Super Seed & Quinoa Granola

This is a fantastic granola for all the family- full of nutrients from the quinoa, oats, nuts and seeds as well as a big dose of natural sweetness from the fresh bananas. Its essential to leave the granola in the oven to crisp up after you have turned it off otherwise you won't get the lovely crunchy texture that makes it so addictive that you'll find yourself sneaking handfuls as a quick snack! I haven't included any dried fruit as we tend to add these separately as they burn in the oven but if you wanted to add any into the mixture before storing then I would suggest two types and about 50g each.

[Note: if you can't find puffed quinoa then just use an extra 60g porridge oats.]

140g porridge oats

40g puffed quinoa

40g desiccated coconut

40g almonds, roughly chopped

40g pistachios, roughly chopped

40g pecans, roughly chopped

40g sunflower seeds

40g pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp linseed

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp olive oil

150g banana (about 2 bananas)

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Preheat the oven to 180oC and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Place the maple syrup, olive oil and banana in a blender and blitz until a smooth puree. Pour the banana mixture over the dry ingredients and stir through so that everything is is evenly coated.

Spread the mixture onto the baking tray and compact down with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula. Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, giving it a stir every 10-15 minutes. Turn off the oven but leave the tray inside for another 30 minutes to allow everything to crisp up. Remove and leave to cool completely before breaking up and storing in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

Banana & Maple Syrup Loaf

This banana cake is utterly perfect in our book- sweet, squidgy and heavenly when toasted and lathered with butter. I wish I had a picture of my daughter's face the first time she tried it- pure happiness! Slice up and store in the freezer or make into mini loaves.

Makes 1 large loaf

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3 ripe bananas (about 250-300g)

200ml maple syrup

3 eggs, beaten

140ml full fat milk

70ml sunflower oil

275g spelt flour

80g pecans, roasted for 10 minutes and blitzed down to a rough powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

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Preheat the oven to 170oC and line a loaf tin with baking parchment. Set aside.

Place the bananas, maple syrup and eggs in the bowl of a food mixer and beat for 3 minutes until you have a lump-free mixture. With the mixer still running, add the milk and sunflower oil and beat for a further minute until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat for a further 5 minutes until smooth. Pour the mixture into your prepared loaf tin and place in the oven for 1 hour 30-45minutes or until risen and it bounces back when you touch it. Remove and place on a wire cooling rack.

[To store: wrap in foil and it will keep for 4-5 days or cut into slices and freeze for up to a month]

Perfect Everyday Porridge

My daughters and I all adore porridge and would quite happily have it every single morning. Its not only super nutritious, its also cheap and extremely versatile. This quantity makes the perfect amount for our family but increase or decrease as needed. You can also leave out the maple syrup but we think it makes it 'juuuussssst right'. I've listed a few of our favourite toppings  but its delicious plain or with a big spoonful of strawberry chia jam.

Makes enough for 2 porridge loving adults and 2 small children.

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100g porridge oats

500ml full fat milk

2 tbsp maple syrup

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Put the porridge in a large saucepan and pour over 400ml milk and the maple syrup. Place over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Give the porridge a big stir and reduce to a simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture thickens. Remove and add the final 100ml milk and stir through to combine. Serve immediately.

Topping 1: Banana & homemade ‘Nutella’

1 banana, sliced- 1 tbsp ‘nutella’ -1 tbsp date syrup

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Add half the banana and the date syrup to the porridge whilst cooking and mash until it is part of the overall texture. Serve with the remaining banana slices and syrup and a spoonful of nutella.

Topping 2 : Blueberry, Almond& Honey

handful of blueberries - 1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds - 1 tbsp honey - pinch mixed spice

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Toast the almonds with a pinch of mixed spice and half the honey and set aside. Add half the blueberries into the cooking porridge so they they soften and leak into the oats. To serve, sprinkle over the toasted almonds, remaining blueberries and a drizzle of honey.

