Superman Smoothie

How else do you get a baby to eat kale?

If anyone knows, please email me. 

Until then, mixing it with fruit is the way to go.

1 bunch of kale

2 pears 

Handful of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries

TBS ground flax - because why not add the extra omega-3s and fiber?

1. Soak and rinse the kale obsessively until you feel that its clean.

2. Peel, cube and steam the pears. 

3. Wilt the kale in boiling water for about a minute and squeeze out the water.

4. Combine the kale, pear, berries and flax in a mixer and blend until you get the consistency thats right for your baby. I left mine chunky.

5. Watch your baby inhale it and secretly think, ha ha you're eating kale and you don't even know it!

Song of the Week: Foster the People - Color on The Walls

Don't stop don't stop don't stop coloring on the walls.

I'll remind myself to say this when my baby is actually coloring on the walls.

Listen here.

Tilapia Tomatoes and Basil

This dish sounds too grown up for babies, but trust me, the taste is very mild and tilapia is the least fishy tasting fish.

I picked up the ingredients at 4:05, got home and dinner was ready at 4:28.

Its super easy, super fast and best of all looks like it took more time than it did. I win.

4 big tomatoes

4 cloves garlic mashed

Handful of Fresh basil leaves

Cumin to taste

Tiny tiny bit of freshly ground pepper

1.  Rough chop the tomatoes, mash the garlic and shred the basil.

2. Saute the garlic in olive oil for 2 min.

3. Add the tomatoes. Let it get juicy.

4. When the tomatoes look saucy, like your great aunt kathy, toss in the basil.

5. Add the tilapia, pour tomato and juice over the fillets, cover and cook for 4 minutes.

I like to let it sit without the fire on for another few minutes just to reduce the risk of food poisoning.

I suggest removing all the tomatoes and basil and just flaking the fish for baby, serve the other fillet to your hungry husband with wild rice and a nice salad and give him the"I was so busy today BUT I still made dinner so I get to watch the real housewives reunion part 1 AND 2 tonight" look.

Et Voila!

Product Review of The Week: Little Duck Tiny Fruits

I remember the first time I gave my baby a snack on the go. It was a magical moment of transformation. Right before my very eyes was a baby in the midst of a total meltdown and with a simple snack ta-da! The crying, body thrashing and remarkable redness in his cheeks disappeared.

Ever since then we take our snacks on the go very seriously. 

We don't leave the house without them. Ever.

I particularly love Little Duck Organics Tiny Fruits because its actually just 100% real freeze dried fruit. It has no preservatives, additives or artificial flavors and best of all, there's no choking risk. It dissolves in a second in their mouth. We once had a choking incident with a rice crisp that induced projectile vomit in the middle of a busy street in NYC and let me tell you, it was enough to scar me for life. The dissolving factor is key when you are first starting your baby out on snacks. Tiny Fruits comes in 3 different mix types and my baby literally hyperventilates with joy when he catches a glimpse of the bag. Do yourself and your baby a favor and buy in bulk.

Available here.

To learn more about the seriously cool company go to www.littleduckorganics.com

Millet Breakfast

Just a brief reminder how amazing millet is and how my lovefest with this little birdseed grain continues to blossom.

It contains protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin B6 and other nutrients that are way better than plain old cheerios and milk.

There are 1,001 ways to prepare millet but here's a simple breakfast recipe I tried on my baby this morning.

1/4 cup millet

2/3 cup water

Almond Milk

Cinnamon

Touch of Agave

Steamed Apple

1. Peel and cut the apple into small chunks, steam.

2. Cook the millet, stirring occasionally so it gets more of a mushy consistency. I kept adding water and let it cook longer because I know my baby likes it soft.

3. When its cooked, add the almond milk, agave and cinnamon to your liking.

4. Add steamed apples and cook for a few more minutes.

You can always add more water to cook, more milk, more whatever.

You know your baby best!

