Apple and Butternut Squash Soup

We had a big snow a few days ago (more is headed this way) and nothing says snow to me than homemade soup.  Of course, I look for any reason to make soup.  This simple recipe comes from a 2011 issue of Parents magazine; the cut out had slipped to the bottom of my pile!

This is on the fall/winter short list, the whole family enjoyed it!  It was easy, healthy and delish!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 lbs butternut squash, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes (approx. 3.5 cups)
• 2 medium apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth

Steps:

1. In a large pot, heat oil on medium heat.
2. Add carrots, celery and onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until tender and starting to brown.
3. Add squash, apples and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.
4. Cool slightly.
5. Puree soup in batches using a food processor or all at once using an immersion blender.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield:  Six adult servings.

Timing:  9 months; its like a puree so it should be easy to serve up to baby.  Just be sure to test these ingredients separate first to ensure no allergies.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5; the hardest part is peeling and cutting the squash.  It is VERY easy as far as soups go and it does not require a lot of attention while it cooks--which is always good for me!

Tip:  Chop everything but the apples earlier in the day or the night before to save time at dinner prep time.  This time of the day is always the most chaotic for me...kids waking up from naps (sometimes too early), daddy coming home, making dinner, kids getting hungry, etc.  So anything I can do to save time and minimize chaos around dinner time is great!

Nutrition Facts:  For those of you counting, 185 calories, 6g protein, 4g fat, 6g fiber, 88mg calcium,

Epicutie Ratings (see left side of page for descriptions)

• Little Joy: Yummy in the Tummy; Gobbled up a whole bowl without stopping.  She's been pushing back on foods and feeding herself every since her little brother has joined our meals.
• Little Asher: Yummy in the Tummy; Fussed every time I put the bowl down to take a bite of my own soup!!  I decided to feed him because I thought a liquid soup would be a catastrophic mess!

Personal BBQ Pizzas, A Non dairy version too!

This recipe is inspired by one I found in Parents magazine, which if you follow my posts much you will see I gain inspiration from often!

I am constantly on the prowl for things I can make a dairy free (or low dairy) for my sweet Little Asher. What I love about this dish is its personal pizzas...easy to make a dairy free one for him and dairy filled for my Little Joy! Aside from dough rolling, this was an easy and delicious and healthy lil dinner. I generally do not like BBQ pizzas but this even I enjoyed! It's in the make once a month list!

Ingredients:

• whole wheat pizza dough (I used my bread machine and made 8-4 inch pizzas, you could buy prepared dough; my homemade dough was dairy free)
• 5 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• 1 medium carrot finely shredded (I used a zester)
• 1 chicken breast cooked and chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• Monzerella cheese/veggie cheese
• olive oil

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Roll dough into 4 inch personal pizzas and place on a greased cookie sheet.
3. Using a fork, poke holes in the crust and brush with olive oil.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 8 minutes (I baked my extra personal pizza crusts and then froze them for a quick pizza another day).
5. Meanwhile, place sauce and carrots in a small sautée pan and summer for 5 minutes (you could probably skip this step but I wanted my carrots soft)
6. After the crust is done baking, top it with sauce, chicken peppers (I steamed mine with a little water for 2 minutes to soften to make them a little easier for the kids to eat) and cheese of choice.
7. Return to oven for an additional 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.
8. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
9. ENJOY!

Yield: Depends on the amount of dough you use. I made 8 pizza crusts from one batch of dough in my bread machine.

Timing: Pizza can be tough, so depending on teeth I would say 12 to 15 months. If your little one is good with his molars then this pizza is fine!

Difficulty: 3 out of 5
It really was easy minus the homemade dough part.

Epicutie Rating:
Little Joy: Yummy in the Tummy...she gobbled up a little over half a pizza (in addition to steamed carrots and fruit)
Little Asher: Yummy in the Tummy...he ate 3/4 of a pizza!!! Yummmm!

This is going in the short list!

