Sweet Potato Minestrone

Filled with healthy antioxidants, this recipe makes enough minestrone to freeze for baby, or share with the entire family!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large stalks celery, chopped
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 large carrots, sliced thin
• 6 ounces green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 5 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. 
2. Saute onion, celery, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper until tender, about 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in tomatoes, with the juice, broth, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and garlic. 
4. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Filed under: Carrots, Celery, Family, Freezer Friendly, garlic, Green Beans, Recipes, Sweet Potato, Vegetables, baby food, carrots, Celery, family friendly, Freezer Friendly, garlic, green beans, homemade, onion, recipe, soup, Sweet Potato, sweet potatoes, toddler, vegetarian

Lasagna: Italian Dinner for the Whole Family

As Baby K gets older and is able to eat more complex meals, I find it easier at times to prepare parts of our family meals for her. Lasagna is a family favorite at my house, and I’ve adapted my tried and true recipe to suit her needs as well. As a bonus, both the family portion and baby’s portion are freezer friendly!

Ingredients

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef (or turkey)
• 1 jar of organic, basic tomato sauce
• 12 oz shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1 12 oz container of cottage cheese
• 1 package whole wheat oven ready lasagna
• 1/4 cup whole wheat tiny pasta for baby (I used acini di pepe)
• 1 diced tomato
• 1/4 finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 tbs dried parsley
• 2 whole bay leaves

Instructions

1. Brown ground beef (or turkey) in pan, drain excess fat if any and return to pan.
2. Add chopped onions and continue to cook on low for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently
3. As onions start to turn translucent, add chopped mushrooms, garlic and tomato, continue cooking for about 5 minutes
4. Stir in tomato sauce and bay leaves, bring to a boil
5. Remove mixture from heat
6. Remove bay leaves

Baby’s Dinner

1. Cook baby’s pasta, drain, rinse and set aside
2. Remove about a cup of the beef and sauce mixture and place into a mixing bowl
3. Add 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, mix well
4. Blend this mixture into a puree
5. Combine with baby’s pasta
6. Add 1/2 tbs of dried parsley if desired
7. Serve, or pour into ice cube trays, cover, freeze overnight and store

Family’s Dinner

1. In an ungreased 9×13 pan or 2 9×9 pans, spread a layer of about 1/3 beef and sauce mixture on the bottom of the pan.
2. Add a layer of lasagna noodles
3. Add a layer of 1/3 of the cottage cheese
4. Add a layer of 1/3 of the shredded cheese
5. Sprinkle with parsley if desired
6. Cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees

Filed under: Bay, Beef, Chicken, Family, food, Freezer Friendly, garlic, Herbs and Spices, Parsley, Pasta, Proteins, Turkey, Uncategorized, Vegetables, baby, baby food, Bay, Beef, cheese, dinner, family friendly, Freezer Friendly, garlic, Grains, infant, Italian, lasagna, onion, organic, Parsley, pasta, Proteins, recipe, toddler, tomato, turkey, vegetable, whole wheat

Veggie Nuggets

10 month old Baby K is far more interested in finger foods right now than she is any food involving a spoon. As far as the veggies, you can use any combination of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

Ingredients

• 8oz mixed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 6 oz grated Cheddar cheese (also try with Parmesan for a different flavor)
• 2 1/2 tbs water
• 2 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Steam the veggie mixture, then drain and finely chop
3. Combine with the remaining ingredients (breadcrumbs, seasonings, water, oil, baking powder) and mix well
4. Shape the mixture into nuggets or smaller bites and place on a lightly greased baking tray
5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes (depending on size of nuggets), turning halfway through the cooking time

Filed under: Baked Bites, Finger Food, garlic, nutrition

Chicken, Brown Rice and Peas Medley

This recipe is for older babies learning to eat chunkier food and meats, using the familiarity of peas and brown rice. You can even substitute any of the ingredients, see below for details.

Peas by Gaeten Lee (Flickr)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup shelled peas (or frozen, salt free peas if fresh aren’t available)
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 clove chopped garlic (optional)

Instructions:

1. Steam or boil chicken until tender
2. Finely chop chicken
3. Steam peas on LOW for about 20 minutes, or until tender, reserve excess water
4. Combine cooked brown rice and peas in blender or food mill
5. Blend until desired consistency is reached, may need to add milk, formula or excess water to thin
6. Combine rice and peas mixture, chopped chicken, optional garlic and mix well
7. Serve or pour into ice cube trays to freeze

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s so versatile, you can substitute any of the ingredients with a similar one, for a completely different taste.

Chicken: Turkey

Peas: Broccoli, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Leafy Greens, Cauliflower

Brown Rice: Quinoa, Oatmeal, Barley, Whole Wheat Pasta

Filed under: baby, Brown Rice, Carrots, Chicken, food, Freezer Friendly, garlic, Grains, Medley, nutrition, Pasta, Proteins, Quinoa, Spinach, Sweet Potato, Turkey, Vegetables, baby, baby food, barley, broccoli, Brown Rice, carrots, cauliflower, chicken, food, Freezer Friendly, green beans, homemade, infant, Leafy Greens, Medley, oatmeal, parenting, parenting blog, pasta, Peas, poultry, Proteins, Quinoa, recipe, sweet potatoes, toddler, turkey, vegetable