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!

Whole Wheat Mac-n-cheese with Ham and Avocado

This is one of my son's current favorites. Nothing fancy, just easy mac-n-cheese. I added avocado to give this mac-n-cheese extra nutrients. I chose to use whole wheat rotelle because it's easier for my little guy to pick up using a fork. This is for little one's 10+ months who are ready to eat finger foods.

Here's what you need: (This makes 2 servings so you will have enough for 2 meals)

3/4 to 1 cup whole wheat rotelle pasta

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tblsp whole milk

Handful chopped low sodium ham

1 avocado diced

Cook pasta according to package. Drain pasta and return to pot. Immediately add shredded cheese and milk to pot with hot pasta and stir. Add chopped ham and diced avocado and toss to coat. Serving size is 1/2 to 3/4 cup. Serve and enjoy!

Breakfast Burrito for the Whole Family

Here's a recipe that will spice up your family's breakfast! My husband and I ate these eggs wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla, while our little guy ate it as a finger food scramble. This scramble is filled with protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. This is for little one's 9+ months.

Here's what you need:
4-6 eggs
1/2 cup quartered organic cherry tomatoes
1 avocado diced
1 cup canned black beans (drained)
Handful shredded mexican cheese
1 tblsp salsa per person (use mild if serving to your little one)
1 whole wheat tortilla per person
2 tsp olive oil

Add 2 tsp olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat. Mix eggs, quartered cherry tomatoes, diced avocado and black beans in a mixing bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, add cheese and scramble. Put 1 tblsp salsa on each tortilla, add scrambled eggs, and wrap into a burrito. You can add a dash of tobasco, or a few red pepper flakes to your wrap if desired. Do not give tobasco to your little one. If serving to your little one just add a little mild salsa to the scrambled eggs and serve right on high chair tray. Enjoy!

Pasta with Lentils, Tomatoes and Avocado

We had left over lentils from dinner the other night, so I've been trying them out in finger food meals this week. I made this for my little guy yesterday, and he really enjoyed it. It's full of whole grain, iron, protein, fiber and vitamins A and C. You can puree this or serve it as finger food. This is for babies 9+ months.

Here's what you need:
1/4 cup cooked lentils
1/4 cup cooked whole wheat pasta
3-4 quartered organic cherry tomatoes
1/4 avocado diced ( you could always add more)
1-2 tblsp shredded parmesan cheese

Put 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup lentils in a small covered pot and gently boil for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. Cook pasta according to package. Drain, cut into bite size pieces, and add to lentils. Add quartered cherry tomatoes and diced avocado to pasta and lentils and mix together. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve as finger food or puree with a little filtered water then serve. 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!

Turkey Avocado Cherry Tomato and Pea Scramble

This is a yummy scramble for the whole family. It's jam packed with protein, iron, vitamin A and C. I made this one morning for my little guy, and then the following Saturday my husband asked if I could make that scramble I made for baby J the other day for him too! This is for babies 9+ months and for Mommies and Daddies of all ages.

Here's what you'll need:
4-6 eggs (if you're making it for the whole family) beaten
2 slices low sodium turkey deli meat (pull apart into smaller pieces)
Handful of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup organic cherry tomatoes quartered
1/3 cup cooked organic peas (I used frozen and just steamed in microwave first)
1 organic avocado diced
1 tblsp herbs de Provence
olive oil

Add 2 tblsp olive oil to a large deep skillet and heat over med-high heat. Add eggs to skillet. Then add shredded turkey, avocado, peas, tomatoes and cheese and mix together. Add herbs de Provence and mix until scrambled. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken with Avocado and Cherry Tomatoes for Baby

Here's what my little guy had for dinner tonight. It's super easy to make and it's super nutritious for Baby. It's full of Vitamin A and C, protein, and iron. You can also stick this in a blender or food processor and puree it for younger babies. The puree version is for babies 7+ months, and the finger food version is for babies 9+ months.

Here's what you need:
1/2 organic avocado diced
1/4 cup organic cherry tomatoes chopped
1 small boneless skinless organic chicken breast
pinch grated parmesan cheese
pinch italian seasoning

Grill chicken breast in a grill pan, or on a grill. Once chicken is cooked, cut in half. Cut up 1/2 the chicken into bite size pieces. Save the other half for another meal. Dice avocado, and cut up cherry tomatoes into bit size pieces. Sprinkle with parmesan and italian seasoning. Serve right on high chair tray, or puree with filtered water and serve in a bowl. Enjoy!

Finger Food: Turkey with Butternut Squash, Avocado and Smashed Peas

This is what my son had for lunch yesterday. It's full of vitamins A and C, iron, protein, and other essential minerals for your little one. I also managed to sneak a few veggies into the turkey meat, just like with the turkey meatballs. This is for little ones 9+ months.

I forgot to take a pic before, so here's the after shot :)

Here's what you'll need:
1/4 lb ground turkey meat
1 tblsp minced organic garbanzo beans (I use canned organic garbanzos. Rinse thoroughly)
1 tbslp minced organic broccoli florets
1/2 organic avocado diced
1 tblsp cooked organic peas smashed (I used frozen peas. Steam in microwave for 2-3 minutes and then smash)
1/4 cup diced organic butternut squash

Saute turkey, minced garbanzos, and minced broccoli with olive oil in a small skillet. Steam diced butternut squash in a microwave safe bowl for 5-8 minutes. Make sure the squash is very soft. It should almost mash when you pick it up. Dice avocado, smash cooked peas, and then put all ingredients right on high chair tray. Make sure it is not too hot for your little one. Serve and enjoy!

