Oatmeal Pancakes

Whew...it has been a while since I have been able to post!  We had a third baby and my husband had to leave town for 8 weeks for work.  Translation:  Life has been crazy!  BUT...I am back and Epicutie Juliette will be reviewing recipes soon!

I am nursing so I am always on the prowl for recipes with oatmeal!  This recipe was inspired by a cooking light recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup nonfat buttermilk (we use almond milk for dairy free)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (we use canola oil for dairy free)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large egg
• Cooking spray

Steps:
1.  Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.
2. Combine milk, butter/oil, vanilla, and egg in a small bowl.

3.  Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

4. Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon about 2 1/2 tablespoons batter per pancake onto griddle.

5.  Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles; cook until bottoms are lightly browned.

Serve:  serve warm with pure maple syrup and fresh berries. 

Difficulty:  1 out of 5; quick prep!

Tips:  combine dry ingredients the night before to save time in the morning. Another idea, double the recipe and freeze half for a last minute breakfast another day'

Epicutie Rating (see left side of page for rating descriptions)

Little Joy:  yummy in the tummy

Little Asher:  yummy in the tummy

Mommy and Daddy:  love this!  Healthy, quick and helped the milk supply too!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Bananas.  Oh bananas.  These are always plentiful in my house but sometimes, they get too ripe too fast for us, so I use them in other ways and this recipe is one way!  This recipe is from 100 days of real food, with some alterations for dairy free!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour (I use King Arthur’s organic white whole-wheat flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 ¾ cups almond milk (or any other milk alternative, for those not avoiding dairy use regular milk!)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (we use Earth's Best Soy Free lactose free butter), melted
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 100% pure maple syrup for serving

Steps:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together honey, eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
3. Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and pour the liquid mixture into the center; mix to combine but do not over mix!
4. Gently fold the mashed bananas into the batter with a spatula.
5. Heat a griddle or sauté pan over medium-high heat (if you are using a pan swirl some butter in there, if using a griddle this isn't needed).  Add pancake batter using a 1/4 or 1/3 measuring cup.
6. When the pancakes have begun brown on the bottom and start to bubble on the top, flip them over to cook the other side.
7. Serve with maple syrup!

Difficulty:  2 out of 5; for pancakes, this is pretty easy!

Tip:  Freeze leftover for a quick breakfast another day!

Timing:  I serve pancakes as early as about 10 months since my babes show good chewing ability, but by 12 months I think these would be great for any toddler as long as they are cut up small!

Epicutie Rating:  (see left side for rating descriptions)

• Little Joy:  Yummy in the Tummy!  My kids LOVE pancakes so I knew this would be a hit!
• Little Asher:  Yummy in the Tummy!  He ate SIX PANCAKES!!!!!!!  I had to cut him off!

The batter

THE GOODS!!!!

"Helping"

He couldn't wait for me to get the camera out!

YUM!

Going back for more!

Banana Porridge

If you want easy---this is IT....Banana Porridge!   This is my go to breakfast for my kids and has been since they were both about 15 months old.

Ingredients:

• Ripe Banana
• 1/2 Cup Quick Oats 100% Oats Oatmeal
• 1 Cup Water (or Milk)
• Dash of Salt

Steps:

1. Cut the banana into small pieces (I usually cut it lengthwise in an X and then slice horizontally making small triangle pieces.  Place in a large cereal bowl.
2. Add oats, water and dash of salt into bowl.  Stir to combine.
3. Microwave for two minutes.
4. Remove from microwave and allow to stand for at least 5 minutes (so it can thicken).
5. Serve...watch out its hot!

Yield:  I split this between my 21 month old and 3 year old and its JUST enough for them both so---two hearty toddler servings.

Note:  I have also used applesauce and cinnamon vs bananas and even strawberries too!

Timing:  As early as 9 months if they are good at chewing

Difficulty:  1 out of 5; easy as it gets!

