Sweet Carrots

I love the idea of eating steamed vegetables, but sometimes they are just too bland for me--I want a little extra flavor.  Carrots is one of those veggies I seldom eat as a side dish by themselves, but I always want to because I expect Little Joy to!!  So I stumbled upon a few ways to "season" carrots and the recipe below is where we ended up; they sorta taste like sweet potatoes served this way!

Ingredients:

• 5 carrots, washed, peeled and cut in to large bite size chunks
• 2 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3 shakes cinnamon

Steps:

1. Place carrots in steamer and stem for approximately 23 minutes (until soft but not mushy) (This would also be a good time to steam some extra carrots and puree to use for other recipes or as baby food)
2. Place carrots in a large bowl, drizzle with honey and lemon juice and sprinkle with cinnamon.
3. Toss until carrots are coated; serve immediately.

WARNING:  Honey is not recommended by many pediatricians until 2 years old.  Please talk to your doctor before introducing this to your little one.

Yield:  About 5-6 servings as a side item depending on the size of your carrots.

Serve:  Serve immediately and the leftovers are not NEARLY as good as they are fresh from the steamer.

Timing:  2 years.

Difficulty:  1 out of 5; super easy side dish.

Epicutie Rating:  Yummy In the Tummy; see left side of page for rating descriptions.

Little Joy gobbled these up and in fact hardly wanted anything else BUT these for dinner!!!  This will be a regular in our house!

Sweet Potato Puree

I am pleased to share Little Asher's very first Epicutie review on his first food other than cereal---Sweet Potatoes!!  And BONUS, I have shared how to make this puree for your infant AND toddler!!!  I forgot how fun making purees is and how much fun it is to try new foods on a very young Epicutie!!

Ingredients:

• Sweet Potatoes (however many you want)

Steps (Steamer):  

1. Wash and Peel sweet potatoes.
2. Dice into 1/2 inch to 1 inch cubes.
3. Place in steamer.
4. Steam for approximately 30 minutes or until soft.
5. Puree in food processor until desired consistency is reached.
6. Spoon into ice cube tray (or whatever your freezing method is) and freeze for 48 hours.
7. After frozen, remove cubes from tray and place in freezer ziplock bag.
8. *When serving, thin using breast milk, formula or water to desired consistency.

Steps (Oven):

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash sweet potatoes.
3. Using a fork, poke holes in sweet potato.
4. Wrap in foil and place on baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30-60 minutes or until soft (time depends on size of potato).
6. After cooling, cut the potato lengthwise and scoop out the meat.
7. Spoon into ice cube tray (or whatever your freezing method is) and freeze for 48 hours.
8. After frozen, remove cubes from tray and place in freezer ziplock bag.
9. *When serving, thin using breast milk, formula or water to desired consistency.

*The reason I did not thin BEFORE freezing is two fold; 1) the puree can be used in other recipes particularly those used in Jessica Seinfeld's recipes and 2) the puree can be used for your toddler as well!

Next Steps for Toddler Food:

• After thawing or pureeing the sweet potatoes, heat to warm.
• Add a little cinnamon and butter, stir and serve with big sibling as a great side item!  YUM!

Timing:  As early as 4 months; great choice for a first food after cereal!  Little Joy still loves sweet potatoes baked or as fries; so I am looking forward to making this food something the whole family can enjoy whether its a puree or a fry :)  We started Little Asher on sweet potatoes at 5 months and 5 days, it was his first food.

Serve:  As with every puree, when you reheat be sure to cook it through and then allow to cool to the proper temperature.

Difficulty:  1 out of 5; easy and fast especially since at this point there is only one ingredient!!

Epicutie Rating:  Yummy in The Tummy <---See left side of page for rating descriptions

Little Asher LOVED sweet potatoes; this was only his second food to taste (second to RICE cereal) and after one tiny bite he was opening his mouth for more!

Little Joy loved the sweet potatoes mashed up with a lil cinnamon and a tad bit of butter.  Its great for toddlers fine tuning their utensil abilities because it sticks to the fork well!

Allergy Reminder:  Please remember that as you begin to introduce foods to your infants to be sure to 1) talk to your doctor first about when to start and 2) wait 3-4 days before introducing any other new foods.

Diced

Ready to Steam

Puree

This is right after the first bite...he wants MORE!

Can you tell he loves it?  I think he is gonna be an EATER!

Spinach and Brussels Sprouts Marinara

This is a MIRACLE RECIPE! As I mentioned, I have been reading “Eat to Live” by Joel Fuhrman, and I am trying to make major changes in our diet, one of which is to make sure that we greatly increase our green vegetable intake.

I originally made this recipe with no intention of putting it on LTY because I didn’t think that Little Frances would touch it!  If any of you have read the book, you know that I took a few liberties with his recommendations (namely I added salt and a little bit of parmesan cheese), but between that and the recipe, we managed to get Little Frances to GOBBLE, and I mean GOBBLE down Brussels sprouts! Amazing.

