To Infinity and To Bed

Halloween is neither just around the corner, nor just passed.  It’s not even a blip on the radar and yet I have a boy who wants to wear his costume bought specifically for All Hallows’ Eve months ago, around the house now and even to bed.

I suppose it’s understandable that toddlers would want to transform into their favourite super hero or heroine whenever the mood strikes. How empowering to take on the super human powers that surface with the costume’s final fastening.  With it, holds the power to counter day to day crime like their parents making them use the potty, and combat threats against humanity like the same parents making them brush their teeth not once, but twice a day!?!

I’m willing to bet a lot of adults would love to morph into a super hero on a dime as well.  Too bad it would seem more deplorable than adorable if a grown man ran around their metropolis in red or blue spandex.  Quite the Marvel indeed.

O.K. tangent complete; let’s get back to some baby food recipes.  Today’s feature is a root veggie mash which is perfect for the Solid Food Apprentice of 6 months + who have already mastered the taste of the three ingredients on their own, and are now ready to try some interesting combinations.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Root Veggie Mash Up

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         2 cups chopped rutabaga

·         1 ½ cups chopped carrots

·         2 cups chopped potatoes

·         1 tbsp. butter

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and chop veggies.  Add carrots to a steamer set over boiling water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

2.      Add the rest of the veggies to steamer and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until tender.

3.      Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes then transfer to a blender, food processor or bowl to use hand held blender.

4.      Add butter and ¼ cup of the cooking water to the veggies and puree to a smooth consistency.  You can add more cooking water a tbsp. at a time if you want the puree to be thinner.

5.      Let cool then transfer to freezing trays in the freezer to be used within 3 months, and some to a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes – Approx. 13 Servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Note:  This is a great side dish for the whole family as well.  Just puree the family’s portion a little less and add a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

 Now if my dog was interested in dressing like a chicken on a regular basis I may start to worry, but for Carter, I think we can handle this cute phase.