 banana
2 bok choys (chinese lettuce)
1 whole kiwi (peeled)
1.5 cups of water
1 tray of ice

Throw it all into the bowl and whizz for 45 seconds on speed 9.  Whilst the thermie is whizzing squeeze the juice of 1 large orange onto the lid and let it drip in.  Pour into glasses and serve!

This once can taste a little 'lettucy" so if you prefer just use 1 bok choy.  The kids are my taste testers - if they complain, then it may need tweaking.  There have been no complaints so far!!

The Green Rainbow

1 green apple, quartered
1 carrot (peeled, and quartered)
1 kiwi (peeled)
1/4 lemon (peeled)
a large handful of spinach
a small handful of blueberries
a quarter of a small rock melon, cut into chunks

1.5 cups of water
1 tray of ice

Throw it all into the bowl and whizz for 45 seconds on speed 9.  Whilst the thermie is whizzing squeeze the juice of 1 large orange onto the lid and let it drip in.  Pour into glasses and serve!

We called this one the rainbow because the blueberries and carrot made it look a little 'off colour' and not so 'green'.

Mix a little baby rice into your smoothie for the perfect baby brekkie

She loves it really!

What a great challenge this has been.  We are only a week in and I already feel better for it.  It also fills the kids tummies up, meaning that they can go longer after their brekkie and are not whinging for treats by mid-morning!  An all round win.  (I'll let you know at the end of the month if I've managed to loose any of that super stubborn baby weight - now that would be a bonus!)

Why not try it - you don't need to stick to just stick to January!!  Just do it!

Summer with Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice 'GIVEAWAY'

"COMPETITION TIME"

Following my review of the delicious Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice pouch (which you can read by clicking "here" if you haven't already done so), the lovely people at Sunraysia have given me the opportunity to offer my wonderful readers a FANTASTIC giveaway.

So here's the deal:

THE PRIZE:
A family supply of Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice pouches for the WHOLE of the summer school holidays!!!!!!  That's a 6 week supply of juice pouches - pretty awesome if you ask me!! (based on 1 pouch per day for a family of 5).

HOW TO ENTER:

1. In the comments below tell me what is your family's favourite way to enjoy Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice (don't forget to leave an email address for me to contact you, if you were to win).
2. Sign up to become a member of "Mrs D and Candy Bows".  You can do this on the top right hand side of the home page.  I promise it will be worth your while xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

THE RULES:
You have to be living in Australia and you have to have at least tasted how awesome Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice is.  The competition closes on 20th December 2012 and there is only 1 entry per person.


*Thanks for Sunraysia and Birds of Prey PR for this great giveaway.  I have not been paid to write up this giveaway but was more than happy to do it as I love the product*

Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice! Clean juice for kids (and grown ups!)

Now I know that water is the best drink you can give your kids, but lets face it - it's pretty boring!!  I grew up not being allowed to drink any of those cool, brightly coloured and fizzy drinks because my mum said they used to send us loopy!!  Every time we chose a drink in the shop, she would look at the back of the packaging and say "No, you can't have that one - it's got too may E's in it!" or "Absolutely not, that just full of 'this' or 'that'!"  I can still hear her now as I'm typing this.  Little did I know at the time, but she was actually doing us a massive favour as all those E's and other chemicals found in the 'cool drinks' can do some serious damage to our health.  I still couldn't help having 'drink envy' as a child though, and it took me a good few years to realise that I wasn't being totally deprived or that I didn't really have the meanest mum in the world.

As a mum, I now find myself in the exact same situation as my mum was all those years ago.  I have Miss H, who can literally go an entire day without drinking a thing just so she doesn't have to drink water, and Master J who has just discovered the lure of 'fizzy drinks'.  I could take myself off on a fabulous day of pampering if I had a dollar for every time I've heard "Mum, can I have a coke today?"  "No!"  "Oh but muuuum, I'm the ONLY one at school that never gets to have one!  EVERYONE else gets a coke when they go to the canteen!"

