Oh man… Just read a post by Beth from BabyMac entitled ‘the tale of the wound-up woman. So relatable! I just spent two and a half weeks offline, because the husband was actually HOME. But for the first few days we just grinded against one another {and not in a good way}.
He’d been away for almost 18 months with the businesses and I’d been used to doing everything as a solo parent. And then when he wanted to catch up with mates for a beer, I kinda lost my shit because ‘ummm – when have I had a chance to do anything for myself in the past 18 months?’…
But he too had been working for the past 18 months – and been away from us all and he too needed a break.
Unlike Beth, I find newborn babies the hardest stage. Being the only one able to feed them. Breast feeding is isolating sometimes and let’s face it, no one gives you a medal at the end of it all. Fuck! I’ve practically been breast feeding for 4 years {three children} and most people don’t want you to do it. I find our relationship always seems to right itself once our youngest turns one and we can ‘share the load’ a little. And my baby can feed themselves.
Here is a recipe for spiced red lentil patties that is great for baby led weaning and delicious enough for the whole family to enjoy. Serve with some fresh herby yoghurt, pita breads and lots of fresh tomato and cucumber.
SPICED RED LENTIL PATTIES
Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic and sauté until tender (4-5 minutes). Stir in spices and fry until fragrant (30 seconds), then add lentils and 650ml water, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until lentils are tender and liquid is absorbed (8-10 minutes). Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Stir eggs into lentils, then stir in flour and lemon rind and season generously to taste.
Preheat oven to 180C and heat 3cm oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add heaped tablespoonfuls of lentil mixture in batches and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown (2-3 minutes). Drain on paper towels and keep warm in oven while you cook remaining fritters. Serve hot with lemon halves.
