A week of weaning with Nova

Nova is 7 and a half months and almost two months into her weaning journey, she is now eating 3 full meals a day and her milk intake is getting less and less.

I’ve never been the most inventive parent when it comes to meals that I cook for my children. I want them to eat a good, balanced diet of course but I’m just not a natural in the kitchen. at. all.

I’ve put together a little food diary of what Nova ate across a few days. In the name of ease I make the same thing for Jet and Nova, which means Nova was slightly thrown in at the deep end with her weaning journey but she’s taken to it well, tackling lumps and what not from day one.

I hope this provides some inspiration if you’re stuck for what to feed your little one!

MONDAY

BREAKFAST- Weetabix with whole milk and a little boiling water to warm it slightly.

Probably the least photogenic meal ever.

LUNCH

A very simple lunch because we’ve just got back from a few days away and the fridge is looking very empty and sad. Cream cheese on toast and a fruit pouch. Nova eats the toast herself while I spoon feed her the pouch.

DINNER

With the fridge still not stocked I grabbed a handful of veg on our way home. So for dinner I cooked up some broccoli, butternut squash and red pepper and then blitzed it up and added in some pasta as a makeshift pesto-y pasta kinda vibe.

Here it is mixed in with the pasta. Looking almost as photogenic as the Weetabix.

TUESDAY

BREAKFAST

Another round of Weetabix so no need for another photo of that!

LUNCH

Toast and a boiled egg with some cucumber sticks thrown in in the name of greenery. For Jet I made the egg nice and runny and left Nova’s in a few minutes extra so that it’s cooked through.

She tends to tackle the toast and I also scoop out a few bits of egg out onto her tray and then I spoon feed some bits as well.

She’s also getting to grips with her Tommee Tippee cup. Learning how to hold, tip and drink it. Sweet girl. It’s so fun watching them clock new skills.

DINNER

I made a broccoli & cauliflower cheese with sweet potato wedges.

I find the method that works best for us is a mixed baby led, spoon fed approach. Nova definitely enjoys getting stuck in and gets very frustrated if I’m only spoon feeding her so I try and put together meals that have a nice easy finger food element. So with this meal Nova works on the wedges while I feed her the cauliflower cheese. Although I did also put some of the bigger chunks on her tray as well for her to try.

WEDNESDAY

With the weather getting colder this morning it felt like a porridge kinda morning. I made a batch for all of us and stirred in some stewed apple. (I made a big batch of stewed apple the other day and have put some in the freezer in ice cube trays and a few days worth in the fridge)

LUNCH

Cous Cous with a small dollop of tomato pasta sauce, steamed broccoli and a small portion of oven cooked salmon (flaked into the cous cous).

DINNER

They both had fish pie. This is my go to quick and easy comfort food dinner for all the fam. I made it for their dinner and then Henry and I finished it off. I use a ready to go, cut and prepped fish pie mix of haddock, cod and salmon. Then I make a quick cheese sauce, add in spinach and sweetcorn. Stir the fish into the sauce and put into an oven dish. Then for the top I boiled up some new potatoes (with skin on) and mash them up with lots of butter and milk and then plonk it on top of the fish mix. In the oven for 40mins et Voila!

THURSDAY

BREAKFAST

Another round of Weetabix.

LUNCH

Homemade soup. Which is literally just oven roasted butternut squash and red pepper, blitzed up with some vegetable stock. And to go with it Nova had some pear slices which she LOVED, I think we’ve found a new fave snack! And some strips of bagel. I hadn’t thought to give her bagel but the doughy texture means it lasts quite well within her tight grip, where as regular slices of bread get mushed and disappear a lot quicker.

And a pudding of plain full fat Greek yogurt with some chopped banana. This is both children’s absolute fave. They both love plain yogurt and I’m trying to keep them on it for as long as possible before they discover the sugary joys of petit filous! It’s SO easy for their sugar intake to get worryingly high and so simple swaps like this can help make a difference.

FRIDAY

BREAKFAST

Keeping this food diary is making me realise how boring their breakfast is! Another round of porridge and stewed apple.

LUNCH

There was some sweet potato mash left over from mine and Henry’s dinner last night and these Ella’s Kitchen puffs and some cucumber sticks for Nova to eat herself. I also stirred in some of this fruit pot (apple and pear) into the sweet potato mash.

DINNER

A week or so ago I had a few bits of veg kicking about in the fridge so I cooked it all, blitzed it up and then put it in an ice cube tray in the freezer. So for today’s dinner I’m using one of those as a makeshift pasta sauce, with some salmon.

The cube is made up of parsnip, broccoli, peas, cauliflower.

I cooked some pasta, stirred in the frozen cube until it had melted and also popped in some sweetcorn. Then flaked the salmon on top. I totes wanted this meal for myself.

So there we have it. A week in the life of Nova’s tummy. Hope you enjoyed reading as much as she enjoyed eating x