Tyler is: 12months old
Today is: a 1/2 work day
Menu
Breakfast: French toast, tomato, lettuce, raw onion (Ty loves it!), cream cheese, blueberries (Ty totally flipped out when he saw the blueberries in the fridge), organic whole milk
Morning Snack: Grapes, steamed peas, cheddar cheese, ww crackers
Lunch: Barley Casserole (see recipe below), edamame (we had some left over from yesterday), banana, whole milk
Afternoon Snack: Cold marinated tofu (don’t pass on this one yet, see notes below!), fresh broccoli, a very small piece of cheddar cheese left over from lunch.
Dinner: Burger (no bun), tomato, banana (Ty is in need of a little banana today), raw bell pepper, fruit mixed with cottage cheese/baby oatmeal/frozen fruit.
Recipes:
French Toast
This is an easy and quick way to get some whole grains and protein into your child’s diet.
Ingredients:
- 1 piece of bread (we use sprouted grain bread)
- 1 whole egg (we use organic omega 3 enriched eggs)
- A sprinkle of cinnamon
Scramble the egg with the cinnamon in a flat bottom bowl.
Soak the bread in the bowl until all, or most of, the egg is absorbed
Place toast in a pan pre-heated to medium with a light spray of EVOO
Cook toast until the egg is cooked through and it is golden brown.
You do NOT need to add syrup, sugar, or sweets to this toast. If you start off by feeding it plain, kids will not expect it. If you want you can serve with a dollop of plain yogurt and/or some fresh fruit smashed up on top.
For young children you can keep half for a later meal.
Barley or Brown Rice Casserole:
Amounts listed below are estimates, just make this to taste. It depends what you have around the house and how much you can freeze.
- 3-4c cooked pearled barley or brown rice (follow pkg directions)
- 2c raw ground turkey or chicken (can use more!)
- 1/2c shredded cheddar cheese (or other fairly strong cheese of choice)
- 1/2 to 1 c frozen spinach
- 1/2 to 1c of small summer squash and/or zucchini (I use pre cooked and frozen)
- Handful of mushrooms (optional)
- 1/4 to 1/2 of a small onion grated or pureed (again I use my pre cooked and frozen onions)
- 1/2 c tomato sauce (pasta sauce is fine)
- Dash of rosemary, thyme, parsley, black pepper, oregano
Cook meat in a pan sprayed with a little bit of EVOO till done. There should be no more pink color to the meat. Pour out any fat if there is any left in the pan. Chop meat as you cook.
Add all vegetables into pan along with sauce and enough water to make it look soupy.
Let the sauce simmer on med-low until water is evaporated and the vegetables fall apart (you may have to mash them a little bit with the back of a wooden spoon). Add more water if necessary.
Add to barley, stir in cheese.
Eat!
How to make this grown up friendly: Trust me on this one tastes great just the way it is and you are going to want to eat some. To make it a bit more adult friendly, put aside your child’s portion and spice it up with more freshly ground black pepper and some salt. I also like to use Kroger brand Zesty Blend seasoning. It is sodium free and brings a little kick to your food.
How to freeze: Let it cool down to room temp (putting hot things in your freezer is not a great idea) and spread on a cookie pan. Before you place it in the freezer score it with a butter knife to portion it out. When you take the pan out of the freezer you may have to let it sit for a minute to release from the pan. Then take each portion out, put them in a zip bag, and they can be thawed at any time.
(Ty with his afternoon snack!)Don’t pass on this one because it is tofu. Tofu is very inexpensive (even the organic kind. I think we pay under $2 a pound), tastes like what ever you put on it, and can be cooked just about any way!
Tofu can be eaten raw and is great that way on a hot day. Marinade tofu in your choice of sauce or seasonings for a few hours or over night. Today Ty’s had cinnamon and soy sauce on it. After our bike ride he was very hot and he scarffed it all down within a few min. The dogs did not get a single bite.
Cold tofu is also great plain with grated ginger and soy on it. This kind needs no marinating at all.
Work recipe!
Tex/Mex Chicken Bake
Easy, simple, and Steve is sure to comment about how I did not bring any home!
