JulieBhosaleAchive

At one of my events on the weekend I was asked about the idea of free movement for babies - so I thought it was fitting to write a blog about this! While not a 'new' concept it has become more topical, unfortunately mainly due to babies movement and play being more restricted. It is an important cornerstone of their wellbeing and does impact on their eating, digestive system and energy levels which is why I have a chapter on it in The Nourished Baby . What is Free Movement?  Put simply, free movement for babies is allowing their movement in a way that is free from all restriction. This means not using bouncers, seats, swings, jolly jumpers or walkers, and limiting the heavy use of carriers, slings and strollers - as these still can restrict movement of our babies. This does not mean you cannot carry your baby; rather still providing a lot of chances for their own unrestrained movement each wake cycle. It may surprise you to know that for a baby, the position which allows for th...

I love making vegetable dips...I do not get a lot of time now in the kitchen (especially on my own!) but making a vegetable based dip is something which I can whip up fairly easily and is not too delicate for when I have little helpers. This cauliflower dip is nice and light a fluffy so makes for a good lunch box addition. You can easily adjust the other ingredients or add a bit more extra virgin olive oil if you like. Ingredients: 1/2 Head of cauliflower 1 Tb of olive oil 2 Tb of yoghurt 2 Tb of hulled tahini 1 Tb of lemon juice (or a good squeeze) Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line an oven tray with baking foil. Chop the cauliflower into small floretts and place in the try covering well with the olive oil. 2. Bake until the tops go slightly golden (approximately 20 minutes). 3. Place the roasted cauliflower, remaining oil, yoghurt, hulled tahini and lemon juice into the food processor as well. 3. Simply blend all together. You may need to push the sides down a bi...

As many of you know I am a number one fan of Nairns Oatcakes . There are not many pre-packaged foods that I give my seal of approval to, however Nairns Oatcakes is one of them. Made with real wholegrain oats and minimal additional ingredients, their oatcakes and oat biscuits provides a easy nutritious snack option – which are also incredibly versatile. Nairns Oatcakes have just launch a new cracked pepper option here in New Zealand and I am very excited about this! These are made with 91% wholegrain oats, are wheat-free, have absolutely no added sugar at all, and very low natural sugar at (0.9g/100). The addition of cracked pepper just adds that little bit of flavour without any additives (or strange numbers!). It is not over powering so that little ones will not eat it...these have been approved by the littlest critics in our household! With our big boy a month away from starting school now, searching for easy healthy lunch box ideas has become my newest mission so these have made a f...

This is a ridiculously super simple recipe - literally made with three ingredients which is a great way to explore egg (and leafy greens for the matter) for little ones. Some babies struggle with the texture of egg so this is something a bit different which is grain free and dairy free. You can adapt this to include pretty much any vegetable, and feel free to add some herbs as well. Ingredients: 10 Eggs 1 cup of spinach or silverbeet, chopped finely 1/2 cup of red capsicum, diced finely 1 tb of coconut oil (for greasing the muffin tin)   Directions:  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease the muffin tin well with coconut oil (you could also use silicon cups, I would lightly grease these still). Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk together. Place in the greens and capsicum into the bottom of each muffin hole. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. These may bubble up but they will collapse back down. Take out and a...

The humble egg has been subjected to quite a wide variety of opinions when it comes to introducing it to your baby. It is also classified as a 'high allergenic food', being one of the top eight food allergens. Nutritionally, the egg is packed full of important nutrients. It is a complete protein (containing all eight essential amino acids) plus it contains both saturated fat (approximately 1g) as well as unsaturated fat, including your omegas. Eggs have a significant number of vitamins and minerals including selenium, folate, iron, calcium Vitamins A, E, D, B5, B12 and more! When you look at how much goodness eggs can provide to our babies, it is a food we do want to introduce especially in the sensitive period the first year offers for developing food preferences. However, I know it can be quite daunting when there is such conflicting information and worry considering eggs are a top allergen. So below I answer some of the top questions and de-bunk the major myths on introducin...