Can I give my baby...?

I just stumbled upon this website, www.canigivemybaby.com, and wanted to pass it on.  There is a search box where you can type in almost any food or medicine, and there is a short synopsis on whether or not it is safe for babies, and from what ages.  

As always, your pediatrician's recommendations and your own mother intuition are always king, but...

Knowledge is power!

Fall Applesauce

Only recently have I embraced the idea of making homemade applesauce for baby.  Maybe it's the coming of fall, maybe it's boredom of the bland store brand.  Regardless, this is my simple favorite!  The different types of apples and the addition of a peach or pear gives it a nice punch.  I do the prep before feeding baby a meal and let the simmering happen while he eats, then do the finishing-up as I set him free of the high chair.  Even in the refrigerator, it's usually still warm for the next mealtime!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice

5 large apples, of 2 or 3 different varieties

1 peach or pear

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Peel, core, and quarter fruit

Simmer apple juice and fruit in a large pan until apples break down and are very tender (about 20 minutes)

Place in blender with cinnamon and nutmeg and blend until smooth

Zucchini Bread

I was watching the kids of a wonderful friend of mine, and she had packed a little tupperware of zucchini bread cubes for the baby.  I loved the idea, and I've been making zucchini bread for my guy ever since!  While zucchini bread isn't exclusively a baby food, I have here a slightly healthier version with whole wheat flour, no oil, less sugar, and more veggies.  Cut it into bite-size pieces and it's so convenient to take in the diaper bag!  It will last a week or two when refrigerated, which is about how long it takes my little guy to eat a loaf on his own.  Make a double batch and freeze some for later!

Ingredients:

1 lb zucchini (about 2 )
1 bulk carrot
2 Tbsp + 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
5 tablespoons butter
2 eggs

Directions:

Wash and grate zucchini and carrot
Place in a strainer and mix in two tablespoons of sugar
Let the mixture sit to drain for 30 minutes
Preheat your oven to 375 and grease your loaf pan
Place zucchini mixture in dry kitchen towel and SQUEEZE out as much liquid as possible
In a bowl mix the zucchini and carrot with yogurt and lemon juice, set aside
In another bowl whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon
In your electric mixer beat 1/2 cup sugar with softened butter until creamy and uniform.
Beat in eggs one at a time
On low speed beat in one third of the dry mixture, half of the zucchini mixture, 1/3 of the dry mixture, the other half of the zucchini mixture, and finish with the final third of the dry mixture.
Mix quickly and just until incorporated
Scrape the batter into your loaf pan and smooth the top.

Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes


*Recipe adapted from Prudent Baby

Pears, Carrots & Squash

Pears, carrots, and butternut squash?  Curious combination, I thought at first.  Turns out it's delicious, and was a great way to sneak in vegetables in a sweeter way!

1 cup butternut squash
1 pear
1 large bulk carrot (or about 1/2 cup of baby carrots)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice (or water if you prefer)

1. Peel and dice the squash, pear, and carrot.
2. Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan over medium heat.
3. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook about 20 minutes until all are tender
4. Blend, puree, or mash as much as desired.


*Recipe found in a great book I've been enjoying, Blender Baby Food by Nicole Young.

Baby Meal Planning

I was recently asked about how I do meal planning for my baby, so I thought I'd share the method to my madness.  For me it seems to be a work eternally in progress, but right now I have three "secrets to success:"

1.  Organize recipes

In my house, Evernote is like oxygen.  I organize every aspect of my life by it, and recipes are no exception!   {Evernote is a free program you can download where you create folders and notes of things from the internet, pictures, typed notes, etc.  It can be synced and accessed from any computer or your phone.}  I highly recommend it for recipes because they become easily searchable and mobile.  I have a folder of baby recipes which I separated into breakfast, lunch/dinner, extras, and how-to.  

Every time I find a new recipe I type it in or copy/paste as a new note.  I have a system of labeling them to be able to easily classify recipes, too.  I use a * before the title to indicate that I've tried it, a - before the title to indicate that I want to try it soon, and I start recipes that are for babies at least a year old with 12+.

Beyond this, recipes are searchable within the entire folder of baby recipes, and within each sub-folder.  For example, I bought a mango last week and wanted to use it soon so I searched 'mango' and it pulled up five notes including 'mango.'  One was a list I have of everything he has eaten and his favorites, and one was marked 12+ so I could ignore both.  I then had three recipes to choose from to use my mango. Easy!

