Recipe Review

From The Joy of Cooking:

Basil Squash Puree (with summer squash)

Squash, chopped
Olive oil
1/2 t. salt
Garlic, opt.

1. Heat olive oil in pan, add chopped squash. 

2. Season with 1/2 t salt and a sprinkle of garlic (optional)

3. Cook covered 6 minutes

4. Drain juices

5. Put back on stove, add basil if you want, and cook another 2-3 minutes or until tender. 

6. Purée and enjoy.

My Review:
Easy to make, smells great, but took a bit longer than the recipe said. It's on my list to keep making, for sure.

Kids Review: 

My 9 month old really really likes it. She gobbles it up. I'm making more today and going to have my 2 yr. old try it.

Fall Recipe: Pumpkin Muffins (chocolate optional)

Chocolate isn't optional in this house for anything, but they can be optional in this muffin for the kiddos.

Pumpkin Muffins
(Adapted from the Food Network)


1 1/2 c. white wheat flour
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 c. sucanant
1/4 c. applesauce
2 large eggs
15 oz. (1 can) pumpkin
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
2/3 c. chocolate chips, optional

1. Whisk eggs and sugar
2. Add pumpkin, yogurt, butter, and vanilla. Stir until mixed.
3. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda and powder, and salt. Stir until mixed.
(4. Optional, fold in chocolate chips)

Bake at 375 for 10-20 mins. You can make these as mini muffins for little hands (10 mins.) or full size muffins (15-20 mins.).

Note: These are deliciously moist muffins so you'll need to either eat them quickly (no problems there!) or freeze some to prevent them from spoiling.

Fall Recipe: Apple Cider Pancakes

Apple Cider Pancakes 

(I saw several recipes and adapted what
I found to come up with this)

2 cups white wheat flour
½ t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup apple cider

In a small bowl, whisk the wet ingredients until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl of the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (not until smooth, lumps are good).

Vegetable Puree Recipe

From Weelicious.com, Italian Green Vegetable Puree

Ingredients

• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup tomato or marinara sauce
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation

1. Place the zucchini and broccoli florets in a steamer pot over boiling water, steam for 5 minutes and allow to cool.
2. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
3. Serve.

Fall Recipes: Apple Quesadilla

Apple Quesadilla

1 Tortilla
Freshly made applesauce (or apple slices*)
Cheese, grated

1. Spread some applesauce in a thin layer on the tortilla
2. Top with shredded cheese (cheddar is recommended)
3. Heat up on a griddle, skillet, or frying pan until cheese is melted

*You can use some thin apple slices for older toddlers instead of applesauce if you want.

Fall Recipes: Banana Bread

Banana Bread
Adapted from Cooking Light's Banana Bread Recipe.

1 c. all-purpose flour plus
1 c. wheat flour
(or 2 c. white wheat flour)
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. sucanant (or other sugar)
1/2 c. applesauce
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. mashed bananas (~3)
1/3 c. plain yogurt
1 t. vanilla

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place sugar, applesauce, and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). 
4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended.
6.  Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. 
7. Pour batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Or divide into muffin pans or mini loaf pans.
8. Bake at 350° for 1 hour (for loaf, 20-30 mins. for muffins or mini loaves - check them often until you know how long they take in your pan & oven!) or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Fall Recipes: 14 Snacks Using Apples

Apple bread

1. Applesauce
2. Apple slices and peanut butter
3. Soft-cooked apples and pears (really good with plain whole milk yogurt)
4. Oatmeal and soft-cooked apple chunks
5. Apple "sandwiches" (slices of apple with fillings inside - peanut butter, cream cheese, slices of cheese, etc. I first saw the idea here.)
6. Ants on a circle(?!) instead of ants on a log. The circle being apple, of course!
7. Apple and cheese slices
8. Apple chips
9. Apples and dips*
10. Cream cheese filled apple halves (cut an apple in half, scoop out the seeds in the middle and fill with some softened cream cheese)
11. Baked apples (I'm looking forward to trying out this recipe)
12. Apple bread*
13. Apple muffins*
14. Apple fruit salad (Apple being the star of the seasonal fruit salad. Or to make it more fun, take out the center of an apple and serve the fruit salad IN the apple. For older toddlers/kids, of course.)

As always, use discretion with the ideas - some are appropriate for babies, some for young toddlers, and some just for older toddlers.

*Apple bread and muffin recipes as well as dip ideas are coming soon!

Fall Recipes: Slow Cooker Applesauce

In a couple of weeks we're going to an orchard to pick apples and we are looking forward to all of the apple recipes we'll be making. One thing I like to do every year is make applesauce and I normally do a couple of batches in the slow cooker in addition to the stove-top to make life a bit easier!

