MADELEINES

I think these little French cakes are so elegant. They're perfect if you want to quickly knock something up for guests, or if you're just craving something sweet. They're ideal for parents on the go, and they're simple enough to put together that kids could join in too!

Fun fact: the reason they have one side shaped like a shell is because they're originally from Brittany in France, which is famous for its seafood. 

Ingredients:

2 eggs

100g sugar

100g all purpose flour

100g butter (melted)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1tsp lemon juice OR vanilla extract

Method:

- Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/gas 6

- Brush melted butter on your madeleine pan, and dust with flour. Tap off excess

- Whisk together eggs and sugar until frothy

- Mix in flour and baking powder, followed by the melted butter and vanilla extract/lemon juice. 

- If you have time, leave the mixture to rest for 20 mins, but not absolutely essential

- Bake in oven for 10 mins

- Cool (and dust with icing sugar if you want)

BABY FOOD RECIPE: BROCCOLI!

Making your own home-made baby food is so cheap and easy, and you know exactly what's in it! This is a recipe for babies who have just begun mashed food - around six months! 

- Peel/chop potatoes, and boil until soft. You can throw a peeled garlic clove into the water with the potatoes for more flavor. 

- Chop the little fronds off the head of the broccoli: 

- Boil the broccoli bits for just a couple of minutes and drain (if you prefer, you can leave the tiny broccoli pieces raw for extra texture/nutrition).

- Mix together with the mash. 

It's great to make batches of baby food. I store it in individual microwave-safe containers, and put them in the freezer. So when it's time for her to eat, I just defrost and reheat one of them.

AVOCADO LOVE

I LOVE food! Tasting and cooking new and different things is one of my favorite things, so having a fussy eating child would be a bit of a nightmare for me! 

From the word go, I've been determined to try and encourage my daughter to enjoy lots of different foods. And so far it's working! People are amazed - she'll eat absolutely anything! 

The first solid food that she had was mashed avocado. You can mash it on its own, or mix it in with the baby rice. She went through phases of liking it and not liking it, but as she got older I would squeeze a bit of lime on the avocado pieces or mix in a passion fruit, just to brighten up the flavor! It's also great with a boiled egg for breakfast. She still loves it, and it's great for me because it's such a quick and easy snack or breakfast food. 

As well as starting them off early, I think the key to having a food-loving baby is expressing your own love of food to them (not ever saying 'yuck'), giving them home cooked sugar/salt free food (you don't want them getting a taste for synthetic, processed flavors), but also not being afraid of exposing them to spices, herbs and food that tastes strong naturally, like oily fish.

VITAMIN ZZZzzzzz

It's difficult to sleep during pregnancy, especially during the last trimester. There are foods that can help aid sleep though, and they all have the extra benefit of providing nutrients for your baby. Try these:

Drink...

- Milk. It contains tryptophan (an amino acid which is a ‘sleep aid’). It also contains the sleep-inducing nutrient calcium, which is effective in stress reduction and the stabilization of nerve fibers, including those in the brain.

- Hot chocolate, made with cacao powder . Cacao contains both the natural tranquilizers tryptophan and magnesium. Magnesium is also important for your baby as it helps to prevent poor foetal growth and even preeclampsia.  

Eat...

- Almonds, which contain magnesium to promote muscle relaxation. Almonds also supply your body with a protein that can help maintain blood sugar levels while sleeping.

- A banana. Once again full of magnesium and potassium, which help to relax muscles (they're also good following exercise). They also contain tryptophan, which converts to serotonin and melatonin, the brain’s key calming hormones

MORNING SICKNESS

I love food, but when I was pregnant I became a picky eater. In the first trimester, I only wanted to eat children's food and felt constantly nauseous. The break through came when my Mum told me that morning sickness is caused by a combination of hormones and low blood-sugar, and that I should eat, in bed, before I did anything. Snacking on carbohydrates like crackers and drinking fluids (not too sugary) really helped.

It's the last thing you want to do, but it really works to eat through the nausea  Try not to fall asleep afterwards, because that will make it worse. Here are some ideas to remedy morning sickness:

Drink...

