Veggie-Packed Pizza Rolls

This post deserves a preamble. Mainly because a year ago, I would have never posted such a recipe or even considered it. Why? Because at that time, I had a very different definition of clean eating. It would not have even occurred to me to make a recipe out of refrigerated crescent rolls. It was not even on my radar.

I need to be clear this preamble does not mean that our family no longer 'eats clean'. We still follow the same rule that we do not eat foods that contain chemicals. We are loyal label readers. And I don't foresee that ever changing. 

But our eating habits have changed and I think that is worth addressing.

Defining Clean Eating Then and Now

THEN: we were a lot stricter in our definition of clean eating. With the exception of hummus, salsa, condiments (ketchup, mayo, etc), and occasionally marinara sauce, we didn't buy anything pre-made. If we wanted crackers, I made crackers. If we wanted bread, I made bread.  Not surprising that I wrote a book called Homemade Snacks and Staples, is it? Until Baby G was a year old, processed foods or even foods-made-by-someone-other-than-me never touched her lips.

Then our baby grew into a toddler.
And I got pregnant.
And I was writing another cookbook.
And I wrote that book with a toddler always at my side. My pregnant side. My first trimester pregnant side.

And we got a little looser in our eating habits.

NOW: We still don't eat chemicals, but we do buy pre-made foods that have all real food ingredients. My dad used to complain that there was nothing in our pantry that he could just take out and eat. That has changed. You will find crackers and even fruit snacks in our pantry. I am falling in love with a brand called Immaculate Baking Company.  They make refrigerated crescent rolls and cinnamon rolls with no chemicals. They even have baking mix with (gasp) all real food ingredients.  It's about damn time if you ask me.

Now that things are settling down, I foresee us having a balance between homemade and pre-made. I enjoy baking and making crackers, so I want to keep doing that, but I also forgive myself for buying shortcuts.

These pizza rolls are a short cut and I hope you love them as much as we do.

Veggie-Packed Pizza Rolls

If you are a mom and a fan of Pinterest, you have probably seen some sort of recipe for pizza crescent rolls. Most involved pepperoni, pizza sauce, and a hunk of string cheese. When I developed this recipe, I had these recipes in mind, but wanted something a little healthier. I developed this because G won't eat pizza and I happen to like pizza. A lot. And when I would order bread sticks for her, that meant I was also eating bread sticks with my pizza. Bread sticks that were loaded with cheese and had no redeeming nutritional value. So I wanted something bread-stick-y but with some added veggies so I could feel a little good about giving them to her (and eating them with my pizza). 

 

Ingredients:

1 container Immaculate brand crescent rolls (or another brand that does NOT contain any chemicals)

approx. 1/2 cup pizza sauce

[1/4] cup shredded carrots, chopped

[1/4] cup spinach, chopped fine

[1/4] cup shredded mozzarella cheese OR 3 pieces string cheese cut in 1-inch chunks*

Sprinkling of garlic powder and Parmesan cheese

*Older kids may like the string cheese better, but for G, it was too much cheese. She just pulled it out or spit it out. She did better with the shredded cheese.


Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 dg(F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, combine pizza sauce, carrots, and spinach.

3. Roll out crescent rolls. Put a thin layer of sauce on each roll. If using shredded cheese, sprinkle some on top. You don't need much! If using string cheese, roll dough around string cheese.

4. Sprinkle garlic powder and Parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Serve with leftover sauce.

This was a huge hit with Baby G. She devoured two rolls in one sitting. It wasn't as popular with her buddy, Hudson. You can't win them all, I guess. I liked them better than my pizza.

Notes:

I think the shredded cheese works a little better for the toddler crowd. Older kids would probably like the string cheese version.

I used shredded carrots that I just cut up more finely. You could also grate carrots and that would probably blend into the sauce a little better. Finely chopped cooked broccoli could also work well here. When I cut the spinach, I rolled the leaves together and then cut it into thin strips. That was enough for the spinach to blend into the sauce.

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What are some of your favorite chemical-free packaged foods?

