Category Archives: Puree

Recipe: Pineapple French Toast

My boys love French Toast so I have tried it many different ways. I love this recipe because it gets some healthy stuff in them and tastes delicious. You just can’t beat that!

Pineapple French Toast

Ingredients:
12 slices of bread (stale bread works great!)
1/4 cup milk
8 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup pureed pineapple
2 tbs milled flaxseed

 Puree pineapple by processing until smooth.

Whisk together all ingredients.
 
Dip bread slices into mixture.  Cook on hot griddle until crispy and browned on both sides.
 
(I swear I took pictures of the rest of these steps, but they have disappeared!  Just use your imagination, ok?)
 

Of course I always make a big batch so I can freeze the leftovers for breakfast on another day!
Enjoy!

Homemade Babyfood

Gone are my days of baby food and plastic utensils.  Sometimes I miss it, most days I’m glad that the majority of food served actually goes into my boys’ mouths.  But many of you are still in the baby food stage or will be very soon.  So here are a few products that I would recommend.  Some I have seen first hand, some I have simply heard of through friends and other blogs.  All of them are items I wish we had when I was in the baby food stage!

I’m sure there are lots of books out on how to make baby food, here is one I have heard good things about, but take a look around Amazon and read some reviews to find the perfect one for you.

The Everything Organic Cooking for Baby and Toddler Book: 300 naturally delicious recipes to get your child off to a healthy start (Everything Series) By Kim Lutz and Megan Hart

 The Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker – If you are a first time parent and plan on feeding many little ones to come, this product will be worth the investment. You can steam, puree and cool all in one.  Very handy little machine for someone wanting to make homemade baby food and save time!

Babyfood Freezer Trays: Just to make homemade baby food making a little easier, these portion ready trays for the freezer can save you a whole lot of time and the prices are very reasonable.  Here are few different ones I have heard good things about:

Beaba Babycook   

Baby Cubes   

Fresh Baby Freezer Trays With Lids

Make feeding time easier with these handy feeding tools! Boon Squirt Babyfood Dispencing Spoon and Boon Catch Bowl with Suction Cup Bottom

Green Spouts Baby Food Mill – For when your little one is ready for a bit chunkier foods.

Bumkins Waterproof Super Bib – I preferred the bibs that were water proof and that had a little pocket at the bottom to catch the drips and chunks, like this one.

I did write a post about steaming and pureeing veggies which can also be used when making homemade baby food.
You can also read some tips on baby food making from my dear friend (and family member!) Andrea at Moments in Color.

Happy getting covered in slimy slop baby feeding! 

I was not compensated for my opinion on these products.  The links provided are Amazon Affiliate links.

Applesauce Muffins

The original recipe for these muffins are from Deceptively Delicious, but I don’t do very well with following recipes exactly, so here is my twist on it!

Applesauce Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup carrot puree
1/4 cup Agave Nectar
2 tbs milled flax seed
1/4 cup water
1 egg

Mix dry ingredients together.

Mix wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Mix all ingredients together.

(I know, this is hard, please try to follow along!)

Pour into muffin tins, it makes 12.  I usually use a heaping 1/4 cup measuring cup and it fills the muffin tins perfectly!

Crumbly Topping: (you know, the best part!)
2/3 cup oats
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp flax seed
2 tbs butter, melted

Mi topping ingredients together and sprinkle evenly over muffin dough.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 18-20 minutes.

Enjoy, knowing this muffin is actually good for you!!!

Puree Love

I am a big fan of the recipes in the Deceptively Delicious recipe book.  If I can get more veggies into my kids’ food, I’m all for it. I’m not necessarily a fan of “hiding” the veggies from the kids though.  I puree veggies and fruits and mix them into our foods very frequently.  And I do tell my boys about it…after they’ve tried it!  You know kids, if I say “Here try this, it has spinach in it!”  They are going to instantly hate it.  But if they try it and like it, then I happily announce what it’s laced with.  If I ask the boys if they like their dinner, Chandler never fails to ask, “Why what did you put in it?”

If you start early enough your kids should have no problem with being veggie eaters, but not everyone does.  It’s so easy to fall into the habit of making a box of mac and cheese for lunch instead of serving raw veggies and real cheese.  I didn’t start early enough myself, so my kids are set in some of their ways.  But it’s never too late!  Start slowly introducing healthier options to your kids and teaching them about how important healthy eating habits are.  We’ve made huge progress over the past few years as we assume a healthier eating lifestyle.  And here is one big way we do it!

PUREE BABY!

Mostly, I puree butternut squash, spinach, carrots and sweet potatoes.  It seems like a lot of work, but really, a couple of hours of kitchen work is so minimal when compared to the health benefits!  So here’s how I do it:

Squash: Cut in half, scrape out the seeds.  Place flesh down on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees until mushy.  (These are technical cooking terms, people, stick with me.)  Let cool and then scrape the skin off.  Puree in food processor until nice and smooth.

Here’s what it will look like when roasted with the skin on and off.

Carrots: Cut up into quarters, steam.  Let cool just a bit so you don’t burn your hands!  Puree!

Spinach can be steamed until just wilted, then pureed.

Sweet potatoes can be roasted in the oven whole, cool, then scrape out of skin.  Puree!

See? Simple!  I like to do it all in one day.  That way I only have to dirty up the food processor once!  I will then place the purees in one cup portions into the freezer, ready to be added to whatever I wish!  I also will leave out some of the purees to add to some of my freezer meals, like chicken pot pie, chili, etc.  Which I will show you all about soon!

Try it once, just once!  If it’s not for you, find another creative way to get those veggies into those kids!

*If you have babies in the house, save the purees for them too! SO much cheaper and healthier than buying the jarred kind!