Dandy Baby

Simple Grains (Cereal)

Although there are just a handful of baby cereals (oatmeal, rice and multigrain) on the market,

you can make your little one a variety of different grains to try.

We skipped the rice cereal phase completely and jumped straight into veggies but I find myself using

grains all the time now to add to Peanut's meals.

In the first row you see brown jasmine rice, brown rice medley, red quinoa

and then pearled barley and regular quinoa.

For some reason I didn't show oats but I use those all the time as well.

Don't limit yourself or your baby to the same grains all the time

and don't assume that your little one won't like something.

It's amazing what they will eat when you expose them to knew things.

Also remember that just because they don't immediately dive into something that they don't like it.

Try and try again.

If you don't want to buy an entire box or bag of grains try out stores like Whole Foods or Sprouts that

have the option of scooping from a barrel.

It's a great want to try something out and deciding if you like it.

These grains aren't going to be the same as their store bought counterparts.

These have a really creamy consistency similar to Cream of Wheat or Malt-O-Meal.

Simple Grains (Cereal)

1/4 cup grains of your choice

1 cup water

Grind your grains to a powder.

I use a coffee/spice grinder but you can also use a blender.

Bring your water to a boil and sprinkle in your ground grains,

whisking constantly.

Turn the heat down to low and whisk occasionally, letting it simmer for about 5 minutes.

The mixture will get thick and creamy and all the water will be absorbed in the grains.

Alternatively you can sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ground powder

into 1/2 cup boiling water for a smaller portion.

Store the remainder of the powder in a sealed container in a cool, dark place.

Serve this warm (cold rice/grains aren't the best texture) and thin it down to the desired consistency with

breast milk, formula or water.

*Variations

-Add fruit purees or mashed fruit like banana

-Use this as a thickener for runny purees

-Add this to any of your veggie or vegetable and meat purees to complete the meal

-Serve this with breakfast, lunch and dinner

*Storage

This is best served warm and freshly made

but really who has the time to make fresh cereal all the time?

You can easily refrigerate it, just be sure to heat thoroughly, mixing in additional liquid if needed, and let it cool to an luke warm temperature for your little.

Heating thoroughly brings back the creamy texture.

Yes, you can freeze it. It comes out a bit rubbery.

When this happens just heat it, then add your liquid and stir it up as you would the refrigerated grains.

I would suggest making small batches vs. huge batches for this reason.

When used with other foods, the heat thoroughly rule still applies.

Noone likes to eat cold rice.

*Benefits

Brown rice still has it's bran layer which allows it to retain more fiber (4x more then white rice)

as well as nutrients like niacin, iron, vitamin B6, magnesium and manganese.

Quinoa is not actually a grain but a seed and is packed with protein and essential amino acids.

It's far more nutritious then rice and has more calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, fiber and zinc than many other grains.

Barley has loads of fiber, iron, selenium and niacin. Typically you see pearled barley but dehulled barley is unprocessed so get it if you see it.

Oats are a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber.

They also have tons of manganese, vitamin E, zinc, and protein.

Cherry Peach Sauce

Although this is actually the consistency of a lot of store bought purees,

I find it too thin to serve it by itself.

Oh but flavor is really, really delicious and there are approximately 5,893 ways to use it.

I'll name a couple below.

Cherries are awesome, have great flavor and color but I don't use them enough.

It might be because my awesome cherry-pitter, let's call her the Jordyn 2000 has gone back to

Sacramento, and cherry-pitting just isn't the same without her.

It's also messy and it makes your fingers purple.

Well it does if you are using your fingers to pit the cherries.

If we're going to take advantage of summer fruit then we just can't ignore peaches, can we?

Lovely, luscious summer peaches.

Cherry Peach Sauce

2 cups of halved & pitted cherries

2 medium peaches, skinned and pitted

1/4 cup water

Lets start with the skinning of the peaches.

Bring water to boil in a pot. It needs to be enough to submerge your peaches.

Take your clean peach and cut an X on the bottom.

Drop the peaches into the boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes.

When you see the skin start to pull away from the X they are ready.

Let them cool and simple peel the skin off.

Place your cherries in a small saucepan with 1/4 cup of water and bring to a simmer.

Cook until your cherries are fork tender, stirring if needed.

Drain the liquid into a container.

Keep that lovely cherry juice! Cool it down and give it to your little to drink.

Serve it by itself or mix it with their favorite juice.

Place your cherries and peaches in a food processor and puree.

Now for the fun part.

*Variations/Uses

-Add it to:

cottage cheese, plain whole milk yogurt,

mashed banana, pears or apple,

oatmeal or other grains

-Use it as a sauce for pancakes, waffles or french toast

-Freeze it into popsicles

-Cook with pork (or chicken or turkey) and maybe some roasted squash

-Add cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg or pepper

-Mix in some mint

Use it for yourself too! Warm a bit with real maple syrup and serve it with brunch or

spike it and serve it with dessert :)

Or spike it and eat it for brunch. I won't judge you.

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Cherries are a great source of potassium, have anti-inflammatory properties

and are packed with antioxidants.

They also contain melatonin which is said to help regulate natural sleep patterns,

and what mama wouldn't like that.