Here are the instructions for making applesauce in your slow cooker!




 1. Wash, core, and roughly chop the apples.
*You can peel them too, but there are so many good nutrients in the skin and once you've pureed it there isn't a difference in the texture - if you want chunkier applesauce, you may notice a texture difference then. But, if you're not sure how you feel about it, add in that extra step and peel them.
2. Put apples and 1/2 c. water in the slow cooker.
3. Add cinnamon and brown sugar, if you want (this can also be done with the whole batch to taste after mashing/pureeing the applesauce, or with individual servings)
*I don't have measurements for adding these as I don't do it!
4. Cook on low 4-6 hours, until tender, stirring every once in a while (when you stir it you may notice it needs a bit more water, go ahead and add a little if needed)
5. For smooth applesauce: puree with handblender or in a food processor. For chunkier applesauce: mash with potato masher or fork.

You can then freeze, can, or just go ahead and eat it all.

Fall Recipes: Apple Chips

As fall is coming, I thought this would be a great recipe to share. The apples get nice and crunchy, you don't need any sugar... a little cinnamon is nice, if you child likes that flavor but they are good without as well.

1. Preheat oven to 200.
2. Core the apple and slice thinly (if you have a mandolin this would be a great time to use it!).
   *If you think it will take you a while to slice the apples, or if you are doing a large batch of apples prepare a bowl with water and lemon juice to stop them from browning, about 1T. lemon juice to 1 c. water works. Just make sure to shake off the excess liquid before putting them on the sheet trays 
3. Put the apple slices on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silpat.
4. Sprinkle with cinnamon (opt.)
5. Bake for about 2 hrs. (flip after 1 hr.)
   *Depending on how thick/thin you slice them it might take a bit more or less time. I'd suggest checking on them periodically, especially towards the end of the 2 hrs.

These get nice and crisp, but you could pull them out a bit earlier if you'd like them to be a bit chewy. Store them in an airtight container or ziploc bag.

Banana Pancakes

Kids and adults alike love pancakes. Here is a gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free quick and easy recipe for Banana Pancakes.

1 ripe banana
2 eggs

1. Mash 1 banana
2. Mix in 2 whole eggs
3. Cook

Simple as that! They taste like pancakes (albeit thinner pancakes) and don't have a strong flavor of banana. We had them just the other night for dinner and really enjoyed them. You could also make them in smaller, silver dollar size, and serve as a snack.

Healthy, Homemade Bars (& cookies)... for Tina!

Reader Tina wrote in asking, "Do you happen to know any recipes, or could you point me toward a site, for making bars/treats for kids.  I'm looking for some sort of granola bar or oatmeal cookie recipe.Kids love stuff like this, but the kind you buy are so full of sugar and who knows what

else."

I hope this info is helpful for you, Tina!

I don't yet have a granola bar recipe but here are two that I've been wanting to try - if you give them a go, let us know how they are!

1. Squash-based bars

2. Applesauce-based bars

As far as an oatmeal cookie recipe, I'm not really fans of oatmeal cookies, so I don't have one. But, some baking tips to make recipes healthier (you'll want to try them out to see how they work with your baking recipes):

- use whole wheat flour

- try using yogurt, pumpkin, bananas, or applesauce instead of oil/butter

- try using sucanat or honey for less processed/a bit healthier options for white sugar

- try using less sugar than the recipe calls for, or use applesauce or yogurt to replace some of it

I did find one oatmeal cookie recipe out there that could be a good healthy version: Banana Oatmeal Cookies.

Other options for replacing granola bars and the like for other easy and tasty snacks that kids like could be:

Muffins (like these)

Apple chips (core and slice apples, bake at 200 for about 2 hrs. - flip after 1 hr. - opt.: dust with a bit of cinnamon... full recipe coming soon!)

Banana bread

Whole Wheat Cheese Pretzels

Mini Oatmeal Pancakes

Recipes for some of these items will be coming in future posts! Most of them can be made in a toddler-friendly way as well. I will include that info in with those recipes. If you try any of these recipes, write in to let us know what you thought!

First Foods/Baby Purees

I don't agree with having baby cereals as their first foods but instead go for fruits and vegetables right away. Homemade baby food is healthier for your child, and is easier than you think. Just taking a little bit of time every few weeks to a month will provide you with what you need. Below are some methods and recipes to help get you started with some common fruits and veggies and a couple of combinations. It's best to get organic to give your children the best nutrition.

- For lumpier/more textured foods simply mash them with a fork or potato masher.
- For smoother foods, put into a blender or food processor and puree, adding water or milk (breastmilk) until the texture you desire is reached.

*A post on storage coming soon.

