PBJ Smoothie

I know it's been awhile, but life with a newborn and a toddler is pretty crazy! I literally have five minutes so let's get to it. My son and I made this yummy smoothie for lunch today, while my 6 week old daughter was in her bouncy seat. This takes about 2 minutes to make (love that!). I made this in my magic bullet so each batch measured out to be about 2 child servings. This is for little one's 12+ months and mommies and daddies of all ages!

Here's what you need:
2 handfuls organic strawberries (leaves removed)
1 handful organic raspberries
1 tsp honey
2 tblsp natural peanut butter (or whatever nut or sunflower butter you prefer)
1/2 to 3/4 cup organic milk (more or less depending on the thickness you like)

Put all ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth. Pour into cups and serve with a straw. Enjoy!

Carrot Apple Walnut Muffins

My son was watching Curious George yesterday morning, and George and another character were baking carrot muffins for a bake sale in the episode. Of course as soon as it was over my son HAD to bake carrot muffins too. He went running into the kitchen asking me to follow him saying he had to get the ingredients out. So of course I followed. As he was getting the bowls and measuring cups out I quickly (like in 5 minutes) came up with this recipe. This is a yummy, healthy muffin that your whole family can enjoy starting at 12 months.

Here's what you need: Yields 9 muffins

1 cup stoneground whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oats and flax (I used 1 package Nature's Path Oats and Flax oatmeal)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 oz organic applesauce

3 organic baby carrots grated

1/3 cup crushed walnuts

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs beaten

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix all ingredients into a large mixing bowl until smooth. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking oil. Spoon batter into each slot (about 2 spoonfuls). Bake for 17 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve and enjoy!

All Fruit Ice Pops

My son and I made these ice pops the other day, which was a fun activity on its own, to enjoy on a rare San Francisco hot day like today. I bought ice pop trays at our local 5 and dime, but you can make these in baby food containers and eat like Italian ices, or stick a popsicle stick in a dixie cup to freeze. You can make this with really any fruit, we just used whatever we had in the fridge. We used oranges, strawberries, and blackberries. You can add vanilla yogurt to these too if you like (dairy is still not a friend of mine yet in this pregnancy so we left it out). These ice pops are a great snack for you and your toddler (12+ months) to enjoy.

What you need for this fruit combo (again you can use any fruit you like):

Makes 6 small ice pops

3 large oranges freshly juiced (or store bought orange juice)

1 to 2 handfuls organic strawberries

1 to 2 handfuls organic blackberries

1 tbsp honey

Squeeze oranges into a bowl (or use a hand juicer, my son loved this) make sure to remove seeds from juice bowl. Set orange juice aside. Blend strawberries, 1/2 tbsp honey and a little water until smooth and set aside. Blend blackberries, 1/2 tbsp honey and a little water and set aside. You should have 3 separate bowls of juice. Using a ladle, spoon, or you could pour straight from bowl, begin to layer the juices into ice pop containers until they are full. Place in freezer until frozen (we left ours in over night), and then enjoy! If you are planning on using vanilla yogurt leave out the honey, you don't want them to be too sweet.

Pumpkin Butter Stuffed Crescent Rolls

I've been testing out some new recipes for Thanksgiving, and came up with this pumpkin butter recipe yesterday. Anyone who reads this blog knows how much I love pumpkin butter. Unfortunately it is only sold in stores for a very short time, so I decided to try making my own. This is so easy to make, it literally took me maybe 5 or 10 minutes! You can eat this pumpkin butter on almost anything, but I'm planning on serving it inside crescent rolls for Thanksgiving, so that's my focus today :) These crescent rolls were so delicious. They tasted like a pumpkin spiced cinnamon bun (which was exactly what I was going for!) You can serve these to little one's ready for finger foods, and whoever else might be sitting around your Thanksgiving table!