I don't have a smart phone, but if you do, then it gets even better.  You can get the Evernote app and access your folders from anywhere, say, the grocery store when you are trying to meal plan or see what else you might need if you get that zucchini.

My biggest suggestion if you are going to be doing this is to make notes of 'recipes' even if they seem OBVIOUS.  When first starting I would see a so-called "recipe" combining two or three things that seemed ridiculous to write down, but when you are looking at a banana that will probably be bad by the next morning and your baby is crying, you may be grateful for a simple and obvious suggestion when you search 'banana.'  I have notes titled 'sweet potato,' 'yogurt,' and 'cottage cheese' for example where I just list everything you could possibly combine them with.  This also helps with leftovers when I have a bit of something and I just don't know what to do with it!

2.  Stay stocked on the essentials

"Essentials" may be different for everyone, but for me I can make 95% of the 120+ recipes I have on file using the following ingredients:

• Banana
• Apple
• Sweet potato
• Applesauce
• Plain yogurt
• Avocado
• Peach
• Oatmeal
• Apple juice
• Egg
• Pumpkin
• Flour
• Brown rice
• Cinnamon
• Pasta
• Carrot
• Rice milk
• Cottage cheese

I buy plums, pears, mangos, and other fruit as they go on sale or I feel so inclined, and I switch up the green vegetables.  If I keep these things in stock I know the combinations are endless so I don't have to make grocery lists based on meals I am planning on making for my baby since I almost never plan in advance.  Baby recipes are also very substitute friendly, so even if you don't have one of the right ingredients you can often still get a good idea for a meal!

3.  Have a general meal plan

I may not know when I wake up in the morning what I am going to feed my baby for each meal that day, but I do know what each meal means in our family.

Breakfast:  Always freshly made and always traditionally 'breakfast.'  This means pancakes, french toast, eggs, or oatmeal.  I make a lot of these with fruit included in the recipe, but if it's not then he has fruit on the side.

Lunch:  Usually leftovers.  Family leftovers from dinner, things he couldn't finish the day before, or things he wouldn't eat that I want to give another try.  These always come with a freshly made vegetable or a fresh piece of fruit on the side.

Dinner:  Same food as the rest of the family.  This often helps me plan healthier meals, because I know it needs to be something I feel good about feeding my baby!  When this is not possible (we're eating out or indulging in something he just can't eat) I improvise and go as simple or intricate as I feel inclined.  When I make a crockpot meal for the family I like to try new recipes for baby since I have more time before dinner.  When I am making a time intensive meal, it's more likely to be something quick.

This plan works for me because I tend to have more time in the morning than at lunch or dinner, so I make a special effort to cook for baby then.  If I am cooking lunch for baby then I do it while he is eating breakfast or during his morning nap.  I want my son to get used to eating the same as the rest of the family, but I want to be careful about his sensitive tummy so I like to do only one meal a day of "adult food" with seasonings, butter, meat, etc.  This plan helps narrow down my options for any given meal so even if I haven't planned what it will be ahead of time, it doesn't take too many creative juices to plan on the spot!

I hope some of this was helpful in your meal planning!  Please share your "secrets to success" with me!  I'd love to hear what everyone else does with meal planning for baby!

Sweetie Yogurt

Fruit and yogurt is always a winning combination.  This is one of our favorites, with sweet potato added for a heartier meal.

Sweetie Yogurt

1 cooked mashed sweet potato
1/4 cup mashed mango
1/4 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup plain yogurt

Heat the mashed sweet potato, mango, and banana in saucepan, mix well, remove from heat.  Add yogurt and combine.

Yum!

Banana Cinnamon French Toast

Good morning, baby!  Ready for another breakfast recipe?  This time it's french toast.  I think french toast is one of the most finger-food friendly breakfast foods because the bread stays solid even when baby gets it soggy, unlike some pancakes and eggs.  This one is sweet without toppings!

Banana Cinnamon French Toast

1 slice bread
1 egg
Half a banana
2 Tbsp apple juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Beat egg in small bowl.  Add half a banana and mash well.  Add roughly 2 Tbsp apple juice (eye ball it to the consistency you like) and a sprinkle of cinnamon (about 1/2 tsp).  Take your slice of bread (I used whole wheat but you can use whatever you like) and dip in the bowl.  Coat both sides well, and cook in greased pan.  You may need to pour some of the mixture over top of the bread in the pan, since the banana will likely roll off the bread when dipping.  Don't pour it on too thick, but do try to get most of the banana onto the bread.  Cut it up and serve!

