Baby shells with carrots, onions and golden raisins

An easy and quick but tasty dinner which is perfect to make on a busy night.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of small shells
• 2 tablespoons of sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon golden raisins

Cook the small shells in boiling water with the carrots for 12 minutes and set aside. In a saucepan brown the onions with the sunflower oil for 2 minutes. Mix together with the golden raisins.

Dhal of coral lentils cooked in coconut milk and bulghur with coriander

Margaux's first Indian Meal!
I loved the idea of giving Margaux the opportunity to try new spices while making it all within the proportions that are right for a 12 months old baby.

This is a recipe from Jenny Carenco, "Mon livre de recettes pour Bébé"

Babies 12 months and up
This makes 5 dinners which you can freeze

Ingredients:

• 3dl/10 oz of coral lentils
• 5 tomatoes
• 4 carrots
• 25cl/8.5 oz coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 200g/7oz bulgur
• 5 leaves of fresh coriander, minced

- Wash the carotts and tomatoes. Peel the carrots and dice them. Cut the tomatoes in cubes.
- In a saucepan, cover the lentils with water and bring to a boil. Cook at medium heat for 10 mns then drain.
- Put the bulgur in saucepan with 14oz water, bring to a boil and let cook for 10mns at medium heat (the water will have been absorbed).
- In a pan, heat the sunflower oil and garlic, cook for a minute then add the carrots and tomatoes. Add the spices and tomato paste then mix in well.
- Add the coconut milk and let cook for 10 mns. you can mix with a blender if your abby prefers a thinner texture.
- Add the lentils
- Serve with the bulgur topped with fresh coriander leaves, thinly sliced

Tennis anyone?

Racchette Pasta with Zucchini and Parmesan

This fun shaped pasta will sure please your little one for dinner!

Good for: Baby's dinner, 9 months and up

Ingredients:

• 2 oz racchette pasta
• 3.5 oz zucchini
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Slice, dice and steam your zucchini. Cook the racchette according to package's instructions. Mix in zucchini, olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

In 15 mins, here you have a dinner sure to please your baby and easy to make on busy weeknights.

Tuna with a South of France twist

As Margaux is now ONE (big girl!) I want to move on to new tastes and widen her horizons a bit. I thought a little tour of different cooking styles taken from around the world would be nice. The next series will feature some tastes from France, India, Italy, China and Spain. Bon appétit!

This is a fun and different lunch which is very easy to prepare ahead of time. The tuna is served with a ratatouille which can be made days ahead and a simple semolina couscous.

For babies 9 months and up

You will need:

• 1  1/2 tablespoon of canned tuna
• Half a zucchini
• A slice of eggplant
• 2 tomatoes
• A teaspoon of tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Very easy directions:

Peel and dice all vegetables and steam for 15 minutes or until tender. Add the tuna and mix in with the tomato paste and olive oil. Serve with a bit of couscous. You can also add some thyme and a bit of garlic to this.

And why not make more and share with baby?

Happy Halloween from a peacock!

Pom Pom Vines for a little lady

Margaux's Fall has been busy between having her dedication, travelling to see Family and her First birthday. To celebrate those big moments in her life I decided to decorate the trees in our front yard with Pom Pom garlands. Her nursery's colors are white, light pink and silver so I followed this theme for her garlands. After searching the Internet for some inspiration I stumbled upon those cute Pom Pom Vines - slightly different than your usual pom pom garlands and more versatile.

If you want to recreate them here's my source.

Fall Dinner: Risotto with butternut squash

Fall is upon us and butternut squash feels just right. I made this for Margaux who was a big fan: looks like another Annabel Karmel's favorite!

