Improptu delish! "Hippie skillet"

In the park when the boys were brand new.

My husband, Joel, is a pro in the kitchen.  He can go to the farmer's market, pick out a bunch of ingredients, improvise and create an awesome meal.  He is a great cook.  We call his creations "hippie food."  They always include lots of veggies and tofu or ground turkey diced up and stir fried with white rice and spices to delicious perfection.  And it's always different every time.

Tonight we got back from a play date on the late side and I needed to throw something together for the boys' dinner.  I was thinking "baby breakfast for dinner" of eggs and pancakes.  Easy.  As I was scrambling the eggs I thought of throwing in a few Dr. Praeger's Sweet Potato Littles and sprinkle shredded cheese on top and let it melt.  The whole scramble got warm and melty!  Joel enthusiastically named the meal "hippie skillet."  It did remind me of the breakfast skillets we used to order from our favorite breakfast place in San Diego, The Broken Yolk.  My favorite breakfast scrambles always include eggs, potato and cheese.  August and Jude ate it heartily!  I took a taste and, I must say, it was delish!

Hippie Skillet's maiden voyage!

I love the different Dr. Praeger's "littles."  Besides sweet potato, they sell spinach and broccoli littles.  Those were literally the only green veggies Jules would eat.  They are packaged in cute shapes like stars and dinosaurs.  They make great finger foods too.  Dr. Praeger's sells a kids line of foods in the frozen foods section that I've always had good luck with.

Juliet, Daddy's little girl.

The Sandler men!

Broccoli

I waited a while before giving August and Jude broccoli.  Broccoli is a very gassy food.  I have 2 amazing sleepers and I cherish my own sleep.  I don't do anything that may risk a good nights sleep for anyone in my household!  When Juliet was a baby, we had an experience with a gassy food that traumatized me: when she was trying all her 1st foods, I gave her prunes.  She happily gobbled it all up.  She was up SCREAMING most of that night.  Like Jude and August, Juliet was, and still is, an awesome sleeper.  Poor baby girl had a gribbly tummy and was tooting away all night.  The next day I told my Mom about our dreadful night and she gently told me I should not have given the baby the ENTIRE jar of prunes.  Maybe just give her a tiny bit of prunes if she is constipated.  OOPS.  Lesson learned and we stay FAR away from gassy foods!  

For their 1st taste of broccoli, I steamed up one small white potato with a single stalk of broccoli.  That's right- 1 tiny tree!  Broccoli is high in soluble fiber and too much soluble fiber can cause diarrhea.  Gas and the runs?  No thanks.  We took it easy.  I sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese on top and viola!  Baby broccoli and potatos au gratin!  The boys really enjoyed it.

Fresh broccoli will keep in the fridge up to 4 days.

Broccoli is also high in vitamin C, making it a great addition to your babe's diet.  Steam up some broccoli and carrots for a colorful finger food medley.  Or roast in the oven with some squash.  

Sexy and I know it...

Eggs

Breakfast of champions!  Jude was still chewing...

At our 9 month check up, our pediatrician recommended including finger foods each day so the boys can practice feeding themselves.  Scrambled eggs are a great finger food to offer at breakfast.

Eggs are high in complete protein, "good fats," and vitamins that are all awesome for a developing baby.  Eggs are one of the few foods that contain Vitamin D.  And they taste delicious!  Jude and August went wild the first time they had eggs.  Now when they see scrambled goodness coming towards them, they start screeching with anticipation....August starts banging on his tray!

Egg allergies can be common.  I've heard people say they give just the yolk since it's the egg white that cause the allergic reaction.  Our pediatrician told us that recommendation changed and to give the boys the whole egg, especially since they haven't had any problems with new foods thus far.

Add some veggies for a "baby egg scramble."  Dice up zucchini really small and scramble the pieces with the eggs until they are soft.  The boys just gum it all up together.  Or melt some american cheese in while scrambling your eggs.  Or blend with avocado and spread it on toast.  There are alot of recipes out there for egg bakes too; we're going to try one of those soon.  No matter how you prepare them, make sure they are fully cooked through.  Raw eggs aren't good for anyone!

Jude finds a good piece...

YUM!

