Recipe: Chicken and Veggie Medley

Chicken and Veggie Medley

This is another one of my crock pot favorites because well, it's super easy to make and it's delicious. Once you are thinking about introducing meats, this is a great starter. I know of many people who will boil chicken for babies, but to me, this is even better because you don't lose as many nutrients in the process.

Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts
4 potatoes
6 carrots
3 head of broccoli
1 zucchini

Wash and peel all of your vegetables and cut them up. I kept the skin on the zucchini but washed it really well.
 

Here I used a crock pot liner, it's just nice to not have juices all over and the clean up is a piece of cake!


I scattered some potatoes on the bottom of the crock pot and placed the chicken on top of that. Lastly, I added the rest of the veggies. I didn't use any spices for the first few times I've made this, but now I will occasionally add a dash of the spices that we use.

I cook it on high for 4 or 6 hours, depending on how much time I have. I always check the temp on the inside of the chicken because chicken kind of grosses me out. Anyway, then you can blend as needed. I always use bottled water to dilute a bit, but that's because our tap water here is so hard. This will yield a lot, so make sure to have lots of containers handy. Also, since there's broccoli, it may get a bit stinky when re-heating.

Recipe: Baby Beef Stew

 Baby Beef Stew

Our little man is a true lover of meat and potatoes, just like his mommy. Since I've been working, I've been all about trying to save time and found that the crock pot is the answer. It's been a lifesaver! Here's our super delicious and protein-filled recipe for super easy beef stew.

Ingredients:
4 large russet potatoes
6 carrots
1 onion
1 chuck roast or sirloin (2-3lbs)
1/4 cup of water 
(2-3 zucchini's if you wanted to make it more colorful)

Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on high for 6 hours. I may not be a great cook because I love cooking everything on high, but it really makes a difference in the tenderness of the meat in this case.


I've noticed that usually babies try turkey, then chicken, then beef. We started with chicken and veal and then did beef. We began offering meats after veggies and fruits at about 7 months.
The first few times I made it, I didn't use any spices. Now that Max is 13 months, I add a half a package of the Lipton Onion Soup to the Mix and sometimes a couple cloves of garlic.

Then comes the more time consuming part - blending. One roast usually yields a lot - roughly 70 oz of beef. I usually transfer to a large glass bowl and make the first portion fresh. Then, after he goes to bed, I blend the rest using some water to make it less thick. I then freeze the rest and reheat either in hot water (I've almost abandoned that entirely) or in a glass bowl in the microwave. We love this recipe because it's delicious, easy to make, and yields a ton! Max will usually eat 4-6 oz for dinner and loves it!

Also, if you have cleaning out the crock pot afterwards, I'd recommend using the Slow Cooker Liners. They're great and unfortunately, I run out all the time. There's less mess to clean up and you can just transfer the bag into a large glass bowl until the stew cools.

Recipe: Kiwi, Banana, Avocado Blend - Stage II

Recipe: Kiwi, Banana, Avocado Blend

I haven't posted in forever because well, work happened. Lots of work and stuff. However, now that I have some free time, I figured I'd share some of the recipes we've come up with over the last few months. This one became one of our favorites!

Ingredients:
1 banana
1 kiwi (we buy the Mighties)
1 avocado (or half)



This is super simple. Just chop up a banana, scoop out (or peel) the kiwi, and add in an avocado half (or whole)! Voila! Max will usually eat the whole portion, but you can also add some oatmeal cereal and substitute for an avocado half or a half of a banana. Note: since there's a banana and avocado, this does not keep well, if not used right away.

Making Stage Two (Stage 2) Baby Food - Green Beans (Steamed)

As Lean as a Green Bean 

Now on to our second légume - the green bean. I'm reverting back to my fhransaize vocabulary. Just kidding, but really. Apparently legumes and vegetables are different foods but in French, the word for vegetable is legume...riddle me that!

Since the massive frozen food recall that has given me nightmares, I purchased my green beans in a cute little bag, fresh, and not organic. I'm sad to report that there was not an organic option at Sprouts....but I must thank them for not using the CRF facility. I steamed these for a little bit longer so that they get extra mushy.

1). Wash the green beans, bring about two cups of water to a boil. You can  chop off the ends/stems of the green beans and steam for about 20 minutes.

2). Cool (and if you're like me, chop off the ends). They look so pretty! Why do they smell like peas to me?

3). Blend (for just a little extra, since the skins are kind of tough)! I added just a splash of water, but they're already pretty watery.

4). Voilà! I pureed what felt like forever, but the green beans were still a bit chunky. I suppose that's why they're a stage 2 food.