From Annabel Karmel's Top 100 Baby Purees
Who is it for?: Babies 9-12 months
Ideal for: a Fall dinner
Makes 4 portions
Suitable for freezing

Risotto with butternut squash

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup basmati rice
2 cups boiling water
1/2 medium butternut squash (6 oz) peeled and chopped
2 medium tomatoes (8 oz), peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Sauté the onion in half the butter until softened. Stir in the rice until well coated. Pour in the boiling water, cover the pan, and cook for 8 minutes over high heat. Stir in the butternut squash, reduce the heat, and cook, covered, for about 12 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan, add the tomatoes, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted, then stir the tomato and cheese mixture into the cooked rice.

Orzo for dinner

I've been reading a lot from French books that the first 6-12 months are crucial for a baby's palate: this is the time during which you have to introduce as much as possible (without giving any risky foods obviously) in order to have a baby who loves diverse, healthy food and not a picky eater who eats nothing outside of starch and junk food (which I could not deal with). I've been searching what Margaux has not tried yet, which is actually a challenge as she has had about everything possible. Then I found two things: orzo and oatmeal.
She's very active and at 10 months is taking lots of steps, everywhere she can hold on to. She is also very tall and wears 2 years old size in clothing (despite quite a bit of room in the midsection!). The combination of being very active and tall means she needs food which is a bit more filling. Orzo was a great idea for that and she loved this dinner. It's definitely going to be a staple of her evenings.

This is a recipe from a book offered to me by Margaux's godmother when we just arrived in Mahattan, having moved from Paris and I was introducing more solids to Margaux. I must say, she seems very pleased with the recipes I've tried from it. It is also very quick to make without much kitchen mess. A breeze!

Pasta Risotto from Annabel Karmel's " Top 100 Baby Purees".

Who is it for?: Babies 9-12 months
Ideal for: a healthy dinner which holds baby through the night
Makes 4 portions
Suitable for freezing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orzo
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 cup chopped broccoli florets
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Put the pasta in a saucepan together with the carrot, cover generously with boiling water, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and broccoli and continue to cook for about 7 minutes. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in drained pasta and vegetables, and toss with the butter and Cheddar until the cheese has melted.

If you make more, it really is perfect for the whole family, which saves you precious time to unwind. What's not to love?

Discovery Bottles

Margaux  is obsessed with water bottles so this was a much-loved sensory activity. I filled some empty water bottles with a few different things I had around the house which would catch the light or make different sounds. She's been playing with those with delight so I had to share.
- I used thoroughly dried 1 liter sized water bottles
- Fill them up and tie a ribbon around for added fun
- Safety tip: if your baby/young child knows how to open the bottle, use a hot glue gen to seal the cap

Content:

• a collection of buttons all different shapes, sizes and colors
• water with some cinnamon
• pieces of aluminium foil 
• packing foam 

The buttons are great for the colors and sound, the aluminium foil catches the light, the water is great for movement and seeing the cinnamon mix in, packing foam gives a subtle sound and light movement.

The Magic Tissue Box

A fellow Mama gave me the idea of this one. She said her daughter loved it so I had to try. It was a big hit!
Take an empty tissue box and fill it with scraps of fabrics. Use pinking shears to hem the edges so they won't fray. You will need a lot of fabric scraps for this. If you don't have any/enough around the house, you can get some on Etsy for a few dollars.
Simple fun in a box!

Egg carton, baby style

Who knew an empty egg carton could be this much fun? Just ask Margaux.
Following our first sensory activity with water, we continued with the discovery of an egg carton, baby style.
This is one oh-so-cheap and fast toy to make which is a winner in my book:
- Takes 1 minute to make
- All the supplies are already in your home
- The best of all: Margaux loved it and played morning and afternoon with it

If it passes the Margaux's seal of approval, it had to go on my blog!
Just take an empty egg carton and fill it with eggs made out of kitchen paper or toilet paper rolls.
Watch with delight as your baby has fun :)

Sensory activity: Water fun!