August, just eating his eggs

yogurt

Jude's "yogurt beard!"

Last week we FINALLY got to try yogurt.  I wouldn't say August and Jude are getting tired of their purees but I'm sure they wouldn't mind a little variety in their lives.  Or maybe I'm tired of giving them puree after puree.  That's probably it.  Nevertheless, our pediatrician advises staying away from dairy until 9 months.  Some pediatricians will tell you to give yogurt as young as 6 months and that is totally fine.  I like to follow our doctor's advice or I will fall victim to the all mighty Google and spend hours researching things I shouldn't be reading.

I always wondered why a baby could have yogurt before he or she turned one but not milk.  Part of the reason is that doctors don't want us cutting out any formula (or breast milk) that has all the vital nutrition a baby needs until age 1.  Secondly, lactose is broken down with the culturing of yogurt (or cheese).  Milk proteins are removed or limited and, therefore, these foods are much easier to digest.

Yogurt was a big hit with my boys.  I bought plain, whole milk yogurt and mixed with with a pear puree.  They gobbled it up.  Whole milk yogurt is recommended for its nutritious fat babies need for proper development.  Yogurt is also an excellent source of protein.  

We then tried Greek yogurt.  Greek yogurt is strained, removing the liquid whey along with some salts and sugars.  The result is creamier, thicker and higher in protein.  Greek yogurt has double the protein and half the sugar of plain yogurt.  August and Jude tried Greek yogurt mixed with a blueberry/papaya puree and had a field day.  August was grunting for more while I was giving Jude his spoonfuls.

I plan on staying away from the flavored yogurts marketed to kids.  Yes they are easier but they are much more expensive and can have large amounts of added sugar.  I bought a big ole' tub of plain, Greek yogurt and will mix it with my purees.

We are 9 months old!!  Our Mama cannot believe it!

Baby's Shepherd's Pie?

All 3 of the Sandler babes are getting BIG!

When the boys first started solids I was able to get away with cooking every other day or so.  Not anymore.  My once tiny newborns are now 9 months old and weighed in at 22lbs, 5ounces EACH at their 9 month check up.  They are each 29 1/2 inches tall.  In other words, we have some big boys!  And these boys need fuel to keep up with their serious growing.  They eat a ton.  I am seriously scared to see what my grocery bills will be like when they are teenagers!

Tonight I wanted to make something quick and easy for their dinner tomorrow.  I spotted a bag of frozen peas and a bag of frozen corn in my freezer, along with ground turkey that I had already cooked up.  Perfect!  There was something familiar in these ingredients....I love shepherd's pie prepared with turkey.  I ate this for lunch alot when I was pregnant with the boys.  It's such a good comfort food.  I could steam carrots with the peas and corn and put the puree on top of white mashed potato.

The boys love "baby mashies."  I steam diced potato and mash it with about 2 oz of their formula.  The formula makes the mashies creamy just like we add milk and/or butter to our own mashed potatoes.  You can add alot to baby mashies: corn, spinach or even a half sweet potato and half white potato.  Add a protein too and you will have one happy baby with a nice full tummy!

A note on corn: corn is great for a bit of protein and carbohydrates which makes it a good food for energy.  Other than that, corn has no other nutritional value and considered "empty calories."  Don't give your baby a meal of just corn.  I always use a small amount of corn.  It is sweet and it thickens up some of our thinner dishes.  Corn will also be a good finger food down the road.

In the interest of time, I whipped up peas/corn/ground turkey and added a bit of cooked white rice that I made for our chili dinner.  It's a hearty, thick meal my boys will really enjoy!  We'll do Baby Shepherd's pie when we have a little more time to prep and gourmet it up.

Island chicken

Of all the things I mix with chicken, I wanted to focus on a dish I like to call Island Chicken.  It's chicken breast mixed with mango and papaya.  My Mom and my sister, Erica, threw me a magnificent bridal shower 6 years ago.  The food was delicious and one of the main dishes was Mango Chicken.  It stood out in my mind because of it's sweetness.  The boys don't have a problem eating chicken and veggies but I thought, what a treat for them- sweet, yummy chicken!