Epicutie Rating:

Little Joy and Little Asher:  YUMMY IN THE TUMMY!  Sometimes Little Joy gets tired of having it day in and day out but she always gobbles it up and then sometimes says "so tomorrow we will have something new" :)

Banana Cinnamon Waffles

I buy bananas a lot because my whole family loves them, but sometimes I buy a batch that seem to brown really fast.  That's when I want to have plenty of banana recipes in my arsenal. Furthermore, I am constantly looking for breakfast foods that will freeze well so that I can break up the week's breakfasts which are usually filled with cereals and oatmeals.  This recipe was inspired by one I found on a Cooking Light site.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (you could replace 1/4 of this flour for 1/4 cup buckwheat flour for a nutty flavor)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups rice milk
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted (I used Earth Balance dairy free, soy free butter alternative)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 large ripe banana, mashed
• Cooking spray

Steps:

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Combine Dry ingredients in a medium bowl (flours, flaxseed, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt) stirring with a whisk to combine.
3. In a separate bowl combine milk, butter, eggs and vanilla.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry stirring with a whisk; mix until combined but not too much!
5. Fold in mashed banana.
6. Coat iron with cooking spray
7. Spoon batter onto hot iron spreading the batter to edges.
8. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat procedure with remaining batter.
9. Serve warm.

*Allergy Alert:  Contains Egg*

Timing:  One year due to the eggs however I would have given this as early as 9 months to my Epicuties because its soft and easy to chew; even my texture sensitive Little Asher thought they were soft and yummy.  Most pediatricians recommend avoiding whole eggs until one year.

Storage:  Fridge for 4 days and freezer for a month.  Wrap each waffle individually in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag.  Thaw in microwave or toaster oven.  Quick and healthy on hand breakfast!

Yield:  14 waffles (see photo below)

Difficulty: 2 out of 5; the only recipes I give a 1 to are those that require NO cooking.  This was quick to whip up; I even made it after I had both kids up and dressed and no one starved while waiting :)

Epicutie Rating:

• Little Joy:  Yummy in the Tummy; She proclaimed "Oh mommy, this is good" after this first bite.  She did not consume as much as she usually does of foods she loves but we are learning with a toddler---some days they cannot eat enough to be satisfied while others they require very little food.  
• Little Asher:  Yummy in the Tummy; after a liquid feeding and puree prunes he still ate an entire waffle.  He tends to be particular about textures, but this was soft enough for him to find YUMMY!

It made 14 of the smaller square so 7 of the big double squares

Signing MORE

Let me try one more to see if I like it

Signing MORE MORE

YUMMY IN THE TUMMY

I said "Give me your I like it smile if you like it" LOL!

Zucchini Muffins

I am always looking for quick and yummy breakfasts for my family.  When I make a batch of muffins, I wrap them individually in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag and pull them out as we need them.  Currently we have whole wheat blue berry, pumpkin and zucchini muffins all stocked in the freezer.  This might not be THE healthiest muffin recipe, but I have not tried altering it too much yet.  It was too yummy not to share this version of it.  Next time I will try 1/3 oil and 1/3 applesauce as well as decrease the sugar some r replace some of the sugars for honey or maple syrup.  At this point, I will take just about anything that's dairy free though!

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flower
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot

Steps:

1. Grease and flour or paper 12-16 muffin cups.
2. Heat oven to 375°.
3. In mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil with eggs, sugars, and vanilla extract.
4. In a seperate bowl, combine the flour, soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add to the wet ingredients; mix on LOW until blended.
5. Fold in the shredded zucchini and carrots (the mixture was REALLY thick)
6. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full; sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.

**Allergy Alert** contains eggs

Yield:  12-16 muffins

Storage:  Serve immediately or at room temperature same day.  After the first day, refrigerate for several days or freeze for up to a month.

Difficulty:  2 out of 5; the most "difficult" part is shredding the carrots and zucchini.  It only took me about 15 minutes to get these mixed and in the oven so its pretty quick.

Timing:  One year due to the eggs, however I gave these to Little Asher at 11 months.  As always, ask your pediatrician before introducing ingredients that are common allergies.

Epicutie Rating:  (see left side of page for rating descriptions)

• Little Joy:  Yummy in the Tummy--she gobbled up 2 muffins and licked the platter clean!!!
• Little Asher:  Yummy in the Tummy--boy has a sweet tooth!!  

My husband and I both LOVED them as well!!!

Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is in the air and that means PUMPKIN, PUMPKIN, PUMPKIN!! I love pumpkin and the spices that go along with it. Each inhalation of the goodness takes me back to my grandmothers house each thanksgiving. I hold some of my fondest childhood and early adulthood memories from this annual family gathering so I welcome all the fall smells (especially the baking kinda, ha ha).

