HEALTHY BUT SO YUMMY KIDS PARTY FOOD ! Yes it is possible !!! 

Kids Birthday Parties can be fun, yummy and … Heathy ! Yes they can ! There is no need to buy only junk food or to have everything with added sugar.

A few weeks ago I organised Chloe’s 1st birthday party. I wanted a sugar free party, why? Because most of Chloe’s guests were 1 year old or under and because I haven’t given Chloe sugar before. I have gathered lots of different ideas about kids party food from Pinterest and I have  adapted some sugary recipes so that they are sugar free.

This is what I have prepared for the party


ICE CREAM CONES 

Ice Cream Cones dipped in blended blueberry and coconut.  You can make so many different versions of it, depending on the age of the kids.

– chocolate and nuts

– chocolate and coconut

– blueberry and cornflakes

– melted marshmallows

ICE CREAM CONES WITH FRUITS

Stuff ice cream cones with any fruits you like. It’s sweet, healthy and it looks great.

SWEETCORN AND PEAS 

All kids love those ! Put them in to cute little cupcake cases to serve.

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KIWI FLOWERS

 Another fun way to serve fruits. Use a small cookie, flower cutter to use around the kiwi. Top the kiwi with a raspberry and add a leaf of mint to finish it of.

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STRAWBERRIES 
Strawberry is another great replacement to sweets/cookies. Because of its sweetness and vibrant colour kids (most of the kids) love them.

Dip strawberries in a soft cream and … coconut for a super healthy snack or in dark chocolate and then coconut if your kids are already eating chocolate.

You can also cut strawberry in half and put little dots of soft cream/ chocolate on top to make little ladybirds.

 

HEART AND STAR SHAPED SANDWICHES 

I know that this is a lot of work but I can do once a year for a special occasion. Just make your sandwiches and flatten them,  use biscuit cutter of a desired shape to cut them. Just remember that the sandwich needs to be very simple : soft cheese, cheese or ham are ideal.Screen Shot 2015-11-24 at 20.46.23

MAGIC WAND

Kids love blueberries so get some of them on a toothpick, topped with a star cut out of watermelon and you have a magic wand ready. I have used bought toothpicks with gold stars on top of it.

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BANNANA MUFFINS

Bannana sugar free muffins are a great alternative to the traditional ones. They have been a hit on all of the babies parties I have been to (you can find the recipe on my blog).


ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MEAL …MEATBALLS WITH CABBAGE IN TOMATO SAUCE

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MEAL….

MEATBALLS WITH CABBAGE IN TOMATO SAUCE

Golabki is a traditional polish dish of a cabbage leaves filled with mincemeat and rice in a tomato sauce. I really wanted Chloe to try it so I have came up with a baby version of this dish, surpassing it worked and Chloe loved it.
Ingredients :

– 100g of cabbage (cut small)

– 200g pork mincemeat

– 50g carrot (cut in to small squares)

– 500ml vegetable stock

– 2 sweet potatoes

– 50g couscous

– 1 egg

– 3 tbsp of tomato pure

– 1 tsp of oregano

– 1 tsp of basil

– 1 garlic cove

Cooking method :

Make the couscous. Mix half of the cabbage, mincemeat, egg, couscous, garlic and oregano together. Form little meatballs.

Bring vegetable stock to boil and add tomato pure. Add meatballs, cabbage, carrot and basil to the boiling vegetable stock, simmer for 15-20 minutes. Mine while cook sweet potato then cut in to small cubes. Add potatoes to meatballs and you are ready to serve !

CHRISTMAS DINNER  let’s get all dressed up ! 

Christmas dinner is a special event for which you will need a very special outfit for your gorgeous baby. This year is all about Reds, Checks and Golds and below are my favourite picks.

JOHN LEWIS


ASDA

  
SAINSBURY


MOTHER CARE



M&CO


LINDEX

  

   MAYORAL CHIC (at childrensalon)


MONNALISA CHIC (at childrensalon)

  MAMAS AND PAPAS

  

SMASH THE CAKE BABY !!!

 I love the cake smashing photos of babies covered in cake, icing and chocolate ! I also like the idea of giving then some sugar for the first time and capturing theirs reaction on the camera. What I don’t like is the though of all of the sugar that they will eat!  That’s why I decided to make my own cake and get a “healthy balance” between sugar and healthy cake. I decided to make a bannana cake and cover it in normal icing. That way Chloe wouldn’t have that much sugar and icing would give her a taste of the forbidden thing.  

 Cake came up very tasty but I must admit bcause of the texture it’s not the best one for smashing…. Especially if your baby doesn’t like to get dirty …. 

 I was expecting Chloe to go gravy for the icing and the cake … But she didn’t ! She wasn’t too bothered about it (which outside of the photoshot is a good thing) and it took us a long time to try and get her a bit messy. I had to get pretty messy myself trying to I courage my daughter to play with the cake … That’s how uninterested she was about it! 

 Considering the amount of cake they actually eat (which isn’t a lot) and the texture needed for a good smas cake session I would recommend to make a normal sponge cake just with less sugar. 

