Toddler Finger Food Ideas... DIY Inspiration

I am addicted to Pinterest!!!!! Here are some great toddler finger food ideas that I have been 'pinning' lately...

Ontobaby.com

Jif.com

Super Healthy Kids

The Sound Of Silence... A Good Indication Your Child Is Up To Something Bad

It has been one hell of a week in the WHHFL household!!!!
One evening last week,while I was at Spanish class. Hugo climbed into the washbasin in our bathroom and switched on the hot water tap. The hot water temperature was 70 degrees Celsius and he has 2nd degree burns on his foot and leg. Luckily, P (Hugo's Papa) reacted very quickly, phoned the pediatrician, and took all the necessary steps needed.
When I got home from my lessons an hour later, Hugo was in his pyjamas and playing, happily, with his toys as usual. It was only when P showed me his burns that I freaked out and had an emotional wobbly.
Hugo was absolutely fine and carried on as normal, hardly noticing the bandage on his foot. It was only when we took him to the pediatrician the next day and subsequently every 2 days after that, that we had any problem. Cleaning and dressing his burns was clearly excruciatingly painful for him, and it was so awful for us too, seeing him in such agony and having to hold him down while the nurse and the doctor attended to him.
After the 2nd visit, I was so distressed, I felt ill myself.
Thankfully, from the 3rd appointment, Hugo's wounds were much better and it was no longer so painful for him. It will take another two or three weeks before they are fully healed. By the end of this week, I will be able to give him a shower or a bath, the poor little guy hasn't been allowed near water, I've been wiping him down with a warm, soapy cloth.
We now have locks on all the bathroom doors and our hot water geyser has been turned down to 40 degrees Celsius. (a little too late)
If you have a toddler, please take the same necessary steps. What happened to Hugo could have been MUCH worse and we are so so thankful that he is safe. This has given us a terrible scare.

Yummy Soups for Autumn

The Autumn weather has finally set in and it's getting rather chilly around here...
I love this time of year... the Autumn colours are beautiful and the campo (countryside) is gorgeous.

It's time to collect some llena (firewood), get the fire going and enjoy some hearty soups.

Hugo loves dipping his bread fingers into his soup!

His favourite soup is a healthy Chunky Lentil and Veg...

It's so easy to make...
Finely chop some onions and sauté in a little olive oil, until translucent. 
Chop up your veggies into cubes. I use carrots, potato, green beans, celery, leeks, sweet potato.
Add the veggies to the onions and let them sweat for 5 minutes.
Add a tin of whole tomatoes and a tin of organic chicken or veg stock.
Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Add a tin of ready cooked lentils and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Serve this soup chunky or blend it for a smoother soup.

Hugo's Dad's favourite soup is Home made Chicken Noodle.
Whenever we have a roast chicken, I save the carcass, and any left over meat, and use it to make a chicken broth.
I sauté some chopped onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Then I add the chicken carcass and meat to the pot and about 1 litre of water. I don't usually use any chicken stock as the chicken usually adds enough taste to the broth, but if it doesn't, you could add a stock cube.
I let this simmer for about 1 hour and then I scoop out the chicken bones and any chicken skin. Any meat should have come away from the carcass by now.
Just before serving, I add a cup of vermicelli or pasta stars to the broth, and cook for about ten minutes.

One of my all time favourite soups is a Broccoli and Cheddar recipe that came to me from my sister-in-law's Dad, Martin, who sadly passed away a few years ago... whenever I make this soup, I think of Martin....

Martin's Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

The base of this soup is a classic Béchamel (or white sauce).
Make the Béchamel and, in a separate pan, boil some broccoli in a cup of organic chicken or veg stock, until the broccoli is tender.
Add a cup of grated cheddar to the bechamel sauce. Combine the broccoli/stock mixture and the cheesy béchamel together and blend into a smooth soup.

I like to add some ground linseeds and  wholewheat crispy croutons just before serving.

Weekend Food

Week-ends are for lazy mornings around the house, family walks, Sunday outings and take aways, right?...
Right! Except for the take aways bit.
Whilst living in Ibiza has its (very many) charms, Mr Delivery, is certainly not one of them.
Our nearest take away restaurant is 14 mins away (I've timed it) and it does not deliver. It's a curry. Or a Thai. The KFC that we had in our nearest town closed down a few months ago. And McDonald's is a good 30 minutes away...

If we can't order a good pizza, we'll make one! Here are some of the fun (and super easy) meals we had on the week end...

We Heart Brunch!!!

Eggy Heart on Toast 

Fish (fingers), Chips and Mushy Peas, in a Box....

Pizza!!!!.... make your own base (tried and tested recipe here ) or use a shop bought one (we love the Buitoni pizza bases)
Here are some of our favourite pizzas casera (home-made)...

How To Clean Moldy Bath Toys

While we were away, all of Hugo's squeezy bath toys have gone all moldy and gross!
His bath was full of flakes of mold the other evening.
Usually, I make sure to squeeze all the water, out of each toy, after Hugo's bath each night, but as we have been away for 3 weeks, they have been sitting in a humid bathroom and hence the disgusting state of them.
My first thought was to just throw them out and buy new ones. But then I figured, this would just happen again and again.