Easier Homemade Graham Crackers

My husband took Baby G downstairs to play while he works out. This means I get bonus time with my computer and a cup of coffee. Glorious!!

At first, I thought I'd just write updates and then realized I have a really awesome recipe and baking hack to share with you that I just prepared for a potential work project.

First, a few quick updates:
-Baby G is obsessed with my computer. She knows the office is Mommy's room so most tantrums are about her not getting to go into mommy's room.
-I'm thinking of getting one of those learned tower things so she can watch me cook. I have been putting her on a chair and she loves it. It's hilarious because I'm usually taking notes on a recipe and she will often grab my pen and take her own notes. This also means that I have trouble deciphering said notes because they are covered in scribbles.

Alright, so onto the recipe. This baking hack was derived because I was hungover. Yes, mom of the year right here folks. Too much wine plus Baby G up in the middle night because of teething, and I had to bake some graham crackers in the morning to get my timing down and all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch.

I love baking crackers, but the whole rolling out dough on a floured surface and then getting the crackers from the floured surface onto the cookie sheet, it's a pain in the butt. I decided to try rolling them out on parchment paper (no mess!) and then was trying to move the crackers on to the cookie sheet. They kept breaking. I was frustrated. I knew my time was limited so I thought, screw it. I'm not dealing with this. Instead of throwing the dough out, I took my rolled out, cut dough on the parchment, threw it on the cookie sheet and put it in the oven. After 15 minutes, I took the dough out and separated the crackers (so much easier!) and baked for a few minutes. Voila! They came out crispy and yummy and frustration free.

You're welcome.

Easier Homemade Graham Crackers

These crackers are a diaper bag staple. Unlike commercially made graham crackers, these don’t crumble and make a mess when you are out in public. All of the nutty taste of graham crackers (thanks to the spelt flour) without the chemicals. Extra bonus? If your little one is not yet a year old, then simply swap in maple syrup for the honey. The dough can sit in the fridge for up to 4 days, so make the dough during naptime one day, and don’t sweat it if you can’t get to it until later in the week.

Prep Time: 10 minutes to make the dough, 4 hours to 4 days to let dough sit in fridge, 5 minutes to prep the dough for baking

Bake Time: 20-25 minutes

Yield: 30 crackers

Freezer friendly

Ingredients:

1 [1/2] cups whole-wheat pastry flour or white whole-wheat flour

1 cup spelt flour

[1/2] cup dark brown sugar, packed

[3/4] tsp salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

[1/2] cup unsalted butter, cold

[1/4] cup honey

[1/2] cup milk or non-dairy milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a food processor with a chopping blade, pulse together whole-wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add unsalted butter, and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Add honey, milk, and vanilla extract, and pulse until dough is formed.

2. Separate dough into halves. Spread out a piece of parchment paper. Place dough on parchment paper and use your hand to flatten the dough into a disc, approximately [1/2]-inch thick. Cover dough with twice the amount of plastic wrap. Invert dough onto plastic wrap and cover the disc. Repeat with second half of dough. Refrigerate wrapped discs for at least 4 hours and up to 4 days.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 dg(F).  Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter. Unwrap dough and place the plastic wrap over the dough. Roll out to [1/4]-inch to [1/8]-inch thickness (the thicker the dough, the more cookie-like the cracker). Use a pizza cutter to cut into two by three inch rectangles. Do not separate. Transfer the parchment paper to a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and separate crackers. You may need to re-cut using a metal spatula or a pizza cutter. Bake for an additional 5 minutes. Transfer parchment paper to a metal cooling rack. Cool completely. Store in a covered container for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Variations: To make Cinnamon Graham Crackers: replace 2 teaspoons cinnamon with 2 tablespoons cinnamon.

Substitutions: If your little one is under a year old, she should not have honey as it can cause infant botulism. Substitute maple syrup for honey. Do not use artificial maple syrup.

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What are some of your favorite baking hacks?

Am I using this trendy term correctly? Sometimes I wonder if I have turned into the out of date aunt.... 