Here's what you need for 8 crescent rolls:
1 package Pillsbury crescent roll dough

Pumpkin butter:
1/2 cup canned organic pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp maple syrup
2 tbsp honey (more or less depending on how sweet you want it)
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375F. Roll out crescent roll dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Mix all ingredients for pumpkin butter together until smooth. Spread about a tbsp of pumpkin butter on each triangle of dough and then roll into a crescent. Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes. Let cool for a minute and serve. Put the rest of your pumpkin butter in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It should keep for 3 to 5 days. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Every year around this time (autumn) I start to crave oatmeal raisin baked goods. Yes I know it's a little odd, and I'm not sure why I crave these in the fall, but I do. So,  here's a recipe I came up with a few weeks ago that definitely feeds my cravings! These are gluten free and filled with nutrient filled foods like organic spinach and flax meal. These are for little one's 10+ months who are ready for finger food and Mommies and Daddies of all ages.

Here's what you need:

2 cans organic garbanzo beans rinsed and drained

1 cup organic oats

1 handful organic spinach

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup flax meal

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup milk

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix everything but raisins in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add raisins and stir. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Scoop batter into pan (about 2 spoonfuls per slot). Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick that you stick in muffin comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy!

Cheddar Biscuits with Kale and Corn

I love a good cheddar biscuit (I mean really who doesn't!) I came up with this recipe the other day in an attempt to create a healthy cheddar biscuit. These are made with multigrain pancake mix, flax meal, corn, kale and of course cheddar cheese. There's no extra salt, oil or butter, but trust me these are seriously yummy and full of flavor. You can serve these along side any brunch or dinner meal, or just eat them as a snack. These are for little one's 10+ months and Mommies and Daddies of all ages!

Here's what you need for 8-10 biscuits:

2 cups multigrain pancake mix

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup finely chopped organic kale

1 cup frozen organic corn kernels

1 to 2 handfuls shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tbsp flax meal mixed with 3 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 425F. Put 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels in a food processor and blend until it makes a powdery meal. Put in a large mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients and stir until smooth. Using a spoon, dollop mixture one by one onto a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, serve and enjoy!

Vegan Banana Blueberry Kiwi Bread

I've been experimenting a lot with vegan snacks lately, and came up with this one last week.  It is SO yummy, and it's a great healthy snack for the whole family. This delicious snack is jam packed with omega 3s, antioxidants, and whole grains, potassium, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals essential for you and your little ones. This is for little ones who are ready for finger foods and Mommies and Daddies of all ages.

Here's what you need for one loaf:
1 1/3 cup stoneground whole wheat flour
3/4 cup flax meal
1/2 cup Trader Joe's organic apple & wild berry sauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 mashed bananas
1/3 cup organic blueberries
1 to 2 kiwis peeled and then chopped
1 tsp oil (I used canola)
2 tbsp flaxmeal mixed with  6 tbsp water (mix this in separate bowl)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the flax meal and water mixture and stir until smooth. Spray bread pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes (until you can stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean.) Let cool, slice and enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

I love apple cinnamon anything. Whether it's oatmeal, pancakes, applesauce, yogurt, pie, ice cream, tea.... If it's apple cinnamon, I'll probably eat it. These muffins are a great family snack. They are packed with  healthy goodness (like flax seed with Omega 3s) for the whole family. These are for little ones 10 to 12+ months who are ready for finger foods and Mommies and Daddies of all ages.

Here's what you need for a dozen:
1 3/4 cup stoneground wheat flour
1/2 cup organic oats
1/3 cup flax seed
1 1/2 cup organic applesauce
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp brown sugar
pinch salt
2 eggs beaten (you can substitute 2 tbsp flax meal mixed with 6 tbsp water for the eggs)
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and stir until smooth. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray and spoon the batter into each slot (about 2 tbsp per slot). Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Super Food Fruit Salad for the Whole Family

There's nothing better than a yummy fruit salad on a warm summer/spring day. Of course it is currently gloomy and raining outside as I'm writing this, but last week was a different story (hope this wet weather will be over soon!). I made this for lunch last week for myself and my little guy. He LOVED it, as did I. It's refreshing, sweet and savory all at the same time. Best of all, it's an easy and healthy lunch, that is jam packed with antioxidants, that you can throw together in 5 minutes! This is for little ones ready for finger food and Mommies and Daddies of all ages. Enjoy!

