Breastmilk is best for babies but since I had insufficient supply and am not inclined towards donor milk, I did the next best thing and topped up with formula. And to me, that’s perfectly fine!

Now that Cdd is 15 months and Cbb almost 5 years old, I have switched them completely to formula milk. Both of them have tried a few brands of formula milk and now Nature One Dairy is our staple. To be honest, when Nature One Dairy approached me for this review, I was concerned that being VERY PICKY, Cdd would reject this. Cbb don’t say la, she drinks everything but even so, her FIRST reaction to trying out the Premium Junior Step 4 milk was, ‘MmmMMM! This milk tastes really good. Is it new, mama?”

Cdd has been taking the Organic Toddler Step 3 formula for more than two months and I’m only sharing this article now because I wanted to make sure this is a fair review. And I’m happy to report that he’s taking well to it! As his mummy, I like Nature One Dairy too and here are the main reasons:

• My kids love the taste

I mean, this is a real consideration! I can buy the most expensive and supposedly best formula (not really though, as the nutritional values of milk formulas are actually similar!) but it doesn’t matter if my kids won’t drink it.  Cbb took to the Premium Junior Step 4 immediately and even said her pancakes taste better (yes I make pancakes and snacks with it!). Cdd guzzles his Organic Toddler Step 3 without complaints and welcomes his bottle every time.

• Does not contain sucrose, maltodextrin and sweeteners

If you read the ingredient labels of formula milk, you may notice some ingredients that surprise you, like sucrose. Although sucrose in this case isn’t quite the same as the added sugar you find in cakes (it serves more like a source of carbohydrates), it’s the sweetest simple carb and I avoid it when choosing formula milk for my babies. Lactose is the only source of carbs in Nature One Dairy’s milk products.

• Australian made

All Nature One Dairy formula milk are held to strict quality and safety standards, and are manufactured in their wholly owned pharmaceutical grade facility in Australia. Australia is always known for its clean and green environment, and being a facility specialising in manufacturing infant products, Nature One Dairy is bound by frequent strict inspection and testing which put my mind at ease for the products they produce. The Organic Toddler Nutritious Milk Drink Step 3 is certified by ACO (Australian Certified Organic), one of the most respected and rigorous standards in the world for organic production. Certified Organic products are grown and processed without the use of synthetic chemicals, fertilisers or GMOs. You can read more about the criteria here.

• It’s friendly on my pocket

With Cdd going through one tin of formula milk per week, cost is a concern for me! The Step 3 milk drinks start from $25.50 to $37.50 (the organic version) for a 900g tin, and the price is more than reasonable compared to some brands that cost double. Contrary to popular belief, the nutritional levels of the expensive milk are similar to the cheaper brands – just compare the info across various brands at supermarkets! Plus, if an organic formula costs about the same or even lower than a non-organic formula, then I will choose organic for sure.

And now for the recipes!

Since both my kids like the taste of the milk powder so much, I was motivated to come up with some kids recipes using Nature One Dairy milk! I made some Little Milk Bites, One-Bowl Brazilian Cheese Puffs and a Creamy Salmon, Corn and Spinach Rice in the rice cooker. The milk bites and cheese puffs can both be prepared manually in a large mixing bowl – no cake mixer needed. Cbb had a fun time helping me in the kitchen. I hope you try them!

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One-Bowl Brazilian Cheese Puffs (budgetpantry.com)
Makes 36-48 puffs
What you need:
250g tapioca starch
25g milk powder (I used 3 scoops of Nature One Dairy Organic Toddler milk powder)
60g shredded cheddar cheese
60g shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large egg
180ml water
25ml olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Steps:
Preheat oven to 200C and oil your mini muffin tray.

Whisk the egg and milk powder together till bubbly. Add the water and whisk to mix well.

Add tapioca starch and cheese. Whisk everything together until well incorporated Add the oil and salt. Stir to combine. Rest this mixture for 10 minutes.

Scoop batter to muffin tray and fill till about ¾ full.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden.

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Creamy Salmon, Corn and Spinach Rice (budgetpantry.com)
Serves three kidsWhat you need:
1 cup uncooked rice (use the rice cooker measuring cup)
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (use the same measuring cup)
100g salmon, sliced
Handful of corn
Handful of chopped spinach
1 teaspoon minced garlic
8.5g milk powder (I used 1 scoop of Nature One Dairy Organic Toddler milk powder)
30g shredded cheddar cheese (you can use parmesan but we’re not fans!)

Steps:

Rinse the rice and add the chicken stock. Stir in the garlic.

Arrange salmon, corn and spinach on top. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

When time is up, stir in the milk powder and shredded cheese and it’s done. If you prefer a smoother consistency, you can add some more stock or hot water.

Where to find?
Nature One Dairy® products are available in all major supermarket chains and e-commerce platforms.
Click to redeem samples for trial.

