Maple Spice Muffins

My co-author (Little Frances' Mommy) has been raving about the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld for months now. I FINALLY remembered to look for it in my local bookstore, however I was only able to find her second cookbook "Double Delicious". Since I was anxious to test some of her recipes, I purchased it.

Only 2 days after buying, I was ready to try some recipes; today's recipe comes from "Double Delicious! Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives" by Jessica Seinfeld.

Ingredients:

• Non stick cooking spray or paper baking cups
• 1/4 cup trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread (other butters could be substituted)
• 1/2 pure maple syrup
• 1-6 oz container of low fat lemon yogurt (I used fat free greek yogurt for extra protein; fat free was the only lemon greek yogurt I could find)
• 1/2 cup non fat sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 large carrot, washed and grated
• 1 small apple, grated
• 1/2 cup raisins (I accidentally ommitted this, but I am glad I did raisins are a major choking hazard and I would have needed to remove them or chop them super small for Little Joy)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I have no idea what pastry flour is, mine is just 100% whole wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/4 teaspoon slat

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
3. In a large bowl, stir together margarine, maple syrup, yogurt, sour cream, egg, carrot, apple and raisins, breaking up the margarine with a spoon.
4. In a separate smaller bowl (about 4 cup size) combine all remaining ingredients (this should be all the dry ingredients).
5. Sprinkle the dry ingredient mixture over the margarine mixture.
6. Stir JUST until combine; do not over mix. The mixture will be quite lumpy.
7. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups (it will look like the muffins cups are very full, but that's ok).
8. Bake until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle (about 20-25 minutes). I did allow mine to get too brown because I was worried they would dry out knowing this was a "healthy" recipe; the peaks of my muffins were slightly browned when a toothpick came out clean.
9. Serve warm.

Yield: 12 muffins

Timing: I would wait until 12 months and be sure your little one knows how to chew drier ingredients. Again, since my little one had molars by about 12-13 months I could give her more advanced foods early. These muffins are the texture of moist bread, so a 12 month old should be able to eat it fine, just break it up small. If your child is older, they can probably handle larger pieces.

Storage: The author recommends storing muffins in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or wrapping individually and freezing for a month.

Tip: If you are making this for breakfast, combine your dry ingredients the night/day before and place in a sealed container to save time in the morning. Also, shred carrots the night/day before and place in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator. I would not recommend shredding the apple the night before as it will brown and get too juicy. It only took me about 10-15 minutes this morning to get the muffins in the oven since I did a little prep work. I can use all the extra sleep I can get right now (28 weeks pregnant right now).

Miscellaneous: Only down side to these is some of these ingredients might not be in your pantry already. Also, fun side note if you make this according to the recipe without my alterations there are only 195 calories per muffin.

Difficulty: 2 out of 3; it is actually quick and easy especially if you follow the tip above.

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

Little Joy ate an entire muffin and was all smiles the entire time! My hubby and I loved them too. They are no fatty blueberry muffin, but still super delicious. Makes you feel good to know that you ate something healthy and nutritious!

Step 3: All "wet" ingredients combined. I shredded my carrots vs grated and it was fine.

Step 4: All dry ingredients; it smelled SO good!

Step 7: Ready to bake

Done!

She saw the muffins and started licked her hand in excitement!

First bite!

CHEW, CHEW, CHEWING it!!!

All gone and happy she has a full tummy; do you think she loved them??

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Many readers have told me they are looking for recipes with "hidden" veggies so when I saw this recipe in my "Parent's" magazine, I knew I had to try it. I was so excited to test this recipe on our whole family because anything with cinnamon and blueberries is right up our alley and the best part----zucchini is hidden inside.

For those of you who do NOT like zucchini please do not be discouraged by this recipe. The zucchini flavor is completely hidden and all you taste is the blueberry cinnamon goodness! Try it and I think you will love it!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (I used regular whole wheat flour and it worked fine)
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup oil (olive oil can be used but it make change the flavor, I used vegetable oil even though I generally try to stay away from it, but on occasion its perfectly fine)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 cup blueberries

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly coat the bottom of a mini loaf pan or one regular loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine first 8 ingredients; set aside.
4. In a separate smaller bowl combine eggs, oil and vanilla; add to flour mixture and stir until combined.
5. Gently stir in zucchini and then blueberries.
6. Spoon batter in to prepared pan(s).
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes for mini loaf pans, about an hour for a 9 inch loaf pan OR until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan (tip: loosen the bread by inserting a table knife around the edges).
9. Serve warm or cool completely and re-heat to serve.

Yeild: One loaf pan or eight mini loaves.

Timing: Provided you have introduced all these ingredients seperately AND know eggs are not an allergen, I would recommend this as early as 12 months (maybe as soon as 10 months if you have a good chewer).

