Now celebrated children’s cook Annabel Karmel, MBE, has launched her own range of pasta specially for kids and babies from seven months. <\/strong><\/p>\n Annabel says:<\/strong> \u2018Problems with lumps are very common and one of the best ways to make the transition from smooth purees to more lumpy textures is to stir tiny pasta shapes into your baby’s favourite purees. It\u2019s important to introduce texture and small lumps as early as possible as the older they are, the harder babies will find it to accept lumpy food. I find that overall lumpiness is generally more acceptable to a smooth puree with the occasional lump that then gets spat out.<\/p>\n Another reason why its important to get your baby to chew is that this helps develop the muscles that your baby needs for speech. Simply add to your favourite purees or try some of my recipes below.”<\/p>\n Annabel Karmel\u2019s new range of ‘Make It Easy’ organic pasta shapes for babies from 7 months is a great way to introduce lumpy food to your little one’s diet. There are three sizes Gluten Free Pasta Stars, Mini Alphabet Pasta and Baby Shell Pasta. The range is available in Tesco and Waitrose.<\/p>\n\n When I meet mums at the Baby Show they often tell me how much their baby enjoys my lentil purees so I thought it would be a good idea to make a tomato sauce enriched with lentils. Lentils are a very good and cheap source of protein. They also provide iron which is very important for brain development particularly between the ages of six months and 2 years.<\/p>\n Suitable for Freezing\nSuitable from 7 months<\/p>\n\n 1 tbsp olive oil\n1 red onion (approx 100g) diced\n2 carrots (approx 125g) diced\n1 clove garlic crushed\n55g red lentils\n1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes\n300 ml vegetable stock\n1 tbsp tomato puree\n2 tbsp double cream\n4 tbsp parmesan, grated<\/p>\n 75g Annabel Karmel’s Organic Gluten Free Pasta Stars<\/p>\n\n Heat the olive oil and saut\u00e9 the onion, carrots and garlic for 10 minutes. Stir in the lentils and then pour over the chopped tomatoes, stock and add the tomato puree. Cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Puree the sauce in a blender or food processor and stir in the parmesan and double cream. Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce.<\/p>\n Buy your groceries online at your favourite supermarket and get up to \u00a310 back<\/a>. MAKES 6 PORTIONS<\/p>\n\n Roasting peppers brings out their naturally sweet flavour . This makes a delicious sauce and peppers are rich in betacarotene and vitamin C. This would also make a tasty meal for the whole family if you add some seasoning.<\/p>\n Suitable for freezing\nSuitable from 8 months<\/p>\n\n 2 red peppers, chopped into large cubes\n1 red onion, roughly chopped\n2 tbsp olive oil\n200g minced chicken\n50g apple, peeled and grated\n1 clove garlic, crushed\nOne x 400g tin tomatoes\n1 tbsp tomato puree\nHalf tsp balsamic vinegar\nQuarter tsp dried thyme<\/p>\n 100g Annabel Karmel’s organic Baby Pasta Shells<\/p>\n\n Pre heat the oven to 180 C Fan. Put the peppers and onion onto a baking sheet and toss in 1 tbsp oil. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes until softened and lightly tinged brown. Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan. Brown the mince, then add the apple and garlic. Blend the vegetables in a processor until smooth, then add to the chicken with the tomatoes, puree and balsamic vinegar. Add the thyme and simmer for 5 minutes .<\/p>\n Buy your groceries online at your favourite supermarket and get up to \u00a310 back<\/a>. MAKES 6 PORTIONS<\/p>\n\n Its true that fish is good for the brain – omega-3 essential fatty acids are found in oily fish and they make up 40% of the brain. A baby’s brain grows rapidly between birth and three years and most of the growth takes place in the first year so its important to introduce a liking for fish like salmon . Fish is quick and easy to prepare and combining it with root vegetables is a good way to introduce it to your baby.<\/p>\n\n 55g salmon fillet\n5g butter\nHalf small onion, finely chopped\n2 tsp plain flour\n150 ml unsalted vegetable or chicken stock\n100 ml milk\n3 tbsp cr\u00e8me fraiche\n3 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated\n55g broccoli, roughly chopped\n1 tsp lemon juice\nHalf tsp fresh dill, chopped\nHalf tsp fresh chives chopped<\/p>\n 40g Annabel Karmel’s Organic Baby Pasta Shells<\/p>\n\n To cook the salmon, either poach the salmon in a little stock over a low heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork or cook in a microwave with a couple of tablespoons of stock for about 2 minutes.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.<\/p>\n To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and saut\u00e9 for a few minutes until just soft. Also, add the flour and mix together, then blend in the stock and milk. Bring up to the boil. Add the broccoli and simmer covered for 5 to 6 minutes until soft. Whiz in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the cr\u00e8me fraiche, parmesan, lemon juice, herbs and cooked salmon. Simmer for 2 minutes. Drain the pasta and serve with the sauce.