Fall is officially here and the pumpkins are in! I love everything pumpkin, right down to my coffee. But I only really enjoy it during the fall/winter. After that, I'm over it until the next time it rolls around. There is just something so inviting and intoxicating about pumpkin and the spices that generally accompany this great food. Pumpkin is also a very nutritious food. Pumpkin is a low calorie food and also a source of carotenoids. Consuming a diet rich in carotenoids has been associated with a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease as well as some cancers. Sounds like an even better reason to eat pumpkins! Carotenoids are best absorbed with fat in a meal. Chopping, pureeing, and cooking also help to increase the bioavailability of the carotenoids. You can even substitute some of the fat when you are baking with pumpkin puree.
If you are interested in roasting your own pumpkins I suggest buying the "pie" pumpkins. They are much better for cooking than the big jack o lantern type pumpkins. Much easier to handle and clean, plus the actual pumpkin is less stringy and purees up smoother. This morning I roasted 2 small pie pumpkins and it yielded around 3-4 cups of pureed pumpkin. It is easy to roast a pumpkin. Just cut it in half and scoop out all of the stringy mess. Reserve the seeds, they are also great roasted! Then place the pumpkin halves in a 9 x 13 pan rounded side up (put the cut edges down on the pan). It takes around 40-45 mins @ 350 degrees. Once done, just pull out of the oven and let cool on your stove top. Then scoop out the "meat" and puree with a food processor or what I actually used today for the first time that I found even easier to use was my immersion blender (Thanks Miranda! Baby gift last year).
This pumpkin puree is so versatile. Just experiment with a spoonful here and there and you will be amazed at all the spices that complement pumpkin. For Sam I mix it into a lot of foods, or just give it to him plain, he loves it.
Sam's Pumpkin Quinoa
Cook some quinoa as directed on the package
Mix about 1 cup of cooked quinoa with 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (adjust this to suit your taste)
A few shakes of indian seasoning
It is SO good. I mixed this up for him the other night and was taking a few bites to taste test and I was thinking this would be really good to have as a side dish for mine and Austin's dinner. Except I will add more spice, saute some onions and maybe squash. Just add in whatever you have in your produce drawer, I'm sure it will be tasty!
Pumpkin Pancakes
mix up pancake mix or from scratch, however you normally make pancakes
stir in 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
These are also amazing! Add more or less spice, however you may like it. Top with fresh whipped cream, or powdered sugar, walnuts, maple syrup, pumpkin butter, applesauce, whatever you prefer!
Now, I also roasted the pumpkin seeds as well. If you have older children this would be appropriate.
Cajun Pumpkin Seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (rinsed. don't kill yourself trying to get all of the pumpkin bits off of the seeds, just cook it and it will be fine)
1/2-1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
1 T olive oil
just toss all together and bake at 300 degrees for 45-60 mins. Stir a few times during the cooking process. Enjoy!
If you have some great pumpkin recipes just let me know!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
So here is a quick post of my dinner for Sam tonight. I thought it was pretty good and easy for those of you that may be out there spending big $ on Gerber Graduates, or similar products.
I am making chicken parmesan for Austin and I, so I decided to get a meal out of this for Sam as well and make it a little more child friendly. I always use whole wheat spaghetti noodles and mix in spinach spaghetti noodles as well, really just for color, it adds no significant taste. I was in a hurry so I was using a jar of spaghetti sauce, and added in fresh garlic, basil, oregano, and a can of low salt diced tomatoes. Actually, I will just go ahead and post both recipes so that you can see what we ate.
Sam's Chicken Parmesan
1 oz hormone free, antibiotic free chicken breast (i steamed in the baby food cooker)
Spaghetti sauce
Butternut squash puree (frozen cube from the freezer)
Whole wheat spaghetti
Spinach spaghetti
Take 1 cube of your frozen butternut squash puree and thaw. Take the cooked spaghetti mixture and chop up roughly. Add the spaghetti to the squash and some of the spaghetti sauce.
Cube the chicken up (pea size). Ready to eat! He loved it!