Not only did the pumpkin in the recipe catch my eye but the oats and maple syrup did too!!! This recipe was inspired by one I found on about.com believe it or not.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 15-ounce can canned pumpkin
• 2/3 cup canola oil (or oil of your choice)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Optional (I didn't add these because I wanted little Asher to be able to enjoy them with us):
• ----1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• ----1/2 cup dried cranberries

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a one to two 12-cup muffin pan with liners or lightly oil.
2. In a medium-large mixing bowl, sift together the flours, oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil, maple syrup and eggs until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until just combined. Fold in the walnuts and cranberries.
4. Portion into the prepared muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 18 muffins-ish
Difficulty: 2 out of 5; it's pretty much a dump and bake recipe
Storage: Air tight container for several days. I wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag. I freeze them for a month or two and take them out as we need it; it's great!
Timing: One year due to the eggs however since its cooked egg and we have no history of food allergies and Little Asher was breastfed so long, we gave it just shy of 11 months.
Epicutie Rating (see left side of page for rating descriptions):

• Little Joy:  Yummy in the Tummy; she tore through nearly two muffins at breakfast
• Little Asher:  Somewhat Yummy; he is getting like 6 teeth in so he does not want anything near his mouth.  I suspect had his teeth not bothered him he would have followed suit and gobbled it up.  He ate more of this than any other food the past day or so though!

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes (Gluten, Soy AND Dairy free!)

We are still Gluten, Dairy and Soy free over here so a friend sent me a link to a pancake recipe that nearly fit the criteria.  I altered it so that even I could enjoy this dish with my family!  AND we LOVE LOVE LOVE this!  It will be great to try on Little Asher in a couple of months since we are avoiding all dairy and gluten with him. Let me know how you all like it!

Ingredients

• 1 very ripe medium banana
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg (you can substitute a flax egg here, COOL---1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 2.5 Tbsp water)
• pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon natural Jif peanut butter (Jif natural peanut butter has no dairy or soy; you could use any nut butter like almond butter, hazelnut butter etc.)
• 1 Tablespoon canola oil (or other oil such as coconut oil)
• 1 Tablespoon honey or molasses
• 3 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk (or substitute any other milk such as almond or rice; if you do not care about being dairy free regular milk is fine too)
• 1/2 cup quick oats rolled oats (gluten free)
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour (or substitute other flour; if you do not want to be gluten free use whole wheat flour)
• 3 Tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips (non-dairy kind)

Instructions

1. Preheat a griddle to medium heat (about 225-250 degrees.
2. **IF you using Flax eggs prepare those here by mixing flaxseed meal and water and letting set for 3-5 minutes.****
3. Mash banana with baking powder.
4. Add egg, oil, salt, vanilla, butter, honey, milk, and stir.
5. Stir in oats and flour until just combined.
6. Sprinkle in chocolate chips and fold gently.
7. Scoop scant 1/4 cup measurements onto griddle.
8. Cook for 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
9. Serve plain or with a small drizzle of maple syrup.

Yield: 7-8 2 inch pancakes.  I will double this next time I make it.

Serve:  Serve immediately and warm. 

Storage:  Refrigerate leftovers and use within 2 days.

Timing:  Since there is honey in here I would wait until 2 years.  BUT if the honey is omitted I think a skilled 12 month old could easily eat these and be ok with all the ingredients.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5; this does not take any longer to make than any other homemade pancakes.  Easy and delicious!

Epicutie Rating:  YUMMY in the Tummy<---see left side of page for rating descriptions

Little Joy LOVED these, in fact...it only made 7 pancakes and she ate three leaving my husband and I only 2 each.  She ate more than us!  But let's be honest, what toddler does not want a few chocolate chips in their breakfast?

YUMMMMMMM!

Little Asher---Eating Gluten and Dairy free puffs while we enjoyed the pancakes.  It wont be much longer that he will be spectating!  

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!

Green Eggs

Little Joy LOVES Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" so when I noticed Jessica Seinfeld had a recipe for green eggs I knew we must try it.  The recipe that follows is inspired by the recipe and book!


Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 oz spinach puree
• 1/8-1/4 cup milk
• Grated Parmesan 
• Salt and pepper

Steps:

1. Heat olive oil in small skillet on medium-low
2. Meanwhile, beat eggs, spinach, milk and salt and pepper (to taste) in a small bowl.  Use as much milk as you need to make the eggs as fluffy (or not) as you want; this is a matter of preference.
3. Pour egg mixture in hot skillet.
4. Scramble eggs until cooked through
5. Remove from heat and sprinkle with desired amount of Parmesan cheese
6. Serve warm with toast

Yield:  This made enough for myself and Little Joy

Storage:  I do not recommend keeping this as a leftover.