Baby's 1st Mac 'N Cheese

This was an emotional lunch for me, because I couldn't believe my little boy was eating Mac 'N Cheese already!  He loved this simple take on a classic and I think we'll be making a lot more of it in the future.  You can half or double this recipe as you please - this amount should yield about 3 lunches.

Mac 'N Cheese (8 months +)

1/2 cup elbow macaroni 

2 Tbsp finely grated cheese

2 Tbsp cottage cheese

2 Tbsp milk*

Sprinkle of wheat germ

Cook and drain pasta, then combine with cheese, cottage cheese, and milk in a saucepan.  Heat on stove top until cheese melts.  Sprinkle wheat germ on top and serve!

*Breast milk for babies of all ages, cow's milk for babies 12 months+, or rice milk for babies 8-12 months.  I would not recommend using formula, because in my experience it changes the consistency of recipes.

Apple Omelet

Scrambled eggs are a fun breakfast but are sometimes dry and bland for baby when you aren't adding cheese or salt.  Hence, the fruit omelet!  I have had a lot of success with apples, but you can of course try any fruit you like.

Apple Omelet

1 egg

1 tsp water

1/8 cup apple puree

1 Tbsp plain yogurt

Cinnamon

Heat and puree apple, then add a touch of cinnamon and 1 Tbsp plain yogurt.  Whisk egg and water and pour into frying pan.  Tilt the pan until egg covers the bottom and let it 'set.'  Place fruit mixture in center.  Fold egg up around fruit mixture and flip.

This is another food that is between a spoon food and a finger food, so I start out giving good sized solid pieces as finger food and transition to the spoon when enough fruit filling has spilled out and the egg pieces are too small and slippery to hold.

Enjoy!

Perfected Sweet Potato Pancakes

I have been on the hunt for the best pancakes.  I wanted pancakes with no butter, oil, or cow's milk.  My son is picky about pancakes - he only likes them MOIST and not bready, but  I need pancakes to hold their consistency so he can eat them as finger food.  With some tweaking and substituting I have landed on this recipe!  Hope you enjoy our new favorite pancakes!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 cooked sweet potato, mashed

1 egg

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup milk*

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Cinnamon to taste

Poke holes in sweet potato and cook in the microwave for about three minutes.  Peel and mash.  In another bowl mix the rest of the ingredients.  Don't over mix, but make sure the egg is beaten.  Add the mashed sweet potato and blend together.  Cook on a greased pan, and serve!

*Breast milk for babies of all ages, cow's milk for babies 12 months+, or rice milk for babies 8-12 months.  I would not recommend using formula, because in my experience it changes the consistency of recipes.

Good for babies 8 months+

Avocado Fruit Salsa

Here's one the whole family enjoys.  This is my boy's favorite way to eat avocado.

Avocado Fruit Salsa

1 small avocado

1 peach

1/4 cup cut Mango (I didn't have any but I bet it'd be delish)

1/2 banana

Lemon juice

Lime juice

Combine cubed avocado, peach, and mango in a bowl.  In another bowl mash 1/2 a banana and add lemon juice and lime juice (a bit less than you would use for yourself).  Pour the banana mixture over the cubed fruit like a glaze.  Mash LIGHTLY* with a potato masher.  Serve either as a sticky finger food or spoon feed.

*The way you serve this will determine how mashed you make it.  If your baby won't eat chunks off a spoon and you need to feed it as a finger food, keep the cubes mostly in tact.  If your baby will eat this off a spoon, you can mash more thoroughly, but it should be far from a puree.

My husband and I ate this with chips and LOVED it!  It's a good mild salsa.  Feel free to add more lemon, lime, and jarred mango salsa to it for you!

Tip:  If this flavor is too strong a flavor for your baby, try using baked apple instead of the mango and less lemon & lime.

Chicken

When my little mister reached eight months and meat came into the picture, I didn't know what to do!  I was nervous about grinding meat small enough that he wouldn't choke on it, and knowing how to cook it right, so I just bought Gerber Stage 3 meat meals.  One day I was checking out at the grocery store and my cashier looked at the girl bagging my groceries and said "Chicken and apples!" and made a disgusted face.  I decided if adults grimace, maybe there's something better out there for my baby to enjoy.  Here is what I have come to like the best!

