Pumpkin Pie Baby/Toddler Food with the Infantino Squeeze Station

We are now fully immersed in fall which means pumpkin everything is popping up in the stores.  Coffee, tea, muffins, cookies, even pancake mix all seems to have pumpkin somehow added into them. I can't help but notice that one group of people is being horrible discriminated against and being left out of the pumpkin party.  Won't someone please think of the children!!  Specifically the babies and toddlers!!

Luckily I am on the case and have the little ones covered!  Not only did I come up with a healthy and delicious snack, but now even the littlest tikes can enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie!  I enlisted the help of my handsome little man and my handy Infantino Squeeze Station to make this delicious snack for Roman.  I'm pretty lucky that Roman loves all food and quite happily eats roasted pumpkin plain, but I think it would be wrong of me to deprive him of the warm and spicy flavors of pumpkin pie.  Or maybe I'm over thinking this...

Pumpkin Pie Baby Toddler Food
4 cups pumpkin puree
1/2t cinnamon
1/4t allspice
1/4t nutmeg
2T agave syrup

Preheat oven to 350°.  Cut pumpkin in half and scrape out the insides, the same way you would if you were carving a pumpkin.  Place the pumpkin halves, cut side up, on a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 60 minutes or until tender.

Once the pumpkin is baked and slightly cooled, peel or cut the skin away from the flesh of the pumpkin.  Cut the pumpkin into manageable pieces and puree in a blender.  Add water as needed to get a smooth texture.  Transfer puree into a large mixture bowl and mix the remaining ingredients into the pumpkin until well distributed.  You may want to add more or less agave syrup to tailor the flavour to your little one.

Now for the fun part, making the pouches!  If you have a baby or toddler, you need one of these machines.  It would also make a great gift for someone who is expecting and planning on making their own baby food.  Unfortunately we can't buy these in stores in Canada, so I purchased mine from Amazon.com.  Even with the currency exchange and the shipping it was still a great deal.  This is how it works!

First you slide the pouches into the filling station and twist on the filling canisters.  Fill the canisters just shy of the top, or less if your little one doesn't eat this much.  Place the plunger on top and press the puree into the pouch.  Viola!  With the plunger still inside the canister, unscrew the canister from the pouch.  Slide the pouch off of the filling station and screw on the cap.  These pouches can be stored in the fridge or in the freezer.  I usually freeze mine since I make them in larger batches and just let them thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a couple hours before I give them to Roman.  *TIP - to use the squeeze station your puree must be smooth.  Lumps will get caught in the bottom of the canister and it will make filling your pouches impossible.

Fruity Baby Muesli

 

It sure seems like I've had a lot of baby/kid breakfast recipes lately.  I guess that's because I find breakfast one of the tougher meals when it comes to Roman.  I need something fast, simple, and preferably doesn't require a lot of cooking first thing in the morning.  While cruising through my copy of First Meals by Annabel Karmel I came across this recipe. 

I only knew of muesli as the dry cereal that I've seen in the breakfast isle at the grocery store.  It seemed like a simple recipe and I liked that I could prepare it the night before and leave it in the fridge; makes for a much less hectic morning and a less stressed Mom.  Why is it that kids always know when your planning on leaving the house and that's the day they always wake up late or fight you on eating breakfast?  If you know the answer to this question plaguing mothers around the world, please leave the answer in the comments!!

Fruity Baby Muesli
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 wheat germ
1 dried apricot or pear chopped
1T raisins
2/3 cup white grape or apple juice
1/2 red apple peeled and grated
3 grapes, halved and seeds removed

Combine all ingredients together and let soak overnight.  If you make this for a younger child you can blend the soaked mixture.

I made a couple of swaps in the recipe.  First, I didn't have wheat germ so I just added more oats.  Then while I was shopping I forgot to grab the grape juice and didn't want to make the trek back to that isle with Roman who was slowly losing his patience for grocery shopping.  So I ended up grabbing some apple cranberry juice that I just happened to be standing beside.  How convenient!  Plus it was pretty tasty!