Precooked crusts....presentation is not my strong suit, I aim for TASTE!

Step 5: Simmer sauce

Toppings

Dairy free pizza ready to go!

Dairy filled pizzas ready to go!

Yum!

Little Asher's cheese melts a bit different :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe was inspired by the greatest chef I know, my mother. It's simple yet scrumptious. Soup soothes the soul on a cold day, we love soup! Soups can be difficult for young children not only because of the broth but because of all the varying textures. However, I am happy to report both my epicuties loved this simple soup, even the texture adverse Little Asher!
Ingredients:
-4 medium carrots, finely diced
-4 celery stalks, finely diced
-1/2 to 1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
-2-4 tablespoons olive oil (could use butter instead or half butter, half olive oil)
-1/4 cup flour
-10 1/2 cups chicken stock (more or less depending how much broth you want; I used Knoors chicken stock concentrate and loved it)
-Store cooked Rotisserie chicken, per cooked (this was left over from dinner a few nights before)
-Wheat egg noodles (amount depends on how many noodles you like)
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-Frozen peas (amount it to your liking)
Steps:
1) Heat oil in large stock pot and add onions, carrots and celery. Sautée until all veggies are soft.
2) Add flour and cook for two more minutes.
3) Gradually add chicken stock until boiling.
4) Add coarsely chopped chicken and uncooked noodles, bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until noodles are cooked to al dente
5) Add salt and pepper to taste.
6) Add frozen peas and cook for 3-5 more minutes.
Serve: We used kitchen scissors to coarsely chop the soup and removed the majority of the broth for Little Asher. We cut the noodles up slightly for little joy but gave her broth!
Yield: oh way too much. Like 10!!!!
Timing: 9 months. Everything was super set and easy to gum with very few teeth, especially if you coarsely chop it.
Difficulty: 3 out of 5; I only give it what high of a rating because the chopping can be time consuming. Minus the chopping this is a one. Tip: chop the day before or earlier in the day when kiddos are sleeping.
Epicutie Rating:
Little Joy: Yummy in the Tummy; "mmmm mommy thanks for dinner, I love it" followed by her cheese ball smile.
Little Asher: Yummy in the Tummy; He polished off two bowls, which totally surprised us!!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Apple Cinnamon Pork Roast

I love slow cooker recipes   LOVE them.  The time just leading into dinner is so crazy-Daddy getting home from work, Little Asher just getting up from nap, Little Joy finishing nap and video time, dinner getting finished-its like a giant chaotic convergence!  Slow cooker meals allow me to do all the cooking/prep during a quiet time and minimize the chaos.

This recipe is inspired by one from Parents Magazine.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2.5-3 lb pork loin roast (tenderloin if its on sale)
• 1-2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium sweet onion cut into thin slices
• 3/4 apple cider (or apple juice but cider is better)
• 2 Jonagold apples, cored and thinly sliced (save the core)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 16 oz bag coleslaw mix (half the bag is actually plenty)

Steps:

1. Trim edges of roast if it will not fit in your slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle roast with salt, pepper and thyme.
3. Heat oil in large pan.
4. Place roast in hot oil and sear on all sides (until slightly brown) .
5. Layer onion in bottom of slow cooker and place roast on top.
6. Pour apple cider over roast.
7. Cover and cook on high for 2-2.5 hours.
8. While the meat is cooking, core apples and thinnly slice.  Toss the cores in the slow cooker.
9. Place apples in a ziplock along with lemon juice and cinnamon.  Shake the bag well to coat the apples.  Place the apples in the fridge (this way everything is ready to serve).
10. After meat is cooked (2-2.5 hours), remove cores, add apples and add slaw mix.
11. Cover and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.
12. Remove roast and place on a platter.  Allow to rest for ten minutes.
13. Using a slotted spoon transfer veggies to the platter and drizzle cooking juices over meat and veggies.