{I should probably say right now that I am not anti-Gerber.  I dislike pureeing green beans and peas so much that I always bought them jarred, and it can be very convenient for travelling, or just to have around when you're in a pinch.  I initially started making baby food because the variety of jarred baby food is so small!  I wanted to give my boy avocado, pumpkin, and some fruit mixes that just weren't available at the store.  Plus some, like carrots, squash and sweet potatoes, are so much cheaper to make yourself.}

Rotisserie Chicken

Yum.  I love rotisserie chicken.  My guess is your baby will, too!  When you buy a rotisserie chicken either get an extra just for baby (which should be enough chicken for at least a week) or share a bit of yours.  Make sure you give baby only the good meat, removing skin, fat, etc.  It should be tender and flavorful enough to tear off pieces and give them straight to baby!  I think it's easiest to get a whole chicken, cut it up saving only the meat baby will eat, and store that in a tupperware in the refrigerator.  You can steal some for a sandwich for yourself, and it's ready to go whenever baby is hungry, cold or heated up.

Crock-pot Chicken

Cooking chicken in the crock pot is an easy way to prepare it for baby!  My favorite way is to put in enough chicken for your dinner and for baby, then add apple juice to almost cover the chicken.  Cook until tender, then drain out the juice and take out baby's chicken and it's ready to eat!  You can then add salsa, seasonings, etc. to the crock-pot and let it cook awhile longer to spice up your dinner.

"A bit of your" Chicken

We all want our children to eat the same thing we eat for dinner!  There are lots of meals you and your baby can enjoy together, even at this stage (just add seasonings and toppings like sour cream and extra cheese on your own plate).  I don't want to post a lot of adult meals kids can eat because I am sure you all have a repertoire of these already, but here are a few chicken ideas:

• Chicken, potatoes and carrots all cooked in apple juice or chicken broth in the crock pot
• Chicken in the crock pot, brown rice, and peas
• Chicken and black beans in the crock pot with avocado and tomatoes (eat yours in a tortilla with sour cream and salsa)

Autumn Blast

Here is a recipe that had my baby grunting for thirds!  I love the taste of fall.  Maybe it's because my son was born in October so I have the season romanticized in my mind, or because the fall colors are just beautiful in the Midwest.  Either way, feeding fall flavors to my son makes my heart warm.

• Heat a serving of applesauce for about 20 seconds
• Mix in baby oatmeal to the consistency your baby likes
• Chop a handful of raisins into small pieces and mix them in (Wait until about 10 months old for raisins, and DO NOT HEAT THEM IN THE MICROWAVE!  I learned this the hard way.  If you want the dish warm, which I recommend, only heat the applesauce!)
• Add pumpkin pie spice.  Yum!

{Want an extra special dish?  Add pumpkin puree.  I definitely plan on doing this next time!}

Avocado & Cottage Cheese

Looking for a food that's calorie stuffed in a good way?  Mix equal parts of mashed avocado and cottage cheese (small curd for the little ones) and serve cold.  Avocados have so many health benefits, get your baby to love the taste from a young age!

Pumpkin Applesauce Oatmeal

Playing with recipes is great, but sometimes you need a sure thing when it comes to feeding your baby.  Pumpkin applesauce oatmeal is a simple thing that has never failed with my little guy.

Combine ~1/4 cup applesauce with ~3 Tbsp canned pumpkin
Microwave for about 25 seconds
Add a few shakes of cinnamon
Add oatmeal cereal to the consistency your baby likes.
Mix well, and let your baby enjoy!

Fruity Brown Rice

This recipe is fun to make.  I love the smell as all the flavors combine while it simmers!  It's also very versatile so you can change it to your baby's preferences, or what you have in your cupboard!

1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (or you can substitute or add peach, pears, plums, etc.)
Pinch of cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer gently until creamy and well blended.

This makes about three meals for my little guy, or one full Nuk baby bowl.
For babies about 9 months +

Banana 'Lady Finger' Pancakes

Breakfast is my favorite meal to serve to my little mister.  He loves eggs, pancakes, and fresh fruit, so he loves breakfast!  I find myself making a lot of banana pancakes, so here's a fun version to mix it up!

1. Cut a banana in half, then in half lengthwise.  Cut each of these four slivers in half so they keep their width and length, but are thinner.  I fed two that were too small to cook to my baby while he waited.

2. Make pancake batter.  You can use the following whole wheat recipe, or a boxed mix!

     1/2 cup whole wheat flour

     1/2 tsp baking soda

     1 lightly beaten egg yolk

     1/2 cups milk*

     1/2 Tbsp oil

{*Substitute breast milk or formula for babies under one year of age.}

This recipe makes just about the right amount to coat one banana.