Today was a perfect late summer weather and I thought a good opportunity to play with Margaux outside.
I'm trying to do more sensory activities with her and this is the first of a few. You don't need to over think it with a baby: once they are mobile, crawling, standing up and walking, their favorite activity is exploring the world around them. Simple water can be just the trick. Take it outside too if you have the opportunity and watch your baby enjoy playing in the water, birds singing in the background - just taking it all in. Pure pleasure.

Margaux's First Garden Party Cake

Cake decoration in the U.S. is a big deal it seems. Shops are filled with amazing looking cakes. For little ones, they have all sorts of shapes and colors, fulfilling the dreams and creative minds of those little ones. After checking it out though, it seemed there were two concerns with those cakes: 1) Their price sounds like you're off to marry your baby with a wedding cake price tag. 2) Their taste is not the best.
So I decided to try my hands at it and make her a two-tier cake. I must say, I was a little anxious: the idea of putting one on top of the other without everything falling apart, writing her name on it without messing up everything...I had "butterflies in my stomach".
It took two days, but I must say in the end it was a lot of fun doing it, and the best is that you can unleash your creative spirit in the best way: for your little one :)

Top tier: Hazelnut cake with an apricot glaze, covered with rolled fondant
Bottom cake: Chocolate-almond cake with buttercream icing, rolled fondant
Daisies bought from Wilton's and glued with a dot of icing (water and icing sugar mix)
Her letter was written using an "icing writer". I tried my hand at it on a cutting board first and just free-hand wrote it.

What I learned:
- I followed a friend's recommendation and chilled each tier in the fridge as I was preparing the other, this helped work with each cake as they hold better
- I used a cardboard to place the top tier on top of the bottom cake: this is a must. It enabled me to simply lift the top cake without destroying each tier, making it easy to cut pieces of each depending on guest's preference.
- Buttercream icing holds fondant better but is quite heavy
- The thinner the fondant, the better
- Writing a full name, when quite long, is hard and messy, best to stick with a pretty single letter
- The satisfaction of doing something for yourself rather than buying it is not only cost effective - most of all, it is a great feeling.

One smart sun canopy by bugaboo

I'm a convinced fan of all things bugaboo and my husband's find is my new favorite bugaboo item. May I present the ultimate summer essential:

bugaboo cameleon³ breezy sun canopy

This canopy has an SPF 50 protection, sides ventilation which Margaux loves for peeking through, is water and oil repellent and has an integrated mosquito net. What's not to love? Perfection again bugaboo!

For more info click here

Her very own cross-stitched bibs

Handmade cross-stitched bibs I made while pregnant from Margaux. Makes every meal a little bit more special!

One really "Happy Meal"

I hate junk food with a passion and hope Margaux will grow up with the same dislike. I have to be realistic though: one day, she will learn about the evil McDonald's. What's a mum to do? Counteract! Rebel! Fight! Or simply outsmart the devil with a cuter - and healthy- version. This is where a friend of mine comes in. She regularly posts the loveliest photos and notes on her adventures with her niece. You can easily see she is an amazing Aunt and loves her to pieces - but what I love most is that her quality time with her niece is truly "quality". It is pure happy, healthy fun. One day they are doing yoga together, the little one mimicking her aunt, the next day my friends makes her the best Happy Meal possible. She shared with me the best Happy Meal invented.

Introducing: The FRUIT Happy Meal

Fries, cheeseburger and 4 piece nuggets. The whole works!

For the cheeseburger she used mango for the cheese, strawberries for the ketchup, kiwi for lettuce.
Nuggets out of mango. Apple fries.

Smart and healthy. Now that's a Happy Meal I could make Margaux with a smile.

Party time! Or 'How to win Mother of the Year Award"

This is the first of a new category called "Kiddie fun" as I am blessed to have incredibly talented friends with older little ones around. Just too tempting not to start a collaborating piece.