Storage: Fresh for a few days or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Miscellaneous: I think the bread would have been a bit more moist if I had used the pastry wheat flour, but it still turned out great.

Difficulty: 2 our of 5; pretty easy stuff for the deliciousness that it produces!

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

I was totally not surprised that Little Joy was prepared to devour as much Blueberry Zucchini Bread as I would give her. The light sweetness and hint of cinnamon seemed to tickle her fancy---this was a big hit!

Ingredients

Recipe from my "Parents" magazine

Step 3: Combine first 8 ingredients (dry ingredients)

Step 5: All ingredients combined.

Step 6: Spoon batter into pan.

Cooling

Cooling

See that grin behind the bite?

MORE!

AND MORE!

Easy, Healthy, Delicious Chili

Chili is such a great meal because it can usually be made quick, healthy, be eaten by the entire family, and covers all the food groups, which saves from needing to make multiple side dishes.  I also love Chili because everyone has their own special recipe that they love and they will compare notes with me! 

Before I found this recipe, I had my own that I could make in 10 minutes, but I have been converted.  This one takes a teeny bit longer, but its still very easy to make, and extremely healthy.  I started giving this to Little Frances at 10 months, mixed in with one part Chili, 3 parts carrot puree.  Now that she is a bit older, and has more teeth and is more open to seasonings, I give it to her as is.  I can also attest that this purees really well for younger babies or babies with fewer teeth.

I found this recipe in Deceptively Delicious with a few tiny alterations. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 chopped red onion
• 1 lb lean ground turkey or beef
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp chili powder, or to taste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 (15 oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 (26 oz) carton reduced fat, low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 finely chopped red pepper puree
• 1/2 cup carrot puree or finely chopped carrot if you don’t have any puree on hand
• 1/4 cup cornmeal (You cannot find regular degerminated ground corn meal in Russia like you can in the states, so I substituted it for a very coarsely ground corn meal that I found.  It was a happy accident because it turned out even more delicious and is probably a little bit healthier since it is pure corn without additives!  I encourage you to look for something similar in your local grocery.)
• 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
• 2 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Steps:

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium heat.
2. When the pot is hot, add the oil.
3. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, sprinkle the meat with the garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. (This is the only time I actually seasoned the meat before putting it in the pot as it seems like an unnecessary step and dirties an extra bowl.  Usually I just throw them on top of the meat afterwards and it turns out just fine.)
5. Add the meat to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink, 5 - 6 minutes.
6. Stir in the tomatoes.
7. Add the broth, red pepper, carrot, cornmeal, and flaxseed meal, and stir well.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered 15 - 20 minutes, or until the flavors have blended.
9. Stir in the beans and cook a little longer, just to heat them through.

Yield: It all depends on how much you eat, for a regular adult, 8 servings, but for me only about 6… I love this recipe so much that I usually eat until I am totally stuffed!

Storage: I plan to store this in the refrigerator for 1 week and frozen for up to 2 months.  This is not scientific.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5. This is a really, easy quick recipe to make, and it doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, which I love.

Epicutie Rating: Somewhat Yummy--See right side of page for descriptions  Even though this is big hit with mommy, Little Frances doesn’t seem to love it quite as much.  Although she doesn’t giggle when she eats it and squeal for more, she will still eat quite a bit of it and doesn’t seem to hate it.

Miscellaneous: When I told the hubs and my MIL and that I wanted to give this to Little Frances, they both looked at me like I was crazy!  Apparently they had seem Mr. Mom one too many times.  I am happy to report that this Little Frances has tried this many times without any unwelcome side effects!

Easy Peasy Baked Cod That is Always Eaten

I did not eat much seafood growing up, so this genre of recipe rarely comes to mind. However, knowing the goodness of fish, I am making a concerted effort to offer fish and other seafood to Little Joy.

There is a bit of back and forth on the timing to introduce fish to our little ones. The latest research says you can start as early as 6-7 months, but for the sake of the safety of our readers---I recommend a year.

This recipe came from wholesomebabyfood.com with some minor alterations to some of the proportions.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon ground dried thyme (I only had dried leaves and it worked fine)
• 1/8 teaspoon basil
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoons garlic powder
• Dash of ground oregano
• 3 tilipia or cod fillets - medium to small sized, washed and cleaned of course (I used individually frozen tilipia fillets, worked well...follow package instructions for thawing and cleaning if needed)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted (or less, just use what you think)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine the milk and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and all herbs/spices.
4. Dip the fillets in the milk then coat the cod with the Bread Crumb mix.
5. Place fillets in a glass baking dish, and drizzle with melted butter.
6. Bake on the top rack of the preheated oven until the fish flakes easily, about 15-25 minutes. Keep a good watch and remove from oven once you see the fish flaky.
7. Serve warm

Yield: 3 fillets; Little Joy ate 1/2-3/4 a fillet per meal.

