Corner View - Homemade

Tonight I made chickpea and potato curry (recipe at the bottom). At the same time I made some for baby Marco - minus the curry and any salt. This is what my hob looked like:

The big pan is for us with the tasty curry and the little pan of goodness is for Marco.

I heard on the radio that some mums in the UK feed their babies/toddlers solely on Ella's kitchen pouches. Yes, they are convenient and organic but are they really that good for your little one? Every day... three times a day? Is this a case of laziness or "more money than sense"? They cost about £1.40 a pouch, they aren't cheap! I do use them occasionally - I always keep a couple in the cupboard because there is no denying how handy they are when you're out and about and some nights you just don't have the time or energy to cook them something. Looking at the ingredients, there is no rubbish in there, it's true BUT there is a lot of water, usually about 30% and also natural sugars because they seem to put some kind of fruit in most of them, even the so called savoury ones. Baby's favour sweet things but surely part of weaning is to get them used to savoury tastes. Are these pouches just entrenching a sweet tooth? And what about the texture? They are very smooth. Fine for the 4month+ range because you don't want them choking but the 7month+ have hardly any texture at all, certainly nothing to chew on or get your baby used to real, homemade food.

I often hear other mums complaining that they just don't have time to cook for their little ones and if they did, they wouldn't know what to make. I don't really understand this. Is it because a lot of people these days just don't cook for themselves or their children and rely on processed foods or is it because of the strange British phenomenon where the parents cook separate meals for themselves and their children? i.e. the kids get unhealhty "kids" food such as chicken nuggets and chips and the parents have something altogether different?

I see weaning as a way of getting your child used to eating the kinds of homemade meals you and your family would normally eat which is why when I make us all dinner, I try to make a separate baby version at the same time. It saves money, time and I'm pretty sure the result is far healthier and nutritious as well as getting my baby ready to eat "real" food.

Tonight is a classic example. I made curry for us with chickpeas, peas, spinach, potatoes, onion, curry paste and coriander. I split off a small amount of each of the ingredients to make Marco's - minus the curry paste & marigold stock. Sometimes I add a tiny bit of low salt stock into his food if it seems overly bland, It took very little extra time and/or hassle. When I come to puree/mash his portion I can make the texture as rough or smooth as I like. A hand held blender is essential for me! The resulting food is more filling and I'm pretty sure it has more goodness than the pouches. I made quite a bit - probably enough for 4 meals so half will go in the freezer and two portions will be used over the next couple of days.

Chickpea, Potato and Spinach Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 x large onion cut in half and then into thin rings

4 x medium potatoes, peeled and cut into smallish chunks

1 x tin of chopped tomatoes

2 x tablespoons tomato purée

curry paste of your choice - use amount as recommended on jar/pouch (I used a pouch of Geetas Tikka)

1 x tin chickpeas, drained

4 cubes of frozen spinach

generous handful of frozen peas

150ml vegetable stock

bunch of fresh coriander, chopped

Method:

• Put the potatoes in a pan of water and bring to the boil, par-boil for 5 minutes.
• In a large pan, heat the oil and fry the onion until it's soft and starts to brown. 
• Add the curry paste and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add the tomatoes (tinnned & puréed), drained potatoes, peas, chickpeas, spinach and vegetable stock.
• If you're serving with rice, but this on now to cook.
• Reduce heat and gently simmer, with a lid on the pan for about 15-20 minutes.
• Stir through the chopped coriander and serve with a dollop of plain yogurt that's had a good squirt of lemon mixed in.

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Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane, where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme. This week the topic is courtesy of  Tera. Next week's topic is "Warmth" chosen by Beth . To see more "Corner Views" from around the world visit Francesca.

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