Awesome Sauce
10:05 PMHoly snowfall, Santa! We got dumped on here in NJ on Saturday. And not the good get-a-free-day-off-from-school-and-play-in-the-snow kind of dumped on. The ruin-your-holiday-shopping-for-the-day kind of dumped on. And here in Bergen County, we suffer from the dreaded Blue Laws, meaning retail stores are closed on Sundays. Thanks for ruining it, Mother Nature.
At least we still got in some godparent time! They must be SO happy to come home from their honeymoon in Hawaii to this mess.
I've been talking a lot about making Jane and Emma's baby food from scratch over the past couple of months, so I figured it was time to put the puréed apple where my mouth is. The one good thing about being snowed in on the weekend is that I got to make ALL of the girls' breakfasts AND dinners for at least a week. Awwwwesooomee!
I've been talking a lot about making Jane and Emma's baby food from scratch over the past couple of months, so I figured it was time to put the puréed apple where my mouth is. The one good thing about being snowed in on the weekend is that I got to make ALL of the girls' breakfasts AND dinners for at least a week. Awwwwesooomee!
I'm not going to lie to you. In order for it to be worthwhile, you must make at least a week's worth of food in advance, and that takes a lot of time. At least an hour and a half (including clean up and if your kids leave you alone). Having 7 month old twins, the being left alone is the hard part.
But I love being in the kitchen and who can be cranky with a sous chef as cute as this?!
To start, I bought this book all about weaning your baby onto solids, and it comes with a lot of quick and easy recipes. And so far the girls have loved everything.
The most important tools that I use the most are my rice cooker, my food processor, my Magic Bullet (which was bought as a gift for me by my husband for Xmas 3 years ago so that I could make individual margaritas, go figure I now use it for baby food making), these OXO food storage containers, and a vegetable peeler. I also use a wok with a bamboo steaming insert, which works GREAT for steaming multiple veggies at a time.
I try to remember to clean as I go, because a.) my husband has made fun of me for YEARS because of what a messy cook I am, and b.) it is a bear of a job to try to clean up when space is limited. We still live in an apartment, and our kitchen is FAR from ideal, so everything gets in my way.
Below are Jane and Emma's favorite recipes so far. We are moving on to the second stage of weaning, which means socializing the girls (aka family dinners!). Yesterday morning Jane and Emma sat at the table and had their apple sauce while Mama and Daddy had their breakfast. The looks on their little faces when they first realized that they were sitting at the big girl table and eating at the same time as us was PRICELESS!!!!!
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice or water
Generous pinch of ground cinnamon (optional, but DO IT!)
Put the fruit into a saucepan together with the apple juice or water (I use filtered H2O) and cinnamon (if using, which YOU ARE), cover, cook over low heat for 6 minutes (or until the kids start screaming). Blend the fruit to a smooth puree (I use the Magic Bullet for this).
Start this recipe at 6 months. Makes 4 portions. Suitable for freezing.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes (8 ounces), peeled and chopped
1 cup water
1/3 cup canned or frozen corn kernels
1 to 2 tablespoons of your baby's milk/formula
Melt the butter in a pan and saute the onion for 1 minute. Add the carrots and saute for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover with the water, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Puree through a food mill and stir in the milk to make the right consistency for your baby.
Start this recipe at 6-7 months. Makes 3 portions. Suitable for freezing.
Apple and Pear with Cinnamon
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice or water
Generous pinch of ground cinnamon (optional, but DO IT!)
Put the fruit into a saucepan together with the apple juice or water (I use filtered H2O) and cinnamon (if using, which YOU ARE), cover, cook over low heat for 6 minutes (or until the kids start screaming). Blend the fruit to a smooth puree (I use the Magic Bullet for this).
Start this recipe at 6 months. Makes 4 portions. Suitable for freezing.
Potato, Carrot, and Corn
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes (8 ounces), peeled and chopped
1 cup water
1/3 cup canned or frozen corn kernels
1 to 2 tablespoons of your baby's milk/formula
Melt the butter in a pan and saute the onion for 1 minute. Add the carrots and saute for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover with the water, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Puree through a food mill and stir in the milk to make the right consistency for your baby.
Start this recipe at 6-7 months. Makes 3 portions. Suitable for freezing.
I have to say, Jane and Emma were PRETTY patient while I busted my ass in the kitchen all morning. They are getting quite independent! *tear*
I hope that your weekend did not get snowed out and that you were able to enjoy the holiday season which is now in full swing! We finally got our tree up AND Hershey hung our icicle lights. It's finally beginning to look a lot like Xmas around here!
Have a great week! xoxo
P.S. Janey says, "PLEASE VOTE FOR US!"
Have a great week! xoxo
P.S. Janey says, "PLEASE VOTE FOR US!"
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