Kindergarten Baby

We moved into our house 5 years ago after one of the biggest snowstorms of the century and surveyed the snow covered backyard.  This stirred dreams of building as gargantuan a garden that the space could stand come spring.

We built that garden, and come fall, it was time for my tulip bulb planting extravaganza.  I must have planted over 50 bulbs back there and each and every one had fallen victim to my nemesis…SQUIRRELS!  To them, each bulb planted was a personal invitation to dinner…or play…or whatever they do with the things after they dig them up.  Needless to say I had no tulips in my garden the next spring, but there were plenty on the other side of the fence where the squirrels had decided was a much better place for the dancing beauties.

They are farther away than I would like, but they are still beautiful.

 

Time seems to be marching on at an uncontrollable pace.  How can my oldest son be starting high school and my youngest…the baby…starting kindergarten in September??  Soon they’ll be out of the house and on the other side of the fence like my tulips...or in their own houses with their own families I guess.  Which would be better than the other side of the fence because all that is there are train tracks, squirrels and tulips.

Carter, my little one, had his Kindergarten orientation this week, which I suppose is arousing all these clingy feelings in me.  He watched intently as I held out my hand to introduce myself to the principal.  He waited for our exchange to end, and then offered his own hand out to her along with a mighty, “Hi, I’m Carter Hughes”.  Where did this baby/man come from?  Wasn’t it just an hour ago I gave birth and brought him home from the hospital along with the terror of what to do with him next?  I guess we figured it out.  The principal certainly thought so.

This pic is from orientation night.  Everyone got a kids fun package to take home, and inside, along with the array of colouring activities, books and 1 lollypop, were a pair of sunglasses along with a business card from the local family optometrist.  I guess nothing says family optical target market perfection quite like the gathering of pre-schoolers at the annual kindergarten orientation trade show. Huh.

In honour of our growing kids, I’m featuring a fun and easy recipe for those Solid Food Professionals out there of 12 months +.  At 12 months, baby is ready to enjoy a wide array of foods and is eager to experience new tastes and textures closer to what their family is regularly eating.  These chicken quesadillas are a great way to introduce a new flavour into baby’s repertoire and is the perfect finger food for them to enjoy with you at the table.  It also packs a great nutritional punch with the assortment of veggies, protein and dairy incorporated.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Arriba, Arriba, Quesadilla!

 

Age – 12 Months +

Ingredients

·         1 tbsp. plus ½ tsp. of butter

·         1 small boneless skinless chicken breast

·         1 tomato

·         ¼ cup of diced onion

·         ¼ cup of diced green pepper

·         ¼ cup of corn niblets from cooked corn on the cob

·         Pinch of cumin and coriander spice

·         2 soft 12” tortillas

·         ¼ cup of grated cheddar cheese

Baby Steps

1.      Peel, seed and dice tomato using the boiling water method.  For details check out a previous blog, “Bye,Bye, Spontaneity”.

2.      Dice onion and green pepper and set aside.

3.      Boil corn on the cob in pot with lid until cooked through, approx. 12 minutes.  Set aside.

4.      Melt 1 tbsp. of butter in large sauté pan over medium/high heat.

5.      Chop chicken into small pieces and add to melted butter in pan.  Cook until brown all over, approx. 6 minutes.

6.      Remove chicken from pan and set aside.  Add diced onion and green pepper to pan and reduce heat to medium.  Sauté until tender, approx. 3 minutes.

7.      Slice corn off of cooked cob and add ¼ cup of the niblets to the sauté pan along with the veggies.  Continue to cook for 1 minute.  Save the rest of the corn from the cob for finger food for baby to have later that day if you want…or treat yourself.

8.      Add diced tomato to veggies in pan and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

9.      Add chicken back into the pan with the veggies along with a pinch of coriander and cumin spice.  Stir together well then turn heat down to low.

10.  In another pan large enough to fit the 12” tortilla, melt ½ tsp. of butter over medium/high heat, then add 1 tortilla to pan and cook for approx. 1 minute on each side.  Remove and repeat with 2^nd tortilla.

11.  Keep 1 tortilla in pan and reduce heat to medium.  Add all of the chicken and veggie mix onto tortilla plus the grated cheddar.  Place 2^nd tortilla on top and continue to cook approx. 1 minute until cheese is melting and tortilla is browned.

12.  Flip quesadilla over to cook other side for 1 minute more until browned.

13.  Remove from pan and let cool.

14.  Use a pizza cutter to cut some into finger food sized pieces for baby, and triangles to share with other family members.

15.  Serve immediately.

Makes – 1 serving for baby plus 7 wedges for other family members.

Note:  This dish isn’t just for baby, it makes a great family meal.  Double the recipe and add a bit of salt and pepper and chilli powder to the chicken veggie mixture used in the rest of the family’s portions to kick up the flavour a bit.  Serve with salsa and sour cream for dipping and a side salad.  Olé!  Dinner is served!  Maracas are optional but always encouraged.

I know our kids must grow and we must grow along with them.  I just wish it didn’t happen so fast.  Eventually they may be farther away from home than I would like, but they will still be beautiful.

Don't Delay

Can any of you working parents out there appreciate my anxiety at abandoning the office at the stroke of 5pm. to get to the daycare by cut off time…6pm.?

Luckily for me, my husband works from a home office most days which is 5 minutes from the daycare so he can pick up our son seamlessly.  It’s only the odd day here and there, or if he’s away on a business trip that I tag in as one and only pick up parent.

If the anxiety at the thought of my little one longingly staring out the daycare window asking the cleaning lady, the only other person left there,  why I haven’t shown up yet isn’t enough, there’s the added stress of how to plan my impending escape from a meeting that was scheduled for 11am. but started at 4:36pm.  Do they not understand the gravity of my situation?

