Chicken Avocado Quesadilla

 Since avocados have been on sale, this has become a regular at my house lately--and no one is complaining! We eat this for lunch or dinner!

Ingredients

• 1 Cooked chicken breast (I throw a chicken breast in my steamer)
• 1 avocado, sliced thinly
• Shredded cheese (montery jack, monzerlla, Go Veggie! lactose free cheese--to make it dairy free)
• Butter (Earth Balance Lactose Free butter alternative to make it dairy free)
• Whole wheat tortillas
• Lime
• Salt
• Pepper

Steps

1. Preheat a griddle to 225-250 degrees.
2. Shred chicken.
3. Toss shredded chicken with a couple squeezes of lime, dash of pepper and dash of salt (optional).
4. On one half of the tortilla, place a few thinly sliced avocado pieces (I actually mash it up and spread it on the tortilla for Little Asher who is texture sensitive), some shredded chicken and a little shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla in half.
5. Put a thin layer of butter on the outside of both outside sides of the tortilla (I omit this on my quesadilla).
6. Cook on griddle until both sides are browned.
7. Allow to cool slightly and slice into triangles.

Miscellaneous: We usually eat this with crock pot vegetarian black beans (this recipe is next in the line up and I will link to it when available).

Tip:  Make the chicken ahead and put it in the fridge so that when it is time for dinner all you have to do is assemble and grill--easy!

Yield: Depends on how much chicken you use, but when we do one large chicken breast it feeds my family of four...which is about 6 quesadilla

Timing:  9-12 Months depending on your little ones ability to chew and grind and the number of teeth.  Little Asher was able to handle this cut up very small around 10 months and I would imagine Little Joy would have been around the same age had I tried it back then.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5; this is easy and can be partly made ahead.  Very few things get a 1 on difficulty from me; I reserve that for things I can do in my sleep!

Epicutie Rating (See left side of page for rating descriptions):
Little Joy:  Yummy in the Tummy; there is never a bit left of first helpings of this dish.  When she sees the griddle come out her exact words are "Is it pancakes or quesadilla??!  They are my favorite in the whole wide world!" LOL!
Little Asher:  Yummy in the Tummy; he usually finishes his before my husband and I finish ours!

Healthy Avocado Turkey Burgers

I sorta just made this up on the fly, so I hope I get the proportions of everything down ok!!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/4 cup natural apple sauce (strain it to get some of the water out)
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan
• 3/4 to 1 tablespoon Dale's Seasoning sauce (this is basically soy sauce, pepper, paprika and garlic; you could substitute for 2 teaspoons no salt seasoning mix if you do not want the salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
• Nutritional Yeast
• 1 ripe avocado
• slices of cheese (optional)
• buns

Steps:

1. Combine first five ingredients ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Form into approximately five patties
3. Sprinkle the tops of burgers with nutritional yeast (and bottom if you want; I put this on the burgers because they were SO sticky I was afraid they would stick to the flipper so its kind of superfluous)
4. Grill burgers until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees; I like to make sure its DONE.
5. Top burgers with diced avocado and cheese and serve.

Miscellaneous:  My kids love cheese so every time we have burgers I indulge, who doesn't love a good cheese burger.  My dairy intolerant son uses veggie slices.

Timing:  Burgers are challenging; I would not give this until at least 18 months OR you can do it bun-less, deconstructed and cut up very small starting around one if they have a head full of teeth like mine did!

Difficulty: 1 out of 5; I made this up on the fly so it HAD to be easy!

Epicutie Rating (see left side of page for rating descriptions): Double Yummy in the Tummy's

• Little Joy:  Yummy in the Tummy; she scarfed down half a burger like it was nothing!
• Little Asher:  Yummy in the Tummy; Although it was hard for him to chew and tear into, he polished of his half of the burger without encouragement!

Broccoli Orzo

My friend made this for Little Joy and I one day because her Epicutie, Little Kate, LOVES it. We agree and even my texture picky Little Asher loves it two, with some lower dairy alterations of course. I love it too; I always enjoy a serving at lunch when we make it.

Try this. Try this. Try this.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• 1 to 2 large bunches of fresh broccoli; alter amount to your taste
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (Parmesan cheese doesn't bother little Asher like most cheeses)
• 1/4 cup sharp cheese, shredded (I substituted one slice of sharp veggie slices so Little Asher could try it) more or less to your taste
• splash to one tablespoon milk (we used almond milk)
• dash pepper

Steps:

1. Prepare orzo according to package instructions
2. Steam broccoli and finely chop
3. Mix all ingredients together
4. Serve warm

Timing: 9 months as long as the ingredients have been introduced alone first to determine allergies.

Storage: 3 to 5 days in the fridge. I don't recommend freezing this.

Tip: You can boil the broccoli with the orzo to make this even easier and less clean up. I opt to steam because a) I have a steamer and b) steaming retains more nutrients than boiling. But we are mommys and sometimes we just have to focus on saving time.

Difficulty: 1 out of 5. Other than a purée this might be the easiest recipe I have posted!