Makes 3-4 Servings. 

I don't know how well it freezes, but I froze a few portions to test.

Product Review of The Week: BabyGanics Germinator

As you can probably guess from my obsession with healthy food and the welfare of my child, I am also a complete clean freak. Living in New York City kind of sets me off into crazy lady territory on a daily basis. The past few months have been a new challenge for me as my baby begins (is forced) to become a social butterfly. Music class, gym class, free plays, playdates...they are all wonderful, but I do have to make a concerted effort to leave my crazy thoughts at the door.

In an effort to keep my sanity and not plunge my baby into a bath of purell as soon as class is over, I like to use Babyganics Germinator Hand Sanitizer. Its alcohol and fragrance free and kills 99.9% of germs naturally. Bada bing. Bada Boom.

Available here.

Powerhouse Breakfast

We went to a farm and picked a pumpkin a few weeks ago. The pumpkin has been sitting in my kitchen staring at me in the face ever since. I had no clue what to do with it, how do you even get started? Do I need a hammer?

I looked at it, knocked on it, patted it, turned it around and was finally ready to start cutting into it when I saw something that looked like mold growth.

My neurosis kicked into overdrive. This is so not happening. I placed the little pumpkin next to the garbage can and slowly walked away.

For the pumpkin advocates out there, I have to assure you that this pumpkins life was not in vain. It inspired this powerhouse fall flavored breakfast recipe that my baby INHALED.

½ millet or quinoa

1 ¼ cup almond milk

1 cup pumpkin or winter squash puree

Agave and cinnamon to your liking

Combine all ingredients and cook together for about 20 minutes.

You can add more almond milk if its too thick.

What a great way to start your babys morning. Super healthy, filling and seriously delicious.

Product Review of The Week: ThinkBaby Thinkster Sippy Cup

So remember my bib story and how I bought like 4 different types of bibs before I found the one and only? Same thing applies to my quest for the perfect sippy cup. I bought so many types of these ridiculous cups, that the “baby section” of my cabinet looked like I had 4 kids. Some people get lucky in the drinking department and their babies chug down water like its…water. For some weird reason my baby cringed when he drank water, it was like he was taking a shot of tequila. So I got the sippy cup with the nipple, the one with the bigger nipple thing, the trainer cup, the one with the spout, the one with the straight straw, the one with the bent straw, until finally I found one that worked.

Holy hell Halelluyah. Crisis averted.

If your baby DOESN’T DRINK WATER you will understand how I feel.

I introduce to you ThinkBaby Thinkster cup. The only sippy cup that my baby will drink from. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because the water doesn’t flow too fast, maybe because my baby can hold it easily, maybe he thinks opening and closing the cap is fun? Who knows and I really don’t care, it works. The feeling of watching your baby chug down water when you’ve been struggling to get drops down his throat is probably one of the best feelings in the world. This is what motherhood does to you. It makes you appreciate the small victories in life. 

The ThinkBaby Thinkster cup is made from smart plastic that’s completely free from Bisphenol-A (BPA), PVC, phthalates, nitrosamines, and lead. Did you know that when this company came to the market, 95% of baby bottle companies were making bottles with BPA, a chemical that disrupts the endochrine system. Learn more about what that means here http://www.thinkbabybottles.com/learn.html . Its information like this that really gets under my skin and aggravates me. Why poison our babies? Why don’t corporate a-holes care? Why is it all about profits? Ugh, im going to live on a mountain one day…mark my words.

Read more about the great company that is ThinkBaby here. http://www.thinkbabybottles.com/ourstory.html

ThinkBaby Thinkster Bottle available here.

http://www.giggle.com/eng/product/thinkster_bottle_with_straw/thinkster

Mamas Hungry: Raw Apple and Pear Crisp Bomb

 
A few weeks ago I was invited to dinner party at a friends apartment. Being the gracious friend that I am, I offered to bring an apple crisp. Of course I procrastinated until the last possible hour and settled on an allrecipes.com apple and pear crisp concoction which was chock full of crap, also known to the nutrionally unconscious as goodness.

