rubbish cook needs simple recipes for us and 9month baby..

[stuckperson]

Am so stuck - am not very confident at cooking, and don't know if there are any basic recipes that anyone could suggest.. of things that I can make for me and other half, that we can whizz/mash up for baby.

Have got until midnight to modify online shop that is coming tomorrow... so any suggestions tonight would be really welcome.

Couldn't BLW as baby was a bit prem, and fed up of cooking seperately for him as I can't then be bothered to cook for us so we just end up eating not very well!

Anyone have anything that works well and for his age group of (nearly) 9months?

Hello.

Sorry, I've missed your midnight deadline so this might not help.

I'd suggest two things:

Try the Annabel Karmel books for ideas (AK isn't popular on MN but stuff it, it's as good a start as any)

Then menu plan for you all before you do shopping.

If I could remember what 9month olds eat, I'd make some suggestions!

Shepherds pie, chicken/beef casserole, lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, fish pie, pasta bakes, curries, anything!

DD is almost 9 months now, I used to spend hours preparing separate dishes for her to have. Now I just leave out seasoning my food with salt until it has cooked and I have taken some out for DD.

Does he have any finger foods at all?

Get the book Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food (from the library if you are not sure, and then photocopy the recipes you like) - there are loads of lovely, easy recipes in there.

Annabel Karmel is supposed to be very good for purees as mentioned.

Oh and a good tip - if you like spicy food but your baby doesn't, get some full fat greek yoghurt, and put a dollop into the baby's portion before you mash or blend it. It cools it down in both senses of the word, and it adds protein and calcium to the meal.

Thanks - looked on the Ministry of Food site and there was a really easy recipe for fish pie, which will give me something to be getting on with, thank you!

An Annabel Karmel book worked for me. It was however, kind of common sense. Cook some veg, mash it up. COok some apple or pear, mash it up too. However, the clever bit was the recipes were including rich flavours, such as cinnamon or vanilla. "They" reckon that as the neural pathways which are developed in the infant years are the highways that future pathways branch off, the flavours a baby leans to enjoy are crucial to developing an open-minded approach to eating in later years.

More important than that, having a lot of foods rich in unhealthy flavours, such as sugar or salt, can set a person up for life with a preference for these foods.

We gave our DS a lot of strong flavours before the age of two, such as blue cheese, olives, garlic and capers. He now eagerly races to the cheese section of the supermarket yelling "stinky cheese, stinky cheese". (OK I know this is not a healthy choice. Better than being hooked on those bland cheese stick things or babybells however)

Summer fruit season shortly upon us means you can add all sorts of berries and things like rhubarb to your apple/pear puree.

And remember, a whole (nutritious) meal can made in a moment by spooning out the contents of an avocado, or mashing a banana.

OK, you can't cook well. There are a few things I can suggest that are easy to make and delicious, whilst simple to mash up for a young'un.

Leek and Potato Soup:

Two Leeks
Five big potatoes (ten small ones!)
About a litre of stock (veg or chicken)

Fry the leeks in oil or butter for a bit, drop in the other ingredients, cook till the spuds are breaking up and blitz.

Sweet potato soup:

Four sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
One can of coconut cream
One onion, chopped
A tablespoon of your favourite thai or indian curry paste

Cook the onions and curry paste in some groundnut oil, add the rest of the ingredients, blitz the lot when spuds are cooked.

Macaroni cheese is a good choice as all infants love pasta. You can add mustard or a strong flavoured cheese to make it more interesting.

I'll think of some other stuff after tonight's half bottle of wine and cocktails have worn off.

There are lots of ideas here, I think the easiest thing is a bit of plaice or lemon sole, ask the fishmonger to fillet it and skin it for you. I then put it in my steamer on a medium heat until the flesh has all turned white.

I then add mashed potato and mashed frozen peas and he loves it.

You just mix it all up. You can also add philadelphia and spinach. With spinach I put in a microwavable bowl with a little water and put on for 2 minutes, drain off water and mix altogether.