Simply Delicious - Healthy Shamrock Mock-Shake

It's been quite the week!  Little Smiling Man turned one over the weekend!!!  I'm still not even sure how that's possible, time is going so quickly.  We had a nice time celebrating as a family, and tomorrow are having some extended family for a visit to celebrate.  He's taking some early, tentative steps, is babbling up a storm and is into everything.  He really is awesome.

At the same time, my maternity leave is rapidly drawing to a close, so our days at the moment are chocked full of appointments.  Mini Muffin had a very successful dental check up, Little Smiling Man will be going to his 12 month well baby check up, and I'm also due for the dentist and a trip to the bank to talk mortgages.  Busy times!

Spring is also upon us, which is drawing me back to summery things... like smoothies.  Mini Muffin hasn't been doing very well with her veggies lately, so I've been trying to get more innovative.  And so, today I'm sharing our long standing favourite Shamrock Mock-Shake.  Kinda timely with St Patrick's Day around the corner as well!  Super easy, and definitely toddler and preschooler approved.  Due to the presence of honey, this recipe is not appropriate for babies under one year.

Healthy Shamrock Mock-Shake

Perfect Afternoon Snack!

1 large handful of baby spinach
1 1/2 cups milk of choice (we use almond milk)
1 small (or 1/2 medium) ripe avocado
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
honey (to taste)
ice

1.  In blender, add spinach then pour milk over top.  Blend until no spinach chunks remain.
2.  Add remaining ingredients, except ice, and blend. 
3.  Add ice and blend until smooth.  Serve immediately.

And just like that, both you and your littles can enjoy a seasonal, refreshing and creamy smoothie complete with a good dose of spinach and healthy fats from avocado.  And, I must say, it makes a great afternoon snack!

Simply Delicious - Fruity Oatmeal Bites

Little Smiling Man has seriously been enjoying raspberries this week.  It's the first time in a couple of months that we've had them on hand, and he will truly eat as many as I give him.  He just can't seem to get enough!

This morning, I decided to make a quick and easy breakfast I haven't made in ages and that Little Smiling Man has actually never had before (and would give him that raspberry taste he loves so much)!  I originally came across this recipe on an online forum focused on babies, as an idea for baby finger foods, and have made it many times since.  It's a fun way for babies and toddlers to enjoy their oatmeal, and makes a nice change from the usual cereal, bowl of oatmeal or toast.  It also makes an easy breakfast or snack on the go since it's a non-sticky finger food.  Enjoy!

Fruity Oatmeal Bites

Cooked bites, after being transferred from plate.

1/2 banana
5 raspberries (approx.)
1/4 cup quick cook oats

1.  Thoroughly mash banana and raspberries.  The banana should be mashed until the point that it's pretty much smooth.
2.  Mix in oats, making sure that they're thoroughly coated with banana.
3.  Transfer to a plate, forming the mixture into a square.
4.  Microwave on high, for approximately three minutes.  You're looking for the oatmeal to be held together enough to lift off the plate as a square, but still soft enough for little ones to enjoy.  If it's undercooked it will be too soft to transfer off the plate, and if it's over cooked it gets very chewy/hard as it cools.  It may take a few times to find the right time for your microwave.
5.  Cut into bite sized pieces and serve once cool enough.

Ready for little fingers!

The final verdict?  Little Smiling Man thought it was fantastic and gobbled the whole thing up.  I suppose it's not really surprising since bananas and raspberries are two of his favourite things!  I suspect that I'll be making this one for him many times in the future.  We may also start experimenting with a few variations, like adding some nut butter for protein, or using different berries.  So many possibilities.... 
     

Simply Delicious - Avocado Toast

The recipes I share are normally designed with my kidlets in mind, but today I thought I'd share an easy grown up recipe that could be tweaked for kids if you so desire. Sometimes Mama (or Daddy!) needs a quick, easy and satisfying bite, and this is my quick fuel obsession of the moment - avocado toast!

If you haven't previously been introduced to the deliciousness that is avocado toast, give it a quick google and you'll find dozens of mouthwatering pictures and recipes. It's simple, versatile, and well, have I mentioned how delicious it is?

Avocado Toast with a Guacamole Twist

1 slice crusty whole grain bread, toasted
1/2 small ripe avocado (or 1/4-1/3 of a large avocado)
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp cooked corn
2 tbsp chopped tomatoes
Squeeze of lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mash avocado until spreadable but still a bit lumpy.
2. Add lime juice and cilantro; stir to combine.
3. Add corn and tomatoes, mixing until coated.
4. Spread on toast and season with salt and pepper.

Avocado Toast (with a guacamole twist!)... mmmm.....

That's it! Adjusting the toppings to your taste, mood and the contents of your fridge results in endless combinations. The carbs and healthy fats will keep you going. And, your taste buds will thank you!

