Super Dessert for Babies: Cranberry & Raisins Rice Pudding

The boy gobbled down today's meal so quickly that I knew I had another winner on hand.

Since he had a nice bowl for dinner shortly ago, I thought I will make him dessert instead. It smelt so nice that I tasted it myself. Pass on adult's palate too. Ha. He ate the first serving fast and asked for more, so this mother gladly fed him 10 tablespoons of this nutritionally and calories dense meal. And he had another 2 tablespoons (estimate) of raw blueberries.

Ingredients:
1. Organic cranberry: is incredibly high in phytonutrients, antioxidants, anti carcinogenic, optimises the balance of bacteria in our digestive tract. Likely blueberry, cranberry is low allergenic and suitable for babies.
2. Organic Raisins: amazingly high in calories,raisins also provide relief from constipation, electrolytes and polyphenolic antioxidants.
3. Baby Nat basic rice cereal
4. Organic raw wheat germ: should be used more often in our meals. Raw wheat germ is the most vitamin and mineral-rich part of the wheat kernel.
5. Water

Instructions:
1. Blitz raisins and cranberries till it is paste like
2. Add rice ceral, wheat gèrm and water. Add water and stir to delight.

Cannellini and Sunflower seeds Pie

Just baked this pie in school and it was satisfying to hear the children chorus 'I want more I want more'.

Today's snack is low gluten (mainly because I didnt use GF oatmeal), egg free, dairy free and highly nutritious.

Cannellini beans is high in protein and iron, boosts memory and is great for a growing young child. It is buttery in taste and great for adding a nutty creamy texture to the dish.

Sunflower seeds is rich in vitamin Bs, E, calcium and calories. So it is great for sustaining the energy of our active little ones.

Ingredients:
1 cup Tapioca flour
1 cup Potato flour
1 cup Oatmeal
1 cup Cannellini beans (partially mashed to retain texture)
1/3 cup Sunflower seeds
Baking powder
1/3 cup soaked chia seeds (to replace eggs)
2/3 cup Olive oil

Instructions:
Bake at 160 degrees celsius for 25 mins.

Shredded Pork Oats Noodles with Avocado & VCO sauce

My two children are blessed with incredibly high metabolism. It's particularly apparent in my baby.

He was born as a chubby baby of 4.1 kg (96%) and 54.5 cm (100%). He shed the fat quite quickly, despite me having more than ample milk supply.

We checked in with his paed periodically and verified there was nothing really wrong. In fact, he was ahead in his milestones. I expressed once and found I could express 3 oz easily after nursing him. Milk looked normal with acceptable level of fat. He nurses direct 10-13 times daily and I think it is fair to estimate a daily milk in take of 30-39 oz, with 32 oz daily as a recommended average.

Then the only logical left is his high latent metabolism fueled by the fact he is very active.

This is where it gets contentious. Some parents would say, "my child is slim because he is active" and leaves it as that. I am of the school of thought that if a child has a higher base metabolism, then for each activitity he does, he would burn more calories. Now coupled with the fact that he is more active than the next child, doesn't this child need a higher calories count per day to survive? In order to gain weight, this child will need to consume more calories than his body daily requirement.

My objective is less of getting my children to gain weight. My objective is that I am feeding my child as much as he needs to grow optimally. I want my child to realise his potential. 

Now the usual approach to baby weaning has been the nutrition / puree approach. However, comparing like for like of an apple versus rice, the former contains less calories. The puree approach using fruits is also more likely to create sugar high and low in babies. Therefore, our mothers and grandmothers were doing something right after all with the porridge base approach to baby weaning!

The meals I designed and prepared for my own baby, babies and bigger kids in school tend to be carbohydrates and good fat based. Over 50% of a child's calories should come from carbohydrates.

Tonight's dinner for my 9 month old baby is organic oats noodles (egg free), boiled shredded pork, a chunky avocado, VCO and Singo pear puree as sauce. High in calories, fat and iron. The baby gave his stamp of approval and ate really quickly.

Dessert was Australian mango (diced) and egg free white bread (1.5 slices). Then he nursed and slept. His hearty appetite made my day in a way I guess most mommies can relate to.

Avocado, Chicken, Potato: Baby version of a club sandwich

The baby loved what I prepared for him today and so I thought, best jot it down so I can make again. Haha.

Poached and diced chicken, chunky boiled pink potato without skin, avocado, steamed pumpkin, with blended green peas and brown rice. And a dash of VCO.

High in calories, good fat, diverse range of vitamins.

He ate 10-11 tablespoons eagerly. I am a happy mommy.

Weight Gaining and Appetite Increasing Biscuits

Decided to direct my angst to a productive cause, and cook something for my picky eater of a son. Recently, all he wants is finger food. I feed him small pieces of fruits like sliced avocado, egg yolk, sliced beef AND his favourites are the biscuits, puff variety. He goes through so much a day.

Even though they are organic, I look at the ingredients (flour, skimmed milk powder, butter typically) and don't feel quite at ease that I am not in complete control.

At the same time, two other parents asked me for my opinion on pediasure for their picky eaters. I was advising one that pediasure's main ingredient is really cornstarch,why pay so much to feed your child corn starch. Then inspiration struck.

Here it goes - My baby friendly biscuits which has the texture of a shortbread. It offers the crunch factor that older infants like and it melts in the mouth right away. It is high calories (great for gaining weight), high in calcium and I was cheeky to use Appeton's lysine to give the biscuit an orange flavour. The more the child eats, the more he or she will eat. Heehee. My little fussy bossy eater eats one row of the biscuits at one sitting, so I am a happy mom.

Ingredients:
120g unsalted butter
2 teaspoon of Virgin Coconut Oil
240 g corn starch (this is why the biscuit will melt in the mouth)
120 g self raising flour (can substitute half with ground millet or ground oats)
120 g of Bellamy organic full fat milk powder
1.5 teaspoon of presoaked chia seeds (this is the binding agent)
Pinch of baking soda
0.5 teaspoon of orange flavour lysine (optional, debatable if lysine increases appetite anyway)

Instructions:

1. Melt butter, add VCO oil and lysine

2. Add in dry ingredients. If the dough is wet, add more flour

3. Bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 10 mins. Each of my biscuit is about 2 cm in diameter before baking.

Melt in the mouth biscuits