Annabel Karmel Quick and Easy Toddler Meals - Book Review

In a move to make mealtimes more manageable for busy mums and dads, the UK’s number one parenting author and expert on baby and child nutrition Annabel Karmel MBE launches the first in her ‘Quick and Easy’ series: Quick and Easy Toddler Recipes.

With mealtime meltdown a daily occurrence across thousands of busy UK households, Annabel has cooked up a 144 page full colour recipe book to help hard-working families feed their children a healthy, balanced diet – in quick time!

With recent research deeming British toddlers to be the fussiest in Europe and with 42% of parents admitting to a repertoire of just seven meals they cook for their children, it’s no surprise that parents regularly become locked in a battle of wills.

But mealtimes are about to get tastier for tiny tums – and easier for mums – with over 100 delicious and nutritious time-saving recipes packed full of natural flavour. And it’s not just little ones who will love them; combining everyday kitchen ingredients with simple-to-follow instructions, Annabel’s recipes can be whipped up for the whole family too.

What did we think?

We have road-tested the book and the kids have enjoyed what we've made so far. We have two very fussy and headstrong kids and they have a very small repertoire of meals that they will eat without considerable badgering from us. First up I made Meatballs in Goulash Sauce. We served these with pasta, not rice. I know I should have gone with the rice but I wanted to avoid any aggro that night and I felt that rice would make the kids not eat any of it. They loved the meatballs and so did me and the OH - proof that although the book is aimed at cooking for toddlers it works for the entire family. Next time I make it I will man-up and serve with rice, after all the more times kids are served a food, they will become familiar with it, and become more likely to try it. 

Next up we tried Quick Chicken Nuggets. These were delicious. The coating was crushed up cornflakes and it was Isla's job to smash them all up - she enjoyed doing that! I much prefer chicken nuggets that are freshly made but it is easy to fall into that trap thinking it's more convenient to buy them but these are so easy to make and you know what chicken you're eating. Look at them, they look so golden and crispy. Yum.

And our final road test was a bit of a disaster (at first) as while I was trying to concentrate on the recipe (Isla was helping me again) I had Noah having the most EPIC tantrum in the kitchen, demanding to be picked up. I started off making Tomato and Basil Risotto but I ended up with a bit of a cross breed of that and the recipe on the opposite page! I got so distracted that I put Creme Fraiche in the Risotto, which wasn't part of the plan, but actually ended up being a fortunate accident as it was really tasty. Again, Isla helped me to make dinner and I think it gave her a sense of pride and I also believe prompted her to eat more of it than she would have otherwise. 

So there you have it, 3 very successful dishes and a desire to make more from this lovely little book. We give this book a big thumbs up and would recommend it to any time poor, frazzled mum of fussy eaters. 

Quick and Easy Toddler Recipes (RRP £9.99) is published by Ebury Press on 20^th June and will be available from all good book shops and Amazon.

We were sent the book free of charge but all opinions in the review are honest and my own.

Fun In the Sun!

This weekend we went Up North to visit friends and a freakish thing happened - it was sunny the whole time we were there - we had fun in the sun! It wasn't just a bit sunny but totally scorchio. I'm not saying it's never sunny in the North, just that it's never sunny whenever we go there, so this was such a bonus and meant that we spent the majority of it out in the open and had barbecues both days. Oh Happy Day!

We went to visit my longest standing friend from senior school and her family and Isla and Noah had a lovely time there playing with their kids and all their toys. By the end of the weekend Noah had taken quite a shine to my friend's little girl and even uttered "I luff you" - too cute. Isla also loved her because of their shared love of Lelli Kelly shoes.

Following that there was fun in the garden in the paddling pool and running around soaking everyone with the hose.

Then on the Sunday we went out for a picnic to Dunham Massey, a National Trust property, which was lovely.

We didn't venture far into the grounds but we were right next to a natural playground with loads of logs to balance on and brilliant animal wood carvings. There was a lot of horsing around, jumping all over each other and kicking the ball around etc, all good fun.

We even managed to get this family shot of the four of us.

All in all we had a great weekend, catching up with friends, laughing lots, eating a fair bit and making memories. The sunshine really does make a difference doesn't it?