Note: A bag of green beans yielded about 24 oz of puree. 

Oh, almost forgot, I haven't posted one of these in a while...

Pup #1 

Pup #2

My pups loved green beans WAY more than Max, that's 'cause we did Doggie-Led Weaning, jk. I found that mixing the green beans with another sweet favorite such as sweet potatoes or squash helped smooth the consistency and probably add a bit of sweetness.

Making Stage Two (Stage 2) Baby Food - Peaches (Baked)

I was pretty excited to finally try peaches for my little peach. Peaches ARE on the 'dirty dozen' list, so I purchased organic. If you've been following this blog, you may have noticed that I mention the 'dirty dozen' a fair amount, but I don't want to come off as too negative so, check out the 'clean fifteen' (fruits and veggies that are NOT chock full of contaminants).

Picking out peaches: I know this is probably redundant, but if you did not grow up picking fruit, it might be helpful. When choosing peaches at the store, pick ones that are a rosy and evenly colored. Since peaches may be hidden from sunlight by leaves, pick ones that have had good sun exposure. Lastly, the peach should not be mushy soft to the touch, but also not too firm.

After looking at various recipes, I chose to bake the peaches instead of steaming them. I tasted one and it was a bit tart, so I figured that baking would help lock in the sweeter flavor. Steaming is definitely faster.

1). Clean your cooking area and wash your fruit. The photo below summarizes why I'm so crazy about washing my fruits and veggies...I feel like fruit skins might as well be covered in edible glue. So annoying! (Just run it under warm/hot water and it will come off.) Obviously I'm worried about pesticides....but those aren't as visible as these neon stickers, haha.


2). Preheat oven to 400°.


3). Cut peaches in half. Just follow the seam along the fruit and pry open, I mean, separate the halves by twisting. Have you ever had a knot in your yo-yo and were forced to try to get it out from between the halves? Well, to me, separating peaches is exactly like trying to separate a yo-yo by twisting it...while also being super sticky, and did I mention %$#&&*ing impossible?

4). Pit the peach (even more difficult than yo-yo-ing it)...I would skip this step until the peaches are baked.
NOTE: Seriously, wait until it's done baking...unless you enjoy muttering swear words under your breath for 15 minutes.  Once baked, the stone just falls right out! However, if you know of a great method to remove the stone, please share in comments.

Can you tell which halves got 'Lennie Small-ed?'
Yes, that was tots Of Mice and Men reference.

5). Place the halves stone half down in a baking dish and add 3 cups of water.

6). Bake peaches for about 40 minutes. The skin will prune a bit.

7). Remove the skins and stones, if you haven't already. NOTE: You can leave the skins on and blend, but it won't puree as well as the 'meat' of the fruit. If I was cooking for a baby under 6 months, I would remove the skins. I did half and half...I got lazy peeling the skins off, haha. I'm not as meticulous now as I was at first.

8). Blend, add very little to no liquid. I added just a splash of the liquid the peaches baked in.

9). Enjoy!

Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) Update:
For those trying BLW or using peaches as finger food, this would theoretically be a great food to try.
I took off the skin and cut up a peach half in little pieces. Max had no difficulty grasping it and throwing it at the WALL, but very little to none ended up in his mouth. He's so coordinated, that he just chose to impress the dog with his 'feeding' abilities and now the dog basically lives next to the high chair. Oh, well! We'll try again later!

Oh yea, peaches stick to walls WAY better than decals.

Stage 2 Baby Food Blend - Peach & Avocado Puree

As promised, here's the peach & avocado blend 'recipe'. Max loved this blend! The tanginess of the peaches was offset by the creamy avocado. Two delicious fruits blended into one = yummy breakfast!

I used one small avocado and a 2oz peach blend I made earlier. I didn't think Max would eat all of it, but he munched it! 

The blend came out looking more avocado-like, rather than peach-y. I'm guesstimating that it yielded about 4oz of food.

Stage 2 Baby Food Blend - Peach & Banana Puree

NOTE: Please use this recipe once your little one has tried at least one (or both) of these fruits without a reaction.

This turned out to be a great no cook recipe blend. The peaches I baked had a tangy aftertaste, so I figured it would be a great fruit to mix with a little something-something. I'm also thinking that peach and avocado would go well together, too. Stay tuned! We're trying it tomorrow.

I already had some baked peaches I made earlier and one ripe banana. Simply mix the two, and enjoy!

It actually is a great consistency, too. The baked peaches were very soft and the bananas had a few tiny chunks, so they paired together very nicely.