Creamy Fruity Protein Pops

Ice pops in late September? It might seem like I'm late to the party, but moms out there with a teething toddler can relate. For the last month, Baby G has been obsessed with ice pops, and I don't blame her.

It was a lot easier before she connected our freezer with her beloved pops. That plus her learning sign language has led to more ice pop meals than I care to admit. I am thrilled she can communicate, but every power has its price. After she went through a tray of nine pops in two days, I knew something must be done.

I made pops with spinach with hopes that it would slow down her love. She kept demanding them, but wouldn't finish them. To be honest, I felt kind of bad about the whole thing. I always swore I wouldn't hide greens in food and here I was deceiving on her on an already pretty wholesome snack. I mean, my pops are generally filled with fruit and ground flax seeds, is that really the worst thing I could feed her?

My goal with this pop was a little more nutrient oomph plus the same fruity goodness. We had some ridiculously ripe mango from the CSA that I needed to use so I combined that with silken tofu and frozen blueberries. Fresh fruit, vitamin C from the blueberries, and creamy protein from the tofu. 

For those of you not familiar with silken tofu, it's a less dense version of tofu that does not need to be refrigerated and has the power to create non-dairy creamy dishes and desserts. Vegan cooks know what's up. I have seen it used in everything from macaroni and cheese to chocolate mousse.

Creamy Fruity Protein Pops

1 cup fresh mango, diced

[1/2] cup frozen or fresh blueberries

6 ounces silken tofu (half the package)

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into ice pop molds. This makes 9 small kid pops and 2 adult ones.

Allergy notes: If you are dealing with a soy allergy, try subbing in Greek yogurt. You'll still get a nice dose of protein. Dairy allergy, try a [1/4] cup of almond milk.  You may not get the protein, but you will get some added calcium provided that your almond milk is fortified.

Question for the moms: what snacks have helped your LO through teething?

Homemade Cereal Bars

Baby G is walking.

I hope this explains my absence the last two months.

This summer has been filled with early morning runs, park expeditions, yoga/wrestling matches (Baby G has mastered the body slam during my Shavasana), and lots of wine after G is down for the night. 

As the summer draws near, my writing work is ramping up and I couldn't be more excited. Next week I will be giving a talk in Verona on healthy after school snacks and I have some projects that are in development but I can't wait to share with you. First, this talk next week, I will be at Verona Chiropractic on Wednesday August 20th from 5:30-6:15 talking about healthy after school snacks and lunches. If you are interested, call 608-497-3000 to reserve a spot by Monday, August 18.

This is one of the recipes I will be sharing next week. It has been a major go-to recipe for us all summer. I developed it for my last cookbook, Homemade Snacks and Staples, because I lived on Nutrigrain bars growing up. Next time you are in the store, read the ingredients and you will see why I made my own recipe (spoiler alert: over 40 ingredients!).


I have been making these so often lately that I have developed some shortcuts. I thought it was easy when I first made it, but now I have it down to an assembly line science. This makes two dozen so I keep about six in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. It's a great little morning treat. If Baby G sees them, she has to have one. They are dangerously good.

Homemade Cereal Bars

 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
[1/2] cup quick cooking oats
1 [1/2] teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
[1/8] teaspoon salt

[1/2] brown sugar, packed
[1/2] unsweetened applesauce
[1/2] cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
[3/4]- 1 cup jam of your choice*

*homemade is best, but otherwise look for jams that have fruit as the first ingredient and no high fructose corn syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350 (dg)F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan (or two 12-cup mini muffin pan).

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture. You may need to use a wooden spoon and/or your hands to get it all combined.

4. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop dough into muffin pan (approx. [1/2] tablespoon of dough). Flatten dough into pan. Add a teaspoon of jam to each on. You can do two different jams if you'd like- I usually do apricot and blackberry.