LOLLIBOP SET TO ROCK QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK THIS SUMMER

I'm so happy to announce that I am an official Lollibop blogger. We love Lollibop having been the last 2 years and so over the coming weeks I will be letting you know all about the fun that Lollibop has in store for you and your mini festival goers! The venue is new for this year and will be at The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London - an awe inspiring place I think you'll agree! Keep your eyes peeled on my blog for a family ticket competition, discount codes for ticket purchases and interviews with LolliBop talent and organisers, a behind the scenes look at Lolli as the build takes place at the Olympic Park and lots more. Exciting stuff!
Joining some of the hottest names in kids’ entertainment, as well as hundreds of activities, workshops and interactive demos, are the Mr. Men and Little Miss Village Green Event and Shaun the Sheep’s Championsheeps LIVE!

The ever-popular Mr. Men will be hosting a fun maypole activity area and favourite characters, such as Mr. Bump, Mr. Tickle and Little Miss Sunshine, will be meeting and greeting fans at the Mr. Men and Little Miss reading hubs. 

Shaun the Sheep will be personally on hand at the Championsheeps with sheepy shenanigans, including Shirley’s Pie-athalon, the Naughty Pig’s Sack Race and Get Fit with the Flock. Kids and parents are ‘wool-come’ to get involved!

Other big names confirmed so far, include:

- LolliBop favourites Dick and Dom return with their special mix of madcap games, songs, jokes and a foam pie or two…

- Peppa Pig will be at the festival all weekend, meeting and greeting all her little fans

- Sid Sloane and Andy Day will be hosting their very own Big Birthday Bash and everyone is invited! Expect lots of energetic songs and silliness and plenty of audience participation

- Watch and learn how to ‘Copy Poppy’ with Poppy Cat on the Lolli Live stage

- Straight from Nickelodeon to the Lolli Live Stage, The Go! Go! Go! Show are bringing brand new pop songs, catchy, easy-to-learn dance moves and loads of laughs

- Sing and dance along with the adorable Cloudbabies mini show

- Witness the amazing wildlife showcase with National Geographic Kids Animal Man

- Laugh along with hilarious antics from the amazing 8ft Titan the Robot

Returning LolliBoppers will also see old favourites mixed with new attractions for 2013, including:

LolliBop Live – Popular CBeebies presenter Alex Winters is comparing the live stage which plays host to some of the biggest names in kids entertainment, with live music and performances from stars of stage and screen.

Lollipalladiam - is a live theatre tent showcasing performances from pioneering and internationally renowned companies and artists. This year it features Spooked, the critically acclaimed Broken Rose Performing Arts first show for children – a hilarious and spectacular blend of dance, theatre and spoken word featuring skeletons Molly, Jinny and Charlie.

Science Zone - Make a rocket, hold a dry ice cube, or get messy with gooey slime in the LolliBop lab - brimming with exploding experiments for pint sized guests to try! London’s Science Museum will also be attending with live demonstrations and interactive activities.

Run wild and have fun in the LolliSports area. With activities including retro favourites like swingball, hula-hoop and frisbee to football tournaments and sports day style races.

3ft and under is also making a comeback but this time is it within the brand new Itsy Bitsy Zone. Activities for babies and toddlers will include soft play, baby massage, storytelling, mini discos and much more

The Lolli Promenade – Situated on the River Lea! We’re very lucky to have a real river running through our new home, so why not relax and enjoy an ice lolly at the Lolli Promenade which also features beach hut crafts and bandstands.

Discovery Zone - will host a number of educational, interactive and hands on activities where kids can learn a new skill like beatboxing in one of the many workshops.

Lolli Stops – Enjoy crafts from puppet making, and customised fashion workshops, to balloon modelling, and graffiti painting, there is a something to make and do around every corner.

The Meadows - A perfect spot to chill out, enjoy your lunch and watch our special street performers.

There is also a wide selection of food and drink stalls at LolliBop. Extensive covered buggy parks, baby changing and breast-feeding areas are also available.


