Finger Foods (6 months+)

[creations]

I found a gluten free, egg free, sugar free cookie recipe here:
http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/gluten-free-egg-free-sugar-free-oatmeal-cookies/

There's also an option for the recipe to be dairy free by using oil instead of butter and water instead of milk.
I adapted the recipe and made a few variations of my own


OATY CHEWS - banana and apricot
(gluten, egg, sugar and dairy free)

3 ripe bananas
75g unsalted butter (melted, or oil)
200g uncooked oats (I had about 170g in and made up the rest of the weight with baby muesli)
60ml milk (or water or fruit juice)
90g dried apricots (finely chopped)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract

WHIZZ bananas to puree
ADD butter/oil, milk/water/juice, vanilla, MIX
ADD oats, apricots, MIX
STAND 5 mins
SPREAD out to 1cm thick on baking tray lined with baking paper, mark out in small squares like mini flapjacks)
BAKE 15 - 20 mins 180c
CUT into squares
LEAVE to cool fully


OATY CHEWS - raisin and cinnamon
3 bananas (whizzed)
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup oil
1tsp cinnamon


OATY CHEWS - spiced mixed fruit
3 bananas (whizzed)
3 dried figs (stalk removed, whizzed)
1 cup mixed dried fruit (whizzed)
1tsp mixed spice
2 cups oats
1/4 cup oil


OATY CHEWS - banana and almond
3 bananas (whizzed)
1 cup raisins (about 3/4 of them whizzed and 1/4 left whole)
6 prunes (whizzed)
2 cups oats
1/4 cup oil
1tsp almond extract
1dsp crushed almonds

For a smoother end result whizz all or half of the oats.
These can also be made by packing down the mixture into mini muffin tins.
These can be frozen between layers of baking paper and lifted out a few hours before needed.

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Oven Baked Rice Pudding
(first the basic recipe and then what I did)

basic recipe on the pack of rice I bought:

50g short grain rice
30ml caster sugar
568ml (1 pint) creamy milk
5ml vanilla essence
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
25g sultanas

rinse rice in cold water, put rice, sugar, milk, vanilla, sultanas into a buttered oven proof dish (capacity 1.5 pint), dot with butter and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake at 150c 300f gas mark 2 for 2 hrs, stir well after 30 min.

I made the following variation:

double the amount of rice (100g)
no sugar
10ml vanilla essence
ground nutmeg
mixed dried fruit chopped up into smaller bits (mine had cherries, blueberries, raisins and cranberries I think)
1.5 pints of formula
half a tub of mascarpone (blobbed around the dish after the other ingredients were in).

I saw on another recipe to put the rice dish inside a bigger dish of water (is this a ban-marie???) so I did that too.
And cooked in the oven for 1 hr 45 rather than the 2 hrs as it looked quite brown on the top (I stirred once at 30 mins).

It made a thick cake type rice pudding which was brilliant cold as finger food for DS.  Nana and I enjoyed it that way too and some of it I dolloped into a saucepan and added a bit of milk to make it thinner to eat off a spoon - very yummy!

If your LO is just starting finger foods you might want to skip the dried fruit depending on if you are confident they can manage it but bare in mind that this is sweetening the pudding (and it was sweet enough without any sugar).

[Lemonthyme]

I made this for my 16 month old the other day but I thought it might be good for BLW; it's home made chicken nuggets and parsnip "chips" (although they're baked in the oven):

http://mamacook.blogspot.com/2011/09/chicken-nuggets-for-babies-and-toddlers.html

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open pie
(vol-au-vents but I couldn't be bothered with round cutters which take more time and end up wasting pastry too)

Filling - chicken and mushroom with asparagus.
chop mushrooms, fry in unsalted butter
throw in some milk, finely chopped spring roll, garlic
chop chicken breast (finely works well for this filling), add to the milk and mushrooms, simmer for a few mins
add a big dollop of cream cheese, heat through
if sauce is too thin thicken with corn flour (mix corn flour with small amount of water before adding to the filling).

Ready rolled puff pastry, cut into rectangles (I cut 9 from the pack I had), lightly score a smaller rectangle about 1cm in from the edge.
Pile filling within the scored rectangle
lay 2 or 3 asparagus on top of the filling to sit within the rectangle
shove in the oven until pastry is puffed and golden brown (10 - 15 mins)

These were a nice size for 1 or 2 per adult and half to one per child, obviously depending on appetite and what they are served with.
I cut DS's in half for finger food but you could make smaller daintier ones if you aren't as lazy as I am.  Puff pastry is a bit messy for a self-feeder as it's so flaky, but it does make a nice change from pasta and bread.

[beckygatt]

I make homemade chips and sweet potato chips in the oven. They're really easy; just chop them up (skin on or off), and roast them with some coconut oil in the oven. The whole family loves them. You can also season them but of course I'm careful about salt at the moment.

[Lemonthyme]

On the healthy oat cookie front, not a cookie but a flapjack:

http://mamacook.blogspot.com/2012/01/sugar-free-flapjack-for-babies-toddlers.html

No egg, no dairy, you can get gluten free oats too so super friendly allergen wise.

