I Would Like...

With kids in the house there is no shortage of laughs.  Add in a 10 year age discrepancy and the diversity of humour goes through the roof.  One is funny because of the way they weave their words and thoughts together, and the other is funny because of the way they needle their prey with incessant mockery.  Considering both are boys it’s tough to guess which characterization is the 2 year old and which is the 12 year old.

2 year old Carter is currently on an “I NEED” kick.  Whenever he wants something he says, “I NEED” such and such.  One morning this week he bellowed, “I need a banana!”  My husband responded, “you don’t NEED anything.  If you would like a banana then say, I would like a banana please.”  “Now Carter, what would you like?”  Carter thoughtfully replied, “a yogurt”.  I almost choked on my granola trying to stifle my laugh.

On the other side of the spectrum is 12 year old Eric.  He’s more into the, “hey uncle Ryan I like your sweater…my mom has one just like it.”  And he’s in stitches.  And somehow so are we all.

Never a dull moment with these two…

And just as I started to mourn at the thought of Eric being too old to want to make me a Mother’s Day gift, in swoops the 2 year old with a handmade Mother’s Day card and potted plant courtesy of the daycare craft brigade.

Happy Mother’s Day to me. J  And to you of course!

Let’s see if all those hubbies out there want to whip up a simple Broccoli and Cauliflower puree with a creamy cheese sauce for baby today to give mom a break on her special day!

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Cauli-Broc ‘n Cheese

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         4 cups of broccoli chopped

·         4 cups of cauliflower chopped

Cheese Sauce Ingredients

·         1 tbsp. of butter

·         ¾ cup of cheddar cheese

·         1 tbsp. Flour

·         1 ½ cups milk

Baby Steps

1.      Clean and chop broccoli and cauliflower and place in steamer set over boiling water.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

2.      To make the sauce melt butter in a pan over medium heat.

3.      Add flour and stir until it makes a smooth paste.  Approx. 1 minute.

4.      Add milk and stir until lumps are gone and it starts to thicken.

5.      Add cheese and stir until it reaches a smooth consistency.  You can add a bit more milk at the end if you want a less thick sauce.

6.      Transfer steamed broccoli and cauliflower into a blender, food processor or bowl to use hand held blender to puree.  Add a couple of tbsps. of the cooking water to the veggies and puree to a smooth consistency.

7.      Add cheese sauce to veggies and stir until mixed in well.

8.      Let cool and then add to freezing trays to use within 3 months or to a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes – 12 servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Note – For older babies, 8 months +, you can just slightly puree the cooked veggies or even use a knife and fork to cut them into tiny pieces allowing for a chunkier texture.

Lucky for me this hobby/project/destiny of writing a baby food cook book in my spare (ha!) time allows me to reflect on all those little things my boys do to make me smile.  And there’s plenty. 

Corn & Oranges for Dinner

No matter how old we are, mom’s take care of us.  Whether of baby, toddler or full grown adult age they want to make sure we don’t endure any unnecessary hardships or inconveniences.

I car pool with a friend to work and we have an intricate set of kid, toddler and dog drop offs to carry out between the two of us to make sure everyone gets where they need to be on a daily basis.  A number of those drop offs and pick-ups are at our own parent’s houses. They have taken on the HUGE role of helping out a couple of days a week by taking care of their grandkids so their own kids can carry on with their (our) busy day to day lives with a little less to worry about.  Looking after a baby is one thing but as the little angels enter into toddlerhood and big kid status, grandma is run ragged but she always greets us at the door with a smile (probably because the hellions are going home now) and never a complaint.

This past Friday we picked my friend’s son up from Grandma’s and before he would leave he had to scope out the premises for anything he could bring home with him.  He scored an orange and 2 pieces of corn on the cob that Grandma had thoughtfully cooked up that day.  Now he was ready to go.

Instant entertainment was achieved making the rest of our long journey home seem miniscule as he chanted, “I’M HAVING CORN AND ORANGES FOR DINNER!!”  “I’M HAVING CORN AND ORANGES FOR DINNER?!”  Somehow without even realizing it, Grandma had taken care of everyone.

There’s something so simple but so good about corn on the cob.  As soon as Carter could pick one up by himself he would devour it leaving a bare cob with not one stray niblet to be found.

Of course all this talk of corn and oranges for dinner inspired this week’s baby food recipe.  Even as delightful (strange) as corn and oranges sounds as a flavour combo, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave the oranges out of this recipe.  Babies really shouldn’t have any citrus fruits until they are over a year old. The acidity in oranges is difficult for babies to handle which can translate into severe diaper rashes.  Read more about this at Momtastic’s Wholesome Baby Food website.

Corn is packed with folic acid, potassium and thiamine and has a tender, milky sweet flavour.  I wonder if babies like sweet and milky flavoured things…hmm?