Difficulty: 1 out of 5; super easy if the spinach puree is made ahead.  This is about a 5-10 minute breakfast!

Miscellaneous:  Fun activity idea---read Green Eggs and Ham while you enjoy your very own GREEN EGGS!

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

Little Joy LOVED this the first time she had it, but the second go round it was just "ok".  She tends to have a love/hate relationship with eggs.  She eats them, but really just wants the toast that always comes with it.

Also, don’t forget about our fundraiser for Kai!  For a donation of ANY AMOUNT (even $1), you can be entered to win a 13 cup Kitchen Aid Processor!  For details, click here:

• http://littletummyyummies.blogspot.com/2011/11/help-kai-and-win-13-cup-kitchen-aid.html

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

 

This another one from Deceptively Delicious!  I promise this blog is not just for Deceptively Delicious recipes, but I was looking through my cookbooks last night and I had all the ingredients on hand for this one so I couldn’t resist.  I have a history of my banana bread not turning out, and once upon a time, I tried every banana and banana nut bread recipe that I could get my hands on and I was never happy with how they turned out.  After making this, I still feel like I am searching for that perfect recipe, but in the mean time this healthy, easy version will definitely scratch the itch!

Cinnamon Streusel Topping (Optional)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Steps:

1. Stir together dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the butter or margarine. Set aside.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups banana puree
• 1/2 cup cauliflower puree
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

***I used 4 thawed frozen bananas to make 1 1/2 cups and I did not puree them beforehand.

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan or 2 mini pans with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl or a zip lock bag, mix the flours with the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, if using. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar and oil with a wooden spoon until well combined. Mix in the egg whites, banana and cauliflower purees, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
4. Pour the batter into a loaf pan.  Cover evenly with the streusel topping if using.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes for the large loaf, 25 to 30 minutes for the mini loaves. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn the bread out of the pan to cool before serving.

Timing: This could be given as early as 9 months, but be aware of the egg whites if your little one has an egg allergy.  Usually it does not affect children if it is cooked in something. I personally would not give

Difficulty: This was pretty simple, but I am giving it a 3 out of 5 because I had to get so many pans and bowls dirty!  Very few dirty dishes is a requirement for me to give something a low rating .

Miscellaneous:

• I used 3 mini loaf pans instead of 2.  I have a history of not evenly cooking my banana bread so I wanted to be cautious and not put too much batter into the pans.
• When I put the cinnamon streusel topping on the batter, I gently mixed it with the top layer of the batter so that it would stay on the bread once baked.  It turned out very well.
• To make cauliflower puree, simply steam raw cauliflower florets for 10 to 12 minutes and then puree.

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in the Tummy!!! ---See right side of the page for descriptions.

Milk Shakes!

Little Frances is crazy over milkshakes, although for obvious reasons, she does not get them that often.  I developed or found three alternate healthy, banana-based recipes that your little one will love.  I like to serve it in a parfait glass with a straw so she feels like she is getting the real thing!

This is also a great way to get Little Ones to drink milk, who would not drink it otherwise.  You can also replace the whole milk with skim milk to make a healthy, delicious breakfast smoothie for the bigger kids in the family .

Allergy Warning: Two of three of the recipes contain extreme allergens.  We have no history of food allergies in our families and even so I waited until Little Frances was 15 months old before I gave her peanut butter, and even then, only in small amounts.  Once I was certain that she was not allergic, she was allowed nut based products in larger quantities.  As always, if you are concerned, consult your Doctor!

Recipe 1: Blue-Banana Milk Shake

• 1/2 frozen, chopped banana
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup whole milk

Recipe 2: Peanut Butter Milk Shake*

• 1 frozen, chopped banana
• 2 teaspoons peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon milled flax seed
• 1 cup whole milk

Recipe 3: Nut-N-Honey Milk Shake

• 1 frozen, chopped banana
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup whole milk

Directions:

• Mix in a blender until well blended!

Yield and Storage: This depends on how hungry your Epicutie is.  Sometimes I save half of the milkshake in the freezer for Little Frances to eat the next day.  This would yield one adult sized milkshake or half of a milkshake for your toddler… it all depends on appetite.  This stores well in the fridge overnight.