[Lemonthyme]

Finger foods don't necessarily have to be soft even for babies, a great one is yorkshire puddings: http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/mini-yorkshire-puddings-for-babies-and.html

US style pancakes are also pretty good for them to gum away at. These ones are sugar and dairy free:
http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/dairy-free-pancakes.html

[creations]

The Famous Sausage recipe
With thanks to Alison (Freya'sMum) who originally posted this back in 2007

2 chicken breasts (uncooked)
1 eating apple (peeled and cored)
2 slices bread
1 medium onion
some fresh herbs of your choice (thyme works well)
flour

blitz apple in food processor, squeeze out excess juice, return to food processor and blitz with all other ingredients until really finely blended, shape into burgers or sausages, coat with a little flour, pan fry in a dribble of olive oil or bake in oven until cooked thru.

Variations could be pork, apple and sage, and lamb and mint.

[creations]

CHICKEN "NUGGETS"
With thanks to Lauren for originally posting this recipe back in 2006

2 chicken breasts - sliced into thin strips (then sliced into cubes if you wish)
1 egg or plain yogurt
bread crumbs or crushed flaked cereal

Scramble egg or spoon 4 tablespoons yogurt into a wide bowl. Dip the breasts strips into the egg or yogurt.
Roll in the bread crumbs or cereal. Fry gently in pure olive oil (about 1-2 teaspoons) or
Bake until golden at the temperature you normally bake at (375F is a good temp)
Transfer to plate lined with paper towels, allow to cool and then wrap in foil or plastic wrap, then transfer to freezer.
VIOLA, ready to eat chicken nuggets

[creations]

With thanks to ZacsMumme who posted these recipes in 2011

Mini Muesli and Apple muffins (taken from watties box of baby muesli)

1 1/2 cups of self raising flour
1/2 cup of muesli and apple cereal (or your alt )
1/2 cup of light brown or raw sugar (I used 1/4 cup and it tasted fine)
2 tbspn sultanas (I used raisins and fine)
1 tspn cinnamon
3/4 cup full cream milk or formula
1/3 cup of canola oil
120gm can of baby food apples (or I used my own)

Combine dry ingredients
make a well in the middle and gently stir in milk, oil and apples till just combined.
Spoon into mini muffin tins
Bake 12-15 mins at 180 degrees Celsius (not sure what this is in Fahrenheit) or until golden
Can freeze up to 3 months


Cheesy Rice Balls - Annabel Karmel, stage 3 but DS already eats them
100gm risotto rice
250mls unsalted vege stock or water
55g chedder cheese grated (I just used edam and it was fine)
15g parmesan cheese grated
2 tsp chives chopped finely
Pepper to taste if you like

1. Bring rice and stock to boil in a non stick saucepan. Reduce heat as low as possible, cover and simmer gently for 10 mins
2. Add 2tbspn water, stir, recover and cook for a further 10 mins until the stock/water has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
3. Remove from heat. Stand for 5 mins. Transfer to a bowl and leave for another 10-15 mins until cool enough to handle.  Stir in the cheeses, chives and season.
4. Roll teaspoons into balls using your hands. Serve immediately or place in a sealed container and chill immediately. Safe in fridge for 24 hours. Can be frozen and then thawed overnight in the fridge (not at room temp)

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With thanks to Marie-O

Meat & Veggies balls:
...I'm very bad at quantities, but go with the eye.
1 sweet potato
1 carrot
8 squares of veal (they sell them already in squares at the supermarket)
2 hands full of spinach
1 small eggplant
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
1 egg yolk (you can use the hole egg)

Cut onions, eggplants, garlic and spinach in small squares and sauteed in olive oil.
Boil the veal in water until well cooked.
Cut and steam carrots and sweet potato until soft and then smash into puree with a bit of butter.
Put in the food processor the veal with sauteed veggies until shredded. Mix well with smashed sweet potato and carrots.
Make little balls (bite size) in a baking tray. Spray or brush a little olive oil on top of each ball and bake for 20min (370F).
Wait until cool and serve. You can freeze the rest in Ziploc.

You can add Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs for extra crisp.

[creations]

Thanks to MJ&N for bringing this recipe to our attention
Veggie bread (a veggie and spelt flour bread for those who'd like an alternative to regular bread)

http://babyledfeeding.com/recipes/veggie-bread-with-hummus/

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Banana cake

4oz self raising flour
1/2 tsp mixed spice
2 oz butter
3 oz raisins
8 oz banana
1 egg

oven 160 c
Mix flour, spice
rub in butter
stir in raisins
mash banana and egg together
stir wet mixture into dry mixture
put into well greased tin (small loaf or muffin tray)
cook for 1hr (less for muffins)

[creations]

Banana Sultana mini muffins
(no egg, no sugar)

1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup porridge oats
1/2 cup sultanas
1 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon
3 bananas well mashed
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup oil

oven 180 c
combine dry ingredients
combine wet ingredients
stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients ( do  not over mix)
spoon into greased mini muffin tray
bake 12 - 15 min

[creations]

Apple and Sultana mini  muffins

1 apple (skin on grated)
2 eggs
4 tabl sp milk
150g sultanas
2 tble sp veg oil
150g self raising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice

oven 200 c
mix wet
mix dry
add wet to dry (don't over mix)
spoon into greased muffin tray
bake 15 - 17 min



Banana Muffins

3 bananas
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup melted butter or oil

oven 175 c
whiz banana and egg, add butter, stir
stir dry ingredients together
add wet to dry, mix (do not over mix)
spoon into greased muffin tray
bake 15 - 20 min