Who would do such a thing? Climb three, whole mountains (up and down) in just 36 hours?

Well, it’s not the sort of thing I would normally be up for if i’m at all honest. A little jog here and there maybe but that’s as far as my exercise regime goes.

The challenge is simply to climb Ben Nevis (1344 metres), Scafell Pike (978 metres) and Snowdon (1065 metres) in 36 hours. This will happen on July 8th 2011. I need your help to do this.

I’ve decided to take on this challenge for one of my favourite charities, the Meningitis Trust. They help nurse babies, young children and adults thought meningitis. As well as helping people who have had the disease, they are also committed to raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of meningitis. To do this they produce and distribute millions of leaflets, posters and symptoms cards every year. They also go out into the community and talk to different groups, including mother and toddler groups, schools, colleges, universities and St. John Ambulance groups. They know raising awareness of meningitis signs and symptoms saves lives.

I personally know friends and families who have experienced meningitis at sometime in there life. That’s why the charity is close to me and is the reason why I have chosen to raise money by climbing up mountains!

I do not normally ask for money but this is where I need your help. I know you’re here to use the great recipes on this site (they are great!) but how about sparing a dollar or a pound in return for a wonderful charity? It really only takes a couple of minutes and you’ll feel really good about it!

Just follow the easy peasy instructions at this link:

THANK YOU! x

This finger food recipe originated from a traditional Thai recipe but was adapted to remove salt, heat and bitterness that might make your little one squirm!

This is another baby weaning recipe that contains plenty of occurring Omega-3. I am a firm believer of making sure our children get plenty of it.

This baby finger food is a good source of

• Omega 3
• Protein
• Vitamin D
• Manganese
• Thiamin (Vitamin B1)

Ingredients

• 0.5lb x White fish fillet (Cod fillet, Pollack, Haddock)
• 0.5lb x Mackerel Fillet
• 3 x Tablespoons of Coconut Milk
• 2 x Tablespoons of Fish Sauce
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Shrimp Paste
• 1/2 TEaspoon x Ground Coriandar
• 1/2 x Teaspoon Brown Sugar
• 2 medium onions
• 1 x thumb size piece of Ginger Root
• Oil for Frying (Preferably Rapeseed or Olive Oil)

You will need

• 1 x Food processor or hand-held blender or a Baby Dan Food Mill with Serving Spoon
• 1 x Frying Pan

Method

1. Start by rinsing your cod and mackerel fillet and patting dry. Flake the flesh into a food processor. Make sure you remove any bones.

2. Combine the coconut milk, fish sauce, shrimp paste, ground coriander, and brown sugar in a cup, stir thoroughly and add the mixture to your fish.

3. Roughly chop the garlic, ginger and onion and add these to the blender. Blend by .pulsing the mixture bit by bit until you have a thick fish paste. Try not to overmix it. Add a little liquid if you need to.

4. Having unplugging the blender and removing the blade, you can now take some ofthe mixture and make a ball with your hands, about the size of a golf ball. Sahpe your ball into either a little, flat patty or a sausage shape. If your find the mixture to be too moist I would recommend adding a little flour or breadcrumbs to the mix.

5. Once you have a plate of fish cakes or fish fingers, palce in the fridge for about 15 minutes for them to firm up. At this point you will want to warm some oil in a frying pan over a medium heat ready to fry. You can test the oil temperature by dropping a littl ebit of bread and wait for it to sizzle.

6. When the oil is ready, gently lower your fish cakes or fish fingers into the oil. Only cook about 3-4 at a time or the oil will cool too much and make your cakes soggy. Allow to fry for about 30 seconds to to a minute before turning, gently lifting the cakes from the bottom of the pan as they may stick. If you are cooking Finger shapes, try moving them around frequently to cook evenly. Fry until golden-brown and drain on paper towel.

7. Allow to cool thoroughly before serving to your baby. I would recommend serving with strips of chilled cucumber and yoghurt.

You can freeze these cooked. To reheat, take out of the freezer for an hour and then microwave for 30 seconds. You can then pop under the grill for a few seconds to crisp up.

If you do use a microwave to heat these remember to set aside afterwards for about 30 seconds and test against your top lip to detect hotspots!

Completely and utterly free!

Ok, I admit right here that I have been searching high and low on the internet on how one may get hold of some Free Baby Food. It’s not easy. I managed to find some links to free samples which i’ll share with you at the end of this article. But, unfortunately there is no such thing as a free lunch.

However, the second best option is quite simple and more beneficial for your little one. Making your own, real, homemade baby food. If you haven’t done it before I promise you it’s really easy and I urge you to give it a try. One of the biggest benefits of making baby food at home is that you are making it out of fresh ingredients, fresh fruit and vegetables jam-packed with all the nutrition you need. Shop bought baby food is not as healthy as you think, you know.

Plus it is cheaper. A lot cheaper. There are lots of recipes on this site to get you sarted and one thing you’ll notice is that they’re incredibly simple, and use basic ingredients. You make food in bulk and freeze the rest, ready for the next week or month. You could use an ice cube tray but the compartments aren’t really big enough. You could get hold of these cheap Happy Mummy Baby Cubes Food Portioners (Stage 2) that do the job perfectly.

