How we avoid food waste + 3 recipes

One of my challenges in weaning was to do something about the food waste that seemed inevitable, meal after meal.  

I always made a larger amount of a dish to make sure there was a spare portion left in case the little one couldn’t get enough. Or, even worse, he didn’t want to eat what I prepared for him at all, and so, after every meal, there was always food left over. 

In this article, I want to offer you some tips & tricks and 3 recipes for ”recycling” leftover food, to avoid waste as much as possible.

• Whether we are talking about vegetables or fruits, pieces or purees, the easiest way to reuse them is to make various puddings/pancakes, waffles/muffins, cookies/meatballs (or croquettes) with or without egg, sweet or salty. This is the easiest method but at the same time very versatile;
• When I have leftover soup (juice), I always freeze it in ice cube trays, then transfer the cubes to ziplock bags. This way I save space in the freezer, take as many soup cubes as I need and the ice tray is free for another round of soup. In fact, this trick works just as well with purees;
• You can use the remaining vegetables (puree or pieces) in cream soup recipes or pasta/rice sauces.Smash an onion and/or garlic, add mashed or chopped vegetables, water (or frozen soup) and tomato sauce or cream (or yogurt/sour cream);
• Older bread is easily transformed into a pudding, egg bread (baked) or croutons for future cream soups;
• Unfinished fruit pieces can be added to muffins or cakes, or why not, pudding. 
• If you have some meat left over from the steak, you can shred it and add it to an aperitif check, baby-friendly boeuf salad or mix it with tomato, garlic and basil sauce for a delicious pasta sauce;
• I always make fish croquettes from the leftover pieces of baked fish;
• If you also always make too much porridge, know that what remains can be mixed with an egg, fruit or vegetables (it depends on whether you want the final result to be salty or sweet) and flour to get a thicker composition. Put a spoonful of the composition on a tray lined with baking paper and bake these future fluffy cookies for greedy hands. 

Remember, when we defrost frozen food, it is good to thaw it gradually, preferably in the refrigerator. And after defrosting, it is cooked again for a few minutes to destroy any bacteria. 

Next, I leave you 3 simple recipes made from the 3 most common vegetables used in weaning (from my observations). 

Broccoli pudding

(gluten-free + dairy-free version)

Ingredients:

• 3 florets of cooked broccoli (boiled or steamed)
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons yogurt (or coconut cream)
• 2 tablespoons cottage cheese (or cashew cheese)
• Finely chopped fresh dill
• A little finely chopped onion (use green onions if in season)

Method of preparation:

Using a knife, chop the broccoli florets into small pieces and mix them with the rest of the ingredients.

Pour the mixture into muffin tins or you can even use a smaller ceramic dish. 

Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees, about 30-35 min. or until lightly browned on top.

It is a delicious dish, easy to hold in small hands. It is ideal dipped in an avocado sauce with a little lemon juice and garlic. Maybe even some cherry tomatoes (properly cut, of course, to reduce the risk of choking).

Sweet potato brownie

(egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free if certified oats are used)

Ingredients:

• 100g banana
• 130-150g baked or boiled/steamed sweet potato
• 30g 100% peanut butter (or other oilseed butter)
• 20g carob
• 80g fine oatmeal

Method of preparation:

Mash the banana and sweet potato with a fork, then add the butter and the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix until the composition is homogeneous.

I poured the composition into a cake pan that I lined with baking paper.

I baked the brownie in the oven preheated to 180 degrees, for approx. 20-30 min.

It is a great recipe for breakfast with fresh fruit and dairy products. But no one is upset if it is also enjoyed as a snack.

Pancakes with peas

(gluten or dairy-free version)

Ingredients:

• 150g boiled peas (mashed or mashed with a fork)
• 1 egg
• 50ml milk (or vegetable milk in case of allergies)
• 70g rye flour (it is good to diversify the flours, but the recipe also works with wheat flour or gluten-free flour)
• Optionally you can add desalted olives / green onions / dried tomato flakes / ground seeds / etc

Method of preparation:

Mix all the ingredients while heating a non-stick pan over low heat.

Tip Baking powder or baking soda is not suitable for babies under one year due to its high sodium content. Instead of baking powder, you can beat the egg white foam, which will act as a raising agent.

Pour a spoonful of the mixture into the pan and cook on low heat for a few minutes on each side. 

These pancakes go great with a mint yogurt sauce, along with tomatoes and cucumbers. Remember to cut raw vegetables properly so they don’t present a choking hazard. 

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