3. If your baby likes cinnamon, add some to the pancake batter.  Great compliment to the banana!

4. Dip the banana 'fingers' in the batter, then spoon batter over top of them.  They should be coated, but not too thickly!  Remove from bowl with a fork, and place on greased frying pan.

5. Cook like a pancake!

6. I rip these in half to help cool them down and make the size manageable as finger food.

Enjoy!

Teething Cookies

Thinking forward to those days of baking warm chocolate chip cookies for your little one?  Well, you can bake baby's first cookie today!  These teething cookies are tasty for baby, easy to make, and I have found them to be a great distraction for baby to sit and gnaw at while I cook or prepare his real meal.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix the following ingredients in a mixing bowl:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal or rice cereal
1/4 cup apple juice
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
Cinnamon (as much as you feel comfortable adding - this is where the real flavor is)

Knead dough on a floured surface, adding extra flour as needed.  Flatten out with a rolling pin {these will not rise, so knead as thin as you want your cookies to be}.  Cut into shapes with a pizza cutter or cookie cutter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until hard.  Store in an airtight container.

*Yields about 12-18 cookies, depending on the size and shape you cut
*Cookies freeze well

Ice Ice Baby

So, a squash makes a lot of food and your baby doesn't eat much yet.  The solution?  Freeze!

Here's my method:

1. Try a small amount of the food to make sure your baby likes it before you puree for an army!

2. Prepare food as necessary.  Most fruits and vegetables need to be steamed or baked.

3. Let the food cool before you move on.  Not only will this keep you from causing problems with raising the temperature of your freezer, you will save your fingers from burns.

4. Peel, pit, and puree as necessary.  A food processor or hand mill will really come in handy in big batches!  I have a Kidco Food mill and it's the best of both worlds.  You can get one for about $15.00, and it saves a lot of time without having to buy and store a food processor.

5. Fill ice cube trays with the puree and cover with aluminum foil to protect from freezer burn.  If your baby is very new to solids, include the pure liquid from the puree in the trays.  When the cubes of food are heated this liquid will make them an applesauce consistency.  If your baby is okay with a consistency thicker than this, leave out some or all of the liquid.

6. Once puree is frozen, {it won't be solid like an ice cube even when completely frozen, the cubes will have some amount of 'mushiness' to them} place in plastic bags to store.  You can use regular freezer bags, or milk storage bags like I did in the photo {these are more expensive, but they stack nicely, have clear places for labeling, and they are thicker and more durable in my opinion}.

7. Serve!  Four cubes of food will almost fill a baby bowl, for a reference.  This amount needs to be heated for about a minute to thaw and slightly warm.

Happy spoon feeding!

Puree, Purah

Baby cereal as a baby's first food is becoming a thing of the past.  I still think it is a great first food because it is gentle on the tummy, easy to puree, and easy to make very small amounts so little is wasted.

But what baby doesn't like variety?

Here are some of my favorite 'early' foods for babies just starting out on solids (4-8 months).  I like them because they are soft on the tummy, and either simple to prepare or easy to freeze.  {Remember to puree completely and wait 4 days between introducing new foods in case of allergies!}

* Applesauce (unsweetened)

* Avocado

* Banana

* Butternut squash

* Carrots

* Cereals (rice and oatmeal)

* Pears

* Plums

* Pumpkin (buy canned for simplicity)

* Sweet potato

Applesauce, avocado, banana, cereals, and pumpkin do not need to be cooked.

Carrots, pears, peas, plums, and sweet potatoes can be steamed, (Ziplock Zip'N Steam microwave bags are excellent), peeled and pitted, and then mashed with a fork.

Butternut squash should be cut in half lengthwise, pitted, and placed "face" down in a baking dish with an inch of water.  Bake at 400 degrees F for about 40 minutes.

Notice green vegetables are missing from this mix?  They are a PAIN to puree.  In my opinion, not worth the effort.  I do green vegetables Gerber style!

Sippy Cup Cuisine Underway

I am not a talented chef.  I cook dinner for my family almost every night and enjoy it moderately.

However, when my son started solids, something clicked.

Cooking for my little guy fills me with pride and excitement!  I love trying new combinations and seeing what my tiny food critic will think.  I have found myself scouring through baby cookbooks, reading everything I can find online, and coming up with my own creations to fill my baby's tummy with nutrition and keep meal time interesting {while also keeping the pocketbook full and saving time for other things I find interesting}!

I hope I can bring some of my favorite creations and finds to a highchair near you!