HONEST FOOD - TODDLER PROOF

"The Go-With-Anything-Sauce"

So I've cracked it. Now this following recipe may seem like teaching your Grandmother to suck eggs, but I'd thought I'd share anyway. I have made a pasta type sauce pretty much every week for Stanley so I always have something in the freezer that he will eat if he is having a fit about whatever I've served him up for dinner. At last however I think I have found the perfect one. It freezers really well and is so simple to make you don't have to pay it any attention and can get on with other things round the house, illustration work, hoovering up cat dander, entertaining the child, stopping the cat peeing inside the house - why cat WHY? It's not even raining.... You know, glorious domestic housewifey things....

I'm hoping to get back into blogging a little more, and would like your help. I am so in a rut with food with Stanley, and so I would like to do a monthly 'Toddler Proof' recipe swap between us Mamas (& Fathers). Every month I will post a recipe that Stanley loves that is easy to make and healthy, and would be so happy if you wanted to link up with yours. I have installed the special Inlinkz tool below. So this is my recipe, you have a month to add yours and then I will post another. Anything goes, breakfast, lunch, snacks - so long as it is healthy and easy(ish) to whip up!

The root veg is the key! I have used carrots, but some squash or sweet potato would work equally as well. It gives a thickness to the sauce that is very appealing.

 Mix well, add olive oil and some pepper. Leave the garlic in their skins to roast.

Roast at about 200-220C for about 45 minutes, or until your veg is soft and the pan looks like it will never come clean again.

Then blend. I have an immersion blender so I transferred all the veg to another container, squeezed the garlic out of the skins and then blended it to within an inch of its life as S seems to be able to spit out 'bits' even when I swear there isn't anything in there. Add some stock or water if you feel it is too thick. From this amount of veg I can get about 6 portions frozen in glass ramikins. My pan size was approx 30 x 24 cm.

So once you have your basic sauce you can serve it with pasta, adding a spoonful of pesto, cream cheese, cheddar cheese to vary it, it is very nice added to white fish, meatballs or sausages (veggie or meat), couscous, or cooked chickpeas. You can add paprika to spice it up or pretty much any herb you like too. Plus it really is the most awesome orange colour!

Be so great if any of you feel like linking back to here with your toddler proof recipes. I could really do with the inspiration, and it is handy to get it all in one place for me and others! SO if you have something tucked up your virtual blog sleeve please do leave your link below. I will then endeavour to make at least one of your recipes in the and let you know the verdict with Stan!

TWO FOR ONE! {Honest Food}

So recently I've been whipping this up in the kitchen for Stanley to save me time and to give him several yummy and healthy meals for when he is not eating with us. It is a great way to cook as you start with the same base and make at least two different dinners with it. It is also fully adjustable depending on what your kiddos like to eat, and what you have kicking around at the back of the fridge!

So to start chop up all the veg you are using. For this recipe I think it is best to stick to similar vegetable themes if that even makes any sense! So this version I guess was more mediterranean. But you could totally do this with more Autumnal root veggies.

You want to cut up the veg fairly small as although one will be blended the other remains as it is so it is better if they are bite size. This is what we had and what Stanley likes. I have also used Aubergine and prefer red onion but we only had white. Stanley doesn't like broccoli and can spot those floret heads a mlie off so I stay clear!

Mix well with olive oil, coconut or rapeseed and season with some pepper if you like. Make sure your pan is nice and full as the veg will shrink down when roasted. My pan measures 34cm by 28cm.

Then pop into an oven at about 200-220C and roast for about 40 mins, or until your veg looks like this...

Now as this post is quite long and photo heavy you can click below to read the rest!

PUMPKIN & RAISIN TEA LOAF

i cannot begin how to describe how GOOD this loaf is. my mister who normally doesn't like these sort of 'healthy' cakes without ten tonnes of butter in the recipe even said how good it was. granted he smeared his slice with a load of butter, but still. it was a good reception. me and stanley have been enjoying it all week. and not only does it seem to keep really well it tastes yummy without being too heavy on sugar for baby or mother. i think it would be an excellent baby led weaning recipe too. it come from the river cottage veg everyday book, which i use loads. i have just the teenyist bit of a crush on hugh f-w. is that wrong?!

Butter or sunflower oil for greasing
200g light muscovado sugar
4 large eggs, separated
200g grated raw pumpkin or squash flesh
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
100g raisins
100g ground almonds
200g SR flour
Pinch of salt
1tsp cinnamon
Generous grating of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3. Grease and line a 20 x 10 cm (2lb) loaf tin

Beat sugar and egg yolks until pale and creamy. Lightly stir in pumpkin/squash, lemon zest and juice, raisins and ground almonds. Sift flour, salt and spices over then fold in with a large metal spoon. 

Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Stir a heaped tbsp of egg white into cake mix to loosen a bit, then fold the rest in as lightly as you can.

Tip into loaf tin and level the surface. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. 

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins then transfer to a wire rack.

Variations Courgette, Carrot or Beetroot tea loaf

Replace the pumpkin with 200g grated raw courgette, carrot or beetroot.