Timing:  Meat can be chewy, I would wait until one year.  Our pork was very tender though so depending on how experienced an eater you have, it could be offered earlier.

Storage:  Fridge 3-5 days.

Yield: 8 servings

Difficulty:  2 out of 5; Like I said, I love slow cooker meals and this one was different than the usual over cooked veggie slow cooker meals.  It cook about 15 minutes to prep everything and then a couple hours to cook---I would say that's easy!

Epicutie Ratings:

• Little Joy:  Yummy in the Tummy minus the slaw.  I figured the kids wouldnt be keen on the slaw, but she loved the apples, onions and meat!
• Little Asher:  Somewhat Yummy minus the slaw.  He liked the meat and apples ok...he doesnt LOVE anything thats not a fruit :/  He is my strong willed one, LOL!

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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!

Sage Scented Fettuccine and Butternut Squash and Chicken

I found this recipe on www.godariyfree.com and tweaked it to work with the ingredients I had on hand.  WE LOVED THIS!!!  And it felt so....FALL!

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
• 1 Pound Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and dice into 1/4-inch cubes
• Sea Salt
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock (mine was homemade using a variation of this recipe: Chicken Stock)
• 1 Yellow Onion, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 Cup White Wine
• 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Tablespoon Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar**
• 1/2 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar**
• 2 Teaspoons Rubbed Sage
• 6 Ounces Fettuccine 
• 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast (I could not find this so I omitted it, but it is a great substitute for cheese, I plan on ordering some and trying this again)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Fresh Sage Leaves, optional
• 6 chicken tenderloins
• garlic powder

**Alternatively use 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar instead of Raspberry Balsamic and White Winne Vinegar; the original recipe called for this but I had to improvise because I did no realize I was out!

Steps (fettuccine):

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the squash, sprinkle with salt, and cook for 5 minutes. Don’t worry if the squash starts to break apart.
• Add the chicken stock and cook, still stirring gently until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 7 minutes.
• Add the onion and season with a little more salt. Cook until the onion begins to soften, 3 minutes.
• Add the wine, and cook until moisture is almost evaporated and mixture is caramelized.
• Stir in the maple syrup, vinegars, and sage. Keep warm.
• Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Drain the pasta and return it to the hot pot.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper to taste; toss to combine.
• Add the vegetable mixture to the pasta and toss again to combine.
• Serve hot garnished with fresh sage leaves, if using.

Steps (chicken):

• Cut chicken into bit size pieces.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
• Place chicken in pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder--this is to taste.
• Flip chicken and sprinkle again.
• Remove from heat when cooked through.

Serve:  Serve the chicken and the pasta tossed together or the chicken on the side; we served it separate and just mixed some bites together and others not.  We did remove the larger pieces of onion before serving it to our 11 month old; our 2 year old did not notice the onions mixed in.

Yield: 4 servings

Timing:  Due to the wine and spices I would recommend around a year.  Little Asher was 11 months and is still cutting 6 teeth on top (not all the way in) and he ate it all fine.  He ate the chicken chunk-ed up just fine too!

Storage: 3-5 days in the fridge.  I am going to attempt to freeze the "sauce" to see if it reheats well; I would imagine so.

Difficulty:  3 out of 5; I ONLY give this a 3 because I had to stand over it and stir.  Anything that I have to stand over while I have a 1 and 2 year old running/crawling around automatically gets difficult.  However, no kids---this is a 2 easily.

Epicutie Rating (see left side of page for descriptions)

• Little Joy:  Somewhat Yummy; she joyfully ate it but like most two year olds she just acted difficult when she saw we were thrilled she loved it (because we loved it too).  She ate a big helping of noodles.
• Little Asher:  Yummy in the Tummy; Little Asher has been funny with finger foods.  Around 9 months he did not want anything to do with purees and then around 11 months he decided purees were preferred (we chalk it up to cutting 8 teeth the past month). BUT thats how we knew he loved this---he gobbled up a TON even after a full meal of purees.  SCORE!