Green Eggs with Cherry Tomatoes and Cheddar Cheese

I've been playing around with different types of scrambles for my little one, and came up with this one this morning. I've been trying to think of a way to ensure that my little one gets the most bang for his buck out of each bite, considering half of it always ends up on the floor. So, I decided to puree some veggies and mix them right in with the egg batter and then scramble, hence "green" eggs. After investigating the eggs for a minute, my little guy dug right in! This recipe is for babies 8+ months.

Here's what you'll need:
1 oz cooked butternut squash puree (steam then puree)
1 oz cooked broccoli puree (steam then puree, or saute with olive oil then puree)
1/2 oz or 1 small spoonful of mashed avocado
1 egg
pinch of parsley
2 cherry tomatoes quartered
1/4 cup bite size pieces of cheddar cheese

In a small bowl, mix butternut squash puree, broccoli puree, mashed avocado. Add beaten egg to puree mixture and stir until blended. Heat a small skillet over med heat, add a tiny bit of olive oil if you like. Pour egg and veggie mixture to the skillet add a pinch of parsley and cook. When eggs are finished put on a plate to cool for a minute. Cut up tomatoes and cheddar cheese and add them to cooled eggs. Serve right on high chair tray and enjoy!

Butternut Squash, Peas, Garbanzo beans, and Avocado Puree

I gave this puree to my little guy when he was around 7 months, and it's still one of his favorites. This puree is full of iron, protein, vitamin A and Vitamin C.

1 oz cooked butternut squash pureed (you can bake or steam the squash and then scoop out the flesh, or cut into pieces and steam then puree)
1 oz cooked pea puree (I steam and then puree)
1 oz garbanzo bean puree (I use organic canned garbanzos which is totally safe. Just make sure you really rinse them before pureeing with filtered water)
1 oz avocado pureed or mashed
pinch oregano

Mix all together, serve and enjoy :)

Finger Food: Turkey with diced Avocado

I made this for my little guy today, and he seemed to really like it. It's a pretty messy meal, but I think that made it more fun for him.

I bought 1lb of organic ground turkey. I sauteed all of it with olive oil, and pureed about 3/4 lb. I put the other 1/4 lb in a covered bowl in the fridge to have handy for finger food meals.

1/3 - 1/2 cup cooked ground turkey cut into bite size pieces
1/2 avocado diced into bite size pieces

You could also add cut up cheddar cheese and smashed peas to this if you like.

Put right on high chair tray and enjoy!

Avocado Banana and Sweet Potato Mash

This was my son's first combination food, and still one of his favorites. Avocado, sweet potato and banana are all great first foods to give your little one. They are very easy to digest, and super nutritious. It is believed that human beings can survive on avocado alone; that's pretty remarkable!

2 oz cooked mashed Sweet potato
1 oz fork mashed avocado
1 oz fork mashed banana

You can change the amounts in this recipe. Sometimes I give more avocado and less sweet potato, etc....

Enjoy!

Baby Scramble

This is a yummy scramble for your little one, and a great finger food. Make sure your baby is old enough to eat cooked egg yolk.

1-2 egg yolks scrambled
1/2 an avocado mashed or diced into small cubes
1 oz smashed cooked peas
1/2 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese
1-2 pinches parsley

Crack eggs into your hand or use an egg separator to separate the yolk from the egg whites. Beat egg yolks and then put them in a small saute pan. Add mashed or diced avocado, smashed cooked peas, parmesan, and parsley to the pan and scramble. Let cool for 1-2 minutes and then serve to your little one. I usually put it right on his high chair tray, or in a bowl as finger food.

Baja Turkey with Veggies

This is one of my little guy's favorite things to eat for dinner, and it's jam packed with protein, iron, calcium, and lots of vitamins for your baby:

1 oz pureed cooked ground turkey (I saute in a pan with olive oil and then puree with filtered water)
1 oz mashed avocado
1 oz cooked pureed peas (I steam and then puree with filtered water)
1 oz cauliflower (steam then puree)
1/2 teaspoon grated cheddar cheese
pinch of oregano

mix together, serve and enjoy!

Baby Guacamole and Mommy Guacamole

So it's officially summer, even though it's currently raining outside, and I always start craving guacamole in the summer (or year round for that matter!) I was recently in Hawaii and came up with this recipe for my little guy during breakfast at our hotel one morning.

Baby Guacamole:
1 oz mashed avocado
1 oz mashed banana
1 oz mashed watermelon

Now here's the Mommy guacamole:
4-6 avocados
1 diced and seeded medium sized plum tomato
juice of 1 lemon
8 splashes of hot sauce
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Cut avocados in half, remove pits, and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Immediately add the lemon juice, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and mix. Using a sharp knife or fork, slice or fork mash the avocado mixture in the bowl until it has reached the texture you like. Add the diced tomatoes and mix all together.

Enjoy!
Lauren