Moving on to texture

From 9 months old, your baby is likely to progress to three meals a day, and it’s time to introduce more textures into his food if you haven’t already started. You can also introduce dairy such as yoghurt and mozzarella or ricotta cheese.

BABY MUESLI INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup rolled oats

• 1T dried apricots, finely chopped

• 1T seedless raisins, finely chopped TO SERVE

• 2T water, filtered

• ½ banana, mashed

• 2T plain full cream yoghurt

METHOD

1. Place the oats, dried apricot and raisins in a food processor and pulse till very finely ground. Keep this muesli mixture in an airtight container, and use a heaped tablespoon at a time to prepare a yummy breakfast for your baby. It will last for months.

2. To serve: put a tablespoon of muesli into a bowl, cover with water and soak overnight (this makes the oats more digestible). In the morning, mix in all the other ingredients and serve.

CHICKEN & VEG COUSCOUS INGREDIENTS

•

•

• 2T olive oil

2 leeks, finely chopped 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into small cubes or minced in a food processor

• 2 carrots, peeled & diced

• 1⁄2 head broccoli, cut into small florets

• 1 cup couscous

• 1½ cups unsalted chicken stock, preferably home-made

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a pan, add the leeks and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the chicken and sauté 5 minutes more until cooked.

2. Meanwhile, place the carrots and broccoli in a saucepan with a little boiling water and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.

3. Place the couscous in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling stock. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it stand for 10-15 minutes until all the stock has been absorbed.

4. Fluff the couscous with a fork, stir in the chicken and vegetables and leave to cool.

5. Spoon into suitable freezer containers and freeze portions for up to 3 months. ●