Puffed Oven Pancakes

 

The quest for new and interesting foods for Roman continues!  He seems to really like pancakes, his favorite right now is pancakes topped with mashed avocado (strange I know), so I thought I'd try a new type of pancake.  These oven pancakes have more egg in them than normal pancakes which is great for getting more protein into him!

I was originally introduced to this type of pancake (also known as a German pancake) by Trellyn who made them while we were visiting her and her family.  The best part of this pancake is that you can just pop it in the oven and leave it for a few minutes instead of having to stand there and flip pancakes for half an hour.  Plus how cute are they!?  This recipe was originally posted on Once a Month Meals.

Puffed Oven Pancakes (makes 10 pancakes)
2 eggs
6T milk
6T flour
1/4t salt

Mix all ingredients together.  Pour into greased muffin tins.  Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes until the edges start to turn golden.  Let them cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag to freeze.  To serve, simply reheat in the microwave.

I topped these pancakes with fresh raspberries and sliced peaches that I glazed with some melted orange/lemon/grapefruit marmalade.  They would also be delicious topped with maple syrup or even avocado, if your taste buds are anything like Roman's.  Not only are these great for kids but they are also perfect for a busy morning breakfast or even breakfast on the go!  I had to eat the pancake I used for the picture (it's a hard job but someone has to do it) and I could have eaten 6 more, at least.

Fillet of Fish Mornay with Vegetables

Quite a mouthful of a title I know, but I promise it's worth it!  First off, Wikipedia tells me that "mornay" is "a béchamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese added".  I will admit I had no idea what it meant until just this moment when I Googled it.  I can't be the only person that feeds my kid things when I have no idea what they are....  What I do know is that this is absolutely delicious!  Not just toddler food delicious but "I could eat an entire bowl myself" delicious.  Truth be told I finished off what Roman left in his bowl.  And begins a life of eating the kids leftovers.

When I first got the Okay from Roma's doctor to start solids I was so excited that I immediately ordered Annabel Karmel's First Meals cookbook from Chapters.  I haven't used the book much, but lately I've been in a bit of a rut with Roman's food.  He loves to feed himself but that only leaves a few options for things to give him. However, I've recently discovered that if the food is good enough he will let me feed him.  After cruising through the 9-12 month old section of the book I came across this delicious recipe.  Well actually it was the picture that got me, that's usually how I pick which recipes I'm going to make, but doesn't everyone?

Fillet of Fish Mornay with Vegetables (Makes approx. 2 cups)
1T butter
2/3 cup leeks, washed and thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
2/3 cup broccoli, cut into small florets
1/3 cup fresh/frozen peas
4oz white fish
2/3 cup milk
3 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
parsley

Sauce
1 1/2T butter
1T flour
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese *Roman LOVES cheese so I dumped a little extra in for him

Saute leeks in butter until soft.  Add the carrots, cover with water, and cook for 10 minutes.  Add broccoli and cook for 5 minutes.  Add peas and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until all veggies are tender.

Meanwhile, place fish in a pan and simmer in milk, peppercorns, bay leaf and parsley for 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.  Remove the fish and the spices from the milk.  Discard the spices and set aside the fish and milk separately.

To prepare the sauce, melt butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the milk the fish was cooked in.  Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce has thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it is melted.

Drain water from the vegetables and flake in the fish.  Pour sauce over vegetables and mix until well combined.  You can blend this mixture for a younger child or leave it as is for one that is accustomed to chewing.

Roman gives this meal one arm up!  He devoured his entire bowl and then some.  I don't think a drop landed on his bib, which is honestly shocking if you've ever seen this kid eat.  This recipe makes enough for 3-4 meals for Roman so I divided what was left between two mini loaf tins and popped them in the freezer.  This way I always have a delicious lunch or supper on hand and I don't have to dirty a single pan!  Happy eating!