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Sweet Corn and Peas Mash

Age – 8 months +

Ingredients

·         1 small corn on the cob

·         1 sweet potato

·         ½ cup frozen green peas

·         1 tbsp. butter

·         ¼ cup of milk

Baby Steps

1.      Remove husk from a small corn on the cob and place corn in pot of boiling water.  Cover and cook over high heat until tender, approx. 15 minutes.

2.      Remove from heat and carefully take corn out of boiling water with tongs and set aside.

3.      Peel and chop sweet potato into small chunks and add to a steamer set over boiling water and cook for approx. 15 minutes until tender.

4.      Add frozen peas to the sweet potato in steamer for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

5.      Remove from heat and put cooked sweet potato and peas into a blender, food processor or large bowl if planning on using a hand blender to puree.

6.      Slice the cooked corn off the cob and add the corn niblets to the potato and peas along with the butter and milk.

7.      Mash or puree to desired consistency.  If you want a thinner consistency you can add a couple of tbsps. of the cooking water to the veggies and then puree.

8.      Add puree to freezing trays to keep in the freezer to use within 3 months, or to a food storage container in the fridge to be used within 48 hours.

Note:  If you’re having corn on the cob for a family meal one evening, cook one extra cob and keep to make this recipe for baby the next day…or if you’ve eaten your Wheaties that day and are really ambitious, whip it together later on.

Makes – Approx. 8 servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Happy early Mother’s Day to all those wonderful mothers and grandmothers out there who take care of us each and every day and let us have corn and oranges for dinner from time to time if that’s what we’re in to.

Presenting...My Family

Have you been noticing those family car decals people are proudly displaying on their mini vans and sedans with pride lately?  I thought they were pretty cute so I looked them up and found a company called The Sticker Family.

Then I got to thinking…how can I possibly choose one stick figure representation of each of my complex family members to reveal to the world (or the slight geographic area my car travels through) what they’re all about?

Sure my husband likes to barbeque but is his sole reason for being to wear a “King of the Grill” apron while holding a slab of meat pierced through a barbeque fork in one hand and a can of beer in the other?  Probably not…maybe…but probably not.  And there are lots of different mother decals.  There are mothers with gardening hats holding flower pots, mothers cooking, mothers shopping, mothers surfing, and mothers with computers indicating they are corporate executives or Wal-mart cashiers…a cash register is technically a computer isn’t it?  What if I’m all of those things?

I suppose you can’t go wrong with a plain dog or cat decal if you have one.  Unless your dog can jump through a ring of fire.  If I were a dog and could jump through a ring of fire and my parents put a plain old dog doing nothing decal on their car, I’d be upset at their lack of pride in my talents.

And let’s not even get started on the multitude of baby, boy and girl options. I could always just choose 2 monkeys, one big and one small for my two boys…that might sum it up.  But then people who don’t know me might think I really do have two monkeys, a plain dog and a barbequing husband?  O.K. I can’t think about this anymore.  I think I’ll just stick with my Hawaiian turtle that I have on there now leaving lots open for interpretation.

Back to the business of baby food.  Let’s make a quick Pear and Mango (peach of the tropics) puree today.  Perfect for the Solid Food Apprentices out there (6 months +) and beyond.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Pear with Special Guest, Mango, Puree

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         4 Ripe Pears

·         1 Ripe Mango

·         Yes, that’s it

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and core pears and cut into thin slices.

2.      Add pears to a medium sized pot over medium heat and add 1 tbsp. of water.  Cover and cook for approx. 15 minutes or until pears are tender.  Pears can be a bit gritty in texture so just make sure you’ve cooked them long enough that they are soft, tender and juicy so a small baby can handle the texture once pureed.

3.      Meanwhile, peel and slice down each side of mango around the hard large pit in the center and chop into chunks.  You can check out a how-to tutorial in one of my earlier posts “SunnySide of Grey”.

4.      Add mango chunks to pot with pears for the last minute or so of cooking time to soften them a bit in case they’re not quite ripe enough.

5.      Remove pot from heat and transfer fruit to a food processor, blender, or bowl to use hand held blender.

6.      Puree to a smooth consistency.

7.      Transfer to freezing trays to be used within 3 months, or to a food storage container in the refridgerator to be used within 48 hrs.

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

Instead of worrying how I would represent myself in stick figure form to the world, I’ll heed the advice given in Whitney Houston’s song “My Love is Your Love”.

If tomorrow is judgement day and I’m asked what I did with my life, I’d say I spent it with you.

Balloon Boy

What is it about a balloon sighting that causes our children to throw away all sense of reason and focus in the name of gaining it’s ownership?  Sure they’re bright, round, floaty and alluring but so are beach balls, bubbles and blowfish but they don’t go crazy for…ah…I think I’m starting to get it.