Epicutie Rating:

-Little Joy: Yummy in The Tummy; Every time my friend or I has made this for Little Joy she eats it up fast!

Little Asher: Yummy in the Tummy; I was surprised little Asher loved this because he does not like the texture of broccoli; thats why I chop it up real fine. And he loves it. It tastes like broccoli so it's texture not taste. The first time I made this he ate so much I had to cut him off!!

I love to eat this too so it's on put short list now!!! Thanks to Little Kate's mom for letting us post and review the recipe!

Veggie Frittatas

 Easy, delicious and good for you!!!!

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray or preferably silicone cupcakes liners
• 4 eggs
• 3-4 tablespoons milk (eye ball it)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup your favorite cheese, shredded or cheese blend (I have done part skim mozzarella  cheddar, cheddar/Parmesan combo, colby, etc)
• 4 whole sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil and chopped
• 1/3 cup green pepper, chopped

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Spray muffin tin with spray or line with silicon liners
3. In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk and salt.
4. Optional:  Place bell peppers in a small bowl with water, cover and microwave for one minute to soften the peppers.  My Little Asher does not prefer the pepper crunch and I do not min accommodating.
5. Add peppers, tomatoes and cheese to egg mixture--stir to combine.
6. Distribute mixture evenly among 12 muffin cups.
7. Bake at 375 for 14 minutes.

ALLERGY ALERT:  EGGS

Timing:  One year due to eggs.

Storage:  In the fridge for 2 days.  Microwave well to reheat.

Difficulty: 1 out of 5; Honestly the hardest part is chopping and the chopping is minimal here.  This is fast breakfast or even a breakfast for dinner option! 

Nutrition:  (using part skim mozzarella, per frittata) 36 calories; 3 g protein; 2 g fat

Tip:  The silicone liners are a HUGE time savor.  They make clean up fast and serving them even easier.  If you do not have any, its a great kitchen "gadget" for not much money.

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

• Little Joy:  Yummy in the Tummy;  She liked these even better the second time I made them--she ate three along with a pancake!
• Little Asher:  Yummy in the Tummy;  The first time we served this we only had the  frittatas and fruit and he ate like four of them.  The second time we served them we had pancakes with it since it was breakfast with dinner and he put up a fight because he wanted pancakes.  He is the strong willed one. He still loved it though, just wanted to let us know he wanted pancakes MORE--who doesnt?

Mixture

Before baking

Done!

Done!

YUMM!

WHAT IS THIS??

Pumpkin Ravioli

Pasta is always easy and fun for toddlers, so it's always on my short list. This recipe comes from Double Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. Since the cheese is cooked and part skim we decided to try it on Little Asher, no horrible reactions just some lower stomach issues.

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz) can white kidney beans; drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup part skim ricotta
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 3/4 garlic powder
• dash of salt
• 1 egg
• 72 wonton papers
• cornstarch
• Your favorite marinara sauce microwaved until warm

Steps:

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
2. Place beans, pumpkin, ricotta, Parmesan and garlic in a food processor and purée until smooth.
3. In a small bowl beat the egg with a tablespoon of water.
4. Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornstarch.
5. Set wonton papers on a cutting board. Place one tablespoon of the pumpkin mixture into the center of the wrapper. Brush the edges with the egg wash. Top off with another wonton paper. Press firmly together.
6. Place the ravioli on the baking sheet. When all the ravioli is ready, carefully place them in the lightly boiling water using a slotted spoon.
7. As soon as the rise to the top of the pot, about five minutes, they are done. Divide among 6 bowls and top with marinara sauce. Serve immediately.

Tip: Next time I make these I will use ONE wonton paper and half the filling to make the ravioli smaller and easier for toddlers to pick up. I will fold the wonton paper in half vs using two papers per ravioli.

Storage: After cooking, 3-5 days in the fridge. I recommend refrigerating IN the sauce. I froze some uncooked ravioli a for quick meal in the future.

Timing: 10 months; super easy to chew!

Difficulty: 4 out of 5; It's only high on the difficulty scale because filling the ravioli is time consuming and once out start making this recipe you can't really stop for long.

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

• Little Asher: Yummy In The Tummy; holy gobble fest!!!!! After I cut I the ravioli he devoured three!
• Little Joy: Yummy In The Tummy; Little Joy quickly ate two ravioli without prompting. She even loved it left over. Little Asher wasn't as big a fan of the left over version :)
• Kelly: love it!!!!!!

Ready to serve

Cutting her first bit; this was a messy food---bib required this time!

Trying it!

"HMMM Mommy!"

I didnt get his first reaction but as soon as I took Little Joys picture---look how much he had eaten!

MORE!!!

Welcome to Our Newest Epicutie

Congratulations to my co-author, dear friend and wonderful mother on the arrival of her second child-A GIRL!!  And also a big congratulation to proud big sister Little Frances!

Epicutie Little Elizabeth

February 25, 2013

12:57 PM

6lbs 15 oz

19.25 inches

She looks just like Little Frances!!

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!