It’s already been a year! We celebrated Violet Agnes’ first birthday in exactly the way you’d expect. With balloons, grandma visiting from the West coast and of course, a low-sugar birthday cake. This one is our version of a “hummingbird cake”, which Wikipedia calls “a banana pineapple spice cake common in the Southern United States”. My mom…
7 Nutritious Finger Foods for Babies (the Whole Family Loves, Too)
HEALTHY BABY FOOD DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PUREED. And it can be part of a meal you’re making anyway. When it comes to great finger foods for babies, here are 7 of my favorites–which happen to be elements of family favorites as well. 1. CRUSTY BREAD (OR TOAST). We serve a loaf of crusty bread with…
3 Dishes Your Baby, Toddler and the Rest of the Family Can All Eat
HERE WE GO. Baby Violet has started eating solid foods. That means we’re doing a whole new series on baby food but don’t worry, there will be lots of information for parents of older kids too. Like today’s post, which was inspired by a reader’s question on our Facebook page. “I have an almost-10-month-old little guy who…
how to make homemade baby food: my favorite 2 methods
IT’S SO EASY. Making baby food is not complicated but it is a little time consuming. Meaning, it takes longer than throwing a fistful of pouches into your grocery cart. And when it comes to buying baby food, there are certainly great options available these days. Organic and full of interesting combinations–carrots, apples and parsnips…
3 low-sugar pudding ideas for kids
PUDDING, I’VE LEARNED, CAN MEAN MANY THINGS. Especially when you’re cooking low-sugar stuff for kids. Here are three recipes we’ve tried: one’s beloved, another so-so and one big ol’ miss.
How to roast beets
THESE WORK IN SO MANY WAYS. On salad, as salad, warm from the oven, pureed for baby food (or as a secret good-for-you ingredient for decadent brownies!). I’m a beet lover, Phoebe is hit or miss with these purple beauties and everyone else is still in the not-quite-sold stage. They’re so good though, and so…
when all else fails, make baby food: roasted sweet potato and apple baby food
“IT’S NOT GOING WELL”, says my tired old self. “Except that it is!” says the hopeful part of me, the one that remains rosy cheeked despite 2 sleepless nights with our little guy’s new cold. So it’s a bit of both, that’s how I’d sum up this move and here’s why: It’s a complicated process….
Lentil sausage soup with spinach (a Barefoot Contessa lentil soup makeover)
IT’S HERE! I LOVE SOUP SEASON. Even though the Roman weather keeps playing tricks on us–one day it’s cool and crisp, the next is so hot and humid that everyone is sweating before we leave the house–we’ve started making soup. And even better, we’ve started freezing soup too. This recipe makes more than enough to…
pumpkin pancakes or waffles
ONE OF MY DREAMS FOR THIS WEBSITE is to create an amazing collection of family-friendly recipes and meal ideas from moms and dads everywhere. There’s a special section on Foodlets devoted to this mission; you can upload your family’s favorite recipes (with photo) easily right here. But sometimes I hear from you directly, which is…
Sauteed zucchini
ESTELLE IS ON A ZUCCHINI KICK. And by “kick” I mean she doesn’t spit them out. Unlike, say, shrimp, which will be its own post soon… Instead she eats them happily and heartily every time. And since they’re so fresh and easy to find this time of year, why not indulge the little one? Especially…
Strawberry mini muffins
WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH fresh strawberries! Hoping to soak up the best of the season, we’re experimenting with new recipes all the time. This one was quite tasty–and thanks to the magical combo of a freezer and a zip-top bag, we’re still enjoying them a week later. Well, those of us who aren’t cutting FIVE…
Easy spring veggies: asparagus & peas with lemon & cheese (plus baby food version)
FRESH AND SIMPLE. What better way to cook kid-friendly vegetables in the springtime, especially when the whole process takes 10 minutes?
Baked oatmeal with balsamic strawberries
OATMEAL WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. Now that I’ve discovered a baked recipe that works for the small and smallest members of our household (aka with strawberries and without), I may never stand over a bubbling pot of oatmeal again. Or at least I’ll take a nice break from it.
whole wheat penne pasta with pesto & beans
THIS DINNER WAS DONE IN 15 MINUTES. As if that wasn’t enough of a mini miracle for this mom, it was also eaten. Happily. Heartily. And so another spin-off series begins… Get ready kids. There’s more pasta on the way! And more, and more…
Baked risotto with bacon and peas
SPIN-OFFS ARE A VERY BIG PART OF MY master plan (rubs palms together yet controls the urge to laugh maniacally. Probably because that would be weird. Anyway…). Estelle LOVES rice these days so without driving everyone crazy, I’m going to try as many variations as I can, as often as I can. Also, Phoebe thinks…
Recipe Makeover: Jamie Oliver’s 30-minute scalloped potatoes with onions
My version of Jamie Oliver’s scalloped potatoes with onions is one of our family’s favorite side dishes. One we almost didn’t know about it. I made a discovery. Jamie Oliver’s 30 Minute Meals has been on one of our 900 Italian cable channels for quite some time but always dubbed, in Italian. I’d sort of given…
Mashed potatoes with pork gravy
OLD SCHOOL AND PERFECT for cold weather, I made a variation of Shepard’s pie this week with steamed broccoli on the side. I also learned something in the process: toddlers are excellent at mashing potatoes. Destroying something with no regard for making a mess along the way? Why didn’t I think of this earlier?
Oatmeal applesauce mini-muffins
THIS IS A NEW ONE. Phoebe and Estelle like something that I’m just not that into. Because we still had a few cups of delicious apple butter at our disposal, Phoebe and I whipped up some muffins yesterday and I’ll tell you this, the munchkins love them. For me it’s a texture thing; I was…
Banana muffins with millet
YES, MILLET. THIS GOOD-FOR-YOU GRAIN is not only a source of protein but also heart-healthy magnesium and niacin. Plus it and adds a mega-dose of fiber to unsuspecting muffins like these. A regular food source in Ethiopia, it’s uncommon in the US (except for bird seed!) and usually found in health food stores. We love…
Baby food recipe: Roasted zucchini
UNLESS YOU’RE A TODDLER, roasted zucchini is one of the most delicious ways to eat this ubiquitous squash. (If you’re a toddler, you will likely only try a bite because you’ve been promised a sticker and even then will probably spit it out. A sticker can only get you so far…) But if you’re a…