The Many Wonders Of Bagels

The Day of The Bagel

 

I love bagels! As does Tyler, more the pitty, means less for mummy :(

Anyway, I fully believe bagels can be used as a breakfast and a sandwich alternative for dinner times! I buy a different type of bagel depending on which shopping week it is. Cinnamon and raisin, sesame seed topped or just a lovely plain bagel. I have found bagels are easier for Tyler to eat if toasted under the grill, if I don't, he finds them a bit chewy and gets bored quickly.

 

 

Breakfast: Cinnamon & Raisin Bagel

 

 

   Yes, cinnamon and raisin bagels are lovely just toasted with a bit of butter,  but don't forget we need to get those tiny mouths interested in fruit. So after slicing a bagel in half, (Tyler had half and I had the other), I toasted the bagels outside up first then the other. Then just simply butter the insides and add a couple of raisins to the tops.

 

 

   Tyler loved his (and mummy did too) and promptly picked and ate the raisins off the bagel first! As this was the first time I had tried them with him I was surprised but delighted at the same time as they are an easy and healthy lunchbox snack when he's at school.

 

ps. no photo of consumption as Tyler had breakfast in bed with daddy and as daddy was only wearing his pj bottoms, he felt a wee bit self-conscious!

 

Result: SUCCESS!

 

 

Lunch: Sesame Seed Bagel with Pink Salmon & Green Beans

 

 

 

   Sesame seeds are great for our diets as they provide a bit of roughage for our digestive systems. I will not explain in finer detail what that means, I'm sure your imaginations can work out some sort of image. No, no image. Don't imagine.

   Anyway, getting carried away with me little self there! I used canned pink salmon on this occasion, with chopped raw green beans (perfectly safe to eat, just wash thoroughly). Oh, and spread cheese on the bagel to help things go down a little more smoothly.

   This idea you get calcium, protein, fibre, vitamins and maybe omega-3? Unsure about the last one to be honest but fish is good for you anyway, and is leaner than red meats. Also, low in fat (if you use the light spread cheese for mummy and daddy's bagel, use full fat for babies).

 

   As with the last bagel idea, I sliced the bagels in half and toasted the outsides first, then the insides. Spread a thin layer of spread cheese on then drained the salmon and place evenly around the bagel. Next, chop the green beans, I removed the ends of mine because they were quite stringy for some reason! Scatter then green beans on top of the salmon and you have a healthy and delicious lunch!

 

 

 

   Ty ty was rather wary of the sesame seeds once he had put the  bagel into his mouth. He took it straight back out for inspection, as normal - but it still makes me laugh! After picking a few seeds off and realised they were so tiny they wouldn't make a difference, he continued eating and polished the lot off! He did eat the salmon and green beans first, but he likes to take apart his food.

 

Result: SUCCESS!

 

 

 

 

Breakfast/Lunch: Cheese, Sausage & Tomato Bagel

 

 

 

   It is like a cooked breakfast on a bagel, what's not to love? It is also substantial enough for a lunch! Brill! Oh, and did I mention what this little beauty provides? No? Well, Vitamin C, Calcium, Vitamin D, Fibre, Protein and good fats from the cheese! Lovely jubbly.

 

NOTE: unfortunately when I came to do this recipe, I had ran out of tomatoes and sausages! So it is an egg bagel... Tyler still loved it.

 

   I used a plain bagel for this one,  and as with the other two, halved and toasted in the same way. I did this before cooking the sausage and heating the tomatoes. So, yes, I fried the sausages while heating tinned tomatoes on the hob. You can use, fresh tomato if you prefer obviously. Oh by the way, Lidl do some great sausages that are around 78% meat which is brilliant, and only £1.89 a pack. Well worth the money compared to cheaper sausages that can contain as little as 5% meat. I diverted again, ah, anyway! I use the slices of dairy lea cheese and place on the bagel while it is still warm so it melts slightly.

  Once the sausage and tomatoes are cooked, add them on top of the bagel and serve to that little monster. This tastes amazing by the way!

 

 

 

   Tyler loved this one. But I can't help but think he wouldn't have enjoyed it even more if I had the sausages, tomatoes and cheese! Dosey mummy didn't do the shopping right and now there is no more money in the shopping pot until Friday! Let me know how you lot get on.

 

Result: SUCCESS

 

Idea? Maybe try bacon medallions.

 





Making Breakfast More Interesting

Alternative Breakfasts

 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but what if your little one just does not like breakfast? Well I've got some handy tips and two meals to try.

 

The Keys To Successful Breakfasts:

1. Try giving breakfast an hour or two after their first milk. If they are too hungry they are likely to be more fussy with their foods and if they are too full from milk they aren't going to be interested in what you offer them.
2. Try different things everyday, eating the same things gets way too boring for adults so imagine how boring it would be for little ones who need their attention captivating all the time.
3. If there are a couple of different foods on your babies' breakfast plate, try mixed them up so it looks different and a combination of textures... see the second meal for an idea of what I'm on about.
4. If breakfast doesn't work, try a light brunch instead, some people just aren't morning people.

 

Crumpets

 

We eat crumpets so why shouldn't babies? They are a bread product so are naturally full of carbohydrates to keep those little ones active and on the go providing all the energy they need.

Try using a variety of toppers to mix things up but always apply butter to soften the crumpets once toasted of course!

Tyler's personal favourites are marmalade (see picture below), chocolate spread, mixed fruit jam and crunchy peanut butter!

 

Crumpet with marmalade.

 

The All Day Baby Builders Breakfast

 

Well, well, well, builders have a big breakfast to keep them going? So why not feed your baby to keep them building sandcastles and stacking towers galore. Here is what to do....

 

1. Boil an egg until it is hard boiled (approximately 5 minutes)
2. Heat 3 table spoons of chopped tomatoes in the microwave for 30 seconds.
3. Shallow fry or grill 1 sausage. If shallow frying, dry on kitchen towel afterwards to remove excess fat and grease.
4. Toast  one slice of toast (wholemeal if your LO is over one).
5. Slice egg into sections, cut toast into squares, chop sausage into small chunks.
6. Arrange like a kebab, for example... egg, toast, sausage, tomatoes, egg, toast, sausage, tomatoes etc.
7. Serve.

 

The final product.

 

You could also try using baked beans or mushrooms too! However, my LO does not like the texture of mushrooms one bit, but I'm working on a plan!

 

Tyler absolutely loved this and didn't use his fork much, he enjoyed using his hands to pick out the different colours and textures. He had been crying all day due to his teeth but this cheered him right up. Or it could of been his new Alan Sugar bib.

 

Mummy was not fired as head chef on this occasion.

 

Which would be most beneficial for your baby? The second meal idea of course! There is more energy provided to keep your little one going for longer, it has protein, vitamin c, vitamin e, carbohydrate, fibre and good fats. And babies require a slightly higher fat diet than adults because they need it to develop muscle quicker as the burn off their food quicker.

 

Let me know how you get on with these, and send in those all important pictures!