Margaux's future husband (hopefully - it's free to dream right?) just turned 2. We attended his first birthday last year (Margaux too, in my belly!) and it was simply the cutest baby birthday party I had ever seen, with darling details throughout the whole event. Needless to say, I was expecting great things for his second one...but his gorgeous mum outdid herself. When seeing the photos of the event (it was in Paris I'm afraid, could not attend this year sadly) I was immediately curious to know who helped her accomplish this. My little one is turning one in three months and I'm already starting to gather some ideas. The answer was simple: she did it all my friends!
I'll let you on a secret though, she's also a stylist and event planner, so those things come naturally to her I guess and she has an amazing eye for details and, well, anything pretty! (Check out her website here for more info).



Party Theme: Her little boy is a big fan of Mickey Mouse© so the theme came easily. I'm sure many children would appreciate this one.

Here is the magical result:

Below are a few photos of it all and my dear friend shares a few of her secrets with you:


" The Mickey Mouse©Wall feature:
Needed:
- x2 packets of crepe paper or  tissue paper (In black or white stripe or polka dot - or plain black)
- needle and thread
- x2 poster wall hanging stickers

• Cut the paper to the length of 40cm long for the large circle and x2 20cm for the two smaller circles
• Create three circles by folding paper back and forth at approx 3cm each way to achieve a fan effect.
• Once paper is folded hold at one end and fan out to create the circle (you may need to cut off excess paper if it is too full) stitch together at the center  Do the same for the two smaller circles then attach the two smaller circles at the top of the large circle, stitch at connecting point to hold in place.
• Place a poster wall sticker on both small circles and attach to wall.

The table was decorated with a red with white spot table cloth as we stuck with a red black and white theme but a stripe would work just as well to set the scene.
Red paper plates and napkins

Mickey Mouse© Wall:

I painted Mickey onto a large board and cut out his face for all of the little ones to have a photo as Mickey..... it worked well to add to the decoration of the room and was great for the children and adults alike to have a go and have a bit of fun!
You need yellow, white, red and black paints as well as a black marker for the finer details

Party favors:

Red paper bags
Mickey Mouse©e ears (available from ETSY or AMAZON)
Smarties packets
balloon
fun pencil
cake
Mickey Mouse© lolly pop

I simply filled the bags and wrote each child's name across the front, folded down the top of the bags and placed the ears on top. There were two girls attending so I found some cute little stick on bows to create Minnie ears for them!

Cake - three tiered Mickey Mouse© cake:

Top tier:
Chocolate cake covered in black marzipan fondant

2nd tier:
x2 Banana cakes with butter cream icing and white fondant with black Mickey cut outs 

Bottom tier:
CHEAT LAYER

a round cake tin covered in red fondant and black stripes to look like a cake! ;)

Cupcakes birthday cake

For the little ones I did little sugar free, butter free healthy cupcakes with an edible Mickey cake topper (available from ETSY or AMAZON)
Recipe:
Children's healthy blueberry and banana cupcakes

1 cup of rolled oats
11/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
21/2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of salt
6 ripe bananas
1/2 cup of blueberries chopped
4 eggs beaten well
3/4 cup of unsweetened apple juice or apple puree
1/2 cup of butter melted (you can leave this out which I do)

Directions:
 Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (175 deg C).
Put the first seven ingredients into a large bowl and mix them together.
Add all the rest of the ingredients and stir well until thoroughly combined.
Grease a 9 inch cake tin or cupcake molds and pour in the mixture.
Bake for around 50 mins to one hour, until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool in the tin or cupcake molds for 20 mins, then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing: cream cheese and a splash of icing sugar and vanilla essence
Add a Mickey Mouse© cake topper

Mickey Mouse© fairy bread:
Using a mickey mouse cookie cutter, white bread, soft butter and hundreds and thousands (multicolored sprinkles)

Mickey Mouse© lolly pops
(purchased from Disneyland Paris©)

Mickey Mouse© cookies
Red lollies
Fruit squeezy packets "


Now, do we all agree? She just won Mother of the Year Award. And the happiest little two year old.