5. Scoop another [1/2] tablespoon of dough for each bar. Then flatten into disk and seal the muffins.

6. Bake 18-25 minutes until tops are golden and starting to crack. 

7. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, either take out and sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes or put in microwave for 20 seconds- if you heat it up, the jam may be hot so be careful when giving it to your little one.

Enjoy!

Living with and Feeding a 1 year old: Month 1

It's been awhile since I posted, yet Baby G still eats. So what gives?

Baby G turned one. With that came a major milestone in eating, but also the sudden attachment phase which I have feared since I first heard murmurings among my more experienced mama friends. Suddenly, I am the coolest person in the world and no one else compares.  Not daddy, not grandma, not her adoring cousin Hannah, no one. Just mama. All the time. 

On one hand, I know that I need to enjoy what will probably be the only time in her life where she only has eyes for me. I know that once she gets a clue, she will realize that daddy is way more fun, grandma lets her do whatever she wants, and cousin Hannah is really the coolest person we all know. But this period is not without its challenges. Namely, there is no escape from her her chubby hands, sweet smile, and occasionally, shrill cries.

Suddenly, cooking time has vanished and yet, the other major milestone that comes with the first year is that she needs to get all of her nutrients from solids as we are no longer using formula. So I need to give her more complete meals. Throw in the fact that it's summer and we are running here, there, and everywhere, and I hope you can see why I haven't been posting much.

Life has been a little crazy.

I thought I would share with you what she has been eating and I would love, love, LOVE to hear what you are feeding your little one. I fear some days that I am raising Baby G on single girl food: veggie burgers, tamales, quesadillas, and hummus by the boat load. It's easy, it's not the worst food in the world, but it makes me sad that I am not all Donna Reed and whipping up these amazing family meals. It's just not how we live.

Breakfast Foods

There is not a lot of variant in our breakfasts. Once I introduced toast, there was no going back. Baby G recognizes the bread bag and the toaster. I still make my own bread, and I usually mix whole fat plain yogurt and a little jelly to make a topping. To tide her over while the bread is in the toaster, I have been giving her a squeeze pack of my yogurt mixture. I use these reusable pouches and love them. I bought them because they were out of the disposable ones and I didn't expect to like them. I highly recommend them if you are interested in making your own purees or yogurt mixes. They also make it easier to make yogurt bites like this:

I just fill the bag and then squirt little dots of yogurt onto wax paper and freeze them. Baby G loves these! I got the idea from another mama friend (Thanks Erin!)

Back to breakfast, I usually give her fruit and I am trying valiantly to get her to eat eggs. She is so not interested but I keep trying. I have tried scrambled them with cheese, with seasonings, and just plain. Moms, any tips on getting your kids into eggs? The closest I have come to success is giving her French toast and she loved that.

I found a recipe for banana oat bars that I wanted her to like, but I ate most of them. I found the recipe at Foodlets, a great whole foods family blog. She calls them cookies, but that's like saying kale chips are like chips. Why do healthy bloggers torment us so? 

For the not-cookies, you just mash two ripe bananas with a cup of old fashioned oats, scoop them out,  and bake them for 15 minutes at 350 dg(F).  

You can stir in [1/4] cup of mix-ins and of course, I stirred in mini chocolate chips for me. I love them with my coffee, Baby G is not so sure about them, but we will keep trying. If anything, it gives me a sweet, healthy treat with my cup of joe.

Lunch and Dinner

We are not as set in stone with lunch and dinners. In a perfect world, I would make myself a great, healthy lunch and dinner, then share it with Baby G. In reality, I usually drink a protein smoothie for lunch and dinners have been haphazard as both my husband and I golf a lot in the summer and aren't home together as much as we would like. When we are home, it's lots of veggies, sometimes meat (most times not), and a big salad.

For G, I try to follow a basic formula. Lunch and dinner always include: a protein, a dairy, a veggie, and a fruit. We are finally in CSA season, so it's been fun to experiment with new variations.

 Here are some of our protein standbys: 

-Some type of quesadilla: either pinto/black beans mashed with salsa and cheese in a wheat or corn tortilla, heated in a dry frying pan until the cheese melts, and then cut into bites by my new favorite tool, the pizza cutter.