Now, back to the free baby food (well ok, free baby samples at least) I promised.
Article

At Hipp.co.uk if you register and join up to the Hipp Organic Baby Club you get free samples as well as

Plum-Baby.co.uk are running a little survey. All you have to do is fillin the questions to win £50 worth of free baby food The survey is here.

For our friends in th U.S. I managed to find free samples of food at Babies Online as well as free magazines, coupons for diapers and other parephenalia Click here.

Finally, in the UK, the government are giving away free milk, infant formula, vegetables and vitamins under the Healthy Start Scheme which you may well be eligible for:

Who is eligible for Healthy Start?

You may qualify if you’re pregnant and/or have at least one child under four years old and your family gets any of the following:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit unless your family is receiving Working Tax credit run-on only) with an annual family income of £16,040 or less (for 2009/2010)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

or

• if you are pregnant and under 18 years old

Please note – Working Tax Credit run-on is the Working Tax Credit you receive in the four weeks immediately after you have stopped working for 16 hours or more per week.

More details of this can be found at the direct.gov.uk website.

Failing all that start making your own baby food. You and your baby won’t regret it! We have a wide range of easy recipes on this site to get you started. How about starting off with Strawberry, Papaya and Yoghurt Puree or Creamed Leek and Potato to get you started?

All the best!

As always, a first glance at the title of this post and indeed, the name of this finger food recipe may have most of you turning your nose up in disgust and suspicion! However I kid you not when I say these are delicious and very nutritious, not to mention pretty little finger foods. I wanted to introduce more naturally occurring Omega-3 into the weaning recipes on this site as I am a firm believer of making sure our children get plenty of it.

This baby finger food is a good source of

• Vitamin B1
• Omega 3
• Phosphatidylserine
• Protein
• Fibre
• Potassium
• Vitamin C
• Iron
• Magnesium

Ingredients

• 1 x Beetroot
• 200g x Smoked mackerel Fillets
• 3/4 cup of Plain Flour
• 3/4 cup of Wholemeal Flour
• 1 x Teaspoon of Brown Sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cups of Whole Milk
• 3 x Teaspoons of Baking Powder
• A little Butter for frying
• 1 x Tablespoon of Chopped Parsley

You will need

• 1 x Large Mixing Bowl
• 1 x Frying Pan
• 1 x Hand Whisk
• 1 x Cheese Grater

Method

1. Take your mixing bowl and add all the dry ingredients. You can choose to seive your flour but I prefer to take a hand whisk and gently whisk the flour instead. It’s easier and just as effective. Do this with your dry ingredients.

2. Make a well in the centre and add all your wet ingredients. Using the whisk, whisk the liquid and slowly incorporate the flour around the edges. If the mixture turns a little stiff, use a wooden spoon instead of the whisk. Keep doing this until everything is mixed thoroughly, but try not to overdo it. Overmixing batter will produce too much gluten and your pancakes will not be as light and fluffy.

3. Grate the beetroot into the mixture but do not stir yet.

4. Take your mackerel and remove the skin. On a chopping board, flake the flesh with your fingers checking extremely carefully for any long bones. Place the fish flesh into the batter mix.

5. Add your chooped parsley. Stir gently but not too much as to turn the mixture pink. Just enough to get everthing incorporated.

6. Take your frying pan and, melt a knob of butter over a medium heat.

7. Using a cup, take about 1/4 cup worth of the batter and, once the butter is bubbling, pour gently into the center of the pan. Don’t touch and watch carefully. As the pancake dries on top and little bubbles appear after about two minutes, it’s time to turn it over. Do this with a spatula.

8. You can cut you pancakes into fingers or quarters and give to your baby when cooled a little.

9. You can server these with a yoghurt or maybe Creme Fraiche with a little horseradish.

You can freeze these cooked pancakes. To reheat, take out of the freezer for an hour and then microwave for 30 seconds.

If you do use a microwave to heat these remember to set aside afterwards for about 30 seconds and test against your top lip to detect hotspots!

You may be keen to start the weaning process as early as possible. Starting on the road to eating solid food gives them a great start towards exercising and strengthening th mouth and tongue in order to develop their speech skills.

However, your baby’s digestive system will not be ready to digest solid food until they’re at least four months old. We recommend as a general rule you do not start before then.

Even so, your baby will give you some signs they’re hungry for food. One of the first signs they’re naturally ready for solids is that they’re still hungry after drinking their 9oz bottle of milk. Or you may notice your baby waking up in the night for more feeds.

You may also find your baby taking a keen interest in what you are feeding yourself at dinner times. If you notice your baby reaching out  for what you’re eating then he may be trying to tell you he is ready for something a bit more substantial than milk. These are natural signs of your baby desire to try solid food.

Time to dig out the blender from the back of that cupboard!

You might want to check out this article on feeding your baby for the first time before checking out these ideal first weaning foods.