If I don’t get to the daycare by 6pm. there is a firmly broadcast rule that you will pay a $ amount for every minute past and get tarred and feathered.  Maybe the last part was made up but I bet that’s what they would like to do.

4:57pm…I make the announcement…”I really do have to get going to pick up my son”.  The initial response is, “of course, that’s fine”, which is then followed by a lackadaisical subject change delaying the meeting wrap up and ultimately my exit to on time pick up.

Luckily this live re-enactment of The Amazing Race only has to happen once in a while for me.  I don’t know how some of you out there face that stress every day.  BRAVO!!

Wow…I just re-read that and my blood pressure is starting to rise.  I think I need to switch gears and get me some baby food making therapy.

This week I’m going to incorporate an ingredient that may seem like an unusual addition to a baby food dish…mushrooms.  Mushrooms can be safely added as an ingredient to a dish for babies over 8 months old.  They are fungi so it’s best to make sure they are cooked well to be on the safe side.  They don’t pose a high allergy risk, but they could cause a digestive issue in some over sensitive tummies.  If you are watchful for signs of a reaction, just as you were when introducing all first foods to baby, it should be fine.  Use them pureed in a sauce to add some great flavour and nutrients, including potassium, to baby’s meal.  More info. on mushrooms and other unusual ingredients that can be safely used in baby food dishes can be found at Momtastic’s Wholesome Baby Food website…a great on-line resource for all things baby food.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Don’t Be Saucy Mushroom & Chicken Risotto

Age – 8 months +

Ingredients

·         1 ½ tbsps. of butter

·         1 small boneless, skinless chicken breast

·         ½ cup chopped onions

·         2 cups sliced mushrooms

·         1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

·         1 cup of milk

·         1 tbsp. of flour

·         1/3 cup of homemade or low sodium chicken broth

·         1/3 cup of frozen peas

·         ½ cup of rice

Baby Steps

1.      Cook rice according to package instructions, leaving out salt and set aside.

2.      Chop chicken breast into small pieces.

3.       Melt ½ tbsp. of butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.

4.      Add chicken to pan and cook for approx. 10 minutes until cooked through stirring as required.

5.      Transfer cooked chicken to a large bowl and set aside.

6.      In same sauté pan melt 1 tbsp. of butter over medium heat then add onions and mushrooms.  Cook until tender, approx. 5 minutes.

7.      Whisk flour into milk and then add to mushrooms and onions along with the chicken broth and thyme.

8.      Increase heat to medium high and cook, whisking occasionally, until creamy, approx. 4 minutes.

9.      Remove from heat and transfer to a blender and puree to a smooth sauce.

10.  Return sauce to sauté pan and add in the peas.  Cook over medium heat for approx. 5 more minutes until peas are tender.

11.  Remove sauce from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

12.  Dice the cooked chicken that is set aside into tiny pieces that baby can handle.

13.  Add cooked rice and mushroom sauce to the chicken in large bowl and combine well.

14.  Let cool for a few minutes then transfer to freezing trays to keep in the freezer to use within 3 months, or to a food storage container to use within 48 hours.

Makes – Approx. 10 servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

 

Note: If you, like I used to, enjoy using canned mushroom soup in various family dinner recipes, you can use the mushroom sauce in this baby food recipe instead.  Just add some salt and pepper to boost the flavour for adults and older children.  This sauce is great with chicken and rice or pasta, or even as gravy on mashed potatoes and pork chops.  Up to you if you want to puree it smooth, or leave it as a chunky mushroom sauce.

Another little tip when using a blender to puree…rinse/clean it right after you use it otherwise it can be a pain to get it clean.  If you clean it right away with some hot water and dish soap it really just takes a few seconds instead of a lifetime to get the dried on ingredients out.

It’s amazing how getting back into my kitchen helps me de-stress.  I hope it does you too.  In the meantime, may the force be with you as you plan your next meeting escape to avoid the hypothetical tar and feathering ceremony at daycare.

Dad

Dad is good

Dad is strong

He puts my laundry away where it belongs.

Dad is fun

Dad is silly

Thank you kindly for not naming me Willy. (not that there’s anything wrong with that name)

Dad is patient

Dad is kind

Except when my table manners are unrefined.

I love when you read to me

I love when we laugh

I owe you 5 minutes today to enjoy a draught.

You’re always so giving

And not often cranky

Now can you please go and get me my blankie?

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Daddy’s Day BBQ

Age – 8 months +

In honour of all those wonderful dad’s out there, we’re not going to toil away and make batches of baby food to freeze today.  Instead, baby can partake in the BBQ feast!

Let’s say the menu is BBQ’d chicken, baked potato, corn on the cob and steamed carrots.  Mix a bit of everything together with some butter and some of the cooking water used to steam the carrots, puree and baby’s dinner is served.

It really is as simple as that.  The corn and the carrots can be made indoors and then the rest is thrown on the BBQ. 

In a food processor, blender or large bowl to use a hand held blender to puree, add in some of the white meat without any skin from the cooked chicken, a scoop of some of the baked potato, 2 sides of corn that were shaved off the cooked corn on the cob, a few cooked carrots and a ½ tsp. of butter.  Add 3 tbsps. of the cooking water used to steam the carrots and puree to desired consistency.  If you want a thinner consistency you can add a bit more of the cooking water.

Voila!  BBQ for the whole family. 

If there are left overs of the puree you can keep it in the fridge for up to 48 hours so baby can have it for supper or lunch tomorrow too.

I want to wish all the amazing father’s and father figures (including my own and my husband) out there a very Happy Father’s Day!  Without you there would be a lot of mothers losing sanity, and a lot of kids wondering what beer is.