Apple Walnut Oatmeal Bars

The quest for breakfast finger foods continues!  Now that Roman is a little older, has two teeth, and is better able to chew food, it opens up a lot more options for food.  Again I decided to stick with the oatmeal in the hopes that I'm getting all the iron into him that he needs. 

While I was cruising the Internet looking for inspiration, I found a post on a mom forum for this oatmeal bar.  I decided to give it my own twist with the addition of fruit and nuts to keep things interesting for Roman.

Apple Walnut Oatmeal Bars
1 cup quick oats
1 cup water
1/4 cup chopped apple
3T chopped walnuts

Mix oats, water and chopped apples together.  Pour into the bottom of a loaf pan and sprinkle walnuts over top.  Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.  The bars will be soft and will stay this way.  Slice into bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

To serve the oatmeal bars I simply pop them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.  I will often top the bars with a fruit puree so that I can sneak more fruit into Roman.  Then I cut them into pea sized pieces (seems to be the perfect size for Roman these days) and dump them onto his tray.  Then the madness begins!!

**NOTE: I am not a dietitian or doctor. Always consult a health care professional before changing your infants diet.

Oatmeal Pankcakes

Normally Roman has oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, but nobody wants to eat the same thing every day for breakfast, not even a baby.  I like the nutrition that Roman gets from his oatmeal so I decided to just switch up the way I make it!

This is a childhood classic and I knew it was time for Roman to experience the pure joy that is the pancake!  This recipe was originally posted on Simplistically Sassy and I made a few changes to tailor it to Roman.

Oatmeal Pancakes - Make 13 pancakes
2 1/2 cups oat flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2T oil
2T unsweetened applesauce
2T baking powder

Whip eggs with a whisk and add in all other ingredients.  Since I already have whole flake oats on hand that I use to make Roman's oatmeal, I decided to mill them down into a fine flour rather than buying oat flour.

Spray a pan with oil and heat to medium high.  Drop 1/4 cup of the batter onto the pan.  Cook until bubbles form and pop on the surface of the pancake, about 1 minute.  Flip the pancake and cook for 1 more minute.

Not likely your little one is going to eat all these pancakes in one sitting.  Allow the pancakes to cool completely and wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then pop them into a freezer bag and freeze.  To serve, simply defrost in the microwave or pop them in the toaster!

Obviously I didn't submerge Roman's pancake in a delicious sea of sticky, sweet syrup.  Instead I topped it with a smear of peanut butter and a few raspberry pieces.  You could also make a thick fruit puree and spread it on top like jam.  PB & J pancakes, how could a baby resist?!

As you can see these pancakes have received the Roman stamp of approval!  He couldn't get the pancake into his mouth fast enough!  Not only is this a great way to switch up breakfast, but it also gives him the opportunity to learn how to feed himself.  It's a messy affair but they have to learn somehow!

**NOTE: I am not a dietitian or doctor. Always consult a health care professional before changing your infants diet.

Smart Mac & Cheese

Everyone loves macaroni and cheese, but we also all know that it probably isn't the best thing for us to eat.  Whether or not we listen to what we know is an entirely different question.  I've never had good luck with homemade cheese sauce.  It always ends up thick, goopy, and regardless of how much cheese I add, never cheesy enough.  So when I saw this recipe on an episode of The Social I knew I had to try it!  Not only did it look delicious, but it's also good for you!  Blasphemous!

I know what your thinking, it's probably going to taste unappetizing and be runny.  Your wrong!  This sauce is thick, creamy, cheesy and a glorious orange color!  John and I have fallen in love with this recipe, and I'm confident enough in this recipe that I even give it to Roman with little pastina!  Okay, enough with the chit chat, let's get to the recipe!