Sweet Potatoes (two methods):
1. Wash the potatoes but don't dry them, put them in your slow cooker and put it on low. Periodically check them - they are ready when they are soft enough to be mashed (time varies on size and number of the potatoes, but typically 4+ hrs.).
2. Bake at 400 for 30-60 mins., until soft.
Once cool, peel and mash or puree.

Squash (two methods):
1. Heat oven to 400. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and place flesh side down (skin side up) in 1-2 inches of water. Bake for about 40 mins. until skin starts to "pucker" or get bubbles. Scoop squash out of the skin and mash or puree.
2. Wash and peel squash (its not necessary to peel once your baby is 8 months old). Steam until tender. Mash or puree.

Peas/Green beans:
Steam until tender. Mash/puree.
- Plunging hot cooked peas into a bowl of ice cold water is known to help make a smoother puree.

Carrots
Steam until tender. Mash/puree.
(Do not use the water you steam the carrots in to thin out the puree as nitrates settle in the water)

Apple/Pears
Peel, core, and chop fruit. Place in pan with just enough water to slightly cover apples. Boil/steam until tender; be sure to check on the water level and stir occasionally. Mash/puree.


Pumpkin and banana:
Blend 1 can of organic pumpkin with 1-2 banana(s) and enough water to thin it out.

Broccoli and apple:
Steam the broccoli and then blend with 1 chopped steamed/boiled apple. Have a ratio of about 2/3 veggie to 1/3 fruit (1/2 and 1/2 can also work if the mixture is too bitter for your child).

Spinach, peas and pears:
Steam the peas and peeled, chopped pears together. Blend with defrosted frozen spinach.

Frozen Yogurt Drops

I'd been seeing all over pinterest the idea of making frozen yogurt drops (not sure where it originated, but most/lots of pins go to here - the image is from that site also). It was such a good idea and so I adapted it for small toddlers. It's a quick and simple, healthy, snack and kids (young & old) love them. You can make them with plain yogurt (simply do steps 3 & 4 below) or take a couple of extra steps to give your child some flavor, fruit, and color fun!

Frozen Yogurt Drops

Whole milk plain yogurt
Fresh or frozen fruit

1. Put yogurt and fruit into blender or food processor.
2. Blend until smooth (depending on the fruit you use - i.e. raspberries - the fruit may not become completely smooth, but just keep it going until there are no chunks of fruit left).
3. Spoon (or put in a ziploc baggie and pipe) small amounts of yogurt onto a cookie sheet (you can make them in whatever size you like - I tend to do them about 1t. size).
4. Freeze until hardened and then remove from tray and place into a baggie.

These are great treats especially in summer when it is warm. Since it's just yogurt and fruit, I would do a serving size of no more than 1/2 cup (which is a serving size of yogurt for an infant/toddler). Make up a large batch and you'll be set for a while. You can also make several different batches and give your child variety, fun with colors, and introduce them to different tastes.
Do not use regular yogurt as they will be high in sugar (but you can of course make them for yourself that way!). You can also do this with yogurt like yobaby or yotoddler which will already be flavored for you.

Banana Oat Muffins

I found this recipe via pinterest and have made it a couple of times (with my own adjustments). It's quick and easy and my daughter really enjoys them. I make them in a mini muffin tin and freeze them. Being mini muffins, they defrost quickly and are a good size for her.

Banana Oat Muffins
 
2 1/2c. oats (not quick oats)
6 oz. plain whole milk yogurt
2 eggs
3/4c. sucanant or sweetener of choice
1 1/2t. baking powder
1/2t. baking soda
2 bananas

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Spray muffin tin (or use silicone, etc.)
4. Divide batter and bake (20-25 mins. for regular sized muffins, 10-15 for mini) until toothpick comes out clean.

Green Smoothie

I took a recipe I found online for a green smoothie and adjusted it some. This smoothie can make for a great meal for a kid - it has fruits, veggies, and protein. I served this to my almost 2 year old the other day along with a couple of mini banana oatmeal muffins to give her the well-rounded meal (recipe coming soon).

Green Smoothie

1 c. frozen mango chunks
1 banana
1 handful spinach (or other green)
Whole milk plain yogurt

Combine ingredients in blender and puree. There is no measurement for the yogurt as I added some until the smoothie became - you guessed it - smooth. But, I wouldn't add more than a regular serving size of yogurt (1c. for a 1-3 year old). If you still need to "water it down" some, put in a bit of ice, water, or juice (whatever you feel comfortable with). I found though, that I didn't even need the full 1 cup serving. This makes for one large cup or two small ones (like the cup below).

My little girl used a spoon at first but then as it started to melt she started to drink it (she's learning to drink from a cup, so she's not great it yet and this thicker drink was good practice for her!).