Not only that, this recipe is so easy, I cannot say enough good things about it. Try it, try it, try it!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 14 ounces baby spinach
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onions, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can no or low salt chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Dr Fuhrman’s VegiZest or other no-salt seasoning

Steps:

1. Steam the Brussels sprouts and spinach for 8 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are almost tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat the water in a large pot and water sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the Brussels sprouts and spinach, chopped tomatoes, and VegiZest.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

Miscellaneous:

• Since I do not have VegiZest or another no-salt seasoning (I have ordered some for future use), I just used a little bit of salt, some pepper, onion powder, and a dash of cayenne pepper.
• I only had frozen spinach and Brussels sprouts, and it turned out fine.  I used much less than 14 ounces since frozen spinach is more concentrated than baby spinach.
• Although the recipe doesn’t call for it, and is also not recommended, I did sprinkle a little bit of parmesan on this for added flavor.

Timing: If you used a no salt seasoning, this can be introduced as early as 9 months, as long as it is will mashed or pureed before serving.

Difficulty Rating: 2 out of 5!!! It dirties two pots, that’s the only reason it gets a 2.  Its really so simple and fast.  It’s the perfect side dish.

Epicute Rating: Yummy in the Tummy! <----- See left side of the page for descriptions.

I believe the word I am looking for is shovel!  Look at Little Frances go!

CRAZY about Cauliflower

Cauliflower, like butternut squash, is something that I had never made before I started making my own baby food.  And also, like butternut squash, its has become a staple in our house.  It has a great mild flavor, and tastes great as a puree mixture or just steamed with some season all.

Cauliflower is jam packed with vitamin C, and is also a great source of Vitamin K, folate, and dietary fiber, and its also very low in calories for the mama’s out there trying to lose that baby weight!

Because cauliflower is so mild is flavor; it blends well in other foods without even tasting it.  I primarily give it to Little Frances in the following foods:

• Mixed with eggs
• Mixed with mashed potatoes
• Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower, you can also use frozen cauliflower florets

Steps:

• Cut the florets from the base of the cauliflower.
• Steam for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender.  If frozen, steam for approximately 18 to 20 minutes.
• Puree in a food processor or blender, add water as needed to help it blend.
• Store in baby food jars (approximately 1/2 cup per jar) or ice cube trays (approximately 1 oz per cub).

Yield: 1 cauliflower will yield approximately 2 1/2 cups of puree or 20 oz.

Timing: Wholesome Baby Food recommends that you introduce this at 8 months although you may introduce it earlier.  It can cause gas in some babies with sensitive tummies.

Difficulty: 1 out of 5

Epicutie Rating: Confused. ---See right side of the page for descriptions. Little Frances will usually eat a few bites of this, but she definitely prefers it blended with other foods.

And if while you are making this, you think… hrmmm, it would sure be nice to have a Fancy Kitchen Aid food processor to help me when making all of this yummy cauliflower puree!  Well you have a chance to win one!

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

Steamed Asparagus

Asparagus, not a food many people enjoy but yet it is packed full of iron and fiber. Iron rich foods have been the theme lately, so it made sense to test something asparagus related. For more nutritional information on asparagus, check out wholesomebabyfood.com's asparagus page.

As I mentioned in my Creamy Asparagus Soup post, I was shocked that Little Joy loved the plain steamed asparagus but not the soup. As a general rule, the more flavor packed something is, the more she seems to like it; not so in this case!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound asparagus with bottom inch of stalk cut off (I would do less if you can if this is the first time your little one has tried this)
• Seasonings if desired (My mother is a cooking expert and she recommends no seasoning for asparagus since it has a strong flavor on its own)

Steps:

• If using a steamer, steam according to the directions with your appliance
• If using a metal colander and boiling water (see post "No Steamer, No Problem") then steam until tender; about 15-20 minutes
• Serve warm and chopped into finger food/bite sized pieces
• OR puree adding water to thin as necessary

Yield: Depends on how much you steam.

Storage: Fridge for 3-4 days; I would not recommend freezing.

Difficulty: 1 out of 5; super easy and a great nutritional side item for lunch or dinner

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

Little Joy surprised me by gobbling up 4 stalks at one meal. Maybe it was because it was new, maybe it was just a good day but either way I was so excited. My husband and I love steamed asparagus, so this is a great family side item for us!

No pictures, sorry guys!!!

No Steamer, No Problem

Steaming is an excellent way to cook your food items, especially veggies, before you puree them!

Here are some of the benefits of steaming:

• It avoids the loss of nutrients through leaching since the food is not submerged into liquid.
• Cools relatively quickly.
• Works really well on delicate foods, like seafood (yes we will be adding some baby seafoods in the future!).