Here's what you need for 2 to 3 servings:
1 avocado diced
1 cup organic blueberries
2 small black plums diced, remove peel for younger babies (these are the sweeter ones that are red on the inside)
1 to 1 1/2 cup diced watermelon
1 cup diced organic strawberries
1 handful crumbled feta cheese
Juice of half a meyer lemon (the are a little sweeter than regular lemons) or half an orange

Put diced fruit and feta cheese into a large bowl. Squeeze either the orange or meyer lemon over the fruit and toss. Serve, and enjoy! Your little one's portion should be between a 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup. You can also puree this (minus the cheese) for your little one 8+ months.

Whole Wheat Banana Zucchini Muffins for the Whole Family

As my son is getting older, and more aware of the different types of food I put in front of him, he is becoming quite skilled at eating around the veggies. Now there are some veggies that he loves and will eat no matter what, but others will end up on the floor or left on his tray. As a result, I sneak the other veggies into his food by mixing them into muffins or meatballs, etc.... I do secretly feel like an evil genius when he's eating said muffins and meatballs and loving them. I'm definitely doing the evil "HA HA HA" laugh in my head thinking how I got him to secretly eat the veggies.

Now onto the muffins. I made a discovery about a month ago when I was baking bread and realized I didn't have all the veggies I wanted to put in it. I went to my pantry and grabbed a baby food veggie pouch and put it in the batter instead. The bread came out moist and tasted like the veggies in the pouch! Seriously one of the greatest baking discoveries I've made! So much easier to use the veggie pouch, especially when you're short on time caring for a toddler. With the muffins, I used mashed banana, and then 1 Plum Organics zucchini banana pouch. If you can't find that one you can use any pouch or baby container with squash or spinach, or puree your own zucchini if you have time. These muffins are for little ones 10+ months who are ready for finger foods.

Here's what you need: Makes 12 muffins
2 cups stoneground whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 mashed ripe bananas
1 Plum Organics zucchini banana pouch or 1 large zucchini pureed
2 eggs beaten

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix flour, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, stir together butter and brown sugar until it gets creamy. Add mashed banana, zucchini, and egg to the brown sugar and butter mixture. Stir until smooth. Add banana mixture to flour and stir until well combined. Lightly grease a muffin tray, and spoon the mixture into each slot on tray (one to two spoonfuls per slot). Place in oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Let cool, serve and enjoy!

Veggie Bites

Since my little guy really loves my spinach balls so much, I decided to try making another type of bite size veggie ball. These veggie bites are made with broccoli, zucchini, and carrots. They are a great source of vitamin A, and C, folate, potassium, calcium and fiber. These are for little ones 10+ months who are ready for finger foods.

Here's what you need:
1 cup organic broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
1 zucchini
1 to 2 large organic carrots or 5 organic baby carrots peeled
1 garlic clove minced
1 egg
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375F. Put 1 cup broccoli in a small pot over medium high heat with 1/4 cup water. Cover and steam for approx 5 minutes. While broccoli is steaming, peel and chop zucchini and carrots and set aside in large mixing bowl. Drain broccoli and run under cool water. Put broccoli, zucchini and carrots in a food processor and mince (approx 15 to 30 seconds, DO NOT PUREE it will ruin consistency). Scoop minced veggies into large mixing bowl. Add bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, nutmeg and egg. Stir until mixed. If the mixture seems runny at all add more breadcrumbs. Roll the mixture in your hands to make little balls. Place on ungreased baking pan and place in oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool and serve. Serving size for your little one is 4 balls. Enjoy!

