Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Not only are sweet potatoes really good for you, they are also super delicious and a baby favorite!  The diced sweet potatoes are great for babies learning how to pick up food and feed themselves.  It's a little messy, but hey, babies just are messy and they think it's fun!  There are so many things you can do to this recipe, but I will share my version, and you can go from there!  Some suggestions would be to add drained and rinsed black beans, maybe some diced bell pepper, a little cayenne for heat, etc...  I do think it is important to make your own enchilada sauce so you know exactly what is going in it, and the recipe is so easy, you can always make extra and freeze some for later!  Here is a new twist on a Mexican night favorite!

Enchilada Sauce:
1/4 cup chili powder
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp flour
1 15 oz can tomato sauce (no salt added if you can find it, if not, then do not add any more salt)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste, but remove some sauce for baby before adding more salt)

In a saucepan, heat to medium and add chili powder, olive oil, and flour.  Stir to combine and cook for about a minute.  Whisk in tomato sauce, water, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 10 minutes so flavors can meld and sauce thickens a little.

Enchiladas:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion diced
1 large clove of garlic chopped
2 sweet potatoes diced (small dices)
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro loosely packed, then chopped and divided
salt to taste after baby's portion removed
8 - 10 corn tortilla
1 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, garlic, sweet potato, and pepper and saute until softened and sweet potatoes have a little color (10 - 12 minutes).  Add half the cilantro at the end and stir to combine.

For babies meal, take some sweet potato mix (maybe 3 tbsp) and pour a little sauce over (or no sauce if giving as finger food).  Sprinkle with a little cheese.  If baby is still eating softer food (not ready for cubed food), you can always mush with a fork.

To build enchiladas, this gets messy, but is fun to do with the kids!  Spray a little non-stick spray or lightly oil a 9 x 11 casserole dish and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take a corn tortilla and dunk it in the enchilada sauce.  Take a few tablespoons of the sweet potato mix and place in middle of tortilla (like you were filling a taco).  Fold tortilla over filling, and place seam side down in casserole dish.  Don't worry f they fall apart a little or break some.  It will not be perfect, but tastes great!  Once all tortillas are filled, top enchiladas with the rest of the sauce.  The sprinkle cheese over the top.  Place in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Once out of the oven, top with remaining cilantro.  Serves 4.  Some suggested garnishes:  dices tomato, sour cream, hot sauce, pickled jalapeno, or whatever else tickles your fancy!

Completed Enchiladas

Baby's portion

Baby's portion mushed for easier eating.

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pasta

Mmmm...  Goat cheese is one of my favorites, and funny enough, one of Rylee's!  Not sure if it is because I ate so much of it while pregnant, and still do, but I am excited that she loves it too!  For older kids, just don't tell them what kind of cheese it is (it's all mental), just that there is cheese in it, and I guarantee they will love it too!  This recipe is fast, healthy, and meat free, so if you are looking for a vegetarian night, here you go!

Ingredients:
1 lb package pasta (rotini of fusilli, but even bow tie would work)
1 lb thin asparagus (trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
5 oz goat cheese (crumbled, but buy the log and crumble yourself if you can)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta 8 minutes in salted, boiling water.  Then add asparagus to water w/ pasta and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  I realize this is a little longer than al dente (having a little bite to it), but for the babies, I wanted the pasta and asparagus to be soft enough to chew/gum.  For older kids, you can cook the pasta for 8 minutes, and add the asparagus for 3.  Pasta and asparagus should then be al dente.  Meanwhile, add olive oil, zest, thyme, and goat cheese to large bowl.  Once pasta and asparagus are done, drain and add to bowl with the rest of the ingredients, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.  Combine and add pasta water 1/4 cup at a time if pasta looks dry.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note:  For babies, I pull some out and cut the pasta and asparagus in half, so it is in more manageable pieces.  I also do this before I add salt, as babies do not need the added sodium.  Remember they do not know salt until we give it to them!  :)

    

Pancakes!!!

There were some berries in my fridge that were going to go bad in the next few days, and we were about to go out of town.  Rather than just eating them plain, I began pondering what to do with them...  Mmmm, syrup!  And of course, pancakes to go with!    Pancakes are great for all ages, are light and fluffy, and they are nice and soft for babies to chew on!  So here we go:

Ingredients for Syrup:
2 cups mixed berries (I used sliced strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, or you can buy a package of frozen mixed berries)
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup water

Combine berries, sugar, and water in saucepan and cook on high heat until they start to boil.  Once boiling, turn heat down to medium and let simmer (stirring occasionally) until berries start to break down and sauce thickens (8 to 10 minutes).  Mash the berries a bit for a chunkier consistency unless you want it smooth, where you would then puree.  Serve warm over pancakes or cool and refrigerate for later use.

Note:  Not only is this great on pancakes, but would be fantastic over vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream!

Ingredients for Pancakes:
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cups whole milk (can use soy or rice milk)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted, melted butter, plus more for griddle

Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix milk, eggs, and vanilla in smaller bowl, then whisk in butter.  Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Heat griddle or skillet to medium heat.  Brush griddle/skillet with a small dab of butter.  Place 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle/skillet for about 2 minutes per side for each pancake.  You can keep them warm by placing them on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 250 degrees, while making the rest.  Serve with syrup!  Makes about 16 pancakes.  For the babies, break into bite size pieces.

Black Bean, Cilantro, and Lime Hummus

My family LOVES hummus!  We were always buying it at the grocery store, but why not make it yourself, save a little $, and have total control over the ingredients, creating all sorts of flavorful combinations!  This is just one variation I came up with after trying a similar flavor in the grocery store.  Our daughter just loves it by itself, or on soft pita bread or cucumbers (watch for choking hazard).  The walnuts give it a nice texture and added nuttiness.  For this recipe, please make sure your little one does not have any allergies to nuts, and if so, you can leave out the tahini and walnuts.  I do not add salt since the liquid from the can of chick peas is a little salty, and remember babies do not know salt yet!  Trust me, there is still tons of flavor!  The whole family can enjoy this healthy and flavorful snack with your favorite sliced veggies (we use bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, and celery), pita bread, or chips.

Ingredients:
1 can chick peas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup of liquid from can
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
2 cloves of garlic crushed
3 or 4 tbsp fresh lime juice depending on taste
1/2 cup drained and rinsed black beans
1/4 cup loose packed cilantro
1/4 cup walnuts
2 tbsp olive oil

Place all in food processor and pulse until all ingredients have been incorporated.   Enjoy!

Simple Fruit Salad

Want to give your little one something refreshing and healthy?  I refer to all fruit as "Nature's Candy," and here is a bowl full of it!  Make a whole bowl, and spoon some out for the little one.  You can always do more or less fruit, depending on the number of family members partaking in this deliciousness. This combination of fruit is not too tart, and has good mush ability, so your really little one can gum away!

Ingredients:
A handful of Strawberries depending on the size (small dices)
1 Banana (small dices)
2 Kiwis (small dices)

Note:  I know this seems really simple and easy, but there are so many variations you can do, and if they are too young to chew/gum it, you can always make a smoothie out of it!  Other fruits to try:  mango, raspberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, orange segments (no skin or any pith (the white stuff)), etc...  For babies, just make sure the fruit is very ripe and there is no skin on the fruit so they can mush it in their mouths.