- Ginger tea

- Ginger cordial with carbonated water

- Fruit juice diluted with water

Eat...

- Brown toast with jam

- Fortified cereal, dry or with milk

- Crackers (salty ones)
- Pepparkakor! (see my recipe here)

CHRISTMAS PEPPARKAKOR

Pepparkakor hearts on my coconut ceramic plate (made by Tine)

These little biscuits are a big thing at christmas time in Scandinavia. They are essentially a more exciting version of gingerbread. The only downside to them is that the dough has to be made a day in advance, but it's so worth it, because they taste delicious and make your whole house smell like christmas! They're also good for morning sickness.

300g butter (room temperature)
5 cups* granulated sugar
1 cup of golden syrup
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp baking soda
2 cups water
15 cups plain flour

Stir together the butter, sugar and syrup until smooth. Add in the spices and baking soda. Then stir in the water followed by the flour. Knead the dough on a floured surface and refrigerate for 24 hrs wrapped in foil. 

The following day, when you're ready to bake, roll the dough out to 5mm, and use a cookie-cutter to cut out pepparkakor biscuits. Place them onto baking paper, and bake at 170°C for 6-10 minutes.

*For those of you who don't have a cup measurer, this one is super cute...

Hedgehog measuring cups. £32 from Anthropologie

WOODLAND WALKS

Walking is not my favourite thing, but I know that it's really good for you when you're pregnant, especially if you're overdue (I was 16 days). I took lots of pictures to while away the time, and collected berries to give me an incentive to walk a bit further... 

ULTIMATE PREGNANCY NUTRITION LIST

There is so much stuff out there saying what you shouldn't eat when you're pregnant that I've decided to focus on what you should (/could) eat. 

I believe that getting the vital nutrients throughout pregnancy is important, but know that it's sometimes difficult given your general aversion to food (especially in the first 3 months). So I took a simple folic acid tablet, and a DHA supplement throughout pregnancy, just to cover my back if I really wasn't up to eating much. 

I thought of posting a few recipes myself based on this list, but I thought, no, I'll make better of it and include links to my favourite recipes from around the web. So if you can face it, here is my ULTIMATE PREGNANCY NUTRITION LIST!: 

Folic Acid

For the healthy development of the baby's spinal cord

• Lentils ~ The Best Lentil Salad Ever
• Spinach ~ Soup aux Epinards
• Potatoes ~ Gratin Dauphinois

Zinc

For the production of DNA

• Low fat roast beef ~ Delia Smith's How to Roast Beef
• Pumpkin seeds ~ Roasted pumpkin seeds
• Dark chocolate and cocoa powder ~ Best Cocoa Brownies

B Vitamins

Contributes to a healthy immune system and helps maintain normal blood formation, which is important for the blood supply during pregnancy

• Salmon ~ Teriyaki Salmon
• Lamb ~ Lamb chops with lemon and tzatziki 
• Eggs ~ Veggie and Egg Tower of Power
• Fortified cereal 

DHA

Helps to support the development and function of the baby's brain and eyes

• Salmon ~ Salmon Rosti Fish Cakes
• Algae is a source of DHA omega 3’s that even vegans find suitable, and can be purchased as a supplement product.

Iron

Encourages energy production, prevents too much bleeding at the birth, helps the growing baby form healthy blood and store iron for the first few months after birth. It is also important in the production of good breast milk

• Dried thyme ~ Chargrilled chicken with thyme
• Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Powder ~ Superfood Haute Chocolat
• Fortified cereals
• Edamame beans ~ Chargrilled courgette, edamame and feta salad

Calcium

A growing baby needs a lot of calcium to make new bones, especially in the last few months of pregnancy

• Plain yoghurt ~ Nigel Slater's Classic Tzatziki
• Milk
• Pecorino Romano cheese ~ Pea and Pecorino Risotto
• Fortified soy milk

Choline

Has long-lasting effects on a baby's ability to learn and remember – and may even provide some resistance to mental illness

• Eggs ~ How to poach an egg, Smitten-Kitchen style
• Spinach ~ Garlicky spinach