Smart Mac & Cheese
3 cups butternut squash, peeled & cubed (approx. 1 whole squash)
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 1/2 cup 2% milk
4T cottage cheese
1t salt
1t pepper
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
4 cups macaroni

Combine squash, broth, milk, salt and pepper.  Simmer for 25 minutes or until squash is tender.

Add squash mixture to a blender and puree.  Return the puree to the pot.  *TIP - let the squash cool a bit before blending or it may explode out of the blender, not fun.  You can also use an immersion blender and blend it right in the pot you cooked it in.

Add the remaining ingredients, except pasta, to the sauce.  Heat the sauce on low heat until the cheese is melted.  If you want it extra cheesy you can add more cheese to the sauce.  In a separate pot, cook macaroni as directed on the package.  Serve the macaroni with a heaping scoop of cheese sauce.

Doesn't this picture make you drool!  I would choose this over boxed mac and cheese any day of the week!  I promise this will become a family favorite in no time!  I'm not going to lie and say that you can't taste the squash, you can.  However, the sweetness of the squash is a perfect compliment to the cheese and adds the creaminess that mac and cheese has to have to be fulfilling. 

Quite possibly the best part is that it freezes extremely well!  I usually use half of the sauce for our meal the day I make it and pour the rest into a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer.  When you want to use the frozen sauce, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat it in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.

Frozen Yogurt Drops

Roman is becoming more independent every day (*tear*) and lately he prefers to feed himself.  This poses a bit of a problem when I'm trying to feed him pureed food.  I'm all for letting him run wild with chunks of food, but giving a 9 month old a bowl full of pureed food and a spoon, I think not.  So I've been racking my brain trying to come up with recipes for nutritious foods that he can feed himself.

I've seen yogurt drops in bags at the grocery store, but I'm not completely sold on pre-packaged baby food.  I try to steer away from processed food and added sugar as much as I can with Roman.  Plus I'm just too cheap to buy them when I know I can make them for much much less!

I didn't really go by any measurements when making these yogurt drops, more of a mix and taste type system.  I pureed most of the berries and mixed them into the yogurt.  I left some of the blueberries whole because Roman likes texture in his food.  If you have a younger child I would suggest pureeing all the fruit.

The plan was to use a piping bag and make perfectly symmetrical drops of yogurt, but that went out the window when Roman decided naps were for wimps and he needed to play in the kitchen.  Instead of hauling him downstairs with me to find the tools I needed, I decided to drop the yogurt onto a parchment lined baking sheet with a spoon.  If you are going to pipe them, I highly suggest letting your fruit and yogurt mix sit in the fridge to set up a bit which will make it easier to pipe.

I popped them in the freezer and within 30 minutes they were frozen enough to be removed from the parchment paper.  I stored my drops in a plastic tub in the freezer.  Obviously these yogurt drops aren't as easy to travel with as the freeze dried version, but they are still delicious!  They also make a great snack for adults and older children.

These have become the standard "dessert" for the end of every meal for Roman.  He starts smiling and squealing as soon as he sees the container come out of the freezer. Roman loves stuffing these into his mouth and sucking on them until they disintegrate. I'm sure we will all be eating a lot of these this summer.

**NOTE: I am not a dietitian or doctor. Always consult a health care professional before changing your infants diet.

Roman's meals and snacks for the month

Most people dread grocery shopping, but I'm one of the few that really enjoy it!  The only thing I like more than buying food for John and I is guying food for Roman!  I don't know what it is about buying ingredients to make Roman's food but I just love it!  Maybe it's because everything is new to him and I love seeing his reaction to a new food.  Or maybe it's because I can cook with ingredients that I don't normally eat and he loves them.  Either way, I could literally make purees for him all day every day.

 

I still have a fairly decent supply of proteins in the freezer for Roman, so this time I was just stocking up on fruits and vegetables.  Roman has always loved food and now that he is a little older, he is really enjoying feeding himself. 