One day while having a pleasant (candy coating) stroll through the mall with my 2 yr. old Carter, he nearly took out the old and the bored masses to get to a store front display that was besieged with ribbons tied to colourful blown out rubber dancing orbs.  Tantrum time.  Try explaining to a 2 yr. old that they can’t have one of these wonders of the world because it’s a store display to attract attention.  Tantrums also attract attention…I suppose their strategy is working.

I digress…I want to share a recipe with you today for homemade chicken stock.  So many baby food purees require the use of chicken or veggie stock and homemade has so much less salt than store bought varieties.  Of course in a pinch you can still use a low sodium store bought chicken stock, but it’s really quite easy to make at home.

One thing to keep in mind though is if you freeze the stock to thaw and use later in a baby food recipe, you cannot then refreeze your new puree.  Your best bet is to make the stock, refrigerate it, and then within 3 days later prepare your baby food recipes so you can freeze the meals as normal.

I love that you don’t have to painstakingly dice all the veggies…you can throw big chunks in there because you will be straining everything out afterwards.  It’s fun cooking something that gives you that “everything but the kitchen sink” can be thrown in freedom without being too fussy!

Ready…Set…Evolve…

The Mother of All Chicken Stocks

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         1 roast chicken carcass

·         1 tbsp. of butter

·         1 onion

·         3 carrots

·         1 parsnip

·         2 celery stalks

·         ½ a rutabaga

·         small bunch of parsley

·         2 sprigs of thyme and oregano

·         1 bay leaf

·         5 black peppercorns

·         8 cups of water

Baby Steps

1.      Clean, peel and chop veggies into large chunks and set aside.

2.      Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium/high heat.

3.      Add veggies, stir and cook to let the flavour release for approx. 5 minutes.

4.      Add chicken carcass, water and herbs to the pot and bring to a boil.

5.      Turn down heat to medium/low, cover partially and simmer for 1 ½ hours.

6.      Let cool then cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

7.      Skim off any fat that has collected to the top and strain the stock to take all the solid bits and chicken carcass out leaving a pure liquid stock.

8.      Transfer to a food storage container and keep in the fridge to be used within 3 days or freeze portions that can be used within 3 months.  But remember, if you freeze and thaw the stock, you shouldn’t then refreeze the new puree you make.  If you plan on making a small batch of baby food that will keep in the fridge and be used within a couple of days, using the frozen stock is ideal.

Makes – 6 cups

Note – Those store bought roast chickens that you can pick up for about $7-$10 at the grocery store are perfect for this.  You can use all the cooked chicken for other family meals and save the carcass for your stock.  For example, this week I’m using the chicken for two family dinners …one night a bbq chicken pizza.  Just toss the chicken in some bbq sauce and dress up Greek pitas as you would a pizza crust and use the chicken in place of the pepperoni. For the other dinner we’ll have chicken enchiladas…soft tortillas, chicken, onions, peppers, cumin, chilli powder, chicken stock, cheese, salsa popped in the oven…mmm…easy peasy.

I always appreciate quick dinners we can whip up.  It gives me more free time to investigate why kids love balloons so much.

Together Alone

So my husband and I took a little break from the kids to celebrate our anniversary this weekend alone.  “Alone” as in together alone…as in alone without the kids…as in really by ourselves.  Just one day and night to re-connect and celebrate the fact that we’ve made it through another year with flying colours.

I think it’s healthy to take some time away from the kids…9 out of 12 imaginary Dr.’s agree.

We had a wonderful time in Niagara-on-the-Lake exploring the unique shops and wineries.  We didn’t even have to stop once to turn the car around because someone was having a tantrum.  A whole new world!  We could talk to each other without that voice repeatedly calling for us like a relentless poke we’re trying to ignore for a moment.  We were able to take longer than 5 minutes to eat, and we didn’t have to start and stop eating 23 indigestion inducing times to deal with the circus that is the dinner table. 

This is what a gorgeous winery looks like without the kids tugging at your heels…

And what a stroll down a side street looks like without having to dodge around everyone with a massive stoller…

Peace on earth.

We all love our kids but it’s important to take a moment or two away from them to re-connect and remember why you took the plunge and built a family in the first place.

I realize that sometimes it’s just a lot easier to not plan these little getaways because it takes too much effort trying to wrap your head around who is going to babysit and the anxiety of wondering if they will behave for them.  Truth is, a little break from the kids and a little break for the kids from us is a great thing.  They can foster their relationships with other caregivers like close friends and family which gives them a chance to explore something out of the ordinary for a day or two.  Let’s face it, mom and dad’s routines can start to get a little stale after a long while.  Here’s a link from a blog on the subject by Shelly Phillips from a website called Awake Parent Perspectives which shares a similar point of view.

And our Anniversary weekend isn’t over yet…we got home today and still get to do the groceries, laundry, vacuum and clean washrooms before heading back to work tomorrow…we’re livin’ the dream!  But you know what…the rewards of our weekend alone together far outweighed our efforts.