Don't steal! If you want to share this, please credit Jasmine Uhrikova for A La Maud.

3 course meal, baby's way

Margaux has definitely left the "baby" stage and now wants everything like a big girl. She's standing up, holds her spoon on her own, plays peekaboo with her towel and said her first two words.
Time to upgrade her meals, I say.

3 courses, Margaux's way:

Italian beef stew served with baby guacamole, followed by a yogurt topped with apple, cherry & vanilla compote.

For babies 6 months and up

Italian beef stew recipe: from the amazing Jenny Carenco's book "Recettes pour bébé".

I just changed the cooking method to work with my Babycook.

For 5 portions:
100g/3.5 oz beef (I used sirloin but you can use a cheaper cut, something good for stews)
3 carrots
6 tomatoes
2 zucchinis
1 celery stalk
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme


Wash and peel all vegetables. Cut them and the beef into cubes.
Put everything in your steamer basket (water level 3 if using the Babycook). When steamed, add the cooking water and olive oil and mix.


Baby guacamole:
Half an avocado mashed up with a fork and a few drops of lemon juice.


Yogurt with apple-cherry compote:
I used an organic plain yogurt for babies and topped it with a compote using half apples, half cherries.
Peel and cut into cubes the apples, put them in a saucepan and sprinkle with water.
Add cherries (I used frozen cherries which saves you time as you don't have to remove the pits this way) and cook slowly until very tender.
Scrape the inside of an inch of vanilla pod, add a teaspoon of agave and mix to a smooth purée.


I used the same ingredients to make a stew for ourselves and cooked it with a bit of water on medium heat in a Le Creuset Doufeu©. Served it with a Parmesan polenta.
Who said baby food cannot be fancy?
Margaux was thrilled, ate just like an adult and we saved time as groceries were the same for everyone. Everyone's happy.

Saturday lunch: Fricassée of chicken, broccolette & zucchini

Weekends allow me to have more time to cook for Margaux and try something new for her. It's a good opportunity to make a big batch and freeze some portions for some days when you have little time and allows you to diversify the baby's meals.
Try it for yourself as well, I promise you'll want some too.

For babies: 6 months and up

Note: double or triple the proportions to make some ahead for the week, cool and freeze. You can make smaller portions and serve with a vegetable purée.

20g/1 tablespoon of chicken
100g/3.5 oz of zucchini
100g/3.5 oz of broccolette
1 Laughing Cow©
1/4 teaspoon of Spanish onion, minced
1 teaspoon of olive oil

Wash and peel the zucchinis, cut into cubes. Wash the broccolette and cut the florets, removing the stems.
Cut up the chicken into cubes.
Put the chicken, vegetables and onion in a steamer basket (if using the Babycook this is water level 3). Using the Babycook, it takes only 15-20 minutes but of course adapt this timing to your own food processor.
Once cooked, keep a tablespoon of the cooking water and add a teaspoon of olive oil, the Laughing Cow© and mix.

Watch your baby eat in delight.

Disclaimer: I am using the guidance of my wonderful Parisian pediatrician and the classic French book of Laurence Pernoud on how to raise your child. I am not a pediatrician nor a nutritionist, just a French mother sharing recipes. Always check with your own pediatrician especially if your baby has any allergies or health issues.

Don't steal! This is my own recipe, if you want to share it, please credit A La Maud.

Potato and cod purée with vanilla - recipe from Laura Annaert

This has to be the simplest and tastiest way to make your baby try fish. Cod has a very subtle taste, is quite firm and pairs perfectly with vanilla, making it an easy fish treat for Bébé.

Margaux's plate before it completely disappeared.

This is a recipe from Laura Annaert, Mamanchef, which I got from Babymoov and PARENTS Magazine.

For babies 6 to 9 months (introduce after you have introduced baby to white and red meat. Makes an ideal first fish meal).