<\/p>\n Buy your groceries online at your favourite supermarket and get up to \u00a310 back<\/a>. MAKES 4 PORTIONS<\/p>\n\n From 8 months\nSuitable for freezing<\/p>\n As you can’t season with salt , adding fresh basil and parmesan is a good way to flavour to this delicious creamy tomato sauce…<\/p>\n\n 1 tbsp olive oil\nHalf small onion, peeled and chopped\n1 very small clove garlic, peeled and crushed\n50g carrot, peeled and chopped\n200 ml passata\n3 tbsp water\n2 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn\n1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese\n1 tsp cream cheese<\/p>\n 40g Annabel Karmel’s Organic Mini Alphabet Pasta<\/p>\n\n Heat the olive oil and saut\u00e9 the onion, garlic and carrot for 6 minutes, and add the passata, water, basil and parmesan. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and puree the sauce and stir in the cream cheese.<\/p>\n Buy your groceries online at your favourite supermarket and get up to \u00a310 back<\/a>. MAKES 4 PORTIONS<\/p>\n\n Suitable for Freezing\nFrom 8 months\nPrep time 6 minutes\nCooking time 40 minutes<\/p>\n Red meat provides iron for your baby and a baby’s requirements for iron are particularly high between 6 months and 2 years. To make the stock you could use a very diluted beef stock cube so that the salt level is very low. The sauteed red onion, leek, carrot and apple add a delicious flavour to this Bolognese and you can add other vegetables like mushrooms or courgette if you like…<\/p>\n\n 1 tbsp sunflower oil\n50g grated carrot<\/p>\n 1 small red onion, finely chopped (55g)\n20g chopped celery<\/p>\n ,1 small leek white part only (55g)\nhalf small apple, grated\na little water\n1 small clove garlic, crushed\n200 ml passata\n150g lean minced beef\n75 ml beef stock\n1 tsp tomato puree\n60g Organic Baby Shell Pasta Shapes<\/p>\n\n Heat the oil in a saucepan and saut\u00e9 the onion, leek, grated carrot, celery and grated apple for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little water after a few minutes and cover with a lid. Meanwhile, brown the minced meat in a dry frying pan. Also, add the garlic and saut\u00e9 for 30 seconds. Transfer the vegetables to a food processor, and add the passata and whiz until blended. Pour the tomato and vegetable sauce over the meat, add the stock and tomato puree and cook over a low heat for about 20 minutes.<\/p>\n Meanwhile cook the pasta shells according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and toss with the sauce.<\/p>\n Buy your groceries online at your favourite supermarket and get up to \u00a310 back<\/a>. MAKES 4 PORTIONS<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Buy your groceries<\/strong> at Iceland<\/strong> and get 2% back<\/strong> for your kids on every grocery shop<\/a><\/p>\n Buy your groceries<\/strong> at Morrisons<\/strong> and get up to \u00a33 back<\/strong> for your kids<\/a><\/p>\n Buy your groceries<\/strong> at Waitrose<\/strong> and get up to \u00a30.60 back<\/strong> for your kids<\/a><\/p>\n Buy your groceries<\/strong> at Planet Organic<\/strong> and get 1.3% back<\/strong> for your kids<\/a><\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Each 250gram bag of Annabel Karmel Make It Easy baby pastas provides twelve portions of food. <\/em><\/p>\n To inspire your culinary creativity the pastas have delicious recipe ideas on pack. With many more to be found at www.annabelkarmel.com<\/a> and in Annabel\u2019s best selling book, The Complete Baby & Toddler Meal Planner.<\/p>\n Organic shells & Alphabet shapes RRP: \u00a31.19, Gluten free Stars RRP: \u00a31.79. Available from Iceland<\/a> and Waitrose<\/a>.<\/p>\n Recipes by Annabel Karmel, MBE\nPhotography by Dave King<\/p>\nKidStart<\/a> is the online shopping club for parents that lets them earn money back from over 2,300 retailers including John Lewis, eBay, TUI, H&M and more. The money you earn will top up your child’s savings account. Learn more here<\/a><\/strong>\n\n.<\/br><\/br>Meet Beanstalk, the newest member of the KidStart family. It’s our app-based Junior ISA that makes saving and investing accessible for families of all shapes and sizes. It has low fees, no minimums or regular payments required. We’ve packed it with awesome tools including round ups, KidStart and the ability to invite friends and family to gift money directly through their own version of the app. Find out more about Beanstalk here!<\/a> Capital at risk.<\/strong>\n1. TOMATO, CARROT AND LENTIL SAUCE WITH PASTA<\/h3>\n
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2. CHICKEN BOLOGNESE WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES<\/h3>\n
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3. PASTA SHELLS WITH SALMON AND BROCCOLI<\/h3>\n
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4. TOMATO AND BASIL PASTA SAUCE<\/h3>\n
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5. ANNABEL’S TASTY BOLOGNESE<\/h3>\n
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Pleasing the picky eaters.<\/a><\/blockquote>