JulieBhosaleAchive

This is a great meal for the whole family, baby included, which is very high in iron, fat and B-vitamins. It honestly takes all of five minutes preparation in the slow cooker and then a quick pulse in the Philips Avent 2-1 Healthy Baby Food Maker   when you get home! The puree is so good even the big people of the house will love it! You can read more about the importance of adding meat into your babies diet when starting solids in my earlier blog here.  Ingredients: 500g-750g of rolled rib beef (ideally get one with the string already on!) 3 carrots, chopped 2 onions, sliced 1-2 red kumara, chopped 1 and 1/2 cups of beef stock Extra virgin olive oil (to seal the meat) Directions: 1. Turn a large fry-pan on medium heat, when hot add a little bit of oil and place in meat to seal all the sides. Remove from heat and place into the slow cooker. 2. Put in all the chopped vegetables around it. 3. Pour over beef stock, cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-7 hours. 4. To make baby...

How to introduce meat to babies is something that I see a lot of parents unsure about and there is not a lot of information on why this is really important. In my previous blog on starting solids, I discussed some crucial reasons why I do not recommend starting babies on baby rice (or variation of infant cereal). I also spoke about starting off on a staple vegetable such as pumpkin or kumara, quickly followed by a meat source. The key reason for this is due to babies iron levels. Breast milk contains only low (or little levels) of iron, and to compensate babies are born with sufficient iron stores to last up until approximately six months of age, after which it drastically drops off. This is why the recommendation is for babies to start complimentary feeding at six months of age. Adding to the current whirlpool of information we are seeing some research to suggest (as well as guidelines from some health care providers) starting babies at four months on solids. Babies develop at differ...

In June this year I walked across the stage and was awarded my Doctoral thesis. 7.5 years of full time study, all while working full time, running a business and having two children. A dream come true. A dream I NEVER thought was possible. Not even after I handed in my thesis. The 9 months after that have been some of the hardest of my life. Not just ‘work hard’ there has still been plenty of that (though not quite as intense as the thesis). No it has been ‘hard’ because I thought it should be a different way (ah easy?). Because I have still struggled to truly find my place in the world after my thesis and the birth of our second baby who is not even yet two. Because a career in academia is still not really a place for a woman, is more difficult for a woman with children, let alone very young children….and certainly a woman who wants to have it all, like myself, and keep my business going well let’s just say it is really confronting the status quo. Least not forgetting that our family ...

Let’s talk chocolate biscuits! Look into almost any supermarket and you will find almost half an entire isle dedicated to biscuits. Whether we like it or not this is clearly a product that is in high demand. Unfortunately, the majority of these biscuits are extremely energy dense, contain very little nutrients and have a lot of added ingredients which can increase the toxic load on our GI tract. I will always heavily endorse eating whole foods which have come from Mother Nature (i.e. the ground). However there is a time and place for quality treats and sometimes when you have been up half the night trying to get little ones back asleep, carrot sticks at 10am just may not cut the mustard. I believe it is important to have other viable choices in, which includes options that are pre-packaged. If you do not have time to have a shower you certainly will not have time to get baking. However, healthier alternatives to these popular biscuits are presently few and far between. I have previousl...

I have to confess, I have a weak spot for chocolate and chocolate creations...but it still has to be made from quality ingredients! A treat in my opinion can still nourish you and homemade is always the best for knowing just what is inside - it may surprise you to find out just what can be inside some of the packaged options. This healthier version of the popular hedgehog slice is quite possibly my best chocolate creation to date! It is made using Nairns Oat Biscuits which have significantly less sugar than your usual chocolate cookies (you can read this comparison on my blog here). This means per serving of this mouth watering slice there is only 7g of sugar per serve. Not to mention it is packed with other nutritious ingredients like coconut and sliced almonds PLUS it requires no baking - you will want to book mark this one! Nutritional Breakdown (per serve/16 portions) Calories    263 Protein      3.9g Fat            20.5g Sat Fat      12g CHO         15g Sugar        7g Fiber     ...

With the turn of warmer weather here in New Zealand so too is the call of sun, sand, and the patter of little feet running free in our great outdoors. I do not know about you but I am glad to see the back of winter this year ….but let’s not get too carried away, taking little ones out and about is still a lot of work – no quietly lying on the beach with a book anymore! Nourishing with good food when you are away from the home can be nothing short of a mission; besides having healthy snacks on you is just part and parcel of leaving the house full stop and a quality lunch box a bare necessity as a mum. I was recently sent two bento lunch boxes from LunchBox Inc . They arrived beautifully wrapped in brown paper with a hand written note. Now maybe I am old-school but I just love this personal touch. Opening the parcel you can very much tell these lunch boxes are designed and made from a New Zealand owned business just for kiwis (and kiwi-kids!). The LunchBox Inc.  Kiwi Box has a gorgeous ...

I was talking to a friend last week who is expecting her first baby and she mentioned there seems to be just so many things to get, how do you know what is really important? Good question! Nearly four years down I feel a bit more ‘qualified’ to answer this one as I look back on the baby products that we have and what has stood the test of time, and use, of two ahhh robust shall we say boys! One of the baby products we did purchase was a really good nappy bag. Our boys are super active and we are always out and about with them so having a functioning bag is essential. The nappy bag we brought before our first was born – we still use today! I believe we paid $70 for it at the time so for four years use with two children I see that as well worth it! I was recently asked to review a new nappy bag from Arabella Baby – I jumped at this chance especially when I heard about the specifically designed changing station as I had lost the mat for my original nappy bag. Let’s just say if you are an...