Our other favorite variation is a veggie burger mashed with ketchup and cheese in a tortilla. If a tortilla is involved, Baby G is in. 

-Hummus and tortilla.This is her favorite, by far. I use Sabra roasted red pepper hummus because we all eat that in embarrassing amounts.

-Black bean or spinach and cheese tamales. 

-Baked beans.

-Tofu- we cook it in a sauce. She is still a little unsure about the texture, so we are still working on it.

She doesn't have much interest in meat, but I have had the greatest success with getting her to eat chicken enchiladas- I cook the chicken in a slow cooker with salsa, shred it, and then wrap it up in tortillas. She loves a little spice so I think she likes the salsa, salsa verde is her current favorite. 

And whenever applicable, we give her what we are eating or leftovers from the night before. 

Veggie standbys:

- raw, peeled zucchini sticks- I gave some to her on a whim, mainly because I needed a veggie. She loved them! I think it has a similar taste to cucumber, but the texture is easier for her to eat, more spongy.

-thawed frozen peas

-steamed green beans, asparagus, or carrots

  

-cooked red peppers

Fruit standbys-

Baby G is one of the only babies who is not interested in fruit. We have the best success giving it to her at snack time, usually with homemade cheese crackers.

-red or black grapes, cut in half (green grapes have not been popular!)

-thawed frozen blueberries

-fresh figs cut in half

-strawberries

We have tried peaches, plums, apricots, watermelon, cantalope, and mangoes, but Baby G isn't too interested yet. Hopefully I will have some updates on more fruits she likes as summer progresses. 

Dairy standbys

For dairy, we normally give her cheese and yogurt (sometimes in frozen bite form as pictured above). She is a little lactose intolerant, so she doesn't drink whole milk, but can eat cheese and yogurt. Because of that, we try to give her dairy at every meal and opportunity. For anyone living in the Madison area, you can buy diced cheese at Woodman's. Highly recommend it! It makes meal prep so much easier and it's a nice blend of a lot of cheeses. 

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So, that's what we have been eating. What are some of your current favorites for your little one?

 

 

 

Finger Foods Volume 5

It has been awhile since I have done a finger foods post. It's nap time, so I am going to get right to the point.

We have finally found our replacement for puffs and Cheerios. Let me introduce to our new love:

3 Ingredient Cheese Crackers. I got the recipe from 100 Days of Real Food, an awesome whole foods family blog. I made one small change from whole wheat flour to whole wheat pastry flour, and that's really a texture issue (I think they dissolve easier with the pastry flour).

All you do is throw 5 tablespoons of cold butter (cut into chunks), 1 [1/2] cup of shredded/grated cheese, and 1 cup of whole wheat pastry (or whole wheat) flour into a food processor. Process for a few minutes (yes, it takes a few minutes) until it becomes a ball. Take it out and place on a long strip of wax paper and form into a log. You can either cut it into crackers right away or throw it in the fridge for awhile. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and firm, and you have the most amazing, EASY crackers for your little one.

I keep these in my diaper bag as my emergency snack. Baby G likes to put the whole cracker in her mouth so I usually break them into smaller pieces. These freeze well so if you don't think you will eat them right away or want to make a double batch, throw them in the freezer until you need them.

I can't even express how happy I am to have a whole foods "puffs" snack for Baby G. It's such a lifesaver and she loves them.

Enough cracker love fest, here is what else we are eating:

Thawed frozen fruit: I bought a big bag of mixed tropical frozen fruit and I always have blueberries in the freezer. I either take these out the night before and put them in the fridge, or an hour before and put them on the corner. The fruit has no additives and all of its nutrition, yet it is soft and easy for Baby G to eat. She particularly loves the blueberries.

Grated apples: This was a great tip from a mom in my playgroup (Thank you Stephanie!). Baby G loves apples but I am worried about choking. This gives her the flavor and some texture and is easy to do.

Cheese curds- I warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds and break them apart. G loves them!

