Hippie food part 2: Rice Balls!

August (left) toasting life while Jude pauses to look cute!

Life with a 4 year old and 14 month old twins is crazy.  August and Jude are all over the place and get into everything.  They are very easy going little dudes but a ton of work!  Juliet has a far busier schedule than I do- school, ballet, swim lessons and endless play dates.

Mealtime needs to be kept simple, healthy and fresh.  One of our latest creations is a little side dish I like to call Rice Balls!  I steam and mash sweet potato, butternut squash or spinach (or a combo) and boiled white or brown rice and make little balls.  The boys cannot get enough and I've been known to sneak a few myself!

Ready to rock!

August inspecting the goodness

we heart tofu

I love Tofu.  I really only cook with chicken and ground turkey at home so tofu is just another protein in the rotation.  I'm actually quite surprised that I haven't given it to my boys until now- they are 13 months old already!

Tofu is high in iron, protein and calcium.  It's a very versatile food and basically takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with.  

August and Jude's first tofu meal was Tofu Teriyaki.  I gently fried up the tofu in some olive oil, drizzled on about a tablespoon of teriyaki sauce and steamed up some carrots.  These boys were in food heaven.  Tofu is a great finger food- it's so adorable to watch them pick up the little cubes and feed themselves.  

In reading up about tofu, I learned that there is some controversy surrounding soy.  I had no clue- I thought tofu was peaceful hippie food!  Honestly, these articles were a little too scientific for me but the take home message was to purchase organic, non- GMO (genetically modified) tofu.

Also on the stove top: tofu scramble with a variety of veggies and brown rice OR add a little tofu into an egg and cheese scramble for added protein.

Daddy's killer oatmeal

We are 1 and love peanut butter oatmeal!

Joel loves breakfast.  It may be his favorite meal.  He eats the same oatmeal every morning and I can finally give it to the boys now that they are 1 and cleared to eat peanut butter.

This concoction is no joke- it's very rich, packed with fiber and YUMMY.

Take one cup of instant oats, add a "dusting" of granola (we like Nature's Path pumpkin flax granola), a healthy scoop of natural peanut butter, flood it with milk and microwave for 2 minutes.  Then add frozen wild blueberries, mush it all together and let the squeals begin!

My Diaper Rash Miracle Cure

Nice buns, Augs!

A word not on what goes in but an unfortunate side effect of what comes out....eloquently put...

Diaper rash.

Juliet got nasty diaper rashes quite often.  I used to put A&D on at every diaper change but she would still end up red and rashy and sometimes raw.  Poor girl.  I turned to Triple Paste every time which works wonders.

I've been using more natural diaper ointments for the boys and they have been practically rash free.  Grandma El's is great.  It smells delish and a little goes a long way.  I also have the boys in the most amazing diapers I have ever come across- The Honest Company diapers.  They are so absorbent they can be worn overnight.  And my boys are heavy wetters.  Juliet wore Pampers Baby Dry diapers until she potty trained and they do not hold a candle to Honest Diapers.

Recently August developed one of the only nasty diaper rashes he has had.  My poor boy screamed through a poopy change.  After bath I decided to try a combo of diaper creams on August's red tushy.  CJ's BUTTer is my favorite natural diaper ointment.  It is oily and practically melts into your babe's skin....like buttah!  It is literally a miracle product.  I used this and put Triple Paste on top and smushed the oily paste all around. When I changed his diaper the next morning......his rash was totally gone!  All the redness had disappeared.  I was pretty surprised: usually it would take a day or so for the Triple Paste to clear up one of Juliet's wicked diaper rashes.  So try this combo next time your baby gets diaper rash!

www.grandmaels.com
www.cjsuniqueboutique.com

Oranges

The boys recently tried oranges and really loved them.  Our pediatrician had us hold off on citrus fruits until 9 months.  Some doctors say hold off on citrus until after babies first birthday due to allergy concerns.  But, August and Jude haven't had problems with any foods so we dove into a bag of Cuties.  That bag was gone within one week!

Oranges are known for having an abundance of Vitamin C.  Oranges are also very high in fiber and lots of other healthy vitamins and nutrients.