Timing: Due to the possible milk, nut and honey allergies, give NO EARLIER than 12 months.

Difficulty: 1 out of 5! Easy and delicious.

Miscellaneous: I always buy a bunch of banana, slice them, and freeze them in individual baggies so that I have them on hand for smoothies.  Freezing them before hand means that you don’t need to use ice cubes, which can make your smoothie too watery… this way they stay nice and creamy!  This is also a great use for older bananas that you wouldn’t want to eat on their own.

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in the Tummy! --See right side of page for descriptions

Little Frances loves to crawl into her Daddy’s lap in the morning and have a taste of his morning milkshake!  I love her little milkshake goatee.

*This recipe was taken from Jillian Michael’s weight loss website.

Easy At-Hand Blueberry Muffins

A few weeks ago we were coming off of a week long family illness and I had not been to the grocery store in ages… our cupboards were bare!  I had no idea what I was going to make my family for breakfast since I was down to one egg, had no yogurt, and very little milk.  Thankfully I remembered this easy recipe from my Wild About Texas cookbook (one of my favorites!), and I was able to prepare something for the whole family.  The great thing about this recipes is that you probably already have every single ingredient on hand.  I always make certain to have frozen blueberries in my freezer for this and other recipes. 

This recipe is not what I would classify as “healthy”, but it is a healthier alternative to most blueberry muffin recipes and certainly less fatty than what you would buy in the store.  I like to make this occasionally when I am in the mood for something really sweet, like chocolate chip cookies.  This still satisfies my sweet tooth and is much better for me than what I would have normally eaten!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup blueberries (I always like to add a few extra.  I love blueberries!)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in egg and milk.
4. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until moistened.
5. Fold in blueberries.
6. Spoon batter in to 10 well-greased muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. (I just add the frozen berries.  I do not bother to thaw them and it works fine.)
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 10 muffins

Timing: I would use your best judgment, although I think that these could be given as early as 9 months considering the eggs and milk are mixed and cooked. 

Storage: Refrigerator for 1 week, freezer for up to 2 months.

Difficulty: 1 out of 5!  These are so, so easy.

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in the Tummy! --See right side of page for descriptions

I know you are thinking… of course Little Frances loved them! Who doesn’t love blueberry muffins?  Actually she has been such a picky eater since her molars have been slowly, slowly, slowly coming in.  She has even been turning down sweets, so I was delighted with how quickly she gobbled this up, and kept asking for more.  I didn’t think she would ever get full! Her happy face says it all.

Pumpkin Bread

To continue with theme of pumpkin, today's recipe was again submitted by Jen and her daughter Claire with a few alterations I made to it.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour*
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour*
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar (Jen uses honey which makes the bread softer, but please ask your pediatrician before introducing honey before 2 years old)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup pumpkin puree/organic canned pumpkin (FYI you should have exactly one cup of canned pumpkin left after making the pumpkin waffle post we published recently)
• ½ cup vegetable or olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup of water (cut this in half if using honey instead of sugar)
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp allspice
• ½ cup chopped nuts (optional, I would omit for small babies)

*Jen uses 1 1/2 cups aramanth instead of the two flours I listed above

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar (if using honey, mix with second phase not dry mix) and baking soda.
3. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water and spices (and honey, if using honey) together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not stir too much!
4. Stir in the nuts.
5. Pour into a well-buttered or sprayed loaf or mini loaf pan . Bake 50-60 minutes until golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. If using a mini-loaf pan, check it at 40 minutes.
6. Cool for 10 minutues then turn out of the pan and cool on a rack.
7. Serve warm or room temperature.

Yield: 8 mini loaves or one loaf pan

Timing: This is very soft and if omitting nuts, it could be easily given at 12 months.

Storage: Store in an air tight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for few days. I wrap some of my mini loaves in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to two months.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5; anything that requires me to wait nearly an hour as I smell it bake is at least a 2 on the difficulty scale!

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in the Tummy...to the max!!! See right side of page for descriptions.

Little Joy cannot eat enough of this stuff! This makes a great dessert or snack to throw in your bag when you are in a pinch.