Peas and Carrots- I buy the frozen ones, cook them in batches, and try to always keep them in the fridge. Such an easy no-mess finger food!

Beans!- G loves brown beans, light red kidney beans, and pinto beans.

Toast in various forms- I make my own bread using an adapted form of this recipe (I swap in maple syrup for honey and some bread flour for a few cups of whole wheat). I will do a separate post on bread, but if you have a stand mixer, you should try this recipe. So easy!
On our toast, we have had peanut butter and jelly, butter and jelly, yogurt and puree, and hummus. I also tried French toast but Baby G wasn't too interested.

Cheese- Cheese is another go-to for Baby G. This is a great on-the-go snack. I cut it up in little cubes and she loves them.

Things I want to try: Roasted baby carrots with spices. Roasting cauliflower with spices. Cutting up pears and apples, putting them in the freezer for 24 hours, thawing, and then giving them to Baby G as they will be soft and broken down. I will report back on what I learn!

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What are some of your favorite finger foods for your little one?

Finger Foods Volume 4

Baby G revolts!

No longer will she allow me to feed her, no, she must do it herself. Every other day or so, she relents and allows me to give her a few spoonfuls, but it's just a tease. As soon as I am lulled into complacency, she presses her lips together and demands to hold the spoon, usually just long enough to send it flying across the room. 

On top of that, her method of eating is to take a bite, suck on it, and then spit it out when I am not looking.  The good news is that I am not as worried about her choking, the bad news, it's pretty gross to see.

It's been a challenge to say the least.

I am trying to come up with a template for each meal, like a protein, a fruit/veggie, a dairy, etc. I hate to say we are falling into a rhythm because I always jinx myself, so I won't.

Here is what we have been eating:

-Black beans- she loves them! I make them from dried so they have a little kick and I don't have to worry about BPA or sodium (and for easy directions on making beans from dried, check out this post on my grown-up blog). She sucks on them, manages to get the meat out of the bean and then spits the skin out. It's super appetizing to watch...Reminds me of our childhood dog who could crack pistachio nuts and would leave the shells everywhere.

Two notes here: we didn't purposefully give the dog nuts, she would find them in the cupboard. And yes, I realized I just compared my daughter to a dog. Sorry Baby G. Mama loves you.

Pieces of cheese- Sometimes I leave it as a slice and sometimes break it into small pieces. It dissolves in her mouth. So far we have stuck to white cheeses because I want to stay away from orange coloring.

Slices of raw pear and apple: I think she likes them for teething. I think she is just sucking on them and gumming small pieces, because most of it, she spits out.

Strips of ripe mango

Hard-boiled egg yolks- These are super messy, but she is starting to eat more than she throws.

Steamed veggies (broccoli, green beans, asparagus, zucchini, sweet potato, baby carrots, regular carrots, parsnips)- We tried cauliflower but she wasn't a fan.

Beets!- You can buy cooked organic beets with no additional ingredients in the produce section. These are super messy but she loved them. It didn't help that I dropped the open package in an open drawer....

Cooked strips of chicken

Pieces of bread- I have been tearing off little pieces. I have given them to her plain and put purees on strips of bread to get her to eat the purees when she won't let me feed her. I make my own bread that is an artisan loaf so it's a little heftier than sandwich bread.

Strawberries- she is loving these! I usually cut them in half and that gives her enough to hang on to.

Raw Sweet Pepper Strips- There was a mini discussion (aka me and my good friend, E) on the Facebook page a week ago or so about giving babies sweet peppers. We were at the in-laws last weekend and my mother-in-law an amazing spread of salad fixings. I was sharing with Baby G and she loved the sweet pepper strips. Now, some babies have problems with peppers, so approach with caution, or at least don't plan any solemn outings afterwards where toots would make you blush.  But if your baby is like Baby G, he just might like them!

Pieces of tamale- I am convinced that tamales are a great kid food: they are bland, they are soft....okay, that's it, bland and soft. I also love them. I found a brand with no chemicals or lard, Texas Tamale Company, and got the black bean variety. I am loving them, Baby G still has reservations.

