Fun with forks (utilising utensils)

The last month has seen a few milestones for the Hungry Twins.  They have spent a seemingly inordinate amount of time sick (endless colds!),  this has affected their appetites a little, but they still seem to have a huge enthusiasm for trying new things.

Learning how to use utensils is one of them.  First it has been understanding that bowls contain food and are better if they are the right way up (and more food gets put in them that way!).  The second has been that forks can actually be useful, sometimes…..

The food sometimes even gets on the fork!

The Hungry Twins still tend to hold the fork in one hand, while eating with the other, but progress is being made!

Food on fork, food in hand….

Spoons are another fun item – yoghurt brings out the best in the Hungry Twins, with spoons in both hands and yoghurt everywhere.

 

Yoghurt tastes better with two spoons!

Drinking from a cup is another skill the girls are developing.  We made a decision early that sippy cups were banned from this house.  This means that we have to be on hand to help the Hungry Twins have a drink and deal with any spills but they are mastering this key skill!  When the girls manage to have a drink on their own without spilling it all, they are pretty impressed with themselves (and we are with them).

Look what I can do!

 

 

 

Ducks are for dancing (not eating)

And now for something completely different…..

The Hungry Twins are big fans of music and they love to watch music videos and have a bit of a dance.  We caught Grace grooving to the music of “Get Up (Rattle)” by the Bingo Players/Far East Movement – the video features ducks.

Farewell, formula

A momentous day yesterday for the Hungry Twins.  Apart from their assistance with our annual wine-making venture, the twins had their last formula feed.  The Hungry Twins have been drinking cows milk for quite some time (have it on their weetbix or porridge of a morning and some before bedtime) but we still had quite a few tins of formula left, so they had been steadily drinking through it for afternoon tea and as a snack before dinner time.

We were lucky to be able to buy the formula in bulk at a significant discount from the manufacturer because we had twins (you have to take all the help you can get!).  I had made an order some time ago, thinking that it might last until they were nearly one and then they would have cows’ milk 100% of the time.  My calculations were obviously a little on the generous side and they have only just emptied the last tin.  Not that the Hungry Twins seem to care whether they have cows’ milk or formula to drink!

I certainly won’t miss mixing up the formula and I will enjoy saving a bit of money (even though we bought the formula at a discount, cows’ milk is still quite a bit cheaper).

Last drink of formula milk – what’s all the fuss about?

Back to basics (we love yoghurt)

Lunch today was bits and pieces.  Peanut butter on homemade bread (the bread maker has been resurrected from the appliance wilderness), fish fingers, broccoli, tomatoes and cheese, followed by the good old pear and a few strawberries.  Last (to fill in any gaps) was greek yoghurt.

Now that the Hungry Twins like to feed themselves, they don’t get fed a lot of yoghurt (until they master the art of spoons, that is).  Time was that they would eat a 2kg tub of greek yoghurt in less than a week.  I even had to start making it myself….

They certainly enjoyed it today for the finale at lunch…. And they even got to feed themselves a little with spoons (and spread it everywhere!).

Weird things we like to eat

Writing about the Hungry Twins liking broccoli (Grace in fact seems to LOVE it), I was reminded of some of the other things they enjoy eating.  Many of these are foods that I was told (before we had the Hungry Twins) that children would hate/refuse to eat/run away screaming from etc.  Our girls are obviously a little bit different!  I have been warned that as they get older and become “proper toddlers” (read terrible twos) and learn the word “NO”, they are likely to start refusing such exotic foodstuffs.  We shall see…. At least I wouldn’t have to come up with interesting and varied menus, I could just serve them plain pasta with cheese every night….  Here are some of their more interesting food choices:

• Kalamata olives (both love these, Grace will gobble them like there is no tomorrow)
• Zucchini (pureed with garlic was a particular favourite when they were really little)
• Curry (you’ve already heard about that one)
• Raw kingfish (I’m pretty impressed)
• Salad with dressing on it (I’m informed that this is unusual – children don’t like salad dressing…. apparently)
• Tomatoes (again, this is supposedly strange)
• Last, but not least (and this only goes for Grace), finger paint

Yes, I know that finger paint is not strictly a food, however try telling that to Grace!  We did a little painting over Christmas and discovered that while Skye appeared to have some artistic flair (she loved the feel of the paint and her nails on the canvas), Grace just wanted to eat the paint….  Don’t worry, it was non-toxic (she survived the experience).

Oh no, I’ve eaten all the paint!

Kirra’s chicken curry

The Hungry Twins devoured some leftover chicken curry at lunch.  Our good friend, Kirra, cooked it last week.  I freeze any leftover curry in a silicon muffin tin, which has the ideal portion size for two hungry children.  The curry is easy to make and is a nice introduction to some spice.  Our girls love it!

Cook a diced onion in some olive oil over medium heat.  Once it has softened (about 10 minutes), add a diced sweet potato (approximately 1cm cubes), a cup of chicken stock, a tin of crushed tomatoes, a heaped tablespoon of tandoori paste (use less if you want it milder) and 3 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt.  Bring to a simmer, then add 500gm of chicken thigh fillets (no skin).  Simmer until chicken is tender (about 30-40 minutes).  If the sauce needs thickening after this time, add a teaspoon of plain flour mixed with a tablespoon of water and cook for another five minutes.  Cut up the chicken into smaller pieces for younger children.  Serve with rice, rice noodles or pasta to soak up the sauce, but be warned – it makes for a messy meal!!

Before chicken curry…..

…. after chicken curry

Babycino is the way to go

Weekends mean babycino at breakfast time, mainly because my husband is home and he is the superior milk frother (is that even a word?).  It certainly puts a smile on the girls’ faces!!