1. Fruit Muesli

This breakfast idea provides sustained energy for your baby through the morning.

Ingredients for 2 portions:

• 1 oz rolled oats
• 1 dried pear, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sultanas
• 1 oz wheatgerm
• 5 fl oz unsweetened apple juice
• ½ apple grated
• 4 grapes

1. Mix the oats, wheatgerm, pear and sultanas together in a bowl.
2. Pour over the apple juice.
3. Leave to soak overnight.
4. Add the apple and grapes before serving.
5. Blend the mix if your baby hasn’t learnt to chew. Once baby can chew there will be no need to blend.

2. Exotic Fruit Salad

Fresh fruit is an essential part of your growing baby’s diet. What’s more, the range of exotic fresh fruit available these days means that your child can discover a whole pallet of tastes that wouldn’t have been so widely available even just a few years ago.
You never know what you might discover yourself – so make sure you try a few bites as well!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

• 1 kiwi fruit, peeled
• ½ Papaya, peeled and stoned
• ½ Mango, peeled and stoned
• 2 lychees, peeled and stoned
• Juice of 1 large orange

1. Finely chop all the fruit.
2. Mix together in a bowl.
3. Pour over the orange juice.
4. If your baby has learnt how to chew there is no need to blend. However for younger babies and those that have yet to master this technique you can blend the mixture.

Variations. Why not create your own fruit combinations? Try using peaches, nectarines, pears, blueberries, raspberries – the choices are endless!

3. Simple Chicken Stir-fry

This is the type of dish that will get ensure your baby not only gets a fine balance of nutrition, but also begins to develop the kind of tastes that will soon have her eating much the same foods as you do.

Ingredients for 3 portions:

• 1 chicken breast fillet, skinned and boned cut into very small pieces
• ½ small onion, finely chopped
• 25g (1oz) button mushrooms chopped into small pieces
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp plain flour
• 1 tsp soy sauce
  

1. Chop the chicken into small, bite-size pieces and coat with the flour.
2. Sprinkle the coated chicken with the soy sauce and leave for 20 minutes
3. Heat the oil and add the onion. Cook over a medium heat for 3- 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the chicken and continue to stir-fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
5. Then add the mushrooms and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes – until all ingredients are tender.
6. Serve with pasta, and make sure that all the chicken pieces are cut into small enough sizes for your baby to chew. For younger babies you can puree this dish using a blender.
   
   

4. Fresh Spaghetti Bolognese for Baby

Give baby a taste of Italy with this classic dish. Easy to prepare and easy for your baby to digest, this wholesome mix of ingredients provides essential nutrients as well as a great flavour.

Ingredients for 6 portions:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ small onion, peeled ad chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1 oz carrots, grated
• 4 oz lean minced beef
• ½ teaspoon tomato puree
• 2 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped
• 3 fl oz chicken stock
• 1 ½ oz pasta

1. Warm the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onion and the garlic and sauté for 4 minutes over a medium heat.
3. Add the carrots and cook for a further 3 minutes.
4. Add the minced beef and brown.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and the tomato puree and bring to the boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Once cooked chop into small pieces.
8. You can blend the Bolognese sauce if you wish – or perhaps your baby can chew the mince pieces.

Note: Only the sauce is suitable for freezing – not the cooked pasta.