Weekend recipe: Smoothie pops

Yeah, I know it's January. But in my head, I like to pretend it's June. Helps me get through the cold drizzly times.
Adding fuel to my is-it-summer-yet fire, is a sweet set of Tupperware popsicle molds I found tucked away in my father-in-laws cupboard. It's pretty much the exact same set I used as a child in the 19(ahem)80s(ahem) to make pudding pops (I was a cultish follower of Bill Cosby. It was the 80s.) and fruit pops and frozen Kool-Aid. Anyway, enough popsicle-induced flashback.
Suffice to say, I found inspiration. I added it up in my head, and the sum was "total yes."
- I'm trying to find different ways to get Josie to eat more fruit and take more liquids [TMI: But the switch to whole milk has created some problems...let's just say in the back porch area.]
- I wish it were summer.
- I love playing with popsicle molds.
- And, it turns out, my father-in-law is a huge fan of smoothies.
So here I go!

Smoothie pops

Very berry good!

Time
Prep time is about 15 minutes
Freeze time is a few hours
Ingredients and Equipment
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup frozen fruit (Go nuts. Mix and match. I like blueberries, strawberries, mango and peaches. You could also try pineapple. And grocery stores sell beaucoup kinds of frozen fruit mixes. Fresh fruit may be used, but you may have to add ice to get the smoothie effect, and I find that approach can yield watery drinks)
- A couple tablespoons of yogurt (I like vanilla yogurt, but fruit flavors or plain would work. With plain, you may have a tarter, less sweet smoothie)
- A few splashes of milk (just enough to get things moving in the blender. You could also use soy milk — just make sure your little one is OK with that.)
- Blender
- Popsicle mold set
Directions
- Dump everything in blender and puree until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the smoothie into the popsicle molds and freeze until hard.

"I wish it were summer, too, Mommy."

P.S. If you aren't down with the whole pops thing, just make the smoothie. Also, if you're not fortunate enough to find Tupperware popsicle-making treasure in your or someone else's pantry, go kitchen gangsta and pour the smoothie into Dixie cups and insert plastic spoons (preferably filched from a fastfood restaurant) as sticks.

Weekend recipe: turkey pasta bake

Ugh. I've thought about posting this for days. But between battling the laundry monster, scheduling and then fretting about job interviews, making lists, losing lists, making new lists and chasing around a toddler...I sorta forgot. Sorry, y'all. One week soon, maybe I'll actually post a weekend recipe on the weekend.
Then again, like this turkey pasta bake...perhaps the idea gets better the next day.
I came up with this recipe as a way to repurpose leftover Christmas turkey (like leftover Thanksgiving turkey, just jollier). Really, I ended up stretching the turkey out longer. But no one complained. Not even after the third day.
In fact, it really did get better the next day. And not only did my husband, father-in-law and teenage niece like it, so did my little gobbler Josie. Then again, who doesn't like a simple, warm meal to cheer us up after the post-Christmas doldrums set in?

Turkey Pasta Bake
Time
About an hour
Ingredients and Equipment
-13-oz box whole wheat thin spaghetti
-extra virgin olive oil
-1 bunch green onions
-1 clove of garlic
-leftover turkey, pulled off the bone and shredded
-14-oz can stewed tomatoes (you can add 2 cans if you like)
-1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (dried oregano, thyme, parsley)

-salt and pepper

-1 cup whole or reduced-fat milk
-2 tablespoons flour (preferred Wondra)
-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra in reserve
-about 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (mozzarella or any other kind would work just as well)
-pasta pot
-large sauce pan or deep-sided skillet
-baking dish (9x13 or so)
-spray oil
Directions
- Boil spaghetti noodles in a large pot with lots of salted water.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Trim and finely slice green onions. Then add them to a large sauce pan or skillet with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Saute over medium low heat.
- Mince garlic and add to pan.
- Once green onions and garlic cook down, add the turkey, stewed tomatoes, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, pour a cup of milk. Then dissolve the Wondra or flour in the milk before pouring the mixture into the pan with the turkey mixture.
- Add Parmesan cheese. Mix well and allow all ingredients to come to a simmer.
- Drain the pasta and add to the turkey sauce. Toss well.
- Add the pasta and sauce to a baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with oil. Then, top with shredded cheese and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
- Pop in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and there is a golden, bubbly crust.

Yogurt? I love yogurt.

Seriously, I think she does. Maybe too much.

