Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting some new weaning recipes that I’ve created for Tommee Tippee, for use with their new Quick Cook blender, as part of a paid partnership with them.
I wanted to use this work as an opportunity to show parents how they can use a blender for many stages of weaning, not just for purees and also for recipes to feed the whole family. I also wanted to use it as an opportunity to talk about how you can really explore and experiment with textures and flavours when it comes to weaning – adding in herbs and spices so families don’t feel the need to make dishes bland for baby.
My recipes all aim to help families experiment and have fun when creating recipes for baby AND for the whole family.
With the recipes for Tommee Tippee (more coming in the next weeks) I’ve also tried to make sure they include some of the allergens as well as ingredients that contain important nutrients such as iron and omega 3s, as these are essential to introduce early on in weaning.
Most of the recipes I’ve created (aside from the courgette puree, perhaps 😉) can be used or adapted for the whole family to eat. The sauces can be used alongside other foods – e.g. on potatoes, spread on toast. The mash recipe allows for them to be turned into little fish cakes for those who are baby lead weaning, or for older children.
I’ve also tried to stagger the recipes so that they can help parents to move from single foods and single tastes as the start of weaning, to gradually exploring more – a single veg puree with a little of baby’s usual milk and then moving to combined tastes – mash with some fish – and then more complex, veg filled ideas to add to “mini meals” for babies or toddlers.
I really hope you like them…Here is week one recipe so far!
Courgette Puree
Baby’s very first foods
This recipe is meant for baby in those very early days, when they are having their very first tastes of food! It’s all part of my recommendation to start babies off on their first food journey with savoury and bitter flavours for the first week or so of weaning.
From 6 months you CAN add a few drops of full fat cow’s milk to this dish (as long as baby isn’t allergic to it) but, it’s actually a good idea to offer baby some of their usual milk so that they are more familiar with the smells and tastes of their very first foods.
You can add more milk to this mixture if you want the texture a little looser, and you can add less liquid and blend less if you want it to be a little thicker. I also try to encourage in these recipes some soft finger foods from 6 months of age, and so each of my early stage recipes include some steps to offer finger foods as part of the final dish! Finger foods are good to offer from 6 months to help baby learn to self-feed. Don’t worry if your little one doesn’t eat them just yet, this is perfectly normal and it’s all about letting them explore.
So here we go, baby’s first puree…
Courgette Puree – Baby’s very first foods (From around 6 months)
Makes 1-2 portions and 2 finger food pieces
Ingredients:
100g of courgette
A splash of baby’s usual milk
Method:
- Slice the courgette lengthways into finger shapes, take out two pieces the size and shape of an adult finger and then chop the rest into cubes.
- Add all the courgette pieces to the Quick Cook steamer basket for around 8 minutes.
- Remove from the basket, drain the water out and take out the two finger shaped pieces of courgette & leave them to one side. Make sure these are squishy – you can easily remove the skin at this stage (once they are cool) if you prefer.
- Add the rest of the courgette to the blender with a little splash of baby’s usual milk (for familiaristion)
- Blend for 20 seconds
- Add more milk/blend more if a smoother texture is required
Leave to cool and then serve the steamed courgette fingers alongside the courgette puree.