 

Avocados are a great snack as they are soft enough to be gummed and they are incredibly nutritious.  We usually have avocado in Roman's hair, clothes, high chair, and all over his face, but he does get a large portion of it in his mouth!  I usually save the avocado snacks for the end of the day when his clothes are headed to the wash and he's headed to the tub.

 

Roman has had sweet potato before but this time I was feeling inspired and decided to spice things up.  I baked the sweet potato to bring out their natural sweetness, then added cinnamon and nutmeg to them.  In my mind I was thinking about recreating a sweet potato casserole, but I've never tasted a sweet potato casserole, so this was just what I thought one would taste like, minus the marshmallows.

 

The papaya was an impulse item that I picked up strictly because it looked interesting.  I've never had papaya but I thought we would give it a try.  I decided to slice up a bit of it for Roman to snack on while John and I ate supper one night.  First things first, who knew papaya smelled so horrible?  That alone made me feel skeptical that Roman would like it.  Turns out I know my boy well.  One lick was all it took for him to decide he was not eating whatever strange matter I had put on his tray.  Normally I would keep introducing a food that Roman doesn't like on his first try, but I don't really blame him this time, so John is going to finish the papaya off.  You win some you lose some I guess.

 

Roman LOVES greens!  Spinach and kale were both huge hits for him, so this time I picked up an organic spinach, kale & chard mix.  I steamed the greens and pureed them with garlic.  Being part of an Italian/German/Ukrainian family, Roman is going to have to learn to like garlic or he probably will never eat again.  Although I seem to remember my Mom and Dad having to basically blend garlic to add to our food as kids because we wouldn't eat it if we saw white "stuff" in it....

 

The peppers will be used in a hummus type recipe I'm going to make for Roman.  I plan on roasting them in the oven, removing the skin and adding them to pureed chick peas with garlic and tomato.  Sounds delicious doesn't it?  I'm sure Roman will think so.  I made plain chick peas for him once before and he LOVED them.  I didn't particularly love the smell cooking the chick peas left in my house for the entire day though.  I guess we all make sacrifices for our kids!

 

The peaches and the yogurt I used to make a delicious baby version of peach cobbler.  I had been craving berry cobbler after I saw it on TV, so Roman was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of my craving.

 

Last, but definitely not least, the Kamut Puffs!  Apparently they don't call it puffed wheat anymore...  Whatever they are called, Roman thinks these are the best thing he has ever tasted!  He loves shoveling handfuls of them into his mouth.  Whether or not they all make it there and stay there is another story.  A lot of people give their little ones the rice puff treats made by Gerber, which is fine, but they are a little on the pricey side.  This big bag of Kamut only cost $5 and it's organic, how can you go wrong?

 

**NOTE: I am not a dietitian or doctor. Always consult a health care professional before changing your infants diet.

Peach Cobbler with Ice Cream

I was watching the Food Network the other day (always a recipe for a HUGE food craving), and they were making berry cobbler.  After salivating through the entire episode, and trying to quench the craving with a cookie or two (didn't work), I managed to put the mouth watering craving behind me.  That was until Roman and I went shopping for some fruits and veggies for him.  I was shocked to see peaches in the grocery store at this time of the year, but excited at the same time.  That's when it hit me.  If I couldn't have berry cobbler, Roman was going to have peach cobbler by golly!  What a lucky kid to be the recipient of my food cravings!!

Obviously I'm not feeding Roman a traditional peach cobbler, although I'm sure he'd love that too. I have however included all the components of the traditional peach cobbler, including the ice cream (a variation of it) in this baby friendly recipe!  This puree makes a flavorful breakfast or dessert for your little one.  Plus, you can feel confident knowing that they are eating nutritious food that isn't loaded with sugar!

Peach Cobble with Ice Cream
1 1/2 large peaches
1/4 cup prepared oatmeal (originally posted on Wholesomebabyfood.com) OR oat baby cereal
1/4 cup Greek yogurt

Mill large flake or steel cut oats in a blender or food processor until they are finely ground.