I tried going cold turkey and giving them both nothing but water to drink as I was starting to get concerned by the amount of sugar nasties they were consuming.  (Especially as the warmer climate in Sydney has meant that they were drinking so much more 'juice' than they did in the UK).  Well........the amount of whinging I got from that just gave me a headache, and as the stubborn little mini-me she is - Miss H just refused to drink altogether!  Great!  Well that one totally backfired on me, so I had to go to plan B, which was juice at meal times only!  Poor Mr D was just as confused as the kids by my ever changing juice rules!!

Please tell me I'm not the only mum out there with these problems??

So when Blogs and PR approached me and asked if I would like to come to a 'bloggers brunch' to celebrate the launch of a new Organic 100% fruit juice by Sunraysia, I jumped at the chance.

We met a fabulous Organic cafe in Sydney's Rozzelle called About LIfe and as soon as I walked in I got a great feeling about Sunraysia.  Of course, the first thing I was offered was an ice-cold Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice Pouch (which I gladly accepted as it was so horribly hot and humid I was gasping).  I chose the tropical flavour and it was DELICIOUS!

It really does taste as yummy as that fruit looks.

While having a yummy brekkie we were lucky enough to listen to a talk from Amy McKendrick at My Nutrition Coach about healthy eating choices and learning how to spot and avoid nasties when buying our groceries.  Now I thought I was pretty good at buying the 'right' foods for my kids, but listening to Amy was a real eye opener!  I learnt so much and will definitely be blogging about it all soon.

SO having just tasted Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice, I was so excited to learn just how 'clean' they really are.  I couldn't wait to take some home for the kids to try.  I learnt from Amy that when reading a products' ingredients list, the top 3-4 generally make up most of the product!  Quite scary when you see how long some of the lists are.  A little task for you all:  take a look at at the ingredients list of your most favourite product and note of the top 3!  Let me know your thoughts!!

(here is a link to the Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice web advert.  It really does make you think!!!)

When you read the ingredients list on a Organic Sunraysia 100% Juice drink ALL that's in it is fruit!  Thats it!!  Seriously not another thing!!  So in the orange juice, for example, the list of ingredients just says "organic orange juice".  How cool is that??

The packaging is pretty awesome too.  It's 100% BPA free (even the straw) and it very cleverly does not allow any oxygen into the juice keeping it fresh fresh fresh without the need to add any preservatives or nasties!

Miss H was my first taste tester and she had to open up every singel one to check which one she liked best!  Can you tell by her smile that they were ALL a hit? (especially the 'purple' berries)

So now that you've heard from me and why I was so impressed, the real test is WHAT DID THE KIDS THINK??

I think Miss H was just so excited that she was allowed to have 'juice' instead of water, she drank almost three in a row.  "So what do you think?" I asked her "YUMMY" she said, with a huge smile.  And that was all her fruit portions for the day in one hit too - so another point to mummy (and Sunraysia)

I took a bunch of samples that I had into the school playground that afternoon and gave them to the boys.  They were such a hit that I had a small crowd of thirsty (and grubby) little Kinders around me before I could blink!  They told me they were "SUPER YUM!"

Here is our top 5 ways to enjoy Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice:

1. Drink it chilled straight out the fridge.
2. Freeze it and put it in your lunch box (the squeezy pouch means it fits into just about any space).
3. Freeze it, cut open the top and eat it with a spoon as a slushy (a firm favourite in our house).
4. Mix a little with baby rice and it makes a delicious meal for any babies' who are weaning.
5. If you are lucky enough to have a thermomix (you know how I love mine), you can wizz it up with some frozen milk cubes and it makes the most delicious ice-cream.

So all that's left is for you to try it for yourself.  You can find them in just about any supermarket and they are so reasonably priced at only $1.49 each or 5 for $5!!

If you would like to win a supply of Sunraysia Organic 100% Juices for your whole family for the ENTIRE SUMMER SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, then just sign up to my blog and watch this space.  Competition details will be coming very soon.................................

Thanks to Blogs and Pr, Birds of Prey PR, Sunraysia and About Life for a yummy brunch.

**I have not been paid to write this review!  I just  love the product - it's the new 'cool' juice in my books and it certainly got the seal of approval from the kids.   I was therefore more than happy to promote it**