Our chicken parmesan
2 chicken breasts
croutons
whole wheat panko bread crumbs
whole wheat flour
1 egg
3 T milk
Parmesan cheese
spaghetti sauce (storebought)
1 can reduced sodium diced tomatoes
oregano
basil
2 cloves fresh garlic
whole wheat spaghetti noodles
spinach spaghetti noodles
muenster cheese
1. coat the chicken with whole wheat flour
2. combine egg and milk
3. dip chicken into the egg and milk mixture
4. crush croutons with rolling pin, add panko breadcrumbs, and some parmesan cheese
5. coat the chicken with this mixture
6. place into oven and bake @ 350 degrees for around 25-35 mins
7. prepare pasta as you normally would
8. empty sauce, tomatoes, basil, oregano, minced garlic into pot and just warm
Assemble noodles and sauce, top with chicken and muenster cheese!
Not the healthiest meal on the planet, but if you have time you can make the sauce from scratch. I like to do this from time to time and I will make enough to freeze for 3-4 meals.
Homemade spaghetti sauce
around 10 tomatoes tomatoes peeled and crushed
2 cans diced reduced sodium tomatoes
1 16 oz can reduced sodium tomato paste
1 c butternut squash puree
1 chopped onion
1 c chopped carrots
5-6 minced garlic cloves
basil
chili pepper flakes
oregano
1 T sugar
salt/pepper to taste
Cook the onion and carrot first until soft, then add in the garlic and fresh tomatoes. Once all of this has cooked down a little bit, add the rest of your ingredients and simmer until it is as thick as you like. Add fewer or more ingredients to your taste.
I am making chicken parmesan for Austin and I, so I decided to get a meal out of this for Sam as well and make it a little more child friendly. I always use whole wheat spaghetti noodles and mix in spinach spaghetti noodles as well, really just for color, it adds no significant taste. I was in a hurry so I was using a jar of spaghetti sauce, and added in fresh garlic, basil, oregano, and a can of low salt diced tomatoes. Actually, I will just go ahead and post both recipes so that you can see what we ate.
Sam's Chicken Parmesan
1 oz hormone free, antibiotic free chicken breast (i steamed in the baby food cooker)
Spaghetti sauce
Butternut squash puree (frozen cube from the freezer)
Whole wheat spaghetti
Spinach spaghetti
Take 1 cube of your frozen butternut squash puree and thaw. Take the cooked spaghetti mixture and chop up roughly. Add the spaghetti to the squash and some of the spaghetti sauce.
Cube the chicken up (pea size). Ready to eat! He loved it!
Our chicken parmesan
2 chicken breasts
croutons
whole wheat panko bread crumbs
whole wheat flour
1 egg
3 T milk
Parmesan cheese
spaghetti sauce (storebought)
1 can reduced sodium diced tomatoes
oregano
basil
2 cloves fresh garlic
whole wheat spaghetti noodles
spinach spaghetti noodles
muenster cheese
1. coat the chicken with whole wheat flour
2. combine egg and milk
3. dip chicken into the egg and milk mixture
4. crush croutons with rolling pin, add panko breadcrumbs, and some parmesan cheese
5. coat the chicken with this mixture
6. place into oven and bake @ 350 degrees for around 25-35 mins
7. prepare pasta as you normally would
8. empty sauce, tomatoes, basil, oregano, minced garlic into pot and just warm
Assemble noodles and sauce, top with chicken and muenster cheese!
Not the healthiest meal on the planet, but if you have time you can make the sauce from scratch. I like to do this from time to time and I will make enough to freeze for 3-4 meals.
Homemade spaghetti sauce
around 10 tomatoes tomatoes peeled and crushed
2 cans diced reduced sodium tomatoes
1 16 oz can reduced sodium tomato paste
1 c butternut squash puree
1 chopped onion
1 c chopped carrots
5-6 minced garlic cloves
basil
chili pepper flakes
oregano
1 T sugar
salt/pepper to taste
Cook the onion and carrot first until soft, then add in the garlic and fresh tomatoes. Once all of this has cooked down a little bit, add the rest of your ingredients and simmer until it is as thick as you like. Add fewer or more ingredients to your taste.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Ok, had a couple requests for the whole wheat bread recipe. So, here it is....