Papaya is sweet and high in vitamin C, A and E.  It is also very high in fiber.  This is a reason why papaya is not recommended as a 1st food.  Introduce papaya after your babe's tummy has digested the classic 1st foods well and proved strong.  Honestly- papaya smells awful.  This is why I spend the extra money and buy papaya already cut up.

Mango is high in vitamin A and fiber.  It also contains a higher level of carotenoids than any other fruit.  Carotenoids are a naturally occurring pigment that gives the fruit or vegetable the red, yellow or orange color.  Carotenoids aid in preventing vitamin A deficiency.  They are also a powerful antioxident and thought to give the immune system a major boost, even helping to ward off the common cold.  This is great news for those of us who have 3 year olds in school, bringing home icky germs!  I buy mango already cut up.  I once bought a whole mango, let it ripen and attempted to cut it up.  It took forever and was extremely tedious...and slippery.  I love to cook but my knife skills are not that of a chef!

August and Jude also enjoy the papaya/mango combo for breakfast or a "dessert" after lunch.  Papaya/pear was another winner as is each fruit on it's own.

August and Jude hold hands while they eat alot!

Other favorite chicken dishes:

Sweet potato/corn/chicken

Butternut squash/apple/chicken

Zucchini/carrot (or apple or pear)/chicken

peas/rice/chicken

eggplant/potato/chicken

The green machine(s)

Green veggies get a bad rap, especially with kids.  In one of Juliet's favorite books, Pinkalicious, young Pinkalicious' skin turns pink after eating too many pink cupcakes.  The only antidote is a diet of green vegetables only.  She "chokes down artichokes, gags on grapes and burps up Brussel sprouts."  Juliet thinks this is hilarious.  She also refuses to eat most anything green.  I am guilty of this myself.  Most mornings, Joel makes himself a green smoothie, complete with spinach and kale.  I tease him relentlessly but it is really healthy and an easy way to get the benefits of leafy greens.  I just can't bear the thought of drinking spinach!  But, I am really the one missing out on the healthy goodness.

August gives peas a chance!

Jude loves his green goodness!

Peas are a great first green food for babies.  Juliet did not enjoy peas but August and Jude loved them from the start.  They are pleasant to eat.  1 cup of peas contains more protein than 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.  Peas are also packed with calcium, vitamin A and iron.  I buy frozen organic peas, steam and puree them.  The boys have enjoy peas mixed with a ton of different veggies and fruits: carrots, zucchini, apples.  I gave them their first taste of beef mixed with peas.  Peas can be chunky when pureed so if you want a smoother blend, rinse them in cold water first.

Green beans are another good first green food for babies as they are a low allergy risk food.  Green beans are high in calcium, vitamin K and vitamin C.  The first time I bought green beans, I found them already trimmed, washed and bagged at Whole Foods.  I cut them in half and steamed them with peas and Jude and August really enjoyed the combo.  The second time I decided to buy frozen and that was a huge mistake.  I may have gotten a bad bag but the frozen green beans smelled awful and pureed into the chunkiest, nastiest mix that I could not feed to my babies.  Now I just buy them fresh and a favorite combo is green beans/carrot/squash.

I wanted to give spinach to my lil Popeyes but, to me, it tastes so bitter.  I decided to mix it up with butternut squash to start and the combo was a raving success!  I couldn't believe it.  This is the combo that started the name "green machine!"  After a few tries with this puree, I learned to add more butternut squash and not go too crazy with the spinach.  Spinach has a ton of calcium and is a great source of iron and vitamin A.  I buy organic frozen spinach though I have read that fresh is probably a better idea.

Whether your kids gobble down greens or not, they will all grow up healthy and strong!  Here are my 3 loves on Halloween.

 

August is a gourmand

I decided to start making baby food with the premise that I wouldn't make 100% of their food.  I wasn't sure that I would have the time to make absolutely every last bite.  I thought making their food would be a fun project and not necessarily a must for their health.  I am far from a purest in any realm of my babies' lives.  No way is "the best," just "better" for us.

