Carmel Apple Sweet Potatoes

Recipe by Tamika Gardner

For 12 months and up

Sweet potatoes and apples taste great together, and the caramel sauce just really sets this recipe off.  This could be given as a desert or side dish.  Suitable for toddlers.  For babies, omit the caramel sauce.

Ingredients:

1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced

1 medium sweet potato (baked)

1 tablespoon butter

Dab of cinnamon
Carmel dessert topping (I prefer Smuckers).

Directions:

Bake sweet potato in oven until nice and soft (about 45 minutes) on 375 degrees.  Meanwhile, saute diced apple in a saucepan with butter and cinnamon until tender.  Slit the sweet potato open down the center and stir the inside away from the skin. Top with cooked apples and add caramel desert topping.  Serve Warm. Yummy!

Adorable Apple - Recipes for The Wean Machine™

Peel and core a sweet apple, cut into 1cm cubes , cover in water and cook for 5 minutes until soft, once cooled, fill The Wean Machine two thirds full, squeeze and feed (add a little water if necessary).

This recipe was used with permission.

Apple & Bananas - Semi-Homemade Baby Food

Recipe by Tamika Gardner.
I have found that although many moms are making their own baby food, it is also a very good idea to keep a few jars of baby food on hand.  You never know when you may experience a power outage, or be somewhere for long periods of time unexpectedly (like if your car stalls in the middle of no where or if your doctor's visit has turned into a waiting room nightmare).

I made my own baby food but I had plenty of jars stocked in my pantry. Later I found that if I was out of a particular puree that I had previously frozen, I would just use a jar of baby food and add a fresh food to it!  It really adds freshness to the jar and an extra boost of nutrients.

My kids were Gerber babies but you can use any brand of baby food.

Now here is what I call Semi-Homemade Baby Food because I love Sandra Lee's show!

Ingredients:
1 jar of 2nd stage Gerber apples.

Mashed banana (about 1/4 of a medium banana)

Directions:

Mash about 1/4 of a banana with a fork.  Add jar of apples and mix well.

Directions for preparing using The Wean Machine:

If you are using The Wean Machine, simply add the banana, squeeze, add jar of apples, and stir.

Banana Bonanza - Recipes for The Wean Machine™

If you were at the Bellies and Babies Expo last month, you saw me demonstrate how to make fresh banana for your baby using The Wean Machine.  Moms were lined up at my table before I had a chance to wash off my utensils because they wanted this product!

You can find more information about The Wean Machine by visiting this link http://www.thebabychefstore.com/The_Wean_Machine_p/jbwm100.htm.

Here are the directions for Banana Bonanza!

Place two or three 1 inch chunks of banana into The Wean Machine, squeeze and feed! If baby is still hungry repeat until baby is full-up!!

This recipe was used with permission.

Sauteed Garlic & Dill Green Beans

This green bean recipe tastes great!  Even my 3 year old, who refuses to eat the skinny green beans, found these wide green beans delectable!  The dill in this recipe really sets it off and even the pickiest eaters may be tempted to try it and like it!

For this recipe, I found a frozen bag of Italian green beans at Walmart.  They are the cut green beans that are wide and not skinny.  If you can't find the wide beans, I'm sure frozen cut french beans will work fine as well.  Do not substitute with canned beans!  It will not come out good. Use fresh or frozen.

Ingredients:

2 cups Italian green beans (frozen)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
Dill seasoning
Garlic powder
Salt (optional for toddlers)

In a skillet or saute pan, add olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic powder and dill seasoning until hot.  Add green beans.  Saute until beans are tender. Stir in butter.  Puree for younger babies.

For toddlers, serve as finger food and add a dash of salt if you desire. I recommend Morton's Lite Salt.

For babies 9 to 12 months, you will need to thaw the green beans before you saute them to be sure they are tender enough to process through your blender or electric food mill.

Instant Cheese Grits - 10 months to Toddler

My 22-month old son loves cheese grits. I make them for the family a couple of times a week. I started giving him grits at around 10-months old without the cheese and then gradually added cheese. Adding too much cheese can make the grits very stringy and will be hard for your child to swallow. So take care not to over cheese it.

Also, I started off using the regular Quaker grits. However, the regular grits are more "gritty" than the instant kind. So now I use instant grits which are creamy and smooth and better for small children in my opinion.

Grits are great for introducing your child to new textures.

Here is my recipe for Instant Cheese Grits for babies and toddlers:

Ingredients:
1 package instant grits (I use Quaker but you can use generic brands)
1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese
Unsalted Butter
Salt (optional)
Pepper (optional)

Directions:
Prepare grits according to package directions. If your grits are too thick, add water. The mixture should be the consistency of cottage cheese. Top with cheese and butter. Stir until melted. Add a dash of salt and pepper if desired. Serve warm.

Parmesan Asparagus Puree

Here is a tasty asparagus recipe for your baby. The butter and garlic really boosts the nutritional value of this vegetable and provides the fatty acids needed to promote healthy brain development.

Ingredients:

6 fresh aparagus spears, trimmed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/4 grated fresh parmesan cheese
cooled boiled water

Directions:

Place asparagus in a baking dish and drizzle with butter. Add parmesan cheese. Bake asparagus at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and cut spears so that they fit into your food mill or food processor. Puree while adding water until desired consistency is reached.

Blueberry Muffins Bonanza

These scrumptious blueberry muffins are filled with powerful antioxidants and are equally nutritious as they are delicious! It took me a few times to make this recipe just right. I will never purchase blueberry muffins again!

This makes a huge batch so either freeze the rest, eat them, or package them up and give them away.

Ingredients:

1 package cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat, but you can use regular if you like)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Juice from 1 small lemon
Lemon Zest (a few scrapes)
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

1. Cream butter, cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla, and sugar in a large mixer bowl until smooth.

2. Add flour, eggs, milk, baking powder, baking soda, and lemon zest. Blend well.

3. Fold in blueberries.

4. Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray (or use muffin cups). Tip: I used the muffin pan from the Pampered Chef. My muffins come out delicious every time because it bakes evenly. If you have a stoneware muffin pan, use it!


5. Bake until brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

6. Remove from pan and repeat steps 4-6 for remaining batter.