Ingredients:
One potato
10g / 1/3 oz. of fresh cod
1 teaspoon of butter
1cm / 0.5 inches of vanilla pod
4 tablespoons of milk

Peel the potato and cut it into cubes. Steam it for about 20 minutes.
Open your vanilla pod in half and scrape half an inch of it.
Add the butter and vanilla to the cod and cook it on low temperature in a pan for 7 minutes on each side. Add the milk. Mix everything together.

Note: this is the original recipe from Laura Annaert but when cooking it for Margaux I changed it a bit: I steamed the cod and potato together, then added the milk and mixed. I found that was quicker, easier, healthier.

There you have it: a fish loving bébé.

Good finds: Trumpette socks

Socks. If your baby is anything like mine, he/she will love pulling off his/her socks. Most of them don't stay on, and I've tried using the socks'adds-on , those elastics which you put on the socks so they stay on. Margaux quickly figured out how to remove those as well (just like she figured out how to remove the safety plugs cover two days after we had baby-proofed the house). There's another problem: you don't want to use anything other than wool booties or socks as the baby's feet are still growing and should not be put in tougher fabrics or anything which could cramp their feet.
My good find: Trumpette socks.
1) They stay on.
2) They are made of 73% cotton (you don't want any other fabric than wool or cotton as research shows the baby's skin is then more prone to developing eczema etc. if using fabrics such as polyester. Also allows their skin to breath better.)
3) They look like shoes so you have a two-in-one and can go straight from home to out and about without changing.
4) They are simply ridiculously cute

The original models were the Mary Jane for the girls and the Johnny (sneakers) for the boys, both models I absolutely love for their classic look. The choice is yours as they have many, each cuter than the other and it's easy to quickly collect those little boxes, which also make great gifts as they are sold in a pretty packaging.
They come in baby size 0-12 months and toddler size 12-24 months.

Here are two of my favorites:

The Ballerina:

The Benny's:

For more information, you can check out their website here

Special thanks to the beautiful babies Margaux & Maxence for doing such an amazing job modelling the Trumpette socks.

At Peter Luger's restaurant - Lamb chop, lunch like a champion

When you're Margaux, you eat like a champ. That means when grandpa Mike and Mimi visit New York and we take a trip to Peter Luger's restaurant, Margaux doesn't get left behind.
Ready to go in her cooler bag: her first lamb chop. Considering she ate a bit over 8 oz of it and left a very clean looking bowl, we can say it got her seal of approval.

For babies: 7 months and up
Note: This comes after you have introduced your baby to poultry as white meat comes before red meat. Baby needs to eat lean and less fatty types of meat before being able to digest a more fancy one.

Reproduce it:
20g/70 oz of lamb chop
One big new potato
120g/4 oz of tomato medley (mix of small cherry tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, black cherry tomatoes)
4 sprigs of rosemary
1 teaspoon of sunflower oil

Wash and peel the potato and tomatoes. Cut thin slices of the potato and the tomatoes in two.
Cut up the rosemary sprigs.
Put everything in a steamer basket (if using the Babycook this is water level 3). Using the Babycook, it takes only 15-20 minutes but of course adapt this timing to your own food processor.
Once cooked, keep a teaspoon of the cooking water and add a teaspoon of sunflower oil and mix.

Taste to check the temperature before giving it to your baby. Wish you had some for yourself. Change the quantities to adult's size portions. Be as happy as your baby.

Disclaimer: I am using the guidance of my wonderful Parisian pediatrician and the classic French book of Laurence Pernoud on how to raise your child. I am not a pediatrician nor a nutritionist, just a French mother sharing recipes. Always check with your own pediatrician especially if your baby has any allergies or health issues.

Don't steal! This is my own recipe, if you want to share it, please credit A La Maud.

Margaux's first salmon

For babies: 6-8 months
Note: You should introduce fish once you have introduced meat, starting with white meat, then red meat and finally fish (white fish, salmon and tuna - shellfish comes later).

