Finding appropriate toddler foods can be difficult so I’m sharing my favourite toddler friendly zucchini recipes. I’ve been so lucky that my daughter seems to like everything we have given her. There have been a few things that she doesn’t appear to like, but I’ve noticed it comes down to the texture. There have also been a few cases of things not agreeing with her little tummy. But she seems to have grown out of most of those.
It doesn’t take long before your toddler wants to feed them self so having bite-size food is a must.
Zucchini slice was one of the first combined foods I made for my daughter. And it has always been a big hit. She loved it so much that as soon as she saw it she would refuse to eat anything else, so we had to hide it until she had eaten other foods first.
In January I was gifted half of a very large zucchini. With that, I made a zucchini slice, a batch of Zucchini Greek yoghurt muffins and a batch of Double Choc Zucchini Muffins. All of these went into the freezer to avoid wasting any. They all defrost really well, either in the fridge or in the microwave. The surprising thing is you wouldn’t know that there are any vegetables in the chocolate muffins!
This recipe is adapted from Julie Goodwin's recipe.
Combine the grated zucchini, carrot, and cheese in a bowl.
Add the flour and mix, ensuring everything is coated in the flour.
Add the beaten eggs and mix thoroughly.
Pour into a slice tin.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden on the top.
Allow to cool before cutting.
If you are freezing the zucchini slice, cut it into portions then put it back into the slice tin and into the freezer. After approximately 24 hours, removed the tin from the freezer and distribute to ziplock bags.
I like to beat the eggs in a bullet blender.
Going through IVF isn’t easy. Three is so much new information about the reproductive system that you never learned at school. The added physical and mental strain of something so invasive. Not to mention all of the money involved. So here are the 6 lessons I learned from IVF.
Sure I learned about the menstrual cycle at school, but that really only covers the basics. Now I know that your body often gives you signs of what’s happening on the inside. From hormonal acne to cravings to cervical mucus, I know my body better than I ever have before.
You get to know yourself up close and personal. Along with knowing how the menstrual cycle actually works, I learned where exactly my ovaries were. It was really easy to tell because they felt like they were the size of oranges. Did you know that your cervix can be open or closed, as well as high and low? I had more people see my privates in the lead up to a pregnancy than had ever seen them before: doctors, nurses and several different ultrasound technicians.
Apart from our initial ‘counselling’ session, which was more like a private information session, I attended two more sessions with an IVF counsellor. The first one was after my egg collection but before my transfer. The second one was just after we found out the baby’s gender. During these sessions, I came to so many conclusions by myself, just by saying my thoughts out loud.
Apart from my husband and immediate family, no one knew of our struggles to fall pregnant. I was ashamed. And I blamed myself. I didn’t want anyone to take pity on me. I didn’t want anyone to know that I wasn’t perfect.
I joined a few IVF facebook groups. One nationwide, one for the clinic’s brand and eventually an IVF babies due in October, an offshoot of the nationwide group. I rarely asked questions in these groups, mostly giving my thoughts, experiences and encouragement.
In general, I am not very good with needles. Things like vaccinations and tetanus shots I can deal with. Having blood drawn is another story. During the IVF process, I had approximately 20 blood tests, sometimes every two days. I had to learn to cope with that. It’s a real inconvenience to faint during a blood test. They will generally make you wait there for at least an hour, and they might not let you drive home. On top of the blood tests were the numerous hormone injections, 38 to be exact. I chose to do these myself. I did not want to be faced with the idea of having to them myself after relying on someone else to do them. What if they weren’t there and I wasn’t able to do it?
I hate to use a modern-day cliche but sometimes I really do feel so blessed. Yesterday was certainly one of those days.
Last night I had a chance to reflect a little. Thirteen years ago I had the chance to reconnect with some old family friends. Normally I would not have taken up that opportunity but I thought why the heck not? This group of family friends has grown, as other friends have been added, partners have been added and now kids have also been added into the mix.
Some of these people I have known since I was born because my dad grew up with their dads back in the 60’s. I remember their old family dogs, going on vacations together, even visiting their grandparents. Not to mention all of the old photos we are in together.
Last night was the first time that I can recall that we were all together, without a specific occasion. Well actually, the occasion was the beautiful weather we had yesterday. If beautiful weather is not the best excuse to get together then I don’t know that is.
It was so great to see everyone and see all of the kids playing together. I’m absolutely amazed at how much we have all grown up, especially in the last 10 years. We are all proper adults now. With jobs, mortgages and children. But it’s great to know that we can all easily come together to catch up at random times throughout the year.
Basically, all of the wives/girlfriends are a part of the squad, you know, the one that gets together once a month for a night off from the responsibilities of adulthood. Us ladies have also really strengthened our friendships this year. I know I feel a lot more connected to them than I ever have before. It’s the first time since high school that I feel like I have real friends. I’ve also felt I can open up to them about things like anxiety and post-natal depression.
You really do have more when you are grateful for what you already have.
I recently read an article about why Sarah from Sarah’s Sage Advice waited to have children. It got me thinking about what my plan was for when I wanted to have children. I never wanted to be an old mum.
When I was a kid I always considered my mother to be old. But in comparison to my friend’s parents, she wasn’t old. She is around the same age as most of them. She is the same age as my mother in law. In fact, they are only 5 days apart. Mind you I never saw my dad as old, even though he is 11 years older than my mother! I never wanted my children to think that I was old.
So I knew that I wanted to have my first child younger than what my mother was when she had me. She was 28 (turning 29) when I was born. Ideally, I was aiming for 25-26.
I diligently waited for my husband to be ready to start a family. I’d been ready for about a year and a half by the time he was ready. I knew better than to push the subject or to take matters into my own hands. Because this was not just my decision to make. It would be a big change for both of our lives. We both needed to be ready.
I really, really wanted a honeymoon baby. What better way to show your partner and child that you love them? Funny story, I thought I might be pregnant on our honeymoon after throwing up on the Ferris Wheel at Disney California Adventure. As luck would have it, actually it wasn’t luck. I don’t think it was divine intervention or kismet. I don’t know what it was. But three years, a few doctors, numerous medications, countless tests and thousands of dollars later, my daughter was born. She is now almost two years old, and I am 31. I’m not an old mum.
Sometimes things don’t quite go to plan. And my journey into parenthood certainly didn’t go to plan.
Kathleen (noun), newly 30, bustling employee, inventive house wife & wannabe creative, just wanting to share the favourable parts of my life.