I made everything fresh for a little over one month.  Then the day came when I didn't have time to make lunch for the next day, which was a protein meal.  When I was at Whole Foods the next morning, I picked up a jar of Earth's Best sweet potatoes and chicken and a jar of fruit.  I figured no problem, I'll just warm it up like I do with the homemade food.  Well, I was WRONG.  Beyond wrong.  My happy little eater, August, was angry.  He cried.  He yelled.  He snarfed, spit it out and waved his arms in the air.  He made an array of pitiful faces ranging from disgust to fury!  I felt awful.  Jude, on the other hand, happily ate every last bite.  That is just so Jude.

After this debacle, I got to thinking why the harsh reaction?  I did a little research and found some interesting facts.  Processed baby food is cooked at extremely high temperatures to kill bacteria and extend shelf life.  This food can be stored in jars at room temperature waiting for someone to buy it.  And the average shelf life of a jar of baby food is 2 years.  This process not only kills bacteria, it kills taste and compromises essential vitamins and nutrients.  The smell and color is also different.  While babies do not have the refined palates of adults, smell and color do contribute to their dining experiences and get them excited about their meal.  I notice my fresh carrots are a much more vibrant orange compared to jarred carrots which always looked a bit watery to me too.

My conclusion is that there nothing wrong with jarred food.  Juliet ate jars of Earth's Best and she thrived.  I spoiled my boys with food and August took to it!  He does not want to "go with the flow" when it comes to his grub.  He wants a fresh, homemade meal.  What man doesn't?!  Now I am sure to always make time to cook for my little gourmands!

"hey brother, you think she's giving us the good stuff?!"

You can't beat beets!

Beets are often neglected in the preparation of babyfood.  Beets have a smooth texture, great color and taste sweet and delicious.  They are also packed full of important nutrients like calcium, potassium and Vitamin A.  Beets also have alot of fiber.  2 medium sized beets contain 2 grams of fiber.  And speaking of the effects of fiber, don't be alarmed if your baby's poop is pinkish or redish the next day.  Jude had a little red surprise for me the day after he had beets!

Select small or medium sized beets.  Larger beets can be tough and woody in the center.  Medium sized beets also taste better.  If you purchase beets with the leafy greens still attached, do not feed them to your baby.  They can be difficult for even adults to digest.

This is the beet I bought.  There was a bin full of loose beets at Whole Foods.  I know, it's weird looking!  To prepare this bad boy, I simply boiled it for an hour.  This is the best way to prepare beets.  Removing or puncturing the skin before the beet is cooked will result in loss of nutrients and flavor.  It is also the easiest way to cook them- the skin will literally slide right off after it is cooked.  After the skin is removed, dice up your beets and puree!  Our first beet puree was beets mixed with ground turkey.  August and Jude loved it!

2 satisfied customers!

As Hurricane Sandy approached New York City, my family and I were evacuated.  We live in lower Manhattan in North Battery Park City- the infamous Zone A.  We packed up our car and trekked to my parents on Long Island.  Not really a better option, but we had no choice.  I barely had any food prepared for the boys so I packed up my Beaba Baby Cook, amongst countless other things, and we hit the road.  We sat glued to the news as I cooked up a storm as this disaster of a storm slowly approached.  I finished up just as the power went out.  One of the dishes I prepared was "Purple Potatoes:" beets and white potato.  They loved it.  This time I actually found pre washed, cooked and packed beets at Whole Foods.  All I had to do was dice, steam and puree.  In the future I would also add an apple or a pear or carrots for added eye appeal.

Purple potatoes!

 When the boys are a bit older, roasted beets will make a colorful and healthy finger food for them.  

Sources:

Homemade Baby Food Recipes

Wholesome Baby Food

Let's dig in!

Double peas face!

August and Jude are almost 8 months old.  We started Rice Cereal at 4 1/2 months.  They took to the spoon very well.  Within a few days, they would catch a glimpse of the spoon and were all smiles- these boys knew it was chow time!  We started solids at 5 months.  I decided to introduce all the first veggies first before moving on to fruit.  We did carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, peas, avocado, zucchini, green beans and pumpkin.  We then moved on to banana, pears, apples, peaches, nectarines and plums.  I decided to get a little exotic and tried mango and papaya and they loved it.  I know Earth's Best makes a 1st prunes.  I gave that to Juliet when she was about 6 months old- she gobbled up the entire jar and was up ALL NIGHT the same night with horrible gas.  Poor baby, I was not repeating the same mistake with the boys.  I keep a jar on standby for constipation emergencies which we happen to have none of.

