Insta-mum shares baby-weaning recipes the whole family can enjoy (2024)

WEANING can be challenging and no new parent has time to slave away in the kitchen preparing baby-friendly meals.

But what if those dishes could be enjoyed by the rest of the family as well?

Rebecca Wilson, 29, felt lost when she could not find recipes that she and her baby girl Nina, now two, could enjoy together.

So she made it a mission to create her own. The mum-of-one from Carlisle researched the foods babies could eat at six months old and developed delicious recipes suitable for everyone in her family.

Sharing her “one meal fits all” ideas on Instagram, Rebecca now has more than 300,000 followers. And 18 months on from her first recipe post, her first cookbook is being published this week.

Already a bestseller on Amazon on pre-orders alone, What Mummy Makes has even out-performed Joe Wicks’ Wean In 15, making it one of the hottest cookbooks of the summer.

Product buyer Rebecca, who lives with husband Stew, 38, a technology worker, says: “When I became pregnant aged 26, I had this idea in my mind of sitting around the dining table and having these family meal times together.

‘Mums say they pick at children’s leftovers’

“Food brings people together and is such a big part of family life. I was shocked when I couldn’t find any recipes that would work for my six-month-old and my husband and I.

“Everything was ‘pureed’ or ‘mashed up’ and things I’d have to make separately for Nina.

“I was trying to teach my daughter to eat but I thought, ‘How can I convince her that her food is delicious if I’m not eating the same?' I’ve always loved cooking so I looked up the foods children can eat and got going.

“I just had to make sure they were low in salt and sugar and the texture was manageable for Nina. Then I could upscale to make enough for me and my husband, too. The joy I got from watching her enjoy the first meal I served for all of us made me so happy.

“So often, mums say they just pick at their children’s leftovers, or have ready meals because they are too tired after making their kids’ food.

“I’m a lazy mum, too. Before I developed these meals, I’d make Nina’s food, wash her, change her nappy, entertain her, clean the house, and just grab myself a chocolate bar when I had a spare second.

“Now I kill two birds with one stone because what she eats, I eat.”

Here, Rebecca shares some of her tasty recipes exclusively with our Fab Daily readers. All are suitable for children aged from six months and take just 30 minutes or less to cook.

• What Mummy Makes by Rebecca Wilson is published by DK on Thursday. £14.99. Available at Tesco and all good bookshops.

Baked bananas

(Serves 1 adult and 2 little ones - takes 15 minutes)

YOU NEED:

• 2 large ripe bananas (under-ripe bananas will not work)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground mixed spice
• Olive or coconut oil cooking spray
• Baking tray, lined with non-stick baking paper

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C fan (200C/400F/gas 6).

Slice the bananas in half lengthways with the skin still on. Place each banana half, skin side down, on to the lined baking tray.

Spray each banana a couple of times with cooking spray, then sprinkle over the cinnamon and mixed spice.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for ten to 15 minutes until the skin has blackened and you can see the sugars in the banana starting to bubble.

Serve with a dollop of full-fat Greek-style yoghurt and a few pomegranate seeds.

Hulk mac n' cheese

(Serves 2 adults and 2 little ones - takes 10 minutes)

YOU NEED:

• 250g (9oz) dried macaroni (or any pasta shape will work)
• 140g (5oz) frozen chopped spinach (about 7 blocks)
• 500m (16fl oz) milk of your choice
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter or dairy-free spread or coconut oil
• 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 100g (31/2oz) grated cheddar or 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD: Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the packet instructions.

Add the milk and frozen spinach To a microwavable jug. Cook for three minutes until the spinach is nearly defrosted and the milk slightly warmed.

In a hot frying pan, melt the butter then add cornflour. Stir and cook for a minute, then add the spinach milk gradually, whisking continuously.

Stir until the sauce is thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and add a good grinding of black pepper and the grated cheese. Stir to melt the cheese into the sauce then set aside until the pasta is cooked.
Add the drained, cooked pasta to the sauce, stir and serve with an extra grating of cheese on top, if you like.

One-pan lemon salmon with courgette & potato wedges

(Serves 2 adults and 2 little ones - takes 30 minutes)

YOU NEED:

• 450g (1lb) Maris Piper potatoes
• 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 2 small courgettes
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 1 lemon
• 30g (1oz) unsalted
• butter or dairy-free spread
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 salmon fillets, about 120g (4oz) each
• Baking tray, lined with non-stick baking paper

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C fan (220C/425F/gas 7).

Peel the potatoes, cut in half lengthways, then into 1.5cm-wide wedges. Place on to a lined baking tray, drizzle the oil over and then place in the oven.

Cut the courgettes into quarters. After five minutes of the potatoes cooking, remove the tray and use a spatula to flip the spuds.

Add the courgette slices and the garlic cloves (still with their skin on) and return to the oven for another five minutes. Cut three thin slices of lemon and squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon into a microwavable bowl.

Add the butter and a good grinding of black pepper, and microwave on high for 40 seconds to melt.

Once the courgettes have had five minutes, take the tray out of the oven and then flip everything.

Allow a space in the centre, and place the fillets skin-side down on to the tray. Pour the lemon butter over the fish and place the lemon slices over the salmon.

Put back in the oven for 15 minutes until the fish has cooked all the way through. When you flake the largest section it should be the same light pink colour all the way through.

Baby-friendly chilli

(Serves 2 adults and 2 little ones - takes 25 minutes)

YOU NEED:

• 2 tsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 500g (1lb 2oz) lean minced beef
• 1 heaped tbsp tomato puree
• 1 heaped tsp mixed dried herbs
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 low-salt beef stock cube
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 400g can kidney beans in water (ensure no added salt)
• 20g (¾oz) dark chocolate (optional)

METHOD: Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat.

Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent. Add the beef and tomato puree. Cook for four to five minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.

Add the mixed dried herbs, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, a good grinding of black pepper and crumble in the stock cube. Give it a good stir, then add the canned tomatoes.

Fill the tomato can one third of the way up with water and swill out any of the tomato juice into the pan. Stir, cover and bring back to a simmer.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse the kidney beans and place in a large bowl. Using a potato masher, mash the beans until you have a rough paste.

A few lumps are totally fine. You just don’t want any whole kidney beans. Roughly chop the chocolate (if using) and add to the pan along with the kidney bean paste, then stir through.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, topping up with water if it becomes too dry. Then serve with rice, avocado and sour cream.

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