This is a meal-prepping technique I wish I had known about sooner. I’ve been using it for the last six months or so to make mealtimes easier for our family, and realised this is the perfect thing for parents weaning babies, and wanting things to be a bit easier.
So this is Baby Blocks, a take on our Duplo Dinners series where you prep and freeze each component separately: grains, sauces, proteins, and veggies… like building blocks, so you can easily mix and match simple meals for your baby without having to cook loads of different things each day.
You also don’t have to make everything to freeze at once; simply make extra each meal or snack and freeze some slowly to build up a freezer stash.
DOWNLOAD THE LITTLE VEGAN EATS APP NOW
300+ family-friendly vegan recipes
Recipes filtered by age & allergies
Track your child’s food journey
Automated smart meal plans
-
🍛 Channa Masala with Pumpkin and Black Rice (black rice is cooked via absorption method – 1 cup rice:1.75 cups water, bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30-35 minutes, then leave covered for 10 minutes and you have perfect rice!). For this pumpkin version, we subbed one can of chickpeas with 500g of butternut squash, and cooked until the pumpkin was soft.
🌱 Spinach pesto (made without basil, so it’s light in flavour for babies, and a good source of fat and fibre)
🥞 Pancakes
💕 Raspberry chia jam
🍝 Bolognese
🌾 Iron fortified pasta
🥣 Roasted Cauliflower and Red Pepper soup / puree (add less liquid when making then thin out adult portion – this recipe is available on our app)
To plate these up, we add them to glass containers, cover and allow them to defrost in the fridge overnight, or on the bench at room temp for a few hours. Then reheat in the glass in the airfryer for 7-10 minutes (you could use a microwave also). All the recipes are below, but I’d love to know what you’d add to your own Duplo Dinner or Baby Blocks lineup in the comments!
Channa Masala
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 knob fresh ginger (grated, around 2 tbsp)
- 2 x 400g can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 x 800g can of diced tomatoes
Spices
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
Once baby portions are out (optional/to taste)
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp raw sugar (or other)
- salt and pepper (omit for under 12 months)
Instructions
- Add the oil to a pot over medium to high heat. Once the pan is hot add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the onion and cook for a further minute.
- Then add the spices - if it’s too dry at this stage and one tablespoon more of oil. Cook the spices for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the chickpeas and tomatoes and stir to combine (if you want a smoother curry gravy, add the tomatoes and blend with an immersion stick blender before adding the chickpeas).
- Bring to a boil and then cover the pot with a lid and reduce heat to low/medium and simmer for a further 20-25 minutes until thick.
- Once the baby/toddler portions are removed you can add the optional extras if you like (chilli, salt, pepper, and sugar) and serve with a squeeze of extra lemon juice and coriander.
Storage
Store in the fridge for 3 days or freezer for 3 months.Notes
Nut-Free Spinach Pesto
Ingredients
- 75 g pumpkin seeds (can sub with sunflower seeds or cashews for a creamier texture)
- 2 handfuls baby spinach (sub with 50:50 basil to gradully increase herb tolerance, or 100% basil if you prefer)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 15 g nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon (juice)
- 125 ml olive oil
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth/desired texture.
Storage
Store in the fridge for 7 days or freeze in portions for 2 months
Three Ingredient Pancakes
Ingredients
- 120 g oat flour (Blended rolled oats)
- 1 large banana (110g peeled)
- 160 ml soy milk (or other plant based milk)
- 1 tsp Baking powder (optional; makes it fluffy)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (for cooking)
Instructions
- Make the batter adding the oat flour, banana, soy milk & baking powder to a blender and mix until smooth (~ 10 seconds), or mashing and stirring together.
- Oil a frying pan over medium heat, and pour the batter into desired sizes (makes ~16 pancakes). Cook on medium for 2 mins each side.
- Serve with whatever you like.
Storage
Store in the fridge for 3 days or freezer for 2 months.
Raspberry Chia Jam
Ingredients
- 250 g raspberries (fresh or frozen, can use any berry )
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (Optional if the berries are too sour. Omit for babies under 12 months.)
Instructions
- Warm the berries in a pan over medium heat until the juices release and become bubbly. Gently mash with a spatula.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chia seeds. Leave to thicken for 10 minutes. It will set more as it cools. Note: for a smooth jam, you can blend it.
- Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Storage
Store in the fridge for 5 days or freezer for 2 months
Classic Vegan Bolognese
Ingredients
- 250 g mushrooms (finely diced)
- 1 large onion (finely diced)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 200 g textured vegetable protein
- 750 ml vegetable stock (low salt if possible)
- 2 tbsp Italian herbs
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tbsp dried basil
- 1 x 400g can of brown lentils (drained and rinsed)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tbsp raw sugar (omit under 12 months)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (omit under 12 months)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (omit under 12 months)
- 140 g tomato paste
- 1 x 800g can of diced tomatoes
- 500 g pasta (of choice)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the TVP and vegetable stock. Allow it to absorb the liquid for 1 minute.
- Add the Italian herbs, oregano, basil, lentils, nutritional yeast, raw sugar, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes. Mix well to combine.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes to deepen the flavours. Alternatively, let the mixture sit for up to 1 hour, then reheat before serving.
- While the sauce cooks, cook your choice of pasta according to the packet.
- Once cooked, serve the bolognese over your pasta of choice.
Storage
Store in the fridge for 3 days or freezer for 2 months
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a comment below or tag us on Instagram to let me know what your little one thought!