So I set off to do some research on the best ways to clean these little suckers...
The first thing that came to mind, was to clean them with bleach. But, as Hugo has these toys (and most things) in his mouth alot, I wanted to find a natural, non-harmful way to clean them.
Most of my findings on the net indicated that some sort of vinegar- dish washing liquid combo would be the best, most organic, approach.
And so I set about the task, armed with an old tooth-brush, a bowl of hot water, mixed with a generous slug of vinegar and a dash of dish washing liquid.

some of the mold

some of the mold that came out of the toys

Did it work? I left the toys soaking in this mixture overnight. The next day, I cleaned and scrubbed them (using the old tooth brush) and I filled the toys with hot soapy water and then squeezed it out. I repeated this process quite a few times, until I was certain there was no more mould left in each toy.
I was happy with the result, but my hands were not, and I desperately need a manicure after this!

How can you prevent this from happening again?
1. Make sure to squeeze out the toys, individually, every time they are used in the bath and store them in a well ventilated bag, in a area where they can drain. Also keep a bathroom window open during the day. Fresh air will help to prevent mold build up.
2. A helpful hint, off a fellow blogger is to glue gun the hole. Find out how over here
3. If all else fails, buy some eco-friendly bath toys WITHOUT SQUIRTER HOLES!!!

These toys are all BPA free and made from natural rubber. Best of all they have no holes therefore no mold...

Big Bath Duck

Ocean Collection from Mushroom & Co

Dano2 Ducki

Find them here and here and  here

Cheesy Broccoli, Mushroom and Chicken Bake

Hugo had this yummy dish for his lunch today... (and so did I!) 

Its a favourite of mine and proved to be one of Hugo's favourite too - he loved it!

Ingredients:  (makes 2 generous portions)

1 cup broccoli florets (steamed)
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped and cooked
1 cup left over roast chicken, chopped or sliced into bite-size pieces
1 tin cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 T-spoon mild curry powder (adds a nice flavour, without making it spicy)

For Topping:
1 Cup breadcrumbs (I use dark, nutty loaf which I freeze and put into the food processor to make crumbs)
1 Cup cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

To Make:

Preheat the oven to about 200* C
In an oven proof dish, combine the chicken, mushrooms, soup, mayonnaise and curry powder and mix it all together until all ingredients are coated in a creamy sauce.
Top with the broccoli florets.
In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese and butter.
Sprinkle this mixture over the chicken mixture
Bake in the hot oven until bubbling
Serve with rice

 I mixed Hugo's serving up with rice and then chopped it up, which makes it easier to feed him. This is a really nice meal to use for self-feeding, as the saucy rice mixture sticks to the spoon easily. Yummy Yummy.

Learning With Food - French Toast Numbers

I made Hugo these French Toast Numbers for his first breakfast back home, after our holiday.
He loved them and we had fun counting them 1,2,3,4,5 as he ate them.

For the toast, I used 1 slice of wholewheat bread and 1 organic farm egg.
I cut the numbers from the bread with a cookie cutter and then dipped the numbers into the beaten egg.
Then I fried the eggy bread in my non-stick ceramic pan over a medium heat.
I sprinkled cinnamon over the toast and drizzled a little golden syrup. I served some apple puree and sliced bananas on the side.
Yummy!

So Good To Be Home

It's so good to be home, have I said that yet? There really is nothing quite like being in your own space, sleeping in your own bed, and being able to cook in your own kitchen.
Hugo is in his element, playing with his two cats, and reconnecting with his toys and his bedroom. 

Being back home also means that Hugo can get back to his usual mealtimes and eating habits. When we are away from home, mealtimes are always a bit of a problem and this last trip was no exception. The only things that Hugo was interested in eating while we were in France, were custard based desserts. Creme Anglaise, Creme Caramel, Creme Catalan... In the end I would cover his 'real' food with custard just to get him to eat something good. This seemed to do the trick and we got through a few interesting meal times, with him eating boeuf parmentier (cottage pie) or spaghetti and tomato sauce, covered in custard. Yuck, I know, but he didn't seem to mind...

Cousins Are For Life!

My brother and his family joined us in the South of France for a few days. We had a fab time showing them around, and Hugo had so much fun playing with his older cousin Issy. He adores her and could not stop giving her kisses and cuddles.

''Here together, or miles apart, a cousin like you stays in my heart''

What To Do With Your Toddler... On The French Riviera

 We have been away for almost a month! And boy am I happy to be back home....

Like I said, we've been away. On the Cote d'Azur, or French Riviera, visiting my husband's family. Sounds glamorous doesn't it? Not so, when you have a 15 month toddler in tow...
Forget the Casino de Monte Carlo or lunch at the Hotel de Paris... Forget celeb-spotting at Nikki Beach in St Tropez and forget evening drinks along the Croisette. Definitely forget boozy lunches and afternoon siestas!

My in-laws are elderly, and their home is not exactly child-proof, so we had to think of toddler-friendly outings and activities to do with Hugo each day.