The only food they both did not enjoy was avocado.  At the advice of a friend, I tossed an avocado and a banana in the blender, mixed with about an ounce of formula and put it in the fridge.  The result is a cool, creamy snack that Jude and August love.  We call it "ice cream" for baby foodies!

Once they had all the "first foods," I started making simple combinations:
Veggie/veggie combos like zucchini/carrot or peas/carrots, and sweet potato/peas.

I mix alot of fruits together and give it to them for breakfast with single grain or multi grain oatmeal:  apple/peach/pear or any combination of three fruits.  They also enjoyed peachy/plum.  I found that if I add half a banana it gives the puree the consistency of a smoothie and is a great "dessert" after lunch or dinner.

Fruit/veggie combo like sweet potato/apple (pear or peach).  Zucchini/apple was a big hit.  These combinations also included some new foods like spinach (mixed with butternut squash) or white potato/corn or green beans/brown rice.  A kind of random but major hit was sweet potato/apple/mango.  I had a small amount of each left over so I steamed them together and the boys really enjoyed the puree!

At our 6 month check up, our pediatrician told us to start giving one protein each day.  I was EXCITED!  Now I could really start getting creative.  We started with organic chicken breast, ground turkey and ground sirloin.  Split peas are a great protein too.  I buy them from Whole Foods in dry bulk and cook them on the stove in boiling water for 30 minutes.  I then puree them with a variety of veggies and there you have it: baby split pea soup!  I usually give them their protein meal for lunch.

Happy lil eaters: August on the left, Jude on the right.

Hello World!

  

I've been thinking of starting a blog for a long time. I love to write and share my life. I stopped working to stay home with our now 3 year old, Juliet. I knew I needed to write about something I am passionate about.  

We decided it was time for another baby. I got a positive pregnancy test and on July 26th, 2011 Joel and I went for our first appointment with our OB and got the shock of our lives. Right there on the ultrasound screen were 2 strong heartbeats. Twins. OMG. (Yes, it was an OMG moment!) I was shocked and scared. Now, as I sit here thinking back to that day, I vividly remember that wave of fear. A million questions flooded my mind all at once. What if they come early? Like scary early? What do we need two of? How am I going to handle this? Wow, I'm going to be HUGE. But, most of all, I couldn't stop thinking of Juliet. How would she react to two infants coming home and into our lives? Up until that point it had just been me and Jules- going to classes, school, play dates, the park. It was all going to change and I couldn't control the tears.  It took a few days to absorb the shock and realize how lucky we are- we tried for one baby and got two.  Identical twin boys who I carried to 37 weeks, 3 days.  August Reid and Jude Isaac were born on February 23, 2012.  They were big, healthy and perfect.  Back to my desire to start a blog. Now that I had twins, which is unique, I felt like I was one step closer to establishing a focus to write about. I didn't just want to post my funny stories, blunders and pictures. I wanted to create something where other Moms (or Dads!) could get some guidance....about something.  I love to cook and while I did not make baby food for Juliet, I really wanted to for the boys. The thought of buying all those jars and schlepping them home was daunting. I got a Baby Beaba as a gift and went to work steaming and pureeing once we started solids when the boys turned 5 months.  I realized THIS IS IT! I'm going to write about making baby food for my boys. I'm going to share all the different fun combinations I come up with and how much August and Jude love it- and they LOVE to eat!

Why homemade?  There are many reasons to make your own baby food.  It does keep cost down, especially with twins, but that was not my motive.  I shop at Whole Foods and our local Farmer's Markets and that organic produce is pricey.  I like that I know exactly what Jude and August are eating.  That being said, I did not make any of Juliet's food.  She ate Earth's Best jars and she is absolutely perfect.  I do not believe making your own baby food is the one and only way to provide healthy and nutritious meals for your baby.  Honestly- making baby food is just plain FUN.  It is also relaxing to listen to music while I peel and chop in my kitchen.  I love thinking of flavor pairings and executing them.  The best part is feeding my creations to August and Jude and watching their reactions.  Smiles, screeches and little legs kicking all tell me "Mama this is delish!"  Stay tuned!