Fruit and Veggie Buckwheat Muffins

I was going to call these everything but the kitchen sink muffins because that's basically what's in them. I made these for my son's playgroup yesterday and they were a big hit with the little ones and the Mommies! These are jam packed with essential nutrients and are super yummy. These are for little ones who are ready for finger foods (approx 10 to 11 months).

Here's what you need: (This makes about 16 muffins)
2 cups buckwheat flour
1 cup organic oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 zucchini
1 to 2 large carrots (or 4 to 5 baby carrots)
1 cup baby spinach
1 to 2 pears
8 oz Trader Joe's organic apple sauce with wild berries (or 4 oz applesauce, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup blackberries)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Chop up zucchini, pears, and carrots and put them in a food processor or blender. Add spinach and berry sauce (or berries and applesauce if you can't find berry sauce) and puree. Mix buckwheat flour, oats, brown sugar, egg and milk in a large mixing bowl. Add fruit and veggie puree and stir until mixed. Spray a cupcake/muffin tray with cooking spray. Add one or 2 spoonful of batter into each slot. You could also use an ice cream scoop. Place muffins in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Muffins are done when you can put a toothpick or knife in the middle and nothing comes out. Let cool and enjoy!

Mango, Blueberry, Banana, Avocado and Spinach Smoothie

Smoothies are a great way to get essential nutrients and vitamins. You can hide all sorts of good veggies, that your little one might not eat otherwise, in a smoothie. This smoothie is jam packed with yummy and healthy goodness for your little one. It's got calcium, iron, folate, potassium, antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins A, C and D. I don't give my little one juice, so smoothies are a great and super healthy alternative. You can serve this smoothie as a "pudding" by adding a little more banana and a little less milk, or you can give it to your little one in a straw cup. If you don't want to use milk you can use a little water or plain yogurt. This is for little ones 10+ months.

Here's what you need for 1 serving:
1/4 cup organic blueberries
1/4 cup chopped mango
1/4 of an organic banana
1/4 of a diced avocado
1/4 cup chopped organic spinach
1/4 cup organic whole milk (or water or plain greek yogurt)
pinch or 2 of ground cinnamon

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pear Buckwheat Muffins

I am definitely not a baker, but this is what happens when I watch a few episodes of cupcake wars! I had pumpkin puree and some pear left over and was trying to think of something I could make with both of them. I thought they would taste good together in a muffin, so I came up with this recipe. Again, I am not a baker so this recipe could've been a big miss.  Luckily the muffins were really yummy and surprisingly moist and light. My husband and son loved them. I might have to start experimenting a little more with baked goods!

Here's what you need:
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup multigrain pancake or baking mix (I used Trader Joe's)
2 eggs beaten
1 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin
1 pear peeled and finely diced
1 tblsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tblsp pumpkin butter
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix ingredients together until it forms a smooth batter. Spray cupcake tray with cooking spray. Pour batter into tray. Place in oven and cook for 20 minutes. Let cool, serve and enjoy!

Baked Kale Chips

This is a great healthy snack for the whole family. Kale, like other dark greens, is a super food for everyone. It is loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, protein, potassium, folate, and the list goes on and on. Kale chips are a great way to get your family to eat greens. They wont be thinking it's a vegetable because it tastes like a chip!

Here's what you need:
A few bunches of organic Kale
Ground nutmeg
Grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place kale leaves on a foil or parchment paper lined tray. Brush both sides of the kale with olive oil. Sprinkle with nutmeg and parmesan cheese. If you are not serving to little ones you can sprinkle with salt and pepper too. Place in oven and back for 25-30 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potato Chips and Roasted Sweet Potato Fries for the Whole Family

Here's two easy, healthy, and yummy snacks for the whole family. Sweet potato is definitely a super food. It is jam packed with vitamins A and C, folate, potassium, calcium and iron. It's a great food for your little one and for you! This is for babies who are ready for finger foods.

