Top 5 Ingredients for Your Plant-Based Baby

Are you raising a plant-based baby? Or thinking about trying baby-led weaning?

Have you started weaning already or are you getting prepared to start your feeding journey?

Whatever stage you are at, we all have those days where we hit a blank when it comes to the food shop & recipe inspiration. I know I do! Particularly recently when we have been spending more time than usual at home including ALL of our meals.

With this in mind I wanted to share my top 5 ingredients or ‘genres’ of foods that I like to keep in the home. Ingredients that I know are great first tastes if you are preparing to start feeding your baby but also suitable for the more established eater and the rest of the family.

 There are also many days that being a parent leaves you short on time and feeling as though you don’t have time to cook a complex meal or you haven’t made it to do the supermarket shop yet this week. We can all relate to those weeks when you or your baby is unwell or teething and it seems impossible to get anything done. I’ve had many mealtimes where I’ve been cooking with my baby on my hip using one hand to get jobs done!

So today I am sharing my top 5 ingredients to keep on hand at home to help make mealtimes quick, easy and healthy:

1. Tinned beans, lentils or chickpeas

Any variety (in natural water) – one of the most important components of feeding a plant-based baby would be ensuring protein is accessible up to 3 times per day once your baby is a fully established eater. This will help to increase the availability of different amino acids in their diet. By keeping pre-boiled tinned or packet varieties of beans, lentils or chickpeas you can very quickly whiz up a hummus for wraps, sandwiches or dips, use lentils in a quick rainbow cous cous dish or turn beans in to a tasty bean chilli sin carne, all with store cupboard ingredients.

2. Frozen vegetables and fruit

Such as peas, broccoli or butternut squash can be used in a healthy soup or risotto, frozen avocado and spinach to add to a frozen desert, or frozen blueberries, strawberries or raspberries to thaw out for snacks, add to porridge or whip up a chia jam.

3. Jar of nut butter or home-made version

Unsalted & unsweetened – this is a versatile item that can be spread quickly on to toast or rice cakes, dolloped in to yoghurt or smothered on banana slices for a healthy snack. We like the creamy taste of cashew nut butter in our porridge too.

4. Nutritional yeast flakes

Not only are these important for vitamin B intake (which all plant-based babies should be having regularly) but they provide a wonderful depth of flavour sprinkled in to sweet potato mash. You can make your own cheese sauce using the flakes and a plant-based milk to use with your babies favourite pasta or sprinkle freely on top of a meal. They also provide a useful grip texture for slices of avocado, just roll the stick of soft fruit or veg through some nutritional yeast flakes and this will help your baby grasp it a little better.

5. Chia seeds

This tiny nutrient packed seed is fast becoming one of my favourite kitchen items. It contains omega 3 fatty acids, calcium and iron, all of which are important for your baby as part of a nutritious plant-based diet. They are also very versatile in the kitchen. Some of the ways I use them with my baby is to make chia puddings. This can be enjoyed for breakfast and made the night before, speeding up your morning routine, win win! I use them to thicken home made cacao avocado mousse, chia jam for spreading or just sprinkle on to plain plant-based yoghurt for texture and colour variety. Plus, we always stir these little seeds through our porridge too. Or you can simply grind them and sprinkle them over any meal for a nutrient boost.

Other store cupboard essentials I have found invaluable whilst we have been spending more time at home have been:

• Tinned tomatoes & tomato paste;
• Tinned vegetables in water such as sweetcorn;
• Dried pasta, quinoa & rice;
• Porridge oats for breakfast and healthy flapjack bars;
• Herbs and spices to flavour food differently, your baby really will enjoy variations in flavour just as much as you do;
• Dairy free custard powder, unsweetened, made fresh with a plant-based milk & puréed fruit. This is a great back-up in case you can’t get access to plant based yoghurt.
• Seeds and nuts to grind into a powder for sprinkling on sweet or savoury food for added fat and nutrients.

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