Topping 3: Cinnamon Apple & Maple Syrup

1 apple, roughly grated (or spirallised) - 1/4 tsp cinnamon - 1 tbsp maple syrup

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In a small bowl stir the cinnamon and syrup through the prepared apple. Add half to the cooking porridge and sprinkle the remaining on top before serving.

Topping 4: Blackberry & Pistachio

30g blackberries - 1 pear, grated - 1 tbsp toasted and roughly chopped pistachios - 1 tbsp honey

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Toast the pistachios with half of the honey and set aside. Grate the pear into the cooking porridge. To serve, sprinkle over the blackberries and pistachios.

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Mix'n'Match Morning Muffins

This recipe is a must have for any busy parent- you can use a whole host of different fruit and vegetables combinations depending on what you have leftover and they are always delicious. We love them for breakfast or as a mid afternoon snack or quite frankly- straight out of the oven! Much of the sweetness in these muffins depends  on the natural ripeness of the fruit and vegetables so play around with what combinations your family likes best. 

Makes 12 small muffins

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150g spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

200g grated ‘hard’ fruit or veg [carrot, butternut, parsnip, courgette, sweet potato, apple or pear]

100g lightly mashed ‘soft’ fruit [banana, mango or berries]

30g dried fruit, chopped if large [raisins, cranberries, blueberries, sour cherries, dates, figs, prunes, apples]

3 tbsp olive oil

1 egg, beaten

100ml full fat milk- use coconut if you are looking for a dairy free alternative

3 tbsp agave or maple syrup

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Preheat the oven to 180oC and line a muffin tin.

In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon. Mix well.  Add the fruit and veg along with the coconut and fold through the dry ingredients making sure everything is evenly distributed. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, eggs and agave syrup and then pour over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Place 1-2 heaped tablespoons of mixture into the lined muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until risen, golden and they bounce back when touched. Remove and allow to cool before serving. 

Anytime Pancakes

Pancakes make a regular appearance in our house and this recipe is a dream because the girls love getting involved- in fact they know the recipe off by heart! The fruit provides some natural sweetness but you can always add a bit of honey or maple syrup! These also make great afternoon snacks or lunchbox fillers.

Makes 15 american pancakes

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1 cup flour ( plain or spelt or a combination)

1 cup milk (whatever you usually use)

1 egg, beaten

1 banana, mashed or 1 grated apple/pear

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp honey, optional

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Whiz everything up in a blender and leave for 30minutes (or overnight if you have time). Heat a large frying pan or pancake griddle and once hot pour the batter onto the pan (about 2 tbsp per pancake) and cook until bubbles appear. Flip and cook for 1 minute or until golden. Remove and keep warm before serving with your choice of toppings.

Serve immediately with a good dose of honey + a squeeze of lemon or spread with our almond and cocoa 'nutella'. I also sometimes like to add a slice of apple on one side when cooking- sprinkling over a bit of cinnamon and then flipping- it looks so pretty and is delicious when drizzled with maple syrup.

Coconut & Pear Bircher

This is a fantastic super nutritious dairy free breakfast option that you can prepare the night before. I think the combination of the pear and coconut work wonderfully together but use apple if you prefer and if you don't have any mixed dried berries just use whatever dried fruit you have available. This recipe is also great if you are baby led weaning as the mixture can be baked and set into little muffin size cakes that tiny hands can pick up and explore- see method below.

Serves 2 adults and 1-2 small children

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100g porridge oats

400ml tin full fat coconut milk

50g mixed dried berries

30g desiccated coconut

1/2 pear, finely diced or grated

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla paste, optional

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Place all the ingredients in a large airtight container and stir to combine. Leave overnight for the oats to absorb the flavours and serve topped with extra pear and a drizzle of maple syrup. 

for baby led weaning: preheat the oven to 160oC and grease a 12-hole muffin. Divide the mixture between 9 of the moulds (it won't make 12) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely before popping out. Keep whole, slice or cut into dice before storing in an airtight container for 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month.