Simply delicious!

Simply Delicious - Vegg'ed Up Pizza Sauce

Like so many little kids, Mini Muffin adores pizza.  With this in mind, we found ourselves making pizza over the weekend.  It's a fun family activity that Mini Muffin loves to help with - making the whole wheat dough, spreading the sauce and sprinkling it with cheese and pepperoni.  Of course I love my pizza with lots of veggies, but in her world pizza is only pizza if it's plain pepperoni pizza.  Sigh.

So, I made my sneaky vegg'ed up pizza sauce.  This is the second time I've made it, and the second time I've forgotten to take pictures!  It's also the second time that Mini Muffin has loved it.  It's super simple and easy, and is a great way to sneak a few veggies onto plain pepperoni pizza!

Vegg'ed Up Pizza Sauce

1/3 red bell pepper
1 medium carrot
1 small zucchini
1 - 1.5 c of your favourite pasta sauce

1.  Coarsely chop all veggies, and steam until soft.
2.  Purée steamed veggies and pasta sauce.
3.  Spread on pizza and enjoy the veggie goodness!

It makes me giggle that Mini Muffin, both times, has watched me cram as many veggies as possible into the pizza sauce, yet doesn't seem to register that there are extra veggies in there!  Both times, she's watched me whirl the sauce smooth, and asked me to taste.  After giving her a dipped spoon to lick, she has decided that she needs more.  So, on both occasions she's eaten a small prep bowl of vegg'ed up pizza sauce while we prep our pizza.  I suspect she enjoys it because the texture is nice and smooth, and the red bell pepper makes it nice and sweet. 

But whatever the reason, I call it a win for Mama!

Simply Delicious - Cauliflower Soup for Everyone!

I've been learning a bit more about cauliflower recently.  I'd always written it off due to its colour - I mean how could a white vegetable contain much in the way of nutrients?  Well, cauliflower is really back in vogue these days.  And, it turns out that it's super healthy!  It's a great source of vitamin C, folate, and vitamin K, as well as fibre.

Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of plain old boiled or steamed cauliflower, and adding cheese sauce seems to sort of defeat the purpose.  So, after talking to a friend about an amazing cauliflower soup she threw together for her baby, I decided to see if I could come up with my own version.  It was so easy and simple, I forgot to even take a picture of it before it was all gobbled up or frozen into baby cubes.

Here's the recipe, should you choose to give it a whirl -

Cauliflower Carrot Soup

1 medium head of cauliflower
2 large carrots
1 medium onion
2 medium cloves garlic
1 tbsp butter
4 cups low sodium chicken stock

1.  Melt butter in a large pot, and add chopped onion and crushed garlic.  Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent.
2.  Add stock, chopped carrots, and cauliflower flowerets.  Bring to a boil.
3.  Cook covered, over medium heat until cauliflower is fall-apart cooked.
4.  Blend until smooth, adding water if too thick.
5.  Serve and enjoy!

Everyone in my family enjoyed this soup, especially Little Smiling Man. I'd even say that it's his favourite food so far!  It was versatile and delicious, and so very easy to make.  This one will definitely reappear on our table to help us all enjoy more cauliflower!

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! 

Simpy Delicious - Special Banana Pancakes

I'm all about an easy dinner after a busy Friday!  So, yesterday I drew on one of my tried and true toddler dinners - "Special Banana Pancakes".

These pancakes came about when Mini Muffin was about nine months old.  I was desperately trying to find some form of protein that she would actually eat, aside from milk.  Eggs seemed like a reasonable alternative to the meat she refused, but she really didn't take to them.  So, I came up with her very own special banana pancakes - banana mashed with egg and cooked in a bit of butter like a pancake.  She LOVED them from the get go, and to this day she'll gobble down two eggs in one sitting!

Now, I thought I was being all novel and inventive coming up with these pancakes.  However, I soon came across a banana egg scramble variation on an online community.  Then, I received an email from Self magazine touting gluten free pancakes... which were essentially my recipe with a bit of baking soda!  So, I must concede, they are not what you would call novel, but they are what I would call a quick, easy and awesome way to get egg into a baby or toddler!

And, the 'recipe' -

Special Banana Pancakes

1 very ripe banana (well mashed)
2 eggs

1.  Scramble eggs and combine with banana.
2.  Melt a small amount of butter in a frying pan. 
3.  When butter is bubbly, drop batter into pan.  I suggest pancakes be on the small side (one spoonful per pancake) because they can be a bit tricky to turn.  Flip when reasonably set.

We serve these plain - the banana flavour comes through strongly and makes them sweet so they really don't need anything!  They also reheat fairly well, so I try to make a bit extra for a quick and easy snack the next day.  Enjoy!