Toddler Friendly Juicer Recipe!

So, we're back from our weekend in Ottawa!  It was a lovely weekend, and my sister's wedding was just beautiful.  The kids did a great job as flower girl and ring bearer, and we managed to keep them and their clothes clean and uncreased until pictures were over!  Once they didn't need to be spotless, they enjoyed playing outside at the venue, dancing, and generally just being their wonderful selves while the reception unfolded around them.  I can also say from experience that just like it takes a village to raise a child, it definitely takes a village to get through a wedding (that happens during nap time) and a reception (that starts at bedtime) with one and three year olds.  I am so grateful for my family and my sister's inlaws for their help, patience and willingness to have fun with my little ones.  It really was a great day for everyone.  As a cute side note, Mini Muffin refers to Little Smiling Man's tux as his "bear suit" since he was the ring bearer!  Adorable.

Now that we're home, I wanted to share a juice recipe I tried for the kids tonight.  I don't normally share recipes requiring special equipment (i.e. a juicer), but when Mini Muffin's exact words were "This juice is delicious.  I really like this juice!", how could I not share?

Romaine - Apple - (and other stuff) - Juice

2c roughly chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cucumber
2 stalks celery
2 apples (I used Macintosh)
1 orange (or 1/2c orange juice)


1.  Add all ingredients to juicer, starting with romaine and ending with apples.
2.  Stir in orange juice.
3.  Serve cold

Makes 4 toddler servings, or 2 adult servings.

Source: Juice Recipes for your health



In all honesty, the only reason I tried this recipe was because I happened to have all the ingredients in the fridge.  Who knew it would be so tasty?  Or that Mini Muffin would drink her entire serving and ask for more?  I must say, it was a pleasant surprise, as well as a great and refreshing way to round out our dinner!

Easy Mommy Win - Apple, Broccoli, Green Bean Purée

As I've previously mentioned, my husband is spending weekdays out of town.  We survived our first week with the help of my mom, but I freely admit that I wasn't feeling like my usual organised and (somewhat) on top of things self!  With being away part of the weekend, I didn't have a chance to do my usual meal planning/grocery shopping/food prep routine.  Then, with my husband being out of town I really didn't have a chance to catch up.  While we ate very well thanks to my mom, I really noticed the difference in the extras - my work lunches, and breakfast and snacks for the kids.  For one, my stash of healthy muffins in the freezer ran out, and on Friday I realised that the kids didn't get as many veggies in as they normally would.  Cue the mommy guilt.

This weekend, I've been trying very hard to get back on top of things.  The washer and dryer have been going... and going... as have my steamer and oven.  My goal is to have a week of well planned, minimal prep dinners, and lots of good, nutritious foods for the kids and I to enjoy for breakfasts, lunches and snacks.  While I was looking for recipes I came across a Baby FoodE recipe I'd bookmarked but never tried.  Their recipe for Apple + Green Beans + Broccoli Purée is great - no tweaks required! 

Now, I have never had much luck with purées.  No matter how carefully I'd select delicious, fresh, local produce, steam to perfection, and purée them just so, my kids just never seemed to enjoy my purées.  Store bought baby food pouches, they'll suck back in the blink of an eye on the other hand.  I was taking it pretty personally... until I really looked at the ingredient list.  While I was buying products with things like broccoli, spinach and kale in the name, the veggies were actually not at the top of the ingredient list, so my kids were getting mostly fruits (and some veggies) when they'd polish one off.  So, I decided to get more creative with my purées, and take a cue from baby food manufacturers and incorporate more fruit.  In my searches to try and find the right balance between fruit and veg, this recipe came up, and I'm so glad I bookmarked it for future use! 

Apple, Broccoli and Green Bean Purée

2 sweet apples, peeled and chopped
1/2c broccoli flowerets
1/2c chopped green beans

1.  Place chopped apples, broccoli and green beans in a steamer and steam until tender.
2.  Purée to desired consistency, adding water from the steamer as required.  (I added 3/4 c water, and used my regular blender.)

Makes about two cups


This purée reminds me a bit of my Orange (Carrot) Applesauce, and both kids are really enjoying it.  For Mini Muffin, who as a toddler/preschooler is well out of purées, we've framed it as Green Applesauce, much like the Orange Applesauce she loves.  She was hesitant, but we got there in the end.  I'll call this one an easy mommy win, and seeing Mini Muffin actually consume broccoli and green beans makes it all the better!!!

Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins - A Hit!

A couple of months ago I started cleaning my fridge out every Friday.  It's made a huge difference; reducing fridge clutter and food waste simultaneously.  It gives me a good view of what I have, what I need, and what I need to use up in the very near future.

This past week, I realised that a jar of unsweetened applesauce had been open for a while, and needed to be consumed quickly.  Instead of trying to feed my kids a lot more applesauce than normal, I thought I'd turn it into muffins.  My quick recipe search was uninspiring; oatmeal applesauce muffins galore.  Then, I found a fantastic recipe for whole wheat carrot muffins at 100 Days of Real Food.  Now this was a recipe I could work with!

So, after a few tweaks to meet my family's tastes, here's my version:

Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins

Still warm and ready to be enjoyed!

1 1/2c whole wheat flour
1 tsp gluten flour (optional)*
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch of salt
1/2 c butter, melted
1/3 c honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c unsweetened applesauce
1 c grated carrots


1.  Preheat oven to 350F and prepare muffin tin (grease or use muffin cup papers).
2.  Combine whole wheat flour, gluten flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Mix well.
3.  Add grated carrots and mix until carrots are coated.  Create a well to receive wet ingredients.
4.  In a small bowl, combine butter, honey, egg, vanilla and applesauce.
5.  Add wet mixture to the well in the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined.
6.  Divide among muffin cups and bake 22 - 24 minutes.

Yields 12 muffins

* Gluten flour is an optional ingredient and was not included in the original recipe.  I find adding a bit of gluten flour to whole wheat baked goods results in a more tender texture.  Essentially you get all the goodness of the whole wheat flour without the toughness it sometimes yields.  Gluten flour is available in bulk stores, as well as in the health food section of many grocery stores.

I am so pleased with how these muffins turned out - I will absolutely be making them again!  They're moist, lightly sweet, and have quite a delicate crumb.  Mini Muffin ate an entire one with gusto for her "sert" (aka dessert) last night.  And while each muffin only contains just over a tablespoon of grated carrot, I'm in full support of any extra little bit of veggies that my kids can eat - and enjoy!

Easy Mommy Win - Carrots!

You may perhaps recall that Mini Muffin is a bit of a picky eater.  In addition to continuing to offer her healthy, whole foods including a variety of vegetables (which are usually declined), I'm always on the lookout for ways to sneak the nutrients she needs into foods she'll enjoy.

Carrots have always been a tough one.  Despite being sweet and delicious, Mini Muffin is determined to avoid them.  And, their bright colour can make them tricky to disguise.  Not long ago she tried Motts fruit and veggie sauce, which is essentially applesauce with some peach and what I can only assume is a token amount of carrot (based on its place in the ingredient list).  She loved it, and it soon became known as "orange applesauce".

The other day, Mini Muffin was requesting orange applesauce and we were all out.  She and I decided that mommy should try to make some.  And so, a healthier version of orange applesauce was born.

Orange Applesauce

3 apples (any sweet variety)
1/2 large carrot

1.  Cook carrot by desired method (boiling, steaming, etc).  This is also a great opportunity to use up left over carrot - which is exactly what I did! 

2.  Place peeled, cored and chopped apple, along with carrot in a medium saucepan. 

3.  Add water until apples and carrots are almost covered.  Ensure all carrots are under water.

4.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple is fall-apart cooked and carrot is very soft.  Almost all water will have boiled off.  If water is boiled off before carrot and apple are thoroughly cooked, add boiling water.

5.  Put apple-carrot mixture through blender until very smooth.  Add warm water if consistency is too thick for your taste.  If you want a chunkier sauce you could mash it, however the carrots will not be hidden in this case.  I used my Magic Bullet, and made sure every last chunk was gone - it came out to be almost exactly like store bought texture, maybe even a little bit smoother.

The final result, was a brilliant orange and sweet applesauce, with no added sweetener required and no preservatives.  The test came when I gave it to Mini Muffin for dessert.  Three servings later, we had to convince her to wait for breakfast to enjoy more!  It's official, mommy's orange applesauce is more popular than the store bought variety.  Even better, it's also completely baby appropriate!

And that, is my easy mommy win for carrots.  Next on the agenda... figuring out which greens I can hide in applesauce!