Sweet Potato, Pear, Broccoli & Quinoa

Ever since I started weaning my son at 5 months, the person that I have looked to for recipes has been Annabel Karmel. Her food is all healthy, all fresh and really yummy. Here is a recipe that sounds weird but is actually super nutritious! It will get your child eating their broccoli with no fuss and I added quinoa to it for extra protein. My son loved it :) 

Photo by Annabel Karmel

Best for babies  9 -12 months and over
Makes about 4 - 5 servings
Suitable for freezing

INGREDIENTS

15g Unsalted Butter

150g chopped Leak

250g diced Sweet Potato

150g diced Butternut Squash

200g pealed and diced pear

500g water

80g chopped broccoli

100g milk

50g grated emmental cheese

1/2 cup organic white quinoa

STEPS

1. Put the Quinoa in a saucepan with 1.5 cups of water and bring to a boil. When boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. It should be done in about 15 minutes. You can fluff it with a fork when ready
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the leak, sweet potato, pear and squash. Gently sauté over the heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the water

3. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and then leave to simmer for about 20 minutes until tender

4. Add the broccoli and let it simmer for about 10 minutes until soft

5. Mix in the milk and the cheese 

6. If blending for younger children, blend until the mixture is nice and smooth

7. Put the mixture into small containers with 2 tablespoons of quinoa in each 

For the original recipe by Annabel Karmel, please click HERE 

HomeMade Mixed Berry Icecream Bars

When its hot out, the best snack to have at home or serve at a picnic is ice-cream or icre-cream bars. I found these on the website Sweetsonian.com (Link). I substituted alot of the ingredients with low fat or fat-free versions to make these as least fattening as possible. They are honestly MOUTHWATERING and everyone who tried them loved them! Make them one day ahead of time because they need to be placed in the freezer overnight. Bon Appetit :)

What you need:
Crust
1/2 cup toasted pecans
8 honey graham crackers, cut into pieces (each cracker is usually split into 3 smaller ones - you need 8 WHOLE crackers)
1 cup butter melted in a pan on high heat (approx. 1/3 of a stick of butter)
2 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar

ICE-CREAM MIXTURE
2 egg whites
1/2 cup splenda sugar
1 cup whipped cream (if you find the fat free variety, that's even better)
Juice from 1 lemon
4 oz. Philadelphia Lightest Cream Cheese
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup sliced raspberries

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees Celcius)

STEP 2: Toast the pecans in a toaster for about 15 to 20 minutes (make sure they don't burn)

STEP 3: In a food processor, combine the pecans and the graham crackers. Pulse-mix until they become a smooth mixture

STEP 4: Transfer the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add in the melted butter, flour and brown sugar. Mix it with a fork till its a crumbly texture

STEP 5: Transfer this mixture to a baking pan covered in parchment paper. Pat down the mixture with your finger to make a big cookie about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. (You will be crumbling this later so don't worry if it isn't perfect). Put it into the oven for 15 minutes then remove and let it cool for 30 mins. After it has cooled, crumble it into a bowl. This is the most important part of the ice-cream bar and if done well, the crust is DELICIOUS! 

STEP 6: Separate the egg whites from the yolk. Put the egg whites in a stand mixer and beat till you get fluffy soft peaks.

STEP 7: Gradually add in the splenda and whipped cream. Beat for 4 more minutes then add in the lemon juice and cream cheese. When evenly mixed, fold in the sliced strawberries and raspberries with a spatula

 I used the least fatty ingredients I could find. If available, Fat free whipped cream is even better 

STEP 8: Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper. Spread 1/2 of the cookie crust mixture into the pan and spread evenly. MAKE SURE you spread it to the ends of the baking dish. Pour the berry mixture on top and evenly cover the crust. Pour the remaining crust on top and completely cover the berry mix. 

Spread the mixture EVENLY over the crust and make sure to get all the corners 

COMPLETELY cover the mixture with the remaining crust so you get perfect ice-cream Bars

STEP 9: Put the dish into the freezer for at least 4 hours but preferably over night

STEP 10: When you take it out of the freezer, slice with a sharp knife into squares. Wrap each square with plastic wrap for individual servings and so that they don't melt onto each other. Return to the freezer. 

STEP 11: TIP** One hour before serving, transfer the ice-cream bars to the fridge so they are not super frozen and easier to bite into

STEP 12: ENJOY all the compliments you will get from grown-ups & kids! :)

Hope you enjoy my ice-cream bars, they are beyond DELICIOUS!