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: back to basics

First off, an apology. Sorry this weekend recipe is late. I'm not a fan of tardiness (Thanks Kim Zolciak for making that word hip). I'm also not a fan of tummy bugs, and this bug was mean and nasty. Let's just say I was in no shape to write, much less think, about food.
But after swigging some Pedialyte and balling up on the couch for 36 hours, I'm on the mend. And I'm ready to talk baby food makin'. Let's get it on.
When I decided to make Josie's food, I knew I wanted her first bite to be something nutritious, gentle and sweet but not too sugary. So I picked sweet potato.
Whatever you pick, making purees is actually pretty easy, is cheaper than buying premade, doesn't require any special kitchen appliances (as long as you have, pots and pans and a blender or food processor) and takes less time than slapping on sweats and shoes and driving to the grocery store.
Back to basics
Here's the basic recipe for any single fruit or veggie puree. For first stage food, the texture should be similar to cream. Once baby has been introduced to a variety and has moved on to stage two, you are free to mix and match as you please. Also, if you find yourself lacking ideas, go peruse the baby food aisles.
Time
30 minutes or less
Ingredients and Equipment
Here's where you have options. I'm lucky enough to have access to a farmers market from summer to mid-fall, and I really enjoyed picking out produce that was in season. I knew it was fresh and flavorful. But truth be told, I found some frozen vegetables worked just as well. I never used canned because of the high salt content and general not-fresh flavor.
I've listed some of our favorite fruits and vegetables, though feel free to run wild.
- Fresh vegetable: Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, broccoli
- Frozen vegetable: sweet peas, green beans, lima beans, spinach
- Fresh fruits: peaches, mango, apple, blueberries, pears (fruits such as bananas and avocados can be pureed and served raw)
- Frozen fruits: peaches, mango, blueberries, cherries
- Steamer pot, stew pot, oven or microwave
- blender or food processor
- sieve (optional)
Directions
Again, more options when it comes to cooking methods.
- Wash all fruits and vegetables and remove any peels, skins, rinds or seeds. Then, cut into manageable pieces.
- Steaming: great for squash, carrots, broccoli. Place pieces in a slotted or colander like basket over boiling water, cover and cook until tender.
- Baking: great for sweet potatoes, yams or any kind of potato. (In a hurry? Just prick some holes in the skin with a fork, pop in the microwave and nuke until the flesh is tender. Cut in half and scoop out.)
- Stewing: great for any fruit or frozen vegetables. Add a little water to the pot and simmer until tender.
You see, tender is the optimal condition here.
- Puree: Place the fruit or vegetable in a blender or food processor. Thin with breastmilk, formula or cooking liquid and blend until smooth.
- Strain: This is really only necessary for stringy or fibrous vegetables and fruits (green beans, mango, sweet peas)
- Store: Pour purees into ice cube trays and allow them to freeze overnight. Pop out the cubes (pre-portioned; about a tablespoon each) into a plastic freezer bag, label and keep up to a month.
Ta da! Now get on it, y'all!

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.)

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!

Weekend recipe: peaches and mango

Josie is a big fan of fruit with cereal, either oatmeal or barley, for breakfast on weekdays.

One of her all-time favorites this summer has been peaches. We were fortunate enough to get Chilton County, Ala., peaches at our farmers market (Eat it Georgia! Chilton County peaches are DA BEST!). So the other day, when our grocery store had some good looking, ripe mangoes on sale , I scooped one up. Turns out mangoes and peaches make a great combination.

Peaches and Mango

(Moms, I think you are also going to like this one. Yes, for yourself. Because when baby's down for a nap, just sneak two frozen cubes of the puree into a fluted glass and top with prosecco or sparkling wine for a delicious bellini.)

Time

Less than 20 minutes prep to finish

Ingredients and Equipment

- About 3 large, ripe peaches or 5 smaller ones (Ripeness is important because you don't want to add sweeteners, especially processed sugar, to baby foods.)

- One ripe mango

- Blender/food processor

- Saucepan

- Ice cube trays

Directions

- Peel and dice peaches and mango

- Add to saucepan and cook on medium heat (You don't need to add any liquid because, if the fruit is ripe, it will release its own juice. But if your baby requires a thinner puree, go ahead and add a little water. More can be added during the blending.)

- Stir occasionally so fruit does not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Once fruit starts to soften and bubble, turn off heat and let cool.

- Puree in a blender or food processor to the desired texture: total puree for wee ones, chunky for older babies

- Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, you can transfer the cubes to an airtight, plastic bag to keep in your freezer for a couple of months (if it lasts that long).