This is a bit more sophisticated than cod and helps to widen your baby's horizons.

What's in it for bébé:
Salmon is what I call a miracle food: lots of omega 3, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A which is baby's friend for growth, good eyesight and boosting the immune system and last but not least, vitamin D for strong teeth and bones. It's a winner!
Fennel is filled with vitamins A and E and helps baby's digestion

You will need :
0.5 oz/10g of salmon
6 oz/170g of a mix of eggplant, fennel and tomato
1 teaspoon of olive oil

As easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Peel all the vegetables and cut them into cubes, along with thin slices of salmon.
2. Put everything in a steamer basket and steam for about 15 minutes (If you are using Béaba Babycook, this is water level 3 and only use 1 teaspoon of the cooking liquid when mixing) 
3. Add the olive oil* and mix to a smooth purée.

Who says there's no time to cook for baby? Save even more time by cooking it for yourselves: we used the same ingredients for us, grilling everything on the barbecue. Summer cooking made simple, healthy and tasty.

This makes one balanced lunch for bébé. Follow with a plain yogurt for dessert and you've just covered all of your baby's needs.

*I use ZOE for Kids olive oil, specially formulated for babies, it's organic, extra virgin olive oil with a fresh  fruity flavor and comes in an aluminium tin which helps to protect it from light and heat.

Disclaimer: I am using the guidance of my wonderful Parisian pediatrician and the classic French book of Laurence Pernoud on how to raise your child. I am not a pediatrician nor a nutritionist, just a French mother sharing recipes. Always check with your own pediatrician especially if your baby has any allergies or health issues.

Don't steal! This is my own recipe, if you want to share it, please credit A la Maud.

Taste of Summer: Peach, nectarine and vanilla compote

What better way to kick off baby's summer taste buds than with peaches and nectarines? Add a little vanilla and you've got one happy, healthy baby.

For babies: 6 months and up
Note: this is after baby has been introduced to solids and can start mixing fruits. For more information read my page Starting solids

What's in it for bébé:
Peach is full of vitamin C and has lots of water and little sugar, making it ideal for hot summer days.  It's also very easy to digest for fragile babies' intestines.
Nectarine is not only filled with vitamins B3, C and E but also phosphorus, which helps baby's growing bones.
Vanilla helps babies to relax and prepare them for a good night's sleep.

You will need:
3 peaches
3 nectarines
1 vanilla pod (do NOT use vanilla essence as it contains alcohol, and you want your baby to taste pure vanilla. If you don't have vanilla pod, just skip it.)

Peel all the fruits and cut them into pieces. Scrape off the vanilla from the vanilla pod, using a sharp knife to cut it lengthwise. Put everything in a steamer basket and steam (If you are using Béaba Babycook, this is water level 1 and only use 1 teaspoon of the cooking liquid when mixing) then mix to a smooth purée.

This makes about 3x 3.5 oz/100g jars. One jar along with 4oz/120ml of milk (breast milk or your usual baby formula)  makes a balance afternoon meal for bébé.

Disclaimer: I am using the guidance of my wonderful Parisian pediatrician and the classic French book of Laurence Pernoud on how to raise your child. I am not a pediatrician nor a nutritionist, just a French mother sharing recipes. Always check with your own pediatrician especially if your baby has any allergies or health issues.

Don't steal! This is my own recipe, if you want to share it, please credit A la Maud.

Summer Read: French style

If you are going to read just one book this summer, then this should be it. It's funny, down to earth, and it is uncanny how true everything is. I read it pregnant on a vacation to Italy and could not put it down. Even my husband was a fan. Everything reminded me of my own childhood. We were lucky enough to attend her book signing and she is a very sweet lady as well. Just grab your best sunglasses and read. A must.

French Children Don't Throw Food (UK version)
Bringing Up Bébé (US version)
Pamela Druckerman