Soup for Little 'Souper' Heros

By Aileen Cox Blundell

This soup is named ‘Souper’ Hero Soup because it is literally jam packed with iron rich veggies and because when I was taking the photo my little munchkin just happened to be wearing a super hero costume (i’m pretty proud of the ‘souper hero’ lol). This soup is true to it’s name though and is a perfect way to get lots of extra nutritious goodness into your baby. So if your looking for a high iron and vitamin rich recipe for baby led weaning that tastes yummy then look no further!

Why is it important to get your baby eating iron?

Up until your baby is 6 months old they get all they need from your milk but after that point your baby’s stores of iron they got from you when you were pregnant start to deplete so it is really important to include lots of iron rich foods into their diet. The needs of little ones and adults are very different especially when it comes to iron, calcium, vitamin D and zinc. Toddlers need almost 4 times the amount of iron that a grown up needs! Thats a pretty huge amount more when you think about it so its really important to make sure that the foods you are giving your baby are the right ones.

Foods that are rich in iron are

• Meat especially red meat
• Seafood
• Dark green leafy vegetables
• Green vegetables
• Peas
• Beans
• Dried fruit
• Lentils

To ensure your baby is getting enough iron make sure they are also eating lots of fruits and veggies rich in vitamin C at the same time as this helps with iron absorption.

So what makes this soup so good

This soup is easy to make, creamy and hearty and will warm your little baby right down to their little toes. Its jam packed with some of my favourite iron rich veggies and the best part is that the most important iron and vitamin C rich ones; kale, spinach and parsley are only added at the very end so are pretty much raw. I take the soup off the heat before adding them in then blend everything to the consistency you like. Only reheat to an eating temperature so that you don’t kill off the vitamin C. Never, ever boil!

I served this soup with some natural yogurt and swirled with a little toothpick just to make it look pretty, then chopped some extra parsley and chives over it and finally sprinkled over some roasted slivers of garlic.

Oscar LOVED it and I’m trying to train him so that if he’s asked ‘what’s your favourite food?’ he will answer ‘Mammas Green Soup’. I think that would be pretty impressive. Currently my older kids are trying to get him to say ‘Susan Jane Whites Cookies’. Not impressed over here.

How to get a baby led weaning baby to eat soup!

Yes soup is messy, but it is also super nutritious and it is a great way to get more nutrients into your little ones. For those out there thinking though, how the heck do you get a baby to feed themselves soup? Well here are my top tips;

Soak in nutritious Bread

This is probably one of the easiest ways of getting your little one eating a good hearty lunch. I use my Mums recipe for brown bread (which is AMAZING!). Find the recipe here: https://bit.ly/2fxanfw. I’ve changed it a little to add more yummy goodness in there and it is just perfect for soaking up soup and keeping its shape. I cut the bread into little squares and place into a bowl, spoon over the soup and let the bread soak it up. Just place in front of your little one and let them get to work on their own (messy but you know if your little ones eating this it they are getting a tonne of goodness).

Sippy Cups

Sippy cups are brilliant for older little babies (9 months +) that are able to manage a sippy cup. I’ve had to make the sippy holes a little wider so that the soup can get out. Or alternatively use a sippy cup with a straw. Don’t have a sippy cup that works? Well you can also use a cup and just cut a normal thick straw in half. Hold the cup and let your little one drink from the straw. Be warned though… don’t turn your back for a second or you could look like a Momma Hulk or worse still you could have green walls!

Loaded Spoons

Sometimes ya gotta just load a spoon when your baby is starting to learn to self feed. Just add a little spoon onto a spoon and let your baby put it into their mouth. It’s great especially when they are learning to use cutlery on their own. I gave Oscar a preloaded spoon when he was 7 months old. I’ll admit it’s messy at first but by the time he was 9 months old he was able to get it from the bowl to his mouth with minimal mess.

I hope you love the soup. Honestly it’s pretty yummy and well worth trying and if you can get your little ones eating this it’s a proper win for us Mammies.

Happy Tuesday folks from me and my little super hero…Iron Man (I mean Spiderman).

Aileen & Oscar xoxox

Soup for Little 'Souper' Heros

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Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Total: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 adults + Children

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This soup is so hearty it will warm your little baby right down to their toes. Its jam packed with iron & vitamin C and perfect for baby led weaning hands.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 6 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 tablespoons plain or buckwheat flour
• 1 litre of water or/homemade chicken stock/homemade bone broth/homemade vegetable stock
• 1 medium head of broccoli washed and roughly chopped
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 sticks celery washed and roughly chopped
• 1 bunch of kale stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
• 1 cup packed with spinach leaves rough chopped
• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• Pepper to season
• 2 tablespoons natural yogurt
• Extra parsley to serve
• 1 bunch chives Small
• 2 cloves garlic finely sliced and roasted for 10 mins see note below

Metric - US Customary

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Method

• Heat oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry until it becomes translucent then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 mins until it is soft but not browned.Spoon the flour into the onion and garlic to stir well to make a roux. It should become a thick paste. Slowly stir in the stock or water stirring well as you do to prevent lumps forming. I like to add about 1/2 a cup full at a time, stir well then add another.Add the broccoli, peas and celery and cover the pot with a lid. Bring to the bubble and then turn to a very low simmer for 12 minutes until the broccoli is soft. Take off the heat!Stir in the kale, spinach, parsley and cumin and season with a little pepper. Then using a stick blender blend until the soup is smooth and creamy. I wanted mine really, super smooth so after stick blending I transferred to the nutribullet and blended in batches until it was extra smooth.To serve, heat to just the right temperature over a low heat. Spoon into a bowl and dollop a little natural yogurt on top, sprinkle on some extra parsley and chives and sprinkle over some roasted garlic.
• To roast the garlic slivers – peel and thinly slice the garlic. Place on some parchment paper and place into an oven pre-heated to 160ºC for 10-12 minutes until it starts to just turn brown but is still soft (its a fine line between this point and burning so you have to watch it). Remove from the oven and leave to cool fully. Chop the garlic up and sprinkle over soup for some extra fancy yumminess!

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Recipe Notes & Tips

Soup freezes really well. To portion out for little ones, spoon into a mini muffin tin. It's the perfect size for a baby portion. Once all the compartments are full, cover the tray with cling film and freeze until solid (about 4 hours). Rub a warm cloth under the tray and the soup portions should pop out. Immediately add to a freezer bag, label and freeze. The soup should defrost in less than 30 minutes at room temperature and can be reheated in the microwave in less than 1 minute. Stir well and ensure it is warm the whole way though and not too hot for little mouths.

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