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to boil.  Slowly add oats while whisking constantly.  Continue whisking and simmer the oats for 10 minutes.  You can add formula/breast milk to the oats to reach your desired consistency.  Set the oatmeal aside.

To prepare the peaches, wash, peel, and remove the pit.  Cut the peaches into segments and steam for 10 minutes until tender.  When I cook for Roman, I avoid canned fruits and vegetables whenever possible.  Canned foods have added salt, sugar and preservatives.  Frozen peaches are a great option, especially if the fresh ones aren't in such great shape.  Because fruits and vegetables are picked and frozen at peak ripeness, the quality can sometimes be better than fresh.

Once the peaches are steamed, transfer them into a blender and puree to the consistency that works for your baby.  Again, you can add formula/breast milk if needed to reach desired consistency.  Transfer the pureed peaches to a small bowl.

Add cooked oats and Greek yogurt to the peaches and stir to combine.  *TIP - when freezing most purees it is a good idea to make them slightly thicker than you want the end product to be.  If it is still too thick after you defrost it, you can then add milk then to get the texture just right.

I freeze all my purees in regular ice cube trays.  One ice cube is the same as 1 Tablespoon and approximately 1 oz.  I store my ice cubes in small, labeled, sandwich bags.  I then place the small bags inside a large freezer bag and store them as far in the fridge as possible.  I personally like to use my purees within 4-6 weeks just to keep everything fresh.

1 out of 1 babies agree this recipe is positively scrumptious!  Just because they are babies doesn't meal that they shouldn't be able to enjoy delectable meals and interesting combinations.  Meal time shouldn't be something that is dreaded with you little bundle of joy.  That happens later on once they can throw food to the dogs and flat out refuse to eat (just a little peek into the future).

**NOTE: I am not a dietitian or doctor. Always consult a health care professional before changing your infants diet.

Baby Food - Baked Salmon with Broccoli Puree

Since I started giving Roman solids at 4 months, I have fallen in love with making baby food!  Roman loves food and will pretty much eat anything I give him, which makes feeding him a joy!  Today I decided I was going to make some baked salmon and broccoli puree for him.  Roman loves broccoli but this will be his first time having salmon.

Now the wrench in this plan is that I only have about an hour to do this while Roman is napping.  So hopefully Roman will cooperate.  The clock starts now!

Ingredients

32 oz salmon
dill
pepper
3 heads of broccoli
formula/breast milk/stock to use when pureeing mixture

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place salmon on a parchment lined baking sheet and season with dill and pepper.
Bake for 1 hour.

While salmon is baking, cut broccoli into florets and steam/boil until tender.

Remove salmon from oven and allow to cool.  Cut into small pieces.
Combine salmon, broccoli and your liquid of choice in your blender and puree. I used my Baby Bullet and pureed in small batches as it would not all fit at once.  Roman likes his food fairly chunky, but if your little one likes a smoother puree add more liquid while pureeing.

 

 

Once you are happy with the consistency, transfer puree to ice cube trays and freeze. 

I store my purees in labeled sandwich size plastic bags, then put the small bags into a large plastic freezer bag.  I like to use my purees within 4-6 weeks so that they stay fresh.  To thaw, place as many ice cubes as you need (1 cube is approximately1 tablespoon) into an air tight container and store in the fridge over night.  Purees can be warmed prior to feeding.

 

Well it looks like my hour is up!  Making your own baby food doesn't have to be a dreaded and time consuming project if you plan for it.  Making sure meats are defrosted (if frozen), vegetables are washed and chopped (if needed), and beans/legumes are rinsed and soaked, will go a long way in saving you time.  Have fun and be creative, and you and your little one will have a great time exploring the delicious world of solid food!

**NOTE: I am not a dietitian or doctor.  Always consult a health care professional before changing your infants diet.