Banana Cocolate Chip Waffles

We tried this "Double Delicious!" recipe on Christmas morning for the first time and were absolutely in love with it!!! I of course had to deviate from the official recipe since I didn't have the exact ingredients. This will be one of these things I only make on a special occasion.


Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup carrot purée (or 5 ice cube tray method sized cubes)
• 1 large ripe banana, mashed
• 3 tablespoons semi sweet chocolate chips (dark would also be good; I recommend regular sized chips not mini because the smaller chips burn more easily in he waffle iron)
• Cooking spray

Steps:

• Preheat waffle iron
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• In a large bowl combine oil, egg whites, buttermilk, puree and banana; using a whisk whisk for 1-2 minutes.
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined; do NOT over stir.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Coat waffle iron with spray.
• Ladle batter into hot iron (about 1/4 cup) and cook until waffle is lightly browned.

Serve:  Serve warm with pure maple syrup and fresh fruit.

Yield:  4 servings

Storage:  In refrigerator for 2-3 days.  To reheat, place in toaster oven.

Timing:  1 year; be sure your little one can chew breads well before offering this.

Difficulty:  2 out of 5; fairly quick and easy.

Epicutie Rating:  Yummy in the Tummy--see right side of page for rating descriptions

Epicutie Joy LOVED these waffles.  Every time the bite had a chocolate chip in it she would say "mmmm" and smil really big.  These were a hit and were especially fun for Christmas morning!

Turkey and White Bean Chili

This is one that I found in The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook.  While I am definitely not putting Little Frances on the South Beach Diet, this recipe looked like one that she might enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb turkey cutlets, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 (15 oz) cannellini beans. rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5 oz) can Mexican diced tomatoes
• 1 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add turkey, chili powder, and cumin; cook, stirring often, until turkey is no long pink inside, about 5 minutes.
5. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until flavors blend, about 15 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Timing: This can be served as early as 9 months, however in certain cases I would wait until as late as 12 months depending the broth you used or your babies teeth and comfort in chewing meat.

Difficulty: I would give this 1 out of 5 – especially since I cheated and used already made rotisserie chicken that I bought from the grocery store!

Miscellaneous:

• If you don’t have white beans on hand, almost any bean will work with this versatile dish.
• Consider topping with a sprinkle of cheese, onions, or even avocado.

Epicutie Rating: Somewhat yummy! --- See left side of the page for descriptions.

Little Frances gobbled up the first few bites, but even after that she was still receptive to my encouraging her to eat it!