Sun-dried tomatoes- My husband loves sun-dried tomatoes and hummus. I thought I would try it with Baby G, and what can I say? Like father, like daughter.

Our store has sun-dried tomatoes in the produce section are really soft. If you buy some that are tough, try soaking them in hot water for a few minutes.

Pickles- Consider it a special treat, I know they have a lot of sodium so it won't be a regular habit. I was snacking on one and Baby G was really interested. She liked it...but not as much as that tomato.

Other news....

We are still saying no to Cheerios. When we went to the doctor, I expected them to say something and they were totally fine with us abstaining from cheerios and rice puffs. They seemed okay with her practicing her pincer grip on beans and other small pieces of food. I guess I am on the defensive since it feels like everyone else uses them.

In April, I need to have a weeks worth of food and meals ready for Baby G. My parents are babysitting for a week and I just realized that I need to have food ready for them to make it as easy as possible. And of course, I realized that in the middle of the night. I'm a little nervous and would love to hear if you have any good ideas for prepping whole foods meals for a baby.

Finger Foods Volume 3

As we continue with our finger food series, I want to make something very clear. Most of the time when I give Baby G finger foods, it looks a lot like this....

 

And only occasionally does it look this....

I guess I view this period as major experimentation. Experimenting new tastes, new textures, and for Baby G, new ways to make messes for Mommy.

Here is what we have had in the last week or so:

Green Beans

Steamed red pepper strips

Pieces of crumbled veggie burger

Pieces of a whole wheat quesadilla

Pieces of scrambled eggs- we got the okay from my doctor and eggs don't seem to bother her.

Blood orange slices (with peel)-   She really loved sucking on the orange and I loved watching her expression of surprise each time she got a taste. Oranges are acidic so if you notice your baby starts to get a diaper rash after eating them, stop and wait.

Tofu Bites- Recipe below, she liked smashing them more than eating them. I actually thought they were pretty good!

Tofu Bites

 1 carton of firm tofu, cut into rectangular pieces****

[1/4] cup wheat germ OR wheat flour

1 teaspoon garlic pepper OR garlic powder

****-This would make a lot of tofu bites! Keep this ratio and only make amount of bites you want for that meal or maybe for two meals. Save the rest of the wheat germ/garlic mixture.

1. Preheat oven to 425 (dgF). Lightly spray a cookie sheet.

2. Whisk together wheat germ and garlic pepper.

3. Dredge tofu rectangles in wheat germ mixture and place on prepared pan. Bake for 15-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool and serve.

Review-

To me, these tasted a lot like chicken nuggets, especially when you dunk them in ketchup. I admit, I am a tofu fan so I may be biased. I thought they had a similar texture and that comforting bland taste of chicken nuggets. 

Baby G just liked smashing them on the table, the floor, the chair, her hair, etc. I look forward to serving these as she gets older and I am glad I can introduce tofu right away.

****

What have you been feeding your little one in terms of finger foods?

Finger Foods Volume 2

In an effort to keep track of what Baby G is eating, I thought I would share another volume of finger foods. I also wanted to mention my favorite new book: Feed Me, I'm Yours. 

If you are making your own baby food, I highly recommend Vicky Lansky's Feed Me, I'm Yours! It is filled with great ideas from baby to little kids. It feels a lot like getting advice from your mom- it's a no frills book and it keeps things easy. That being said, if you are uber organic parent, you may want to pass. It's not a perfect book and it's not a holier-than-thou-my-child's digestive-system-is-made-of-gold type of books. It's the kind of book that gives you tips on better ways to cut hot dogs and uses some processed ingredients. I say, you don't have to follow every recipe, but it sure has a lot of great ideas.

Finger foods this week:

-Lightly steamed veggies- this week, we have done broccoli (Baby G's favorite by far!), cauliflower, green beans, and little tiny finger potatoes.

-Thick slices of cheese. To my surprise, Baby G loves cheese.