Timing: 1 year. This food is super soft so it should be easy for your little one to chew/mash.

Storage: Fridge for 2-3 days depending on the freshness of your fish.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5; easy and fast!!

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

At first Little Joy was not sure what to do with the odd new texture of fish, but after moving it around in her mouth for a while she discovered it was yummy!! She said "mmmm" after every bit and even signed for more!

Ingredients

Step 3: Mix together bread crumbs, cheese and herbs/spices.

Step 4: My dipping and coating set up

Step 5: Pre-baking, with butter drizzled on. Looks like more butter than it really is...it seemed to roll off the fish when I poured it on.

The final product.

I served it with squash (will post about that later).

The first bite...check out that face!

Second bite...the face is improving.

This was after saying "mmmmm".

After my epicutie attacked it!!

Fast Family Frittata

I love eggs served up anyway and Little Joy so far has too, so when I saw a recipe for a Frittata in my Parent's magazine, I knew we had to try it!

You need an oven proof pan (I used a cast iron skillet) for this recipe.

ALLERGEN WARNING: This recipe has eggs and salsa in it. Eggs are a known allergen and most doctors recommend waiting until 1 year. Salsa can be spicy but it was not spicy at all in my opinion, so I was not worried about it bothering Little Joy. Just use your discretion; perhaps try it yourself first then decide (I do that A LOT).

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbls olive oil
• 1/2 of a 20 oz package (or 2.5 cups) of frozen or refrigerated hash brown potatoes (check the nutrition facts to make sure there is little sodium added, also I used more than the recipe called for since my oven proof skillet is rather larger)
• Salt and pepper (optional)
• 4 oz smoked turkey sausage (or any pre-cooked meat of your choice really)
• 1 carton (15 oz) Egg Beaters Southwestern Flavor (if you cannot find this, use regular Egg Beaters and add 1/2 cup salsa to it; OR use real eggs--I just wanted to try something different)
• 1 oz Parmesan cheese finely shredded (eye ball it)

Steps:

1. Heat oil on medium in a large oven proof non stick skillet (I only had cast iron so it stuck a little but not too bad).
2. Add potatoes and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper (optional).
3. Cook for 5-10 minutes (depends on if your potatoes where still frozen) or until the potatoes are lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
4. Press potatoes into uniform layer (this is when I realized I needed more potatoes to fit my large pan--they did not nearly cover the bottom of the pan so I just added more!)
5. Top potatoes evenly with turkey sausage/other cooked meat.
6. Cook uncovered, for 5 minutes, occasionally tilting skillet and lifting the frittata around the edges with a spatula to allow uncooked mixture to flow underneath.
7. Turn on broiler.
8. Broil 4-5 inches from the heat for 4-6 minutes or until the top is set.
9. Sprinkle with cheese.
10. Allow to stand 5 minutes before cutting (it should continue to cook while it cools).

Yield: 4-5 adult servings.

Serve: Serve warm and chopped coarsely or diced in sized appropriate for your baby's age/chewing abilities.

Timing: 12 months due to eggs. Ensure your baby can chew fairly well due to the meat in the dish; I might even recommend waiting until your little one has some molars at least part way in.

Storage: Refrigerator for several days. Do not recommend freezing.

Difficulty: 3 out of 5; I say this because it does require your full attention throughout the cooking process. It is easy and quick, but does require you to be very attentive.

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

Little Joy could not fill herself up with this enough!!!! She said "MMMM" after most every bite! We will be making this again!!

I forgot to take photos of this frittata :( Be looking for another frittata posting soon too!

Sneaky Spaghetti

Spaghetti can be sneak in so many ways, that is why it has become a staple meal for epicutie Little Joy. I do understand from other moms that tomato sauce can make some sour faces at first since it is acidic, however as we always say on this blog persevere, persevere, persevere. Also, I do not make my own sauces here; part of what I love about sneaky spaghetti is it is fast yet delicious.

I will describe the basic way I make spaghetti, then offer some sneaky additives to make your spaghetti even more nutrient packed!

Ingredients for basic spaghetti:

• Ground Turkey or Beef, optional (ground turkey seems to be packaged in 1.2-1.5 lb packages, so when I make my monthly turkey loaf batch--which calls for only 1 lb ground turkey--I reserve a bit of what I do not need for that recipe to use for this)
• Natural/Organic Spaghetti Sauce (I like the garden vegetable varieties)
• Cooked Whole Wheat Pasta (I recommend ditalini or elbow to make it an easy finger food OR starter food on a fork)
• Olive Oil

Steps for basic spaghetti:

• Boil water and add desired amount of pasta along with a dash of olive oil. Cook according to package directions.
  