For more tickets and more information: http://www.lollibopfestival.co.uk

"When I Was a Lad" by Megson - Review

Have you heard of Megson? No I hadn't either until I was sent their CD to review and I'm glad I know of them now as their music is beautiful. It is simply beautiful, melodic folk music and the best thing about it is that my kids love it! Isla asks for specific songs, "Can we have the shop song now Mummy?" (All the Shops Have Fallen Down), "can we have the first song again Mummy?" (Bee-O). And I go with whatever they choose as I really do love them all too. The tunes are so catchy and the words are easy to learn and l so love the times that we have in the car nowadays where I can hear them both in the back, picking up the words, getting them muddled up occasionally, but with each and every listen they are picking up more and more of the song. It reminds me of when I was little and my Dad, being a big music fan was always blasting something or other out (mostly I remember David Bowie, 'Lets's Dance'). I even caught Noah just randomly singing "Jenny Jenkins" (only those 2 words, over and over), so at pre 2 years old he's loving the music too.

So who are they? Megson, are an award winning husband and wife folk duo who have produced their first ever album aimed specifically at children. Something totally different from the TV-based or nursery rhyme themed music that pre-schoolers normally listen to. And to say I'm relieved that we've moved away slightly from the Oxford Nursery Rhyme CD in the car is an understatement! The music isn't just for kids, it's a really nice easy listen for us grown ups too. The voices and harmonies are gorgeous, I love that you can hear their wonderful accents coming through in their singing too. All in all I think this would be great for many parents. The uptempo songs are great for a rowsing singalong and the slower, gentler tunes are wonderful for chilling out overtired babies!

The album When I was a Lad is available to purchase from Megson's website at £10: http://www.megsonmusic.co.uk/?page_id=141

And if you fancy catching Megson Live on the folk festival circuit, check them out at:

Beverley Folk Festival; 21st and 22nd June

Larmer Tree Festival; 18th and 21st July - This one looks like a corker for families! 

Village Pump Festival, Trowbridge; 27th July

Dunton Folk Festival, Bedfordshire; 7th September

Southdowns Folk Festival; 21st September

We were sent this CD free of charge to review. All opinions and views are honest and my own.

Emmetts Gardens, National Trust

This week we went to Emmetts Gardens, a really lovely National Trust property and gardens in Kent, not far from us. We’ve been before so we knew how lovely it is, but we hadn’t bargained on seeing SOOO many bluebells. We saw loads the other week at Hatchlands Park, but there were so many more here I think. It was a bit of a ramble round especially with the buggy but it was worth it. As usual we took a picnic and just let the kids roam a bit. The rhododendrons and azaleas were all in bloom and looked absolutely gorgeous, the grounds are just so well maintained. We didn’t do any of the NT 50 things that day (well there was a bit of rolling going on but I felt it didn’t count as it wasn’t a big enough hill!) but we just enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. I particularly loved the magnifying glasses that you can loan for the day, the kids loved walking around like Sherlock Holmes. 

My Bluebell Fairy!

Swathes of Bluebells!

I spy with my little eye.....

Race for Life - I Did It!

On Sunday I took part in Race for Life in Guildford with my little family supporting me. The night before Isla was very excited at the prospect of seeing Mummy running, she kept running up and down the living room and hurling herself on the sofa, supposedly showing me how to do it! She also planned what she was going to wear for the big day (!) and then subsequently didn't seem able to get to sleep either she was that excited!!

Anyway, we arrived at the race and it was beautiful sunshine and everyone was adorned in pink and there were feathers and sequins aplenty! I collected my race T-shirt from the cute little Brioche Pasquier van (who were giving out lots of yummy Brioche!) and I got going. I'm very pleased to say that I did the run in 33 minutes, which for me is normal for 5km - I haven't got any slower, so that's a relief! I was quite emotional on the start line and then when I finished the race I felt so much relief. I'm pleased to say that apart from the generous starting donation of £250 from Brioche Pasquier I managed to match that with donations from friends, work colleagues and family and I've made over £500 for Cancer Research UK. I'm so pleased. It's still not too late for you to take part in Race for Life and Brioche Pasquier are also running a promotion, ‘Raise Some Dough’, throughout June and July which gives customers the opportunity to win donations of up to £100 to send to friends or family taking part in a Race for Life event through their JustGiving page - or alternatively they can simply donate to the Brioche Pasquier Race for Life team. 

At over 200 Race for Life events this summer, Brioche Pasquier UK will also be rewarding every participant crossing the finish line with a sample from PITCH, its filled brioche range. In addition, Brioche Pasquier will be hosting a variety of exciting experiential activities across 10 events, enhancing the overall race day experience for participants and their families.