I had a look on the web, and I came across Fun City in Cannes La Bocca. An indoor activity park for children, this was perfect for rainy days (which were many on our first week in France).
Some useful info on Fun City -
They have a designated area for children under the age of, with a soft play area, ball pool and climbing gym.
Socks are mandatory. Children have to be accompanied by an adult at all times. Entrance is 4 Euro per child under 3 and 9.50Euro for children between 3 and 12 years old.
We went 3 or 4 times over a two week period, and Hugo had such fun.
In Ibiza, you will find Piruleto Park which is a similar concept.

On a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning, we decided to try out Marineland in Antibes.
It was a really lovely day out, I think the big kids enjoyed it more than the little kid...
The only downfall was the hefty entrance fee of 38Euro per adult, add to this the 7 Euro parking fee and your lunch and the outing costs well over 100Euro!
But the park is beautifully maintained and the shows super professional and entertaining. We loved the dolphin show and found it just as good as the legendary Sea World in Florida.

Next to Marineland, and still part of the same park, you will find the Animal Farm - La Ferne du Far West.
Entrance is around 13 Euro per adult.

Of course, we were on the Cote d'Azur which meant there was no shortage of beautiful beaches... our favourite being Thoule-sur-mer.

Hugo loved walking his Aunt Vero's dog along the beach...

When All Else Fails... Custard Will Do The Trick

Hugo is feeling poorly (it's the 3 angry molars again)...
His hands are in his mouth constantly, he bites on anything, has a nasty nappy rash, a snotty nose and drool down his chin to rival a St.Bernard pup. 
And, as to be expected, zero appetite!

When I was a little girl, and feeling ill, the only thing that I could stomach was bovril on toast, (a meaty spread used to flavor stocks and sauces but commonly eaten on toast in South Africa ) or Marie Biscuits and Custard.
And so, for Hugo, it is the same. When he is feeling yuck and he doesn't want to eat anything, I resort to good old, comforting, Marie Biscuits and Custard . Just the way my lovely old nanny, Beauty aka 'Gogo' (Zulu for Granny) used to make it.

Good Old SA Marie's

Now here in Ibiza, we are lucky to have 'galletas Maria', the Spanish version of 'Marie Biscuits' (tea biscuits made with butter and vanilla).
When I am feeling lazy, or I am in a rush, I resort to Bird's Custard Powder (an import from the UK).
But, if I have the time, nothing beats a real traditional, Vanilla Custard, made from scratch.
Here are some recipes that I have found online, tried and tested -
Traditional Vanilla Custard 
Real Proper Custard 


Now, to make the fabulous 'Marie Biscuits and Custard' - break up some Marie biscuits and crumble into a dish. Pour the hot custard over the biscuits. Allow to stand for about 15 minutes and then serve. The hot custard will soften the biscuits... perfect, heart-warming, comfort food in minutes!
Hugo ate a huge bowl of it for his dinner! (yes, I admit, not the healthiest dinner... but, hey ho, he is unwell and I wanted to make my little chap happy and his tummy full).

The Spanish make a very similar version, called Natillas. The recipe that I found online, came with the description ''It is  recommended particularly for children and people who have no appetite, because  it is a delicious dish in taste.''  Touché!
Natillas con Galettas Maria

Roasted Vegetables with Feta

Whenever I feel like I need some veggies, I make this super easy dish. It works well for the whole family, is great at barbecues and it's delicious as next-day-leftovers with pasta, couscous or quinoa.

 Take some veggies (butternut, potatoes, sweet  potatoes, baby marrows, peppers, tomatoes etc), cut into similar sized cubes and place into an oven dish. Add a few garlic cloves (whole, not peeled), some thyme, salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil. Cover with alu-foil and bake ast 200 degrees Celsius for between 1 and 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and add vegetables like asparagus or green beans, if you wish. Cook for another 10 mins and then grill, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.
Take out of the oven and sprinkle feta over the top.

Serve as a side dish or add the veggies to pasta, like I did for Hugo....

 

Happy Sunday

HAPPY SUNDAY PEEPS!!!!!

ICE-CREAM HEADACHE!!!!!!

Made some berry and yoghurt frozen lollies for Hugo yesterday (to help with the 3 angry molars coming thru).  

SpagTom with a Bento Twist

When all else fails, Hugo's supper is due and I have absolutely nothing planned, I usually rely on two store cupboard staples - wholewheat bio spaghetti and a jar of bio tomato pasta sauce. Super simple - throw some cheese in and it's always a hit with Hugo.
Last night that's exactly what I did, only with a Bento twist this time...

It's been a week of Bento Box Lunches

This week has been all about the Bento Box for us...
We've been busy, busy bees this week so a packed lunch box has been ideal...
I love the variety in this Japenese inspired lunch box. And Hugo's new Bear Bento Box has 2 tiers so, it's nice and compact (fits perfectly in Hugo's small cooler bag) and it holds a good amount of his goodies. 

Not sure who has more fun with these lunches, Hugo or I?

Carrot sticks, Broccoli, Cucumber sticks, Nutella and strawberry wraps, raspberries and a green fig

Turkey ham, cream cheese and baby spinach wraps, dried fruit square treats

Thanks to Leda and Xavier for Hugo's great Bear Bento!