Yogurt and her favorite pastas are the only things she'll allow me to spoon feed her. While both make her happy, only one makes a considerable mess. (Which deep down, kind of makes me happy. I'm not yet out of  the sloppy-baby-covered-in-food-oh-look-she's-so-cute phase. Soon, though. Soon.)
And I'd feel guiltier ('cause seriously point me out a momma who couldn't feel guiltier) about the sugar in her organic blueberry yogurt if it weren't so high in protein, calcium and vitamins A & D. At least, I point those things out to my conscience when I do start to fret about the sugar.
Speaking of sugar, look at the monster that greeted me when I went to pick up my daughter from her day care Halloween party

Little lady was tweaking like Andy Dick after an all-nighter.
Day care gave her class cupcakes, cheese puffs, fried chicken strips and bananas. All things the parents brought for the party, mind you. Yeah. Guess who brought the bananas? And yeah. Guess who ate the bananas?
Ah well, it was a special occasion. And we did try.
Truthfully, she had a great time and was super cute covered in frosting. I just hope these moments really are only special occasions. I don't want to raise a sugar monster.

Weekend recipe: baby quiche

The other day I was soliciting breakfast ideas for Josie after falling into a rut of cereal and fruit. Thanks to kind hearted readers, I am regaining my mojo. Josie thanks you, too.

One of the ideas that has gone over really well so far is from my coworker Lisa. She said to bake eggs in a muffin pan, like quiches. I tweaked the idea by adding cottage cheese, which Josie is crazy about.

These quiches won my heart because they are easy to make, easy to store and made with whole foods. Josie fell in love with their eggy, cheesy goodness.

Breakfast bachelor No.1, step up and introduce yourself.

Baby Quiche

(Does not contain real baby)

Time

15 minutes

Ingredients and Equipment

This recipe should yield six quiches.

- 6 egg yolks (save the whites for a healthy grown-ups' omelet)

- 1 heaping cup cottage cheese

- pinch of dried chives (optional)

- muffin pan

Directions

In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, cottage cheese and chives. Pour the mixture evenly into a muffin pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 5-10 minutes, until the tops are firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

(NOTE: I didn't use a nonstick muffin pan and discovered I should have sprayed the bottom with oil. Also, my muffin pan had 12 muffin cups. So, I poured a little water into the six empty cups so that the heat would be even. I think the water also added some steam and helped keep the quiches from drying out.)

Please sir, I want some more

Actually, it was more like, "Daddy, if you don't give me some more cheesy tomato pasta I'm going to FLIP OUT!!!!"

Yeppers. That was the scene this evening at the feeding Josie table.

Daddy was giving Josie dinner while Mommy was getting dressed for date night. (Can I get a hallelujah!) And because it's Friday, we thought Josie should also enjoy one of her favorite meals. Cheesy tomato pasta (this time mixed with a cube of pureed chicken).

She was in carbo-dairy bliss. That is until the spoon hit the bottom of the bowl.

I swear I've never seen her do this before. She scrunched her face into a prune. Turned red. Let out a piercing howl. And followed it up with deep growl.

Part of me was deeply flattered that she enjoyed what I made her so much. The other part of me was kind of scared.

Luckily, before we lost any fingers to Chompers Eatemup, Chris got her some baby quiche.

Man, those Polish fressin' genes are dominant!

Land shark

The central Mississippi land shark may be a smallish creature during her infancy. But even at 20 pounds, she circles dens and dining rooms and kitchens with a ferocious appetite.

And though toothless, her jaws manage to overpower the unfortunate morsels that find themselves in her way.

Here, we see her helpless prey is a strawberry yogurt melt. She has not met many of these in her short lifetime. Still, it seems this cunning predator is set on attack.

Perhaps the most dangerous feature of the land shark, besides her appetite, is her lightning fast phalanges. Indeed, this is a feat of anatomy her oceanic cousins wished they possessed.

And what the land shark lacks in toothage, she more than makes up for with powerful grip and gaping jaw. CHOMP!

Poor yogurt melt never saw her coming. We can only hope it didn't have a family.

Weekend recipe: croque bebe

Here's my sigh of relief. Josie is recovering this weekend from a viral cold that burned her up for about a day and took away her appetite. But she woke up Saturday morning just in time for brunch.

I was so happy that she was game for a meal and sweet talked my man — THE BREAKFAST MASTER — into making our little bunny a special treat. Cue the bread. Cue the cheese.

Croque Bebe

This is a play on the French comfort food croque monsieur, which is sort of a savory, eggy grilled bread with ham and cheese. Except, no ham and sandwichified. (Oooh. That's a $10 word I just made up.)