Sugar, white flour, butter, more sugar…it was sinful.

But, I made it because I had no choice/was too lazy to look for another recipe and the 453 reviews assured me it was bomb.

Anyway, fast forward to my recent trip to my home away from home, WholeFoods, where a lovely lady named Kelly Jane was handing out samples of her insane apple crisp. I couldn’t believe it. Raw, no sugar, guilt free and bomb. I vowed then and there never to succumb to the sugar laden typical apple crisp that we all know. I'm not raw and don’t plan on ever being raw but this is really such an easy and seriously delicious recipe that is ready instantly. I quickly bought up all the ingredients and have been making batch after batch, night after night, time after time.

Filling:

• 2 Honeycrisp, Gala or Fuji Apples, cored and sliced
• 2 Pears, cored and sliced
• 1/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Topping:

• 3/4 cups Pecan Halves
• 3/4 cups Almonds
• 1/2 cup Pitted Dates, roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Real Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1 pinch Ground Cardamom
• 1 pinch Ground Nutmeg

1. Places apples, pears and dried fruit in a large bowl. Add orange juice and lemon juice. Toss to combine. Transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish.
2. In a food processor, combine pecans, almonds, dates, vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, kosher salt, cardamom and nutmeg. Pulse until finely chopped, but not paste-like.
3. Sprinkle nut and date topping over fruit filling and serve. 

Find the original recipe here.

  

Dairy Free Gluten Free Vegetable Lasagna

So here’s the deal. My family, as in my husband baby and I, have been trying out dairy free and gluten free for our own personal reasons and have found it works for us. Im not trying to change your mind about how you eat, this is just what makes us feel better. Its really is just as simple as that.

I have to admit I was a little worried about how this would come out, especially since real cheesy lasagna is such a hard dish to live up to. BUT, it was epic. Buttery, flavorful, decadent…it was pretty amazing. We finished the entire thing in a day and a half, baby devoured it and my husband asked if I could keep lasagna inventory in the freezer.

You can always use your regular noodles and real cheese for this dish.

Vegetable and Cheese Lasagna

 

1 Small onion chopped

1 ½ large zucchini cubed with peel on for nutrients

Half pint grape tomatoes halved

1 Pkg mushrooms peeled and sliced

1 10 oz frozen spinach package defrosted and drained well

1 Jar marinara sauce

1 Pkg rice lasagna noodles

1 Bag Daiya Mozzarella cheese

1 Big ass pyrex

1.     Saute the onion in olive oil until translucent.

2.     Add the zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach.

 3.     Stir the veggies until they are coated in oil and simmer with cover on until all veggies are soft.

4.     Pour a layer of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the pyrex.

5.     Layer noodles. Keep it neat!

6.     Add sautéed veggies.

7.     Sprinkly cheese to cover.

8.     Add some sauce.

9.     Layer noodles, veggies, cheese and sauce. 

Call me if you get confused 917-583-4044.

   10. Finish with cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 for about an hour.

Enjoy!

If you would like to know more about feeling better and taking control of your body and life you can start by reading (one of many books out there) Kathy Freston Veganist

Chia Seed Pudding

I don’t know about you but until recently I only knew of chia from those genius chia pet heads a million years ago. A few weeks ago I fell in love with chia seed pudding at the juice press (kind of obsessed with this place) and my baby and I loved it. I did some research and was blown away by the health benefits of this seed. I rarely eat fish and my baby is basically limited to salmon, mostly because I’m still wary of the effect of pollution on fish and all that radioactive stuff. So, when I found that chia seeds are crazy rich in omega-3s I knew I had to make this a staple in our diet. By weight, chia contains more omega-3 than salmon, is packed with antioxidants, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, and zinc.