I cut them up into little pieces and let the boys pick them up and eat them.  As you can see if the picture to the left, August really investigated his first piece of orange before eating it!

I also put these little pieces in their yogurt/cottage cheese lunch along with raspberries and blackberries.

Cheerios

The boys haven't had Cheerios yet.  They've been snacking away on Puffs and yogurt melts.  I wanted to make sure they could really chew their food well before introducing Cheerios.  They don't melt as easily as some of the other baby snacks.  But, August and Jude had no trouble chewing up their new snack.

Our 1st Cheerios along with some flirtiness by Jude

Juliet loves Cheerios.  She also adores my Mom, her Granny.  While Juliet was staying with my parents over Winter break, they came up with a great meal using Cheerios.  They were both having yogurt for lunch.  As Juliet watched my Mom put granola in her yogurt, she decided she would be "just like Granny" and add a little something extra to her lunch too: Cheerios!  I thought that was such a good idea.  Sometimes I feel like yogurt isn't enough of a meal and Cheerios make it a bit more filling.  This little dish, along with some fruit, will make a great breakfast or lunch for the boys.

Dancing diva!

Split peas

Split pea soup is yummy!

August and Jude are now 11 months old.  I cannot believe it.  My little loves, who started out at 6lbs, 11oz (August) and 5lbs, 14oz (Jude), are now 23lbs each.  They are cruising along the furniture in our apartment, usually heading towards a remote control or the dog.  August has stood, unassisted, for a few seconds.  But, being the more cautious brother, he realizes what's going on and immediately sits.  Jude has taken a few steps with the walking toy and always looks quite proud of himself.  They each dazzle me on a daily basis with all the things they are learning and how different their personalities have grown to be.  

Sentiment aside- and I am sure I will post some very gushy words when they turn the big 1- they have been eating protein for 5 months already.  I have yet to highlight one of their favorite meals: split pea soup!  Split peas are part of the legume family.  As their name suggests, they are peas that have been dried and split.  Split peas are high in fiber, protein and iron and low in fat, making it an excellent choice for babies.  There are yellow and green split peas.  I read that yellow split peas have a milder flavor.  August seems to be more enthusiastic about green split peas.  Jude doesn't seem to have a preference but he is enthusiastic about ALL food!  

Yellow split peas, zucchini and pumpkin soup!

It is very easy to make a split pea puree for your baby.  All I do is boil water on the stove top and add the split peas with any or all of the following veggies:  carrots, zucchini, squash (summer or butternut) and/or pumpkin.  Simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes, drain but leave some of the cooking liquid and puree in the food processor or blender.  

5 fun facts about Blueberries!

1) Blueberries are one of the only natural foods that are truly blue in color.

2) Native Americans used blueberry juice to treat persistent coughs and other illnesses.

3) Almost 100% of the blueberries in North America are harvested in Maine.

4) Blueberry muffins are the most popular kind of muffin in America (and Juliet's favorite!)

5) Blueberries are extremely healthy, containing more antioxidants than most other fruits and vegetables.  They are also naturally low in fat and sodium.

August enjoying blueberries!

Yogurt. Frozen!

Baby Pinkberry!

Juliet and I came home from the park today to find Joel feeding the boys his very clever idea for dessert after their lunch.  This morning Jude and August left over part of their breakfast of yogurt with chunks of strawberry and blueberry.  So Joel stuck it in the freezer and literally had frozen yogurt to give to them. They really loved it.  Juliet used to love gnawing of frozen fruit at this age.  Jude was also having some teething pain today and it seemed to sooth his poor gums too!  Bonus!

Jude

August

Salmon Sticks

Two thumbs YUM from August and Jude!

The boys tried these salmon sticks for dinner and they really enjoyed it.  I know, it's not homemade and that is the premise of my musings but, as the boys grow, I will be feeding them a mix of homemade and store bought food.  They really enjoyed these fishies and I am sure they will love fish fingers and chicken fingers made with love by Mama!  I found these Happy Family Salmon Stix at Whole Foods.

I baked them in the toaster for 10 minutes and they were very crispy which is better for an older child.  I think for now I will put them in the microwave so they are soft for these 10 1/2 month old babes!