A lot of people think that you need special equipment to steam and/or find the idea of steaming daunting. I absolutely used to, but it is very easy. I don't own a steamer or even a special steam basket, but I have started steaming anything that will eventually be pureed.

Most people have the following items in their kitchen:

1. Metal collander
2. A stock pot with a lid, even a deep sauce pan can work.

That's it! That's all you need to be able to steam your food.

Step 1: Fill the stock pot with a couple of inches of water.

Step 2: Bring the water to a boil.

Step 3: Place the colander with your food item into the stock pot.

Step 4: Put the lid on the stock pot.

Step 5: Steam for as long you need to until the food is cooked! The time will depend on the food.

Its pretty simple. I hope that you get the idea from the pictures. I would have liked to have offered a better Bird's Eye View, but I am pretty short and was even standing on my tiptoes to get these!

Applesauce

Apples (and applesauce) are not only tasty, but it also goes good with many other foods (winter squash, cereals, other fruits). Do not be afraid to mix foods together and taste your baby's pallet! Here is some additional information about apples that is GREAT!

Little Joy loves apples, by themselves or mixed with other foods---its always a hit. However, Little Joy has shown a tendency to prefer apples warm or room temperature vs. cold. So, if your little one does not like them at first, try warming them to see what happens.

Ingredients:
Fuji Apples
Steps:

• Wash, peel and core apples
  
• Chop into medium sized chunks
• Place in pan and fill with water just covering the apples(OR you can steam them, but I do not have a steamer so I boil)
  
• Boil until tender (be careful not to boil too long since the nutrients will all come out if you boil too long)
• Puree in your food processor of choice
• Allow to cool
  
• Pour into your freezing method (I prefer to pour into ice cube trays and cover with plastic wrap)
• Freeze until frozen solid (about 12-24 hours)
• After frozen, place in freezer zip lock bags until ready to use (I like to save about 2 servings in the refrigerator)

**NOTE: one ice cube is about an ounce of food**

Timing: Many resources recommend introducing apples around 6 months

Yield: 1/2 cup applesauce per apple

Storage: According to "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron, applesauce can be in the freezer for two months.

Miscellaneous: I found that peeling them shortways rather than around in a circle was faster. But a warning---your hand will get sore after all that peeling!

Money Matters: Please keep in mind, these calculations are approximations and prices vary depending on where you live. The standard of living where I am at is signficantly higher than other places in the country. I bought 12 apples (about 5.5 pounds) for $7.99 which yielded approximately 56 ice cubes of applesauce; $.14 per cube. I guesstimate that it takes 2-3 cubes to equal ONE Gerber apple container. There are TWO containers packaged together when you buy Gerber applesauce; they cost about $1.09 per package here. SO...
.14 per cube * 3 cubes per container * 2 containers = .86 (this is how much it cost ME to make one Gerber applesauce package)
Total savings PER PACKAGE making at home vs. buying = .23
That does not seem like much until you think about baby eating one container per meal several times a week---it adds up!

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in my Tummy--see right side of page for rating descriptions. Epicutie Joy prefers apples warmed or room temperature. Also, when I made my second batch I left a little texture in them and she did NOT enjoy that at all.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5

I bought these two crates at Costco. $7.99 for 12 apples, about 5.5 pounds. I made one crate in the pictures below.

Peeling, coring and dicing the apples

There were two pots like this to make 12 apples worth of food.

After cooking, pureed them until smooth.

I froze this many and reserved about 8 servings in the fridge or for my husband and I to eat (they are THAT yummy that we ate some)

Basic Carrot Puree

Basic Carrot Puree is easy and delicious!

Ingredients:
Raw Organic Carrots
Preferred Liquid of Thinning (I use breast milk but water or formula is good too!)
Steps:

• Wash and peel carrots
• Chop carrots into medium sized chunks
• Place carrots in pan and fill with water just covering the carrots (OR you can steam them, but I do not have a steamer so I boil)
  
• Boil until tender (be careful not to boil too long since the nutrients will all come out if you boil too long)
• Puree in your food processor of choice
• Pour into your freezing method (I prefer to pour into ice cube trays and cover with plastic wrap)
• Freeze until frozen solid (about 12-24 hours)
• After frozen, place in freezer zip lock bags until ready to use (I like to save 2 servings in the refrigerator)

Timing: Many resources recommend introducing carrots around 6-7 months
Yield: 1-1.25 cups puree per pound of carrots
Storage: According to "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron, pears can be in the freezer for two months and refrigerator 1-2 days.
Miscellaneous: Carrots can be mixed with many things (peas, apples, pears, etc). See www.wholesomebabyfood.com for other ideas on carrots!
Test Subject Rating: Yummy in my Tummy--see right side of page for rating descriptions (Little Joy enjoys carrots with apples too)
Difficulty: 1 out of 5