Apple Spice Loaf

Simple to make, perfect for morning tea or coffee group and your whole house smells like Christmas!

When I saw Pacific Rose apples at the Takapuna Market last Sunday for 80 cents a kilo, I knew I was going to make this Apple Spice Loaf.

This is one that your whole family can enjoy. And, if your baby has started on finger food, this makes a nice treat for them.

Isobel can make a slice of this apple spice loaf disappear in the blink of an eye - and not down the back of her high chair if you know what I mean. It is one of the only things that makes her happy when a molar is coming in! And cuddles, of course :)

Recipe for Apple Spice Loaf:
Whisk together: 1 cup soft brown sugar, 3/4 cup soya or canola oil, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 eggs.
Mix in 2 cups grated apple.
Add: 1and3/4 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1 tsp salt.
Pour into prepared loaf tin and bake at 180C for 45-55 mins until golden and firm in the middle and the sides are pulling away from the tin. Cool in tin for 15 mins then turn out onto wire rack. Cool before slicing, if you can wait that long :)

Recipe Notes:
*Can also substitute apple for same amount of grated courgettes (2 med) or pureed pumpkin.
*2 cups grated apple is about 2 med-large apples. The more the better I say. I used organic and grated in the food processor with the skins right on - yay, no peeling!
*when baking this recipe with apple, go more for the 45 min rather than 55min to keep it nice and moist.

I have made this 3x in the past 2 weeks: once with courgettes and twice with apple. They are both delish! If making baby food and pureeing pumpkin, make extra and try this with the pumpkin ~ and let me know how it turns out!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin powers up immunity

Want an instant, proven immunity boost? Want to keep colds and flu at bay in your household this winter? Power up the pumpkin!

The vibrant orange colour of pumpkin is your clue that it is full of beta carotene, an important antioxidant that keep your baby's skin bright and eyesight sharp. Pumpkin is very rich in other carotenoids which are known for keeping the immune system strong.

Click here for pumpkin puree recipe.

Chicken and pumpkin quesadillas make a super-tasty meal out of your leftover chicken roast and are really easy to whip up. You can slice them into finger food for 9-12 month old babies or larger slices for the whole family.

Recipe for Cauliflower

Here are all of my little cauliflower florets washed, trimmed from the stalk and ready for a light steam.

Isobel is 9 1/2 months old and into her finger food so I will cut the steamed cauliflower into bite-sized pieces for her and freeze handy servings in my mumi&bubi freezing tray.

If your bub is just starting solids, puree the cauliflower to a nice consistency (adding some of the reserved steaming water) and then spoon into your mumi&bubi freezing tray. If bubs is a bit older and into lumpy textures, you can mash to his preferred lumpiness and then freeze.

It's amazing what you learn doing this - I had no idea that cauliflower was sooooo good for you, lifesaving almost!

After checking out this article, you'll definitely want cauliflower on the menu a couple of times a week :) I think I will even keep some extra cubes of cauli puree on hand to sneak into pasta sauces and casseroles this winter.

9 months!

Happy Birthday Isobel, 9 months old today! She started solids nearly four months ago and I am so happy to say that she has had 100% healthy homemade baby food made by me, and sometimes her Daddy :) It has been so easy with the Solids Starter Kit.

Isobel celebrated this milestone by totally feeding herself her dinner! No one was more shocked than me as Max didn't do this until a little later. Which goes to show that all babies are their own little people and will do things at their own pace.

Moving on from the puree stage, I am going to continue using my 'Solids Starter Kit' for keeping her meals organised and freezing portions of finger food - mushrooms, swede, carrots, etc. so that I have freshly prepared food that Isobel can feed herself on hand in the freezer.

I am also going to be freezing portions of our family meals and I am going to try the Chicken and Kumara Dinner that was submitted by Rebecca one day soon.

It's all about being prepared saving time and not having to cook all the time, but still providing healthy homemade food for your precious little ones.

Isobel's first finger food

Isobel is still mostly having purees as she is not the least bit interested in any kind of mashed or lumpy food. Fair enough!

Lately she started making gestures with her little hands as if she was picking up imaginary food and feeding herself. Normal? Who knows :) It was totally cute though and the clearest sign in the world that perhaps it is time to let her indulge in some well-deserved finger food.

Babies are so good at letting you know when they are ready for the next level! They definitely tell you in their own little way.

But what to give, since she is not used to actually chewing and swallowing bits of food??? I started with something soft that she could easily chew or "gum", like courgettes, pictured above.

I cooked the courgettes sliced in rounds, steamed until soft and then placed 5 or 6 into each cube of my mumi&bubi freezing tray and popped into the freezer. These cubes "lever" out just like cubes of pureed food.

**You can see in the pic that I pureed half of the rounds to mix in with other veg and meat. This finger food thing is new so I'll still need to feed her most of her solids for now :)

For serving, I warm the courgette cube of frozen rounds, then cut each round into smaller pieces. I'll give her the whole piece when she is a bit older.

It is so handy to have a supply this easy courgette finger food ready to go in your freezer!

Courgettes are a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals important for your baby's health and development. See nutritional info and puree recipe here at our original courgettes puree post.