This is a collaboration post with Nature One Dairy, but my kids are REALLY taking and enjoying the milk!

The post [Review] Nature One Dairy milk formula + three no-mixer-needed kids recipes appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

Thank you for telling me this was what you really needed to read. If you’ve missed it, here’s the original post.

And now I have included a quick summary of the post, and added a few more tips on how to keep sane while making sure my baby still gets all the good stuff in him as much as possible. As a second-time mom, I have learnt a lot from my past experiences. I now find it possible – and more time-efficient – to do away with many things I used to do before, like steaming and blending baby food in a blender and freezing them in ice cube trays in advance. I don’t do these now, but if it works for you, why not?

I no longer use an electric blender, but I do find a manual baby food masher handy.

Top tips for feeding your baby:

• I don’t bother with stock. To cook porridge, simply scoop rice in a pot, add water and veg & meat and simmer till soft. Mash with a the back of a spoon (or use a manual baby food masher) to the consistency suitable for your baby. Of course, if you have some home made stock on hand, use it in place of water.
• Don’t make feeding your baby a chore for you. It shouldn’t be so hard! I just ensure there’s a carb, a protein, a fibre in each meal. Ok, sometimes, in at least one meal.
• Vegetables: fresh or frozen – doesn’t matter. I stock up on frozen carrots, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, squash and corn often. Sometimes they’re even better than the ‘fresh’ versions as they’re quick frozen (and nutrients preserved!) from source.
• Play around with different textures. If your baby rejects the peas today, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t like it. Try adding more liquid, or some breast milk or formula milk to alter the consistency. Sometimes, a familiar taste in the form of milk may make him more ready to accept new foods.
• Don’t fret if your baby hates that expensive fish that is supposed to be super good for him. Give an alternative protein – some other types of meat, a milder fish, eggs, or even beans?
• Stop trying to be ‘perfect’. Everyone has crazy days. Your baby will survive for one meal without having all the nutrients from the 3 food groups. On busy days where I just make it in time to cook dinner, I open a yummy baby food pouch and that’s it! Lots of goodies in those, too! There’s no need to feel any guilt over this.
• Try and reduce the number of appliances involved in making meals for your baby. I feel this is really important. Instead of setting up multiple contraptions and washing up the blender blades, jar, cover, etc and putting away the base, wires and more things, now I just use a pot and stove. Or airfry that fish in the nifty baking pan of my Philips Airfryer for easy clean up.
• Which brings me to my next point. You don’t need to make SPECIAL FOOD for your baby. The style or texture can be different, but the core ingredient should be the same as what the rest of your family eats. If we’re eating salmon today, my baby’s eating salmon today. If we’re having peppers and roasted potatoes with that salmon, my baby’s having the same – just in a softer texture suitable for him. Then what happens if I want to eat mala hot pot? It’s obvious my baby can’t eat it right? Yes, but what you can do is fry all the vegetables first, scoop up a portion for your baby, THEN add the mala spices. Problem solved.

So that’s it for now, I think!

I will update again if I think of something else that will make ALL our lives easier. Have fun exploring the many ways you can make eating fun for your little one!

The post Staying sane when introducing solids to your baby appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

Click here for more easy kids/baby food ideas: https://budgetpantry.com/category/baby-food/

The post Activity with Kids: One-bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

I swear by my Philips XXL Airfryer. See why: https://budgetpantry.com/5-reasons-why-i-love-the-new-philips-airfryer-xxl/

My 4-yo helped me prepare the potatoes:

And she helped me mash mash everything together too:

Here’s the simple recipe. I hope you and your kid love it too!

The post Kid-friendly Air Fried Begedil (Potato Patties) appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

To achieve the white, milky colour, you need to boil the pork ribs for 5 minutes, remove from heat, then rinse with tap water. This will remove the gunk and impurities that would adulterate your soup. The total cooking time over the stove top is 3-4 hours.

I usually combine chicken bone with pork ribs. If you don’t have chicken bones, using chicken stock is fine. If you want to cook entirely with pork ribs, that is ok too. The soup will taste better with some chicken bones, but it’s still optional. I’m using Local Chicken Stock from Sasha’s Fine Foods for this recipe. They also have great quality pork bones and other amazing ingredients for our babies. Just do a search! (Remember to use my code “Budgetpantry10 for 10% off!)

Now for the veggies and other ingredients. Don’t skip the garlic! Nor the honey dates. Honey dates are my must-haves in Chinese soups as they impart a thick, savoury flavour. In fact don’t skip any of the vegetables in the recipe below.

To ensure your broth becomes milky and thick with fall-apart meat, there are two key things: choose pork ribs that have some fat, and cook your broth on a low simmer. Boiling for long hours gives you tough meat. Simmering results in meat that is fall-apart tender.

So there you have it – a super simple recipe! Have it with macaroni, rice, noodles, whatever tickles your fancy!

The post How to make milky pork bone broth (or stock) for your baby appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.