Homemade jelly

Ingredients

1 tbs (14g) edible gelatine (I bought the McCormicks brand in the cake section)
400 mls fruit juice
1 cup of hot water

Method

1. Dissolve 1 tbs (14g) of the edible gelatine into 1 cup of hot water - stir thoroughly to get rid of any gelatine lumps. Keep stirring until all the gelatine has dissolved. This is important as if you add the gelatine to a cold liquid mix the gelatine will become lumpy.
2. Add to 400mls of fruit juice. Refrigerate overnight to set.

Note: For the fruit juice I used leftover water that I had stewed apples and pears in. I also added some of the stewed apples and pears that I mashed first to the jelly mix. I think it works better if you add hot liquid to the gelatine mix to dissolve it fully. Also I used this leftover hot stewed apple and pear juice in step 1 instead of hot water as I wanted a stronger fruit flavour.

If you want to add your own freshly squeezed fruit juice I would suggest adding more hot water to the gelatine mix in step 1 and reduce the fruit juice amount in step 2. All up you should get approx 650 mls of liquid.

Finger Food Ideas

Finger food/Snack ideas

Have a fussy baby who just doesn't want to be fed? Here are some great finger food ideas for the independent baby! As always make sure your baby is never left alone while eating and ensure the finger food you give is of an appropriate size and texture for your baby to avoid choking. Don't give finger food if you feel your baby isn't ready.

Also included in this list are snack ideas, because some days it seems my son just wants to eat, eat, eat.

• Tuna/salmon mini rissoles
• Mini pikelets
• Grated or steamed sticks/cubes of vegetables or fruit (e.g. apple, pear, broccoli, corn, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, cauliflower, carrot)
• Sausages cut up (although limit sausages due to preservatives and salt)
• Peices of cooled cooked pasta - add some cheese and avocado on top melted for an even tastier snack - Angela's twins love these!
• Ravioli
• Fish fingers
• Cheese sticks
• Pita bread or mountain bread cut or torn up
• Sushi
• Mini pizza fingers
• Polenta fingers in sauce
• Mini sandwiches - some great spreads include avocado, cream cheese, cheese, baby vegemite, hummous, tuna with cottage cheese, boiled egg with shell removed
• Cruskits with spread on them
• Hard boiled eggs peeled and quartered
• Scrambled eggs
• Omelette
• Baked beans 
• Dried apricots, prunes or sultanas (make sure they are cut up to avoid choking)
• Mini rice cakes, mum mum rice rusks
• Jelly
• Crepes cut up into strips 
• Hummous with bread or crackers (like cruskits)
• Fried rice
• Tofu ( I use firm tofu) cut up into cubes and cooked with a little bit of soy sauce
• Yoghurt
• Zucchini slice
• Frozen berries
• Fresh fruit cut up or enjoy whole like a banana
• Stewed fruit - apples, pears
• Crumpets
• Smoothie 
• Chicken nuggets
• Meat balls/chicken balls
• Cooked potato topped with cheese
• Corn on the cob
• Banana yoghurt muffins

Tuna Mornay

This one was a big hit with my husband and son!

Ingredients

• 50g butter, chopped
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped (this is optional especially when cooking for younger bubs)
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 425g can tuna in springwater, drained, flaked
• 1 (100g) medium bread roll
• Olive oil cooking spray

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
2. Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes or until melted and foaming. Add onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion has softened (onion is optional). Add flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture bubbles.
3. Removethe  pan from heat. Slowly add milk, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly to prevent lumps forming. Return pan to medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and tuna.
4. Divide mixture between four 1 cup-capacity ovenproof dishes. Place dishes on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

You can also at Step 4 divide the mix into smaller size tupperware containers and freeze. To re heat you can bake in the oven or pop them into the microwave!

To turn into a family meal or an adult version, divide out your baby portions. Then place the remaining mix into a casserole dish. In a separate bowl tear up 1-2 medium bread rolls (or 2 slices of bread - day old works better) and add the zest of one lemon, 1-2 tbs of finely chopped parsely and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Spread over the mixture in the casserole dish and bake in the oven for 15 mins until golden brown on top - enjoy!

Finger food - mini pikelets

Make a basic pikelet mix and add in any combination of veg, fruit, chicken, tuna, meat, cheese etc (just make sure the ingredients are finely chopped, grated or shredded).
A favorite in our house is tuna, cheese and creamed corn.

Basic pikelet mix
1 cup self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder (if you don't have it you can make without)
3/4 cup milk
1 egg lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
125g can creamed corn
95g tinned tuna in spring water

1. Sift flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Make a well in centre.
2. Whisk milk and egg together in a bowl. Add creamed corn. Stir to combine then add to flour mix. Stir well to combine
3. Lightly spray a non-stick frying pan with oil. Heat over medium heat. Using 1 tablespoon batter at a time, cook pikelets, in batches, for 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbles form on surface. Carefully turn. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat. To freeze wrap pikelets in baking paper and place in a plastic bag or tupperware container.

 (recipe adapted from www.taste.com.au)

Tuna, beef and chicken combos

Hi all,

Here are some ideas for protein mixes for bubs from the super mum of twins Angela May. Thanks for the ideas Angela, these look like some yummy combos!  

Tuna

Can use tinned tuna in springwater

• Tuna, sweet potato and Apple
• Tuna, asparagus and cottage cheese (can use tinned asparagus which is nice and easy or fresh asparagus if you feel like cooking it). Just mix all three together and warm in microwave.  
• Tuna, avacado and cottage cheese    

Chicken
Can use cooked chicken breast, or bbq chicken. Up to you if you want to steam, boil, grill chicken, or you can cook a whole chicken in the slowcooker and it is really tender and falls off the bone. Remove first skin and bones and break up into whatever size your bub is capable of eating. You can then freeze whatever you dont use. 

• Chicken, zuchinni and sweet potato 
• Chicken, potato and swede  
• Chicken, potato and cottage cheese
• Chicken, pumpkin, zuchinni 
• Chicken, carrot and apple  

The list is endless, you can pretty much mix any vegetable with any meat. Choose your bubs favourtites and go for it!

Beef
Cook with your choice of cooking method.

• Beef, carrot, and zuchinni 
• Beef, pumpkin, apple  again choose almost any vegetable to mix with beef    

Cous Cous
Cook as per instructions on the packet 

• Cous cous, pumpkin and apple
• Cous cous, tinned tomato and any vegetable you like. I add the tinned tomato to the cous cous in the sauce pan when it is just about cooked and heat through, then place however much i want in bubs plate and add my pre cooked vegetables and mix together.