 Below recipes for the healthy cake and obviously some photos of Chloe.

   
    
    
 

BABY BANANA CAKE 

Ingredients for the cake :

– 5 ripen bananas

– 1 1/2 cup flower (you can use white flower or whole grain 

– 3/4 cup Apple juice with no added sugar)

– 3 tsp vanilla extract

– 1 tsp cinnamon 

– 2 egg whites – bitten 

– 50g of fondant icing of a desired colour(if using)

Ingredients for the icing: 

– 250g icing sugar

– 125g soft butter

– 1 or 2 tbsp of milk

– 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

– food colouring (if using)
Cooking method: 

 Preheat your oven to 180C. 

 Mash your bananas (I blend them for the creamy texture) 

 Combine all of your ingredients (except egg white) together until smooth. Beat eggs white until quite stiff and fold in very carefully. Pour your mixture on to your forms which has been sprayed lightly with cooking pray. I have used 2 forms for the big cupcake cake and filled then half full, but you can use 2 small round baking tins (depends on what cake you want to make) 

 Put the cake in to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. 

 Prepare your icing my mixing your butter with half of the sugar, then add the rest of the ingredients and combine it well. If you are using food colouring add at the end. 

 When your cake is cooked, cool it and then start decorating. 

I went for the cupcake cake. I have used fondant icing on the bottom of the cake and butter icing on the top of it.

 If you are using fondant icing you will need to put a very thin layer of butter icing on the cake first so that the fondant icing sticks to the cake. A good tip when rolling out your icing : use a little bit of corn flower it will stop the icing from sticking to the worktop. 

 I have used a thin layer or butter icing to keep both of the cakes together ; it acts as a very good and tasty glue 😊. If you want to use something healthier soft cheese will do exactly this same job. 

 At the end I have decorated the top of the cake with turquoise butter icing. I was very pleased with the result …. Not so much Chloe 😂 
  

My little adventure ….. Made by mum with ❤️

I always loved making things and I always was very visual, artistic (that’s probably why I am a Visual Merchandiser Manager). I started making things for Chloe: bows, headbands, little decorations for her nursery. After encouragement from friends I decided to come out of the closet  and show what I do, see if people will like it, and if they will be willing to pay for it …. 

 So here it is a very very small preview of what I have produced  and a little taste of what is to come …. 

   
    
    
    
 

HO HO HO …. CHRISTMAS JUMPER TIME … HO HO HO 

 I know that is seems a little bit early to be buying Christmas jumper but trust me it’s not! Right now in stores you have the biggest selection so if you want to get the cutest and pretties jumper for your baby you should do it now ! Believe a selection of the best ones ! HO HO HO 
NEXT

   
    
    
 
MOTHERCARE

   
    
MARKS AND SPENCER 
 

H&M

   
 
ASDA

   
 
TESCO

  
MATELAN

   
    
    
  

 

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MEAL … MINI BURGERS WITH SWEET POTATO CHIPS

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MEAL …

MINI BURGERS WITH SWEET POTATO CHIPS.


Ingredients:

– 250g of turkey or chicken mincemeat

– 70g of breadcrumbs

– 1/2 apple (grated)

– 1/2 onion

– 10g of parmesan cheese

– 1 tsp of sauce

– 2 tbsp of ketchup

– handful of parsley

– 1 sweet potato

– thyme
Cooking Method :

Prepare your oven at 200C.

Put all of the ingredients in to the food processor and mix until well combine together.

Form small burgers (you should be able to make around 20 of them) and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn them round and bake for another 10 minutes (you might also need to flatern them as they grow quite a lot while cooking).

For sweet potatoes chips just cut your potatoes in to a desired shape, place on a bakin tray (with baking paper on it) sprinkle with thyme and a little bit olive oil. Bake for around 15min.
GROWN UP VERSION

 Ingredients:

– 250g of turkey or chicken mincemeat

– 70g of breadcrumbs

– 1/2 apple (grated)

– 1/2 onion

– 10g of parmesan cheese

– 1 tsp of sauce

– 2 tbsp of ketchup

– handful of parsley

– 1/4 chilly

– salt & pepper to taste
Cooking method:

Exactly this same as the Mini Burgers it you will have to cook them for a little bit longer 15 minutes on each side. This should make you around 8 burgers.

LAST WEEK OF MATERNITY LEAVE 😢

I am becoming an emotional wreck! Last week I was emotional because my little baby somehow overnight has changed in to a big baby (I still cannot bring myself to call her a toddler!). This week I am a total emotional mess because it is my last week of maternity leave which means settling sessions at the nursery and trying to stop ignoring the fact that I am going back to work on Monday ! 

 I just have left Chloe at the nursery on her own for longer than 15 minutes (we started settling in session last week but I was there with her having fun and only left the room for 15 minutes). I have left her doing her first ever painting, seeing her at the table with the apron on starting to do her painting …. I got so emotional that I almost burst out crying ! 

  
Today was only to hours which Chloe apparently really enjoyed; tomorrow I will have to leave her from 9am till 2 pm …. How will I do that??? … This whole experience is so emotional and stressful!