And it is another recipe borrowed from What to Expect the First Year and tweaked. (We also cut the recipe in half because the serving size seemed too large.)

Time

Less than 20 minutes

Ingredients and Equipment

- 1 egg yolk

- 1/8 cup formula or breast milk

- about an ounce of sliced cheddar, Swiss or American cheese

- 1 slice of whole wheat bread cut in half; crusts removed

- vegetable oil cooking spray

- saute pan or griddle

Directions

- Beat the egg yolk and formula/breast milk together in a bowl

- Sandwich the cheese between the two pieces of bread. Soak the sandwich in the egg mixture until it absorbs the liquid.

- Spray pan or griddle with oil and cook sandwich over medium heat until it is golden brown on both sides (about five minutes). Make sure not to burn either side.

- Cut the sandwich into small pieces and serve warm. (The sandwich should be served on the day it is made. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in a toaster oven at 325 degrees for a snack later in the day.

Mmmm...grilled, cheesy, eggy, good.

Post Script: Our dog, Maxine, liked it too. The chunks that didn't make it into Josie's mouth somehow found a way into hers. (Next time, I'll get a photo of that.)

Just a handful of cheese helps the spinach go down

Yep. Mary Poppins said it best.

Tonight, I made Josie spinach, which she apparently hasn't quite warmed up to despite a semi-warm reception for the saag aloo I made a while back.

Perhaps, the texture is to blame. Or the verdant, grassy flavor. Eh, it's new.

Josie took a tentative bite, opened her mouth and removed the food with her hands. Then, she ran it through the fuzz that has sprouted atop her coconut noggin. It was cute, but it was not eatin'.

In a stroke of brilliance, my husband handed me a secret weapon: a bag of shredded cheese. The bag was on the dining room table because the grown-ups were having black bean chili over rice. (When's pay day? Can I get an amen?)

I put a pinch of shredded cheese on her high chair, which she had painted with spinach, and, of course, she shoved it enthusiastically into her face.

And she didn't care that globs of spinach were going in with it. So, (again brilliantly) my husband suggests mixing more cheese with the rest of the spinach. Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!

We all won.

I love stories that end happily.

Weekend recipe: cheesy tomato pasta

Last week, one of Josie's daycare teachers told us that she has started "chewing" her food more — quite a feat for someone who STILL has no teeth. "I think she's wanting something a little more...chunky," she said.

And I've noticed Josie setting a pick more and more when I'm feeding her purees and stage 2 foods. She wants to grab the spoon. She wants to grab handfuls of puree. She wants to finger paint and style her hair with it. But she does not want to eat it.

So, I promised to start making more toothsome...no, gumsome...foods for Josie. I know that there are stage 3 foods out there, but after looking at the labels I've decided to avoid them if I can. It seems this is the stage where the unpronounceable ingredients appear. Not to say I'm against ever using them, but I haven't found a reason to yet.

This afternoon, I turned to a few mommy how-to books for guidance. I tried out two recipes and both seem to have turned out fairly well. I'm posting the one Josie gobbled up for lunch.

Cheesy Tomato Pasta

(Adapted from What to Expect the First Year)

Time

20 minutes or less

Ingredients and Equipment

- 2 or 3 ounces of pasta, preferably whole wheat and small in shape

(I used one called ditalini, but you could use small penne and slice it up after it has cooked)

- 1/2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

- 1 ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and diced

- 1 tablespoon of cottage cheese

- 1/4 cup of shredded cheese such as cheddar

- small saute pan

- food processor

Directions

- Cook pasta in boiling water until very soft (not al dente)

- Peel tomato by placing it in simmering water for a couple of minutes and then directly into cold water. The skin should slip right off.

- Squeeze out the seeds and cut into small pieces. Saute in olive oil, on medium heat for a couple of minutes.

- Remove the tomato from heat and stir in cottage cheese and shredded cheese, stirring to make a sauce.

- Mix pasta and sauce

- Blend to desired texture in the food processor

IF YOUR BABY CAN HANDLE LARGE, SOFT PIECES AND IS GOOD AT SELF-FEEDING: Mix the pasta and sauce, let it cool and serve. Since Josie is just moving up to chunky food, I put the pasta and sauce in a food processor — but just long enough to blend everything into pea-sized pieces.

Also, I found my tomato gave off a lot of water. But that was fine because I was blending everything. If you're serving this to an older baby who doesn't need blended food, you may want to drain some of the juice off the sauteed tomato before adding the cheeses.

YUM!