Baked Sweet Potato Chips:
1 organic sweet potato
Ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground sage
1 tsp dried rosemary
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F. Peel sweet potato and slice into thin rounds (like chips). Place in a large baking pan. Brush olive oil on both sides of each chip. Sprinkle the sage and rosemary over all of the chips. Sprinkle cinnamon over all the chips (about 1 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp). Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Roasted Sweet potato fries
1-2 organic sweet potatoes
Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
1 tsp dried rosemary
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F. Peel sweet potato and cut into wedges. Place in a baking pan and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with Herbs de Provence, Cinnamon and Rosemary. Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Black Bean "Meat" Balls with Avocado Tomatoes and Mexican Cheese for Baby

Ok don't get freaked out that "meat" is in quotes. There's no weird meat product in these, I just couldn't come up with a good name for these. Black bean balls just didn't sound right to me. I don't know, I'm open to any name suggestions! These are totally vegetarian. No meat, so that's why the meat is in quotes. Anyway, I love black bean burgers. This recipe actually started out as a burger for my little guy, but I soon realized that it was much easier to make little black bean balls. This is a really healthy and yummy finger food meal for babies 9+ months.

Here's what you'll need for a big batch:
1 can organic black beans
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup organic oats
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Handful shredded Mexican cheese
3-4 baby carrots grated
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp cilantro
1/2 avocado diced
1/4 organic cherry tomato medley quartered
Olive oil

Drain black beans and put them in a medium size bowl. Remove half of the beans and put them in a blender or food processor and puree leave the other half in the bowl. Add the pureed black beans back to the bowl. Using a lemon zester or grater, grate 3 to 4 organic baby carrots and put in bowl with beans. Add the oats and the bread crumbs and handful of cheese and mix together. Add garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, and cilantro and mix and make into little balls with your hand. Heat 2 tblsp of olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium high heat.  Place black bean balls in the skillet and cook until browned and crispy on all sides, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set a few balls aside for the meal, and then freeze or refrigerate the rest. These will stay good for 3 days in the fridge and 2 months in the freezer. Serve cut up with diced avocado, quartered organic cherry tomatoes, and a little Mexican cheese on top. Enjoy!

Spinach Balls for Baby

 My little guy is eating a lot more finger foods now.  I've been trying to come up with yummy ways to incorporate dark greens, like spinach, in his finger food. I've made spinach balls for adults before, but they were made with salt, pepper, butter, and stove top mix. Not very good for baby, so I had to tweak the original recipe to come up with a healthy and yummy option for baby.  I made these for my little one today for lunch, and he really liked them. I'm not going to lie, I had a few too and they were delish! This is for babies 9+ months.

Here's what you'll need:
10 oz package of frozen organic chopped spinach
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 to a 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 slices of whole wheat toast without crusts.

FYI this makes a big batch of spinach balls so you can freeze some. Preheat oven to 375F. Put frozen spinach in a medium pot with a little water over medium heat. Cover and defrost/cook for approx 5-8 minutes or until it's no longer frozen. Drain spinach and return to pot. Remove from heat and add one egg, parmesan cheese, nutmeg and garlic powder. Mix together until well blended. Cut up the toast into tiny pieces (think croutons), and add them to the spinach. Mix again. Using you hands, make bite size spinach balls, and place on a medium ungreased baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy! *Store the remaining spinach balls in the refrigerator for 3 days, or the freezer for 2 months*

Finger Food Snacks

My little guy's appetite has been going crazy lately, so I've been giving him 2 snacks a day, plus some finger foods after he finishes his puree if he's still hungry. I've been trying to give him some variety with his finger food snacks so he's not always eating the same thing all the time. Here's some of the different finger food snacks I've given him:

Hard boiled egg yolks crumbled
Scrambled eggs
Cheddar cheese sticks cut into bite size pieces
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Cherry, grape, or plum tomatoes cut into bite size pieces
Blueberries cut into bite size pieces
Diced Avocado
Apricots cut into small pieces
Ripe soft mango cut into small pieces
Plum cut into small pieces
Kiwi cut into small pieces
Banana cut into small pieces
Smashed cooked peas
Puffs
Cheerios

What finger food snacks have you given your little one?