• Meanwhile, brown meat and drain fat (if any).
• Add sauce to meat and heat on low simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
• Drain pasta.
• Mix pasta with sauce.
• Serve warm as a finger food or this is a great food to allow your little one to use on a fork.
  

Variations:

• Thinner Sauces/Hide the Meat: Little Joy did not always like meat, so I try to find ways to hide it. After cooking your sauce as mentioned above, place the mixture in a food chopper and puree until the meat is finely cut up. Add a bit of water as you puree it too to make the sauce a little thinner for beginners. Serve as directed above.
• Butternut Squash: After cooking your sauce, place in a food chopper and add roasted butternut squash chunks or puree (here is a link to apple butternut squash bake just omit the apples from the recipe and you have your basic butternut squash). Add however much you want. Puree until sauce reaches your desired consistency; serve as directed above!
• Lentils: Add some extra iron, protein and fiber by sneaking some lentils in your epicutie's spaghetti! After cooking your sauce as mentioned above, toss in some cooked lentils (lentils cooking tips here; I prefer red lentils). Add whatever amount you want and no need to puree because cooked lentils are soft. Serve as directed above.
• Mixed Veggies: When you begin to simmer your sauce add some frozen mixed veggies. Add whatever proportions you think. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are soft. Serve as directed above.
• Dairy: I am always looking to ways to add a bit of extra dairy to each meal since Little Joy is not a huge drinker. Sprinkle your epictutie's favorite type of cheese atop the spaghetti just before serving' your little one is SURE to love it!
• Spice it up: Spice up your sauces with herbs such as basil, oregano, garlic and parsley.
• Meatballs: Try adding our Meatballs for the Whole Family just before serving. Mash up the meatballs in a size appropriate for you child's age.

Yeild: Depends on the amount of noodles you prepare:

Storage: In the fridge for 3-5 days depending on how fresh your ingredients were. I have not attempted to freeze it yet.

Timing: Depending on the variation you choose maybe 9-10 months. For thinner spaghetti sauces and puree'd meat, 8 months is fine. For the mixed veggie variation, closer to 10 months if your little one does not have many teeth. They need to be able to chew the veggies in there. As always, watch your little one anytime they are trying a new food for allergies and struggles in chewing

Difficulty: 2 out of 5; even if you choose one of the variations, this is an easy meal!

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

No matter how you serve Little Joy spaghetti, she is IN LOVE....and makes a mess.

Meatballs for the Whole Family

I wrote a post several weeks ago for Baby Meatballs from my "Super Baby Food" book. I like that receipie because it is easy and fast, but I wanted to try something on Little Joy that we (her parents) would also give high ratings on! As I make my two week "menu" for what we will eat for dinner, I usually ask my husband for any special requests. He asked for spaghetti with meatballs. I have never made them before I thought "whew, the seem hard". NOT THE CASE! When we sampled these meatballs, I KNEW Little Joy would give it a Yummy In the Tummy, and that she did. This recipe comes from Rachel Ray on FoodNetwork.com (I have only tested the meatballs so far, but plan to try the sauce soon).

Serve this for the whole family by tossing with your favorite spaghetti sauce!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Salt and pepper (I omit salt from most of my recipes particularly those Little Joy will be eating)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Beat eggs slightly in medium-large bowl.
3. Mix in beef and Worcestershire, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Roll meat into 1 1/2 inch medium-sized meatballs (or whatever size your prefer really) and place on nonstick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet greased with extra-virgin olive oil.
5. Bake balls 10 to 12 minutes, until no longer pink.

Yield: 32 medium meatballs

Serve: Serve mashed up or cut into pieces appropriate for the age of your child. You can serve them alone along with some veggies OR mash/cut up and toss with some spaghetti (recipe review coming soon for spaghetti).

Timing: Beef is better left until 10 months. These should turn out fairly soft so if your little one can grind with his teeth some, then they should be ready to sample this food! As always, just watch your little one the first time they try a new food to ensure they are not having trouble swallowing/managing the food.

Storage: Freezer for about a month; fridge for a couple of days.

Miscellaneous: Little Joy has had these plain AND in spaghetti...either way she loved it.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5...easy, easy!!!

Epicutie Rating: Yummy In the Tummy (see right side of page for descriptions) Little Joy gobbles this up no matter how you serve it up!!!

Ingredients

Step 3: Meat mixture before forming into balls

Step 4: Shape into balls. I cooked mine on a silpat (here is one similar to mine)--I love using this anytime I bake!!!