-Slices of under ripe pineapple.

-Strips of mango

-Steamed apple slices- This is another one of her favorites: I leave the peel on and slice them about [1/4] to [1/2] inch thick. 

-Homemade Teething Biscuits. This is a recipe from Feed Me, I'm Yours. I was working from an old copy which has since been revised. The recipe I used was: 1 egg, 2 [1/2]cups flour, and 1 cup sugar. Beat the egg, add the sugar, and gradually stir in the flour. Roll out to [3/4] inch thickness, and cut into round shapes. Place on a greased cookie sheet for 8-10 hours (to dry out) and then back at 325 dg(F) for 40-60 minutes until brown and hard.

In the new addition, she has a recipe that just calls for 2 egg yolks instead of whole eggs, and recipes that don't include eggs.

My doctor has given the green light for eggs, so I was fine with the old recipe. The biscuits are really hard and Baby G doesn't really eat them. She gums on them, it doesn't crumble, and she hits it on the table (still doesn't crumble). It's an activity rather than a food, and it's one that I have been happy with so far.

We have also tried beans, but they are still too small for her to grab.

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What is your favorite baby food book?

Finger Foods Volume 1

This week I began experimenting with giving Baby G more finger foods. Rather than coming out of a decision that I should be doing it for some abstract or baby book reason, it came out of a need. I needed a little more time at lunch time and thought it would be good to get her playing with her food. 

I am happy to say that I gave her sticks of ripe bananas and she happily played with them and even tried eating them. Thank goodness, she's not a banana hater after all!

As I began to experiment with finger foods, I realized that I wasn't sure what to give her. We are not doing Baby Led Weaning in the sense I am not just giving her everything we eat, but she does like to feed herself and I like to encourage it. I thought it might be helpful to share what we have been doing in terms of finger foods and I would love to hear what you have been doing. Keep in mind that we are not doing processed foods, so no Cheerios, no rice puffs. It makes thing a little more difficult and I plan to keep revisiting this topic as we add more foods to our repertoire.

This is a good place to address that I am not a doctor or an expert of feeding babies. I don't have a professional opinion. I am working on a certificate in Nutrition, but I am not a nutritionist. I am just a mom who does not want to feed my family any processed foods. I ask a lot of questions and keep my pediatrician's office on speed dial.

So far, here is our list of finger foods:

Bananas- Cut in 3-4 inch long pieces, and then quartered. These are long enough for Baby G to get a good hold, but soft enough that I am not worried about her getting a bite. 

Diced Avocado

Hard Boiled Eggs- At first, I was just giving her egg yolks and she was doing her best Levron James' impersonation.

She would grind it to a pulp in her hands and then throw it dramatically over her head.

It's much cooler when a NBA star does it with chalk dust in an arena than a baby with egg yolk in your kitchen. Just saying....

The next time, I chopped up pieces of egg yolk and egg white, and it was a lot less messy. She's not too into eating it yet, but it was worth a shot!*
*I should mention that I got the go-ahead from my pediatrician to give her eggs.

Cold (whole wheat) spaghetti noodles- This was a tip from another mommy. The spaghetti noodles are good practice for the pincer grip babies at this age (7-8 months) are developing. The noodles are soft enough so I wasn't worried about choking but I don't think any noodles actually made it to her mouth.

Cold steamed slices of sweet potatoes- On a recent phone call to the pediatrician office, I had a good chat with one of the nurses, Nurse Fairy Godmother. She told me that any vegetables that Baby G had via purees, I could give her soft pieces of those veggies as finger foods. I steamed some quarter inch slices of sweet potato and let her gum on them. She really enjoyed them.

Apple slices???- After talking to another mommy, I thinly sliced some apple to give to Grace. The first time was fine, she loved it and pretty much sucked on it. The second time, she got a piece and started coughing. She was fine. I was a mess. May try again with cooked apple slices that are nice and soft, but won't be doing raw again soon.

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What are some of your favorite finger foods for your kiddo?