1 1/2 c. milk scalded
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter
1 T salt
2 pks yeast
1 c. lukewarm water
3 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2-3 c bread flour
1. Scald the milk and pour over sugar, butter, salt, and cool till lukewarm
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water (around 110 degrees)
3. Add ww flour and yeast to milk mixture
4. Beat with mixer until smooth
5. Gradually add bread flour until the dough forms a ball
6. Knead until smooth (took me around 8-10 mins)-at this point you may add more bread flour as needed
7. Put in a greased bowl, turn once, cover, and let rise until doubled in size
8. Punch down
9. Divide in half and shape into loaf
10. Place in greased pans and let rise until double.
11. Bake at 375 around 35-45 mins until brown.
Enjoy!
1 1/2 c. milk scalded
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter
1 T salt
2 pks yeast
1 c. lukewarm water
3 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2-3 c bread flour
1. Scald the milk and pour over sugar, butter, salt, and cool till lukewarm
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water (around 110 degrees)
3. Add ww flour and yeast to milk mixture
4. Beat with mixer until smooth
5. Gradually add bread flour until the dough forms a ball
6. Knead until smooth (took me around 8-10 mins)-at this point you may add more bread flour as needed
7. Put in a greased bowl, turn once, cover, and let rise until doubled in size
8. Punch down
9. Divide in half and shape into loaf
10. Place in greased pans and let rise until double.
11. Bake at 375 around 35-45 mins until brown.
Enjoy!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Ok, I apologize for the delay in posting. Our computer had to be mailed off due to a problem with the memory. Last weekend I got the computer back and typed up a huge post and then lost the darn thing. So, needless to say, I was annoyed and just now decided to type it all over again. So here goes....
Many new foods have been tried and several new combinations!
I will just start it out with the new foods I have tried with each meal. So here is Breakfast:
homemade blueberry pancakes-topped with a tiny amount of smart balance butter. I am not teaching my child to eat syrup. I don't even like it myself. When he is old enough and he requests it on his own then sure, he may have some, but until then, no syrup! The pancakes were a big hit with Sam. However, one of our major problems now is that he has realized that he can feed the dogs (who sit around his highchair at every meal). He just grabs those bites of food and throws them on the floor as fast as he can and laughs while the dogs eat it up! My dogs are the clean up crew after a meal as well......
Going back to the steamed apple slices. These are great. I just peel the apples (organic) and slices them up and place them in the baby food cooker to steam. You could also use the steamfresh bags that you can buy.
Ok, on to lunch and dinner foods.
Beets-these are a great food for baby to try because they cook up very soft and easy to chew but yet hold their shape very well when cut into chunks for baby to feed himself. Only one word of caution, make sure your child has on old clothes or no clothes at all because after eating beets he/she will be pink! Beets have a strong flavor but Sam picked them right up and started eating, so maybe your baby will as well.
Avocado-this is a HUGE hit! I just cut it up into chunks and he eats normally about a half of an avocado among other items for lunch or dinner. This is also an ideal food for baby because there is no cooking involved, it is soft enough for them to chew, and is full of healthy fats!
Black, Great northern, pinto beans- all of these are well accepted. They are so easy to either open up a can or cook from dried. If I use canned beans I choose the kroger brand organic because they actually have less sodium than the regular low sodium beans and are also cheaper. If you are looking to have complete control over the sodium content and have an even cheaper option, try buying the dried varieties. I realize they seem like more trouble because you have to soak them overnight, but if you are like me and forget to soak them all of the time it is possible to soak and eat them in the same evening. If you take your pressure cooker (which I highly recommend if you don't have one) and put the dried and rinsed beans in, then let them come to a boil, put the lid on and turn off the heat. Let them stand there for an hour and then just turn on your pressure cooker and it takes maybe 15 minutes after that! Voila! Inexpensive, sodium controlled, without and preservatives. It really is a great option. And don't be afraid of the pressure cooker, it is essential, especially in the winter time. That is when I use mine the most.
Quinoa, brown rice, lentils-i no longer have to puree these up for him. Sometimes I mix them with other steamed veggies and put them in the baby food blender to just chop them roughly, but he is able to eat them on his own. I have tried some indian spices, just a small amount, to introduce some new flavors to Sam. These starches really are a blank palette and will take on any flavor you want to introduce. So, if you have some spices or herbs you want to try but don't know how to introduce them, put them on one of these.
