So Simple Strawberry Buckwheat Pancakes

Jun 30, 2010 Breakfast, Pancakes

Whenever I can, I like to make big batches of healthy foods to freeze.  My kiddos are huge fans of breakfast and always have been.  I use this meal to stock them up on all the food groups and as many nutrients as possible.  Pancakes of some sort or another are an easy and fast “make ahead”, suitable for babies who are enjoying texture and finger feeding.  Pancakes are also a great for the whole family! 

These pancakes I made using Hodgson Mills Buckwheat Pancake mix (yes, I LOVE this brand, nothing but the grain and baking soda!) .  With such a hectic life these days, I’ve been neglecting to re-stock on my own mixes.  Hodgson Mills and Bob’s Red Mill are 2 super natural and healthy brands that you’ll never go wrong with! 

Visit our Strawberries for Baby page to learn more about offering strawberries to your baby.

Strawberry Pancakes

Ingredients:
Buckwheat Pancake Mix
Eggs, Oil, Milk according to package directions
Strawberries

How to Make It:
Prepare the mix according to the package directions and stir in 1 cup of strawberry puree.
Cook as directed on a griddle or in a frying pan. 
Set your oven to Warm and transfer the finished pancakes to an oven safe plate.  Put the plate in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve – if you are able to stop the older kiddos from grabbing the pancakes off the plate

You may also like the unusual Apple Pancakes & Banana Pancakes

They are sweet & beautifully purple, hooray the plums are here!

Jun 30, 2010 Baby Food Recipes Updated, Fruits and Veggies, New Baby Food Recipes

I was so excited to see the lovely color of purple on this plum that I had to grab a shot and post a post.  Now THIS is how a fresh plum should look.  And the sweet smell, oh my goodness my twins were even oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over the plums.

As you may know, plums are a great first food for baby, maybe not for THE first food but they are one of the fruits that you can introduce very early on.    Plums are high in fiber, low in cholesterol, sodium free and rich in Vitamin A & Vitamin C.  As Plums are high in fiber and natural sugars, they help maintain bowel regularity. Plums and Prunes are great to help with constipation.  These little fruits truly are a wonderful choice for baby food!  So what are you waiting for?  GO check your local grocer’s and see if juicy plums have hit your market.  Your baby will thank you and so will the rest of the family!  Here’s a yummy sauce recipe using plums, apples and blueberries to get you started.

Ingredients: 
2 peeled, cored, diced apple
2 handfuls of fresh or frozen blueberries
2 peeled, pitted and diced plums (leave the peel on if your little one does not have any texture issues)
1 cup water
1 tsp or a small dash of vanilla

Add all fruits and water to a medium saucepan
Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat
Turn to simmer and check frequently so as not to run out of water.
Add more water if needed and simmer for approx. 20 minutes or until all fruit is soft and tender and cranberries have popped

Allow to cool and then blend or puree as needed for your baby’s preferences – Add to cereals, yogurt or even drizzle sauce over meat puree or meat dices.

Learn all about plums and prunes – selecting, storing and more recipes here http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/plums-prunesbabyfoodrecipes.htm

Tags: apples, blueberries, fruits, Fruits and Veggies, plums, sauce

Basil – You say “Bay-sul” I say Baaz-ul” Spicy Sunday

Jun 28, 2010 Herbs and SPices

My sweet basil is growing so nice and bushy in the garden now.  I’m so happy to see all my herbs doing well but my basil…  I just love sweet basil!  Sweet Basil is a great herb to incorporate into baby’s foods for a variety of reasons.  Sweet Basil is so versatile that can make almost any food taste yummy (well maybe not peaches…).    I have to be precise here, I am mentioning sweet basil because there are so many different types of basil.   I also love my lemon basil.

Basil is said to have many healing and medicinal uses, far too many to really post about.   Basil is said to be a digestive aid, to help lower fevers, help make healthy white blood cells and, my favorite and most interesting thing – it is said to have anti-bacterial properties!  How cool is that?  Basil is not an allergenic herb so adding it to baby’s diet should do no harm.

One of the negatives with basil is that it is fragile and tender.  You want to find dark leaves without blemishes or yellow spotting.  If you are harvesting it from your garden, then be gentle when pinching it off.  You may notice that the slightest bumping of the plant may cause it’s scent to waft.  This is because the plant has been bruised, yes this is how sensitive it is.

When cooking with basil, add it during the last 10-15 minutes of cook time so that get the best, most flavorful taste.

Here are a few ways to incorporate basil into foods:  Please make sure all foods are safe and age appropriate for your little one!

Make a basil, tomato and cheese “salad” with a bit of olive oil
Saute zucchini with tomato, garlic and basil
Liven up a spinach quiche by adding tomatoes and basil
Bake a spaghetti squash with olive oil, garlic and basil, tomatoes optional
Add some pesto to warm quinoa, toss in some carrots and yellow squash

My Pesto Recipe

Indgredients:
2 cups of totally packed down in the cup fresh basil leaves
1 or 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (eyeball it as you are pureeing)
1/2 cup pine nuts or sunflower hearts (more or less nuts/hearts to your liking)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Add everything but add only 1/4 cup of the olive oil to your food processor or blender.  Whizz into a paste.  Slowly add the remaining olive oil and whizz until smooth.

You can warm and drizzle over pasta for baby, add it meatballs for baby or even drizzle over some cottage cheese.  Enjoy!

Tags: basil, herbs, pesto, Spices