I still have to fit in my blog and share a baby food recipe with you before the weekend is out as well so here’s a little recipe to tide you over until next week.

Green beans are a great first food for baby.  Don’t buy a jar of green bean baby food, take a couple of minutes to steam and puree them.  It’s that simple.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Mr. Green Jeans Bean Puree

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         3 cups large green beans chopped into thirds

·         1 tsp. butter

·         Yes, that’s it

Baby Steps

1.      Add green beans to a steamer set over boiling water, cover and cook for approx. 14 minutes.

2.      Remove pot from heat and transfer beans to a blender, food processor or bowl to use a hand held blender.

3.      Add the butter plus 3 tbsps. of the cooking water to the beans and puree to a smooth consistency.  You can add more of the cooking water if you would like a thinner consistency, or less if the baby is a bit older and can handle it a bit thicker.

4.      Let cool and transfer to freezing trays to use up within 3 months, or to a food storage container in the fridge to use up within 48 hours.

Makes – 8 servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Note – As baby gets older this is a good puree to add to mashed potatoes to give them an instant flavour and nutrition boost.

Seem silly to have such a simple recipe posted?  Maybe just as silly as buying a jar of green bean puree?

"You Wanna Know What You're Playing For?"

If I were a kid and was told, “during the night while you’re sleeping, a gargantuan rabbit is going to let himself into our house to leave eggs for us”, I would spend the entire night under the armour of my mom & dad’s bed covers.  This is what horror movies are made of. 

But somehow, kids seem to be over joyed with the idea of the Easter Bunny!  Good thing they don’t over-think things like adults do or the jig would be up.

I do like Easter though and all the traditions that go along with it.  It usually begins with a trip to the garden center to pick up a spring planter of flowers for my mom.  Typically I go for spring bulbs because as a rule she doesn’t plant them in her garden because she feels they are “hideous after they’re done blooming and mess up the garden.”  I wouldn’t want her to miss out on the grace and glory of the almighty tulip and hyacinth just because of their post bloom lack of tidiness, so I typically go for bulbs in the planter.

Since I’m usually just going to pick 1 thing up (the planter) I always go in to the garden center without taking a cart.  I eye the perfect planter, pick it up and realize it’s almost, but not quite too heavy to carry.  I think about running to grab a cart but then that would leave my perfect, not over or under bloomed planter vulnerable and open for the taking by other bloom life cycle savvy shoppers.  So I carry it.  Of course then I see a small potted lily that has to fulfill it’s destiny of gracing my kitchen table.  It would be ridiculous if I didn’t snatch it up.  So I carry it.

The unreasonably long line up feels like a Survivor challenge.  “Who can hold their arms out in the most awkward way possible and bear several pounds of oddly shaped planter while using only their thumb and index finger to squeeze onto the lip of another pot for the longest amount of time”?  “You wanna know what you’re playing for”? A Happy Easter.

Luckily babies are still young enough for us to hold off on filling them in on tales of massive, mutant, gift giving bunnies.  Instead we have some extra time to enjoy baby and family’s company and perhaps whip up this easy homemade baby food recipe.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Dreamy Red Pepper & Basil Orzo

Age – 8 months +

Ingredients

·         2 tbsps. butter

·         ½ cup of diced onion

·         ½ cup of diced red pepper

·         1 cup of orzo pasta

·         2 cups of low sodium or homemade chicken or vegetable broth

·         2 basil leaves chopped or ½ tsp. of dried basil

·         ½ cup of milk

·         ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese

Baby Steps

1.      Chop and dice onion and pepper and set aside.

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

3.      Add onion and pepper to pan and cook for approx. 5 minutes, reducing heat as necessary.

4.      Add orzo to pan, stir and cook for another 3 minutes.

5.      Add chicken broth and basil and bring to a boil over high heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat to medium/low, cover and simmer for approx. 20 minutes stirring often.

6.      When there is about 7 minutes left to cook you can add ½ cup of water to the pan and re-cover and continue to cook for the remaining time.  This will make sure the pasta isn’t too dry by the time it’s done.

7.      Remove from heat.  Add 1 tbsp. of butter, ½ cup of milk and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and stir until well combined.

8.      Let cool and then transfer to freezing trays to be used within 3 months or a food storage container in the fridge to be used within 48 hours.

Note – If baby is a bit older you can try adding 1 clove of minced garlic at the stage when you add the onion and red pepper.  I found when Carter was young he didn’t like the taste of garlic but as he grew to over 12 months he began to like it.  It’s always a bit of trial and error discovering what baby’s favourite tastes are.

Makes – Approx. 12 servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Whether you’re egging on the fictitious (he’s not real right??) monstrous bunny, or just spending some long over-due time with family, I hope you all have a very happy Easter.