Well, that is all I can remember off the top of my head. It has been so long I'm afraid I may have forgotten one of the new foods! I will do another post soon and add any new foods I may have forgotten. Please email me with questions or for recipe ideas. Happy cooking :)
Many new foods have been tried and several new combinations!
I will just start it out with the new foods I have tried with each meal. So here is Breakfast:
homemade blueberry pancakes-topped with a tiny amount of smart balance butter. I am not teaching my child to eat syrup. I don't even like it myself. When he is old enough and he requests it on his own then sure, he may have some, but until then, no syrup! The pancakes were a big hit with Sam. However, one of our major problems now is that he has realized that he can feed the dogs (who sit around his highchair at every meal). He just grabs those bites of food and throws them on the floor as fast as he can and laughs while the dogs eat it up! My dogs are the clean up crew after a meal as well......
Homemade toasted whole wheat bread with different toppings such as: homemade apple butter (thanks mom), homemade pumpkin butter, smart balance butter, almond butter, muenster cheese, baby swiss cheese. He likes them all! The homemade bread is a little bit stickier when he chews it up so I have to be careful to give very small bites at a time. If he has ever gotten too much in his mouth though he usually just spits out the big mushy wad of bread! If you are interested in making your own bread or need an easy recipe. Just send me a message and I will be happy to share the recipe.
Scrambled egg, which I scramble into a sort of patty that I am able to cut up into small bites for him. I do not add any butter, salt, or pepper, just plain, and he likes it just as it is.
I have bought some waffles from the store. I got them in the organic freezer section at Kroger. Van's natural foods, 8 whole grains. They have a lot of nutrition packed into them. I also eat them sometimes (with apple or pumpkin butter) and they are delicious. Due to the high fiber content of these Sam usually eats only about a half of a waffle. I normally give him his waffle plain, with banana pieces or steam apple slices, and some Yobaby yogurt.
Going back to the steamed apple slices. These are great. I just peel the apples (organic) and slices them up and place them in the baby food cooker to steam. You could also use the steamfresh bags that you can buy.Ok, on to lunch and dinner foods.
Beets-these are a great food for baby to try because they cook up very soft and easy to chew but yet hold their shape very well when cut into chunks for baby to feed himself. Only one word of caution, make sure your child has on old clothes or no clothes at all because after eating beets he/she will be pink! Beets have a strong flavor but Sam picked them right up and started eating, so maybe your baby will as well.
Avocado-this is a HUGE hit! I just cut it up into chunks and he eats normally about a half of an avocado among other items for lunch or dinner. This is also an ideal food for baby because there is no cooking involved, it is soft enough for them to chew, and is full of healthy fats!
Black, Great northern, pinto beans- all of these are well accepted. They are so easy to either open up a can or cook from dried. If I use canned beans I choose the kroger brand organic because they actually have less sodium than the regular low sodium beans and are also cheaper. If you are looking to have complete control over the sodium content and have an even cheaper option, try buying the dried varieties. I realize they seem like more trouble because you have to soak them overnight, but if you are like me and forget to soak them all of the time it is possible to soak and eat them in the same evening. If you take your pressure cooker (which I highly recommend if you don't have one) and put the dried and rinsed beans in, then let them come to a boil, put the lid on and turn off the heat. Let them stand there for an hour and then just turn on your pressure cooker and it takes maybe 15 minutes after that! Voila! Inexpensive, sodium controlled, without and preservatives. It really is a great option. And don't be afraid of the pressure cooker, it is essential, especially in the winter time. That is when I use mine the most.
Quinoa, brown rice, lentils-i no longer have to puree these up for him. Sometimes I mix them with other steamed veggies and put them in the baby food blender to just chop them roughly, but he is able to eat them on his own. I have tried some indian spices, just a small amount, to introduce some new flavors to Sam. These starches really are a blank palette and will take on any flavor you want to introduce. So, if you have some spices or herbs you want to try but don't know how to introduce them, put them on one of these.
Well, that is all I can remember off the top of my head. It has been so long I'm afraid I may have forgotten one of the new foods! I will do another post soon and add any new foods I may have forgotten. Please email me with questions or for recipe ideas. Happy cooking :)
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