Pumpkin Waffles

This recipe was submitted by Jen and her little cutie Claire (as a side note, Little Claire has THE prettiest hair color EVER). Jen is wonderful about cooking creatively, deceptively and organically for her Little One; so I had to feature this easy breakfast recipe she has been raving about. The cinnamon in these makes them so unquiely different than the pumpkin pancake recipe I reviewed last week.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (Jen substitutes amaranth flour, but use whatever you like; I think half all purpose white and wheat would be good)
• ¼ cup sugar (Jen substitutes honey* here)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups milk (Jen substitutes soy/rice milk due to an allergy)
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• ½ cup canned organic pumpkin (PS this may be hard to find/more expensive right now since it is off season, check your health food aisle)

*If you use honey instead of sugar, waffles will be a bit softer.

Steps:

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. In medium sized bowl, stir together dry ingredients.
3. In separate bowl, beat eggs then add rest of wet ingredients, except butter.
4. Pour wet ingredients over flour mixture and stir just until combined.
5. Add butter to combined mixture and stir.
6. Coat waffle iron with cooking spray.
7. Pour appropriate amount of batter into center of waffle iron.
8. Cook for 4-5 minutes (or to recommended time of your waffle iron) or until crispy and light brown.
9. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8-10 square waffles (see my pictures to see what size mine were)

Serve: Serve warm topped with maple syrup or if you are like me and do not like the mess, serve plain. We also sometimes put fresh fruit puree on top. Serve followed by fresh fruit.

Storage: 2-3 days in the fridge.

Timing: Due to the eggs, 12 months. Cut into bit sized pieces appropriate for your little one's ability to chew.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5; quick and easy. The hardest part is waiting for the waffle iron to finish!!!

Epicutie Rating: YUMMY IN THE TUMMY---see right side of page for descriptions

YUMMY IN THE YUMMY rating for our submitter's daughter Little Claire.

Little Joy LOVED these!! She ate almost 1.5 waffles plus TONS of cantelope. When she likes something at a meal, she eats SO much. I still wonder where it all goes on my long and lean lil thing!

This gives you an idea of the size waffles I am talking about.

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Listen very carefully, she can say WAFFLE!!!

Pumpkin Pancakes

I have been dying to try this recipe since it appeared in a May 2011 issue of "Parents" Magazine, but apparently canned pumpkin is quite the novelty in the off season! A friend on mine happen to find a store that carries it all the time, so we were finally able to sample this simple yet delicious recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk (alternatively, mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice with one cup of milk; let stand about 5 minutes)
• 1/3 cup canned organic pumpkin
• Maple syrup (Little Joy did NOT have syrup, too much mess)
• Fresh berries

Steps:

1. Preheat griddle to 225 degrees (alternatively, use a non stick skillet on medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon melted butter in pan).
2. In a medium bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter
4. In a separate small bowl whisk together butter, egg, buttermilk and pumpkin; whisk just until combined.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk until combined, not too much! Mixture maybe slightly lumpy.
6. Spoon 1/8 cup of batter onto a griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, flip. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter.
7. Serve warm with fresh berries.

Yield: 12 3 inch pancakes; about 228 calories per THREE pancakes---not bad.

TIP: Love this recipe has a 5 minute version......Whisk together 1 cup buttermilk pancake mix, 2/3 cup lowfat milk, and 1/3 cup canned pumpkin. Cook as directed above and it yields about 8 3 inch pancakes!!!

Storage: Refrigerator for 3 days.

Difficulty: 2 out of 3; love this! I can whip it up in about 15 minutes!

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

Although I was skeptical because I COULD taste a lil pumpkin, Little Joy gobbled up two pancakes along with several strawberries in no time!! We will make these again.

Next up in the pumpkin world---Pumpkin WAFFLES submitted by a reader and friend of mine!

Ingredients

Cooking on the griddle.

Ready to eat!

First bite

CHEEEEEESE...it's YUMMY!!!

Oat Bran Applesauce Muffins

Originally I made these for some guests, but as I looked at the recipe, I thought Little Joy would enjoy these. I also had all these ingredients laying around, so it made it easy.

Let me warn you, Little Joy is way ahead on teething---she had 8 teeth completely in by 7-8 months so she is able to eat SOME things that require more chewing which means she can eat things that may normally be more appropriate for an older baby. These muffins could really cause a choking hazard as they are dry and have raisins (optional). If you little one does not chew things well yet, I would NOT recommend this. She tired these at 10 months, chewed them great and LOVED them. BONUS??? Baby can enjoy them along with Mom, Dad or any other guest!