Ingredients:
- (For 5 people)
- 5 small chicken breasts, thawed, cut into slices
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 pkg of low sodium taco spice
- 1 small jar of mild salsa
- 1 can of black beans, washed
- 1/2 c cheddar cheese
Pre-heat oven to 350F
Rice mixture:
Cook brown rice in chicken broth until rice is soft and broth is absorbed. Use pkg directions
Add a little bit of water and pour in spice package and black beans.
Stir over medium heat until sauce is absorbed.
Chicken:
Heat a large pan over medium high heat
Cook chicken strips, using a little bit of EVOO so it does not stick, until they are cooked through (no pink should remain in middle)
Once chicken is completely cooked add 3/4 of your salsa
Stir chicken and salsa until the salsa thickens a little and sticks to the chicken. This should only take a few min.
Putting it together:
Place rice moisture in the bottom of a large glass baking dish.
Top with chicken, the rest of the salsa, and sprinkle on the cheese.
Bake for about 10min until the cheese melts and starts to turn a little brown on top.
Other options:
Make a homemade salsa instead of a canned one
Add in grilled or sautéed peppers and/or onions
Add corn into the rice mixture
Use low fat cheese on top or omit it completely
Top with flax tortilla chips
Feel free to salt and pepper to taste
Grilled Zucchini Salad
- 2 large grilled zucchinis cut into bite sized pieces (can also be steamed or sautéed)
- 1T each of these fresh or dried herbs: Parsley, chives (optional, best if used fresh), oregano (hot and spicy is yummy in this)
- 1/4 c EVOO
- 1/8 c Champagne vinegar (see note on vinegars below)
- Salt and pepper to taste
After zucchini is grilled combine with rest of ingredients. This recipe can be served hot, room temp, or cold (my favorite!). You can also add red pepper flakes and a BUNCH of black pepper for a kick!
This dish can be a little bland. To kick it up top with a little fresh grated parm. or add in a bunch of fresh tomatoes. You can even add olives (kalamata are salty but great), pine nuts, walnuts, or roasted bell peppers.
The dressing can be used on any variety of steamed or cooked vegetables. Just keep the ratio of oil to vinegar the same 2:1.
Other Information:
Vinegar:
Choice of vinegar: Anytime I use a vinegar in a recipe feel free to replace it with your favorite vinegar. I would avoid using white vegetable vinegar in most recopies because of the extremely strong flavor. Apple cider vinegar is very healthy and can be substituted into just about anything!
Champaign vinegar is a fairly mild and can be inexpensive. It often has a slight hint of vanilla in it and is fairly fruity. It is used to make dressings, vinaigrettes, and marinades
What kind of grains to use?
Once you start exploring the world of “non-white” grains you are going to read a lot of stuff. As with most of our choices in feeding our child, we are using what is best for our little one and our family.
We stayed away from wheat for many months, as is suggested by the AAP and just about any parenting book you read. Instead we used whole flax tortillas or wheat-less sprouted grain bread, such as Ezekiel 4:19.
Flax is packed with Omega-3 fatty acids which is essential to the growing brain (among other things) in babies. If you are breastfeeding and taking a DHA and/or an O3 supplement your child benefits from your elevated levels of O3’s.
Sprouted grain is referred to as a “live-food.” It is made from legumes and whole grains that are not highly processed like wheat flower is. Because the grains are allowed to sprout they have a higher vitamin and nutrient content than those that are in their hibernated state when processed.
Just a note: Sprouted grain bread needs to be refrigerated or frozen until use. I always kept it frozen until the night before when I would break off a slice to use the next day.
Tyler did have some brown rice pasta, rice crackers, and later whole grain crackers that contained whole wheat. Now that he is a year we are trying to stick to the whole grain diet but there are exceptions (that will be discussed in a later blog).
Again, the choice needs to be one that fits into your family. Some of these products are expensive, which is why we mostly just fed them to Ty and did not eat them ourselves.
Product of the day:
Book
How to Cook Everything, By Mark Bittman
This book is a great reference for new cooks, those who “can’t” cook, and experienced cooks alike. It has everything from information on how to buy every food imaginable to how to simply prepare new dishes.
Picture from Amazon.com
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