Chia is a very diverse little seed. You can sprinkle ground or whole chia seeds on cereal, on yogurt, salads, eat them as a snack, or grind them and mix them with flour if you’re making muffins or other baked goods. Most of the time you wont even taste them and you’re packing your body with omega-3s.

My first experiment with the lovely chia is pudding.

Seriously so easy anyone can make it, it requires ZERO effort.

2 tbs chia seeds

½ cup almond milk room temp so it can get puddingish better
½ tspn agave

dash cinammon

whisk really well and let it sit in fridge for at least 15 min.

*** My version is not as good as The Juice Press. I will be working out the creaminess texture in the future and will notify you of all progress made. However I do believe this is a good start. Enjoy!

Song of the Week: Foster the People - Pumped up Kicks

Hi Ya'll.

No im not dead.

Just busy with LIFE.

Heres a bomb song that makes me happy as a clam.

Listen here.

Wouldnt it be nice

Would'nt it be nice if my nanny didn't disappear every few weeks? That way I could actually function, have a clean house and make dinner for my hungry hungry baby. Yes I said hungry hungry because this boy can eat! I swear he eats adult sized portions, i'm amazed at his eating skillz.

I have to admit since being stranded this week due to another nanny family emergency, I had to take my baby out for lunch. We went to this super healthy awesome vegan place called Candle in my hood and I got him the paradise casserole with a side of avocado. 

Let me tell you, the paradise casserole is aptly named. He devoured it. Its really so simple so im stealing the idea and making it for lunch tomorrow. Its a layer of millet, a layer of black beans and a layer of mashed sweet potato. Deeeeeelish!

Hopefully my version will come out just as good, if not you can meet me at Candle mon-fri 11:30 on the dot.

Candle Cafe

1307 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10021-3301

(212) 472-0970

 

 

Back to Basics: Purees

When I started this bloggity-blog my baby was only eating pureed food. I had fun pureeing the guts out of fruits and veggies and just as fast as it came, the stage had passed. My baby sprouted some teeth and we were on to real foods. My sister in law is going through the puree stage with her baby now and asked for a few recipes. That got me thinking about how few purees I posted. Here are a few noteworthy concoctions that survived my label cemetery. Remember I used to freeze and label each container? I saved those babies to remind myself what I made. Yeah, im so smart!

Anyway, here are a few to try for those of you still on stage 1.

1.     Sweet potato, yellow squash, and peas.

2.     Zucchini, parsnip, and butternut squash

3.     Broccoli, butternut squash, and sweet potato

4.     Broccoli, kale, and sweet potato

5.     Spinach and banana

6.     Strawberry, peach and pear.

Puree Away.

Song of the Week: RJD2 - ghostwriter

Holy shnitzel, it's Wednesday already?

It's been raining cats and dogs here since yesterday and they say it's flowing until Friday. 

Make. It. stop.

Heres a lovely little tune that kind of sums up the energy of these gray shower days. This song kind of makes me want to put on my rain boots and trudge along like the greatest trudger that ever lived. Except I don't trudge.

Listen here.

Egg Cupcakes

So when I thought of this recipe, which is basically an omelette in a muffin tin, I thought I was a genius. It came to me like food poisoning after a dirty taco. It was that fast. Apparently though, I am not and there have been others who had this same stroke of genius.

My issue with eggs is that I never know if its cooked fully which kicks my anxiety into overdrive. What if theyre undercooked and I give my baby salmonella!

For this reason I haven’t given my baby scrambie eggs which I think is a total loss because you can add so many good things to it and make it a nutritious meal that takes 5 minutes to prepare.

For these egg cupcakes I used spinach, mushrooms and onions, but feel free to load up on turkey, zucchini, cheese, bacon (if you’re not a jew) and anything else you know your baby will eat.

1 scallion

2 cage free brown eggs

3 mushrooms

1 handful of spinach

Olive oil

1.     Chop the spinach, mