What Lily Ate - Part 9

Posted by Kristin on December 14, 2016

 

Lily is nine months old now and we’ve finally got her into a good routine of eating her three little meals a day. On a typical day, she’ll also consume two snacks and four bottles of her lactose-free formula milk. She’s becoming a very independent little lady and really enjoys self-feeding so we’ve introduced a much wider range of finger foods alongside her spoon feeds. Out of all of Lily’s meals, I have had the most difficulty in creating tasty, healthy breakfasts.

 

Why is breakfast so important?

You probably heard from your own parents, who heard it from their parents before them, on many a morning that ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ and I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Breakfast provides the best start to a mealtime routine and I believe it is one of the most important food habits your children can develop.

For babies, breakfast is a great time for bonding. After a nice, long sleep through the night (hopefully!), babies are raring to go. They are usually much more receptive to new tastes and textures first thing in the morning when they are well rested, so it can be a great time to try something new. 

Lily has really been enjoying her breakfasts, which have been a mixture of spoon feeds and finger food. I usually give Lily about half of her morning milk feed before her solid breakfast so that she’s not too hungry/ cranky to enjoy breakfast.

I’ve also been using her usual formula milk in her porridge, quinoa and cereals as she is used to the familiar taste.

 

Tips to encourage breakfast as part of your morning ritual:

Getting the kids prepared for the day ahead with a healthy, nutritious breakfast can be a struggle… I should know, I have four of them to get up, washed, dressed, fed and out the door within a short space of time. It’s stressful to say the least!

The following tips may help make life a little easier for you and your family:

·         Set your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier to allow time to prepare a quick breakfast

·         Sit down and eat breakfast together. Lead by example, if your baby/children see you eating they should want to do the same. Let your kids see you making time to enjoy breakfast every day. Even if you just wash some toast and a banana down with a glass of milk, you’re showing them how important it is to face the day after refuelling your brain and body with a healthy breakfast.

·         If your baby refuses spoon feeds or your older children complains that they are not hungry, try offering something small, that they can eat independently, like a banana or yogurt. This may encourage the habit of eating breakfast regularly.

·         Let toddlers and older children help prepare breakfast and they should be more interested in eating it.

 

Reasons why you should have breakfast:

1.       After a good night’s sleep and hours of fasting, babies little bodies need to be refuelled. Skipping breakfast can make them feel tired, restless or irritable. Their mood and energy levels will drop by mid-morning if they don’t eat at least a small morning meal.

2.       A nutritious breakfast provides a significant amount of the day’s vitamins and minerals such as protein, iron, calcium, B Vitamins and fibre.

3.       Eating breakfast gives the metabolism a daily kick-start helping your little ones to better use the food they eat for energy.

4.       Breakfast aids concentration and attention span and helps your little one to focus on playing, learning and remembering.

5.       Little ones who eat breakfast are more likely to eat a nutritious diet overall and be more physically active, reducing their risk of being overweight and obese. 

6.       Older children who eat breakfast every day tend to have better attendance at school, improved concentration and mental performance.

 

What makes a healthy breakfast?

It’s often really difficult for mums and dads to know what to feed their little ones first thing in the morning and what they have for breakfast is really important.

Breakfast should include some carbohydrates, protein and fibre. Carbohydrates are a good source of immediate energy for the body. Energy from protein tends to kick in after the carbohydrates are used up. Fibre should help move food through the digestive system, preventing constipation. It also helps provide a feeling of fullness and should discourage overeating.

The breakfast cereal market is a lucrative one. It’s well reported that many breakfast cereals and bars on the supermarket shelves are laden with sugar and salt, despite being marketed heavily towards children. Avoid highly refined, sugar-coated cereals and don’t be fooled by the list of added vitamins and minerals on the side of the packet. Unprocessed cereals are much healthier and are a good source of iron.

 

Healthy breakfasts should include:

·         Wholegrain bread, cereal or grain, for example multigrain bread, oats, quinoa

·         A serve of dairy or dairy alternative, e.g. milk, yogurt or cheese

·         Fruit or vegetables e.g. sliced banana, chopped strawberries or grated apple

 

Examples of healthy breakfast include:

·         Unsweetened porridge with milk and topped with mashed ripe fruit such as pear or banana, or unsweetened stewed fruit such as apples or dates

·         Toast fingers with mashed banana, avocado or hard-boiled egg yolks (eggs are an excellent source of protein, vitamins and iron. Make sure they are cooked solid for kids under one

·         Unsweetened stewed fruit, healthy breakfast cereal with plain, unsweetened yogurt

 

Healthy breakfast recipes:

Apple and Blueberry Porridge

 

It can be difficult to know what to give your little one for breakfast every day but this is a real winner with Lily and is so easy to make.  The apples and blueberries add a wonderful flavor to make a really nutritious breakfast.  It freezes really well and is a real lifesaver when you have it already made up in little portions. There are lots of different flavor combinations that can be made for breakfast porridge including apple and cinnamon. Don’t be scared to get creative so your little one doesn’t get bored.

 

Ingredients:

3 apples

1 cup blueberries (can be fresh or frozen)

1 cup of porridge Oats

 

Method:

1. Peel and core the apples and chop into small chunks.  Wash the blueberries.
2. Place the apples and blueberries into a saucepan and add 1 cup water.  Simmer on low heat for a few minutes until the apple is tender, and the blueberries have burst open.
3. Cook the oats separately by placing 2 cups water into a saucepan and adding the oats.  Gently heat through, whilst stirring occasionally, until the oats are bubbling, and are slightly creamy.  Allow the porridge to cool.
4. Add the porridge, apples and blueberries to a blender and puree until smooth.  Add some of the cooking water from the blueberries and apples if needed. 
5. Portion into small portions and freeze.

 

Apple, Pear and Raspberry Pot

 

Ingredients:

Handful of raspberries

½ pear

½ apple

 

Method:

1. Peel and core the apple and pear and chop into small chunks.
2. Place the apple and pear into a saucepan and add ½ cup water and bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer gently until the apple and pear are tender.
3. Allow to cool slightly, then add the raspberries to the apple and pear and puree in a blender.
4. Serve once cool and for the rest you can portion in an ice cube tray and freeze.
5. Defrost overnight or at room temperature before serving as it does not need to be heated.

 

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

2 eggs

½ cup rolled oats

 

Method:

1.       In a blender, combine the bananas, eggs and oats

2.       Allow to blend until the mixture is as smooth as possible and blended well. Allow the batter to stand for 10-15 minutes until thickened slightly. Don’t worry if you do come across any lumps.

3.       Place a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Add one table spoon of the pancake batter to the pan. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to fit about five pancakes at a time, so cook them in batches until all of the batter is used up.

4.       When little bubbles begin to form on top of the pancakes, flip over and cook on the other side.

5.       They do cook very quickly, so check often to avoid burning

6.       Once cooked on both sides, cool on a wire rack before serving (the banana can be very hot!)

 

Your pancakes can be frozen for up to 3 months, just pop them into zip lock bags and defrost in the fridge overnight. Ready to serve with some chopped fresh fruit or plain yogurt in the morning, they make the perfect, self-serve nutritious breakfast for babies and older kids too!

 

 

Sweet Potato, cheese and quinoa hash brown cups

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, grated

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

½ cup cooked quinoa

1 tablespoon coconut oil

 

Method:

1.       Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease a 12 cup regular sized muffin tray with your coconut oil and set aside.

2.       Combine the grated sweet potato, cheese and cooked quinoa in a large mixing bowl.

3.       Fill muffin cups with the mixture and press down with the back of a spoon until full to the top. They will shrink when baked.

4.       Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

5.       Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack before serving.

 

Your hash browns can be frozen for up to 3 months, just pop them into zip lock bags and defrost in the fridge overnight. They taste delicious on their own or topped with some mashed avocado or plain yogurt.

 

A typical day for Lily:

	Monday	Tueday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast   6.30- 7am	6.50 porridge with apple, pear and raspberry puree  5 oz milk	7.00 2 mini banana pancakes, ¼ pear sliced -    5oz milk	6.30 porridge with stewed apple and sprinkle of cinnamon    5oz milk	7.00 2 hash brown cups and ¼ avocado sliced 5oz milk	porridge - apple, pear and blueberry 5oz milk
Snack between   10-11am	10am 5oz milk ½ coconut squishie	10.45am  5oz milk           1 wafer wisp, hummous	5oz milk           1 slice toast in fingers, hummous	5.oz milk              ripe soft pear	10.45 5oz milk ½ coconut squishie
Lunch around 12noon	chicken and veggie dinner	½ avocado mashed	coconut squishie	chicken and veggie dinner	baby banana rice cake, chicken, apricot and butternut squash puree
Snack between 2-3pm	2.00pm 5 oz milk    1 wafer wisp	1 chopped banana	2.00pm 5oz milk    Wafer wisp	5oz milk         1 banana mashed	3.00pm 5oz milk ¼  avocado, 1 slice toast in fingers
Dinner around 5pm - bed at 7pm	Chicken and tomato baby pasta ¼ avocado sliced 7.00pm 7oz milk	chicken and veg dinner                  7.00pm 7oz milk	carrots , potatoes, beans                   7.00pm 7oz milk	avocado, beans, carrots           7.00pm 7oz milk	1/4 large ripe pear Small bowl porridge 7.00pm 7oz milk

 

 Do you have any great healthy breakfast recipes you would like to share? Or tips on getting your family up and at them in a stress-free fashion? We would love to hear from you - comment in the section below, email parents@heavenlytastyorganics.com or write to us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Google+

 

Shauna.x.