If you fancy entering Race for Life, enter now at www.raceforlife.org or via the hotline on 0845 600 6050. The entry fee is £14.99 for adults and £10 for girls 16 and under. This covers the costs of staging the event series and means that money raised in sponsorship can go to help beat cancer. Events take place across the UK from May until the end of September

My Aero 'Perfect Pairing' Three Course Menu

I love cooking but find it difficult to make time for anything different or time consuming, so I generally stick to recipes I know or things that I know will be quick so when I was challenged by Aero to come up with my ultimate flavour combination, I knew that this would be a good excuse to get in the kitchen and cook something a bit different. The challenge was in honour of Aero Bubbles being given a makeover so that the two toned taste is now reflected on the inside and outside!

I was sent a fab cooking cookery kit which included a book that I've coveted for a while - The Flavour Thesaurus - a mine of information about combing flavours - what works, what doesn't, with all manor of crazy suggestions. 

As I don't get a lot of time to cook I decided to go with a Flavour Pairing Menu rather than one dish as I thought I would treat me and the OH to a night of feasting! First up:

Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon with a Mixed Nut Dressing

8 Asparagus Stems
4 rashers of streaky bacon

For the Dressing, combine the following:
Big Handful of Mixed Nuts (Roasted Almonds, Blanched Hazelnuts, Cashews and Pistachio) - crushed with pestle and mortar
3 tbspn Lemon
2 tbspn Soy Sauce
Seasoning

Method: 
Take 2 asparagus stems, wrap in bacon, season and drizzle with olive oil. Repeat another 3 times for 2 each. Put in the oven at 200C for 12 minutes 
Drizzle over enough dressing to taste

The flavour pairing here being the Asparagus and Nuts (not so much the bacon as that's a pretty standard coupling!). I very rarely make home made dressings - very lazy I know as they are so quick to whizz up - but this was delicious. I wouldn't have thought to put Asparagus and Nut together before but they really did complement one another, it brought out the woodiness of the asparagus and the saltiness of the bacon and soy sauce was lovely.

Next Up:

Chicken Stuffed with Banana, Wrapped in Bacon in a Butter bean, Sweetcorn, White Wine, Chili & Cream Sauce. 

2 Chicken breasts
4 rashers of streaky bacon (I know, I know more bacon - but we love it!)
1 banana
1 tin Butter Beans
Half a tin of Sweetcorn
1 small glass of white Wine
300 ml Double Cream
Large Nob of butter
1 teaspoon of lazy chili

Method:

Slice down the side of the chicken and insert half a banana
Wrap around with bacon to secure banana inside
Season and place in the oven at 200C (fan) for 40 minutes

For the sauce:
Put the butter beans, sweetcorn, butter and white wine in a pan on the hob and cook off for about 5 minutes.
Add the double cream and simmer for a further 10 minutes and then stir in the chili - we only used a teaspoon but I would perhaps go for a bit more next time.

I served it with mash, slicing the chicken, with the sauce around it.

The flavour pairing was the chicken and banana. I wasn't totally sure about this one but my OH liked it. I feel like it needed a bit of greenery with it. Bananas aren't my favourite fruit but I was so interested to see how it would go with a savoury meal that I wanted to try it. I would say that chicken, bacon and bananas do go together but I found it so filling! The chili with it gave it a nice kick though.

And finally:

Raspberry, Lemon Thyme and Goats Cheese Fool

1 punnet of Raspberries
Half a Teaspoon of fresh Lemon Thyme
200ml Whipped up Double Cream
125g Goats Cheese
1 tablespoon of Icing Sugar

Method:

Blitz up raspberries with hand blender
Whisk Double Cream until there are soft peaks
Mash up goats cheese and combine with raspberries and double cream
Add teaspoon of lemon thyme and tablespoon of lemon thyme
Decorate with loose raspberries and thyme

This was delicious. I thought that the goats cheese would be over powering but it wasn't - it was all creamy and smooth. The thyme gave it a little bit of zing. It was rather like eating cheese cake topping and I think that's what I would do with it next time. I might also serve it with meringue if I do it again. 

So that was our flavour pairing meal and we were significantly full and fat after all that I can tell you. Most of it was enjoyable - just the chicken and banana that I wasn't totally sold on, but not inedible!  

What flavour pairing would you like to try?

I received a cookery kit, a heap of chocolate and a fabulous book in order to complete this challenge. If I win the challenge I will have a whole load of chocolate to give away to you lovely people!