Peaches are loaded with vitamin C and K as well as potassium, calcium and fiber.

Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I picked this book up while browsing Barnes and Noble one day and have given it as a gift twice already.

B and I both immediately loved it.

Here you have a story of Little Pea who leads an ordinary pea life.

There is one thing that Little Pea doesn't like....

eating dinner.

You see, Little Pea has to eat candy for dinner and he hates candy!

Come on Little Pea, just 5 more bites and you can have dessert.

After choking down his dinner of sweets he finally makes it to dessert....

SPINACH! Yay!

What a fantastic ending.

We love the simple illustrations.

The minimal background makes it easy for your little to focus on the illustrations and story line.

This story is just super cute and very fun.

Fig & Apple

Figs?

Here's the thing about figs.

Yes, I've had them as an occasional accompaniment to a cheese platter

but usually they are dried and it's just the tiniest portion.

For the most part when I think fig... I think Newton.

I know that's horrible but it's true.

Besides, have you seen how expensive fresh figs can be?

So when my friend Kelly pointed out her insanely large and beautiful fig tree,

I jumped at the chance to steal some.

She sent me home with a bag and I started looking for things to do with them.

I didn't think stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon would work for Peanut... yet.

So I mixed them with apples and it's a fantastic blend.

Fig & Apple

6 ripe figs, stems removed, quartered

1 apple, peeled, cored, cut into chunks

Wash your figs thoroughly and make sure the stems are removed before cutting.

One of mine was really tough on top so I just cut the very tip off.

Add your figs and apple to a food processor and puree.

At this point it tastes fine and you could certainly serve it as is.

You'll notice the puree is pale with bits of that dark skin throughout.

However, I went a step further and placed this in a small pot over medium heat.

Cook it, stirring occasionally until those flecks of skin soften and the color bleeds into the puree.

The flavor, sweetness and even color really deepens with a bit of cooking.

Enjoy!

~Don't worry about the seeds, they are so small they aren't a choking hazard

but they do add an interesting mouthfeel.~

*Variations

-This would be great with seasonings like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

-Add a bit of mint

-Mix with pureed prunes or apricot

-Add it to plain yogurt or cottage cheese

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Benefits

Apples are loaded with fiber, vitamins C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, potassium,

phosphorus and calcium.

Figs have loads of fiber, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Peach Chicken with Basil

The other day while I was searching the internet for peach recipes

(our csa box has been packed with them)

I kept coming across peach and chicken.

Dishes called Polynesian chicken and Luau chicken over and over again,

although I'm not sure peaches make me think of the islands.

Then I came across this one and I knew it would be perfect for baby food.

This recipe has become one of my absolute favorites.

I doubled it because the boys are eating a ton and I'm just trying to keep up!

This dish smells incredible and it's worth making a grown up version of...

you know with salt and some crusty browning of the chicken.

Peach Chicken with Basil

1 chicken breast, cut into chunks (about 6 ounces)

2 peaches, skinned and cut into chunks (to skin, see this post)

1/4 cup diced onion

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

3 or 4 carrots, about 1/2 lb, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup brown rice, ground to desired consistency

1 cup water

1 tbs fresh minced basil

Place your carrots in a steamer until finger mashable.... about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, sauté your onion in the evoo until translucent.

Add your peaches and chicken with the heat on medium and cover for about 5 minutes.

As the peaches cook they will release their juice, creating a nice simmering liquid for the chicken.

Stir occasionally until your chicken is cooked all the way thru.

Doesn't it smell amazing?

Puree your mixture to desired consistency.

I pureed it smooth and used the carrots to add texture.

Bring 1 cup water to a boil.

Sprinkle brown rice powder into the boiling water, whisking constantly.

Turn the heat down to simmer the mixture,

whisking until the liquid is absorbed and the grains cooked.

Mine took about 8 minutes.

Stir rice into the peach/ chicken mixture.

Now we're going to add the carrots and this is where you can really control your chunks.

You can make this completely smooth.

You can add your carrots and pulse to gently chop.

You can even mash the carrots and mix them in with a spoon.

When you are finished adding your carrots,

stir in the basil.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-Using just the peaches and chicken, this is a great way to introduce meat

-Try this with cilantro or mint

-Substitute turkey, pork or tofu

-Use mango, pear or other stone fruit instead of peaches

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

Make sure you warm thoroughly before serving.

*Benefits

Chicken is a great source of lean protein in addition to potassium, phosphorus, niacin,

calcium, iron, selenium and zinc.

Peaches have lots of vitamin C and K as well as potassium, calcium and fiber.

Carrots have loads of different kinds of carotenoids which work as antioxidants, convert to vitamin A,

boost the immune system and protect and enhance your eyes.

Brown rice still has it's bran layer which allows it to retain more fiber (4x more then white rice)

as well as nutrients like niacin vitamin B6, magnesium and manganese.

Onions are known as cancer-fighting foods as well as helping build strong bones and connective tissue because of both the sulfur compounds (that make them smelly) and the antioxidants.

Basil has been known to have anti-inflammatory effects, is a good source of vitamin A, magnesium, iron, calcium & potassium.

I marked this as 8-10 months simply because of the onion, but as with everything else, when to introduce this is for you to decide.