ALLERGY WARNING: This recipe calls for whole eggs, if you suspect your child might have an egg allergy I would avoid this recipe. Also, when the whole egg is in a baked good, NORMALLY doctors will tell you it is ok since by the time you eat the food, there is little egg in it anyways.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 c Natural/Organic Oat Bran (I used Hodgson Mill)
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs or 4 egg whites (I used the whole egg)
• 1 c applesauce, chilled
• 4 Tbsp. butter (I think you could use olive oil, but this was all I had handy)
• Raisins (amount depends on how many you want in the muffins)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or grease muffin cups.
3. Blend together dry ingredients.
4. Add eggs, chilled applesauce, butter/olive oil and raisins. Mix until well-blended.
5. Spoon batter into muffin cups and let stand 10 minutes before cooking.
6. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Allow to cool completely before serving to baby and break into size peices appropriate for you baby; you may want to take out the raisins when feeding it to baby BUT the raisins are very soft after cooking.

Yield: 12 muffins

Miscellaneous: This recipe was adapted from a recipe by Hodgson Mill. I recommend serving this along with some fruit for breakfast or as a snack. Each muffin contains 4 grams of dietary fiber which is good for clogged tummies!

Timing: For us, 9-10 months but timing will depend on your baby's ability to chew/grind.

Storage: 3-4 days in an airtight container.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5. Its only not a one because it had more than 2 0r 3 ingredients. Super easy and doesnt make a mess!!!

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in the Tummy! Little Joy gobbled up several bites of the muffin AFTER she had eaten her full regular breakfast! I plan on making these for guests all the time now since I don't have to make her a separate breakfast.

Baby Omelet

This is my FAVORITE food for Little Joy yet!!!! I HIGHLY recommend it!!

Let me begin this post by giving a firm warning to our readers; eggs tend to be an allergen! Please be very careful when introducing eggs. Egg WHITES are generally the allergy culprit. Doctors will advice you against introducing the WHOLE egg before one year but instead try the egg YOLK. If you, your spouse or anyone in your immediate family is allergic to eggs, I would not introduce even the egg yolk.

This was so much fun to make, feed her and watch her attempt to self feed! I cannot wait to try it again! Remember, if your baby has more than one ingredient listed below, I would recommend introducing them one at a time to eliminate any potential allergies.

Ingredients:

• 2 Egg YOLK (if under one year; and yes TWO egg yolks because just one is not enough to cook well)
• Formula or breastmilk (we used breastmilk; also Little Joy has had whole milk already, so if your baby has had that; its fine too)
• Chunky or pureed veggie of your choice (we used steamed baby carrot chunks)
• Cheese of your choice (we used Monterey Jack Cheese; see this article about cheeses to decide what cheeses are good to start with)

Steps:

1. Prepare and heat up a small frying pan with olive oil or a small pat of butter (this is where I made a mistake because I was so excited about making this; make sure the pan is nice and hot when you put the eggs on it so they wont crumble. If you splash water on the pan the water should "dance around" and sizzle.)
2. Whisk milk and egg yolks together
3. Pour egg mixture into heated and prepared pan
4. Grate the cheese of your choice
5. Scramble eggs
6. Just before they are finished, add the veggie or your choice (chunky steamed baby carrots for us) and scramble until no longer runny
7. Remove from pan and add cheese on top
8. Allow to cool, serve warm but not hot
9. If you are brave----let your little one try this as a finger food!

Miscellaneous: Serve with fruit pieces or pureed fruit for a balanced breakfast! The only thing I will do differently is cook it on a higher heat so that maybe the egg wont be in such small pieces; it was hard for her to self feed. The cheese helped keep it together some. However, maybe thats just how the egg does when it is egg yolk vs the whole egg.

Timing: 9-10 months

Storage: I do not recommend saving any leftovers

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

I was shocked by how much Little Joy loved her very first omlete; I was so convinced she wouldn't like it that I had a back up breakfast ready. It was a big omelet but she ate the majority of it. Although I will stick with cereal and fruit as her "go to breakfast" this is a great meal to mix things up once a week!

Step 2: Egg yolk and milk mixture

Step 4: Grated Monterey Jack cheese (we didn't use that much I just made extra to have on hand as a finger food)

Step 6: Adding carrot chunks; I made the chunks a bit smaller than the size I use for her carrot finger food

Step 7: Finished!!

Step 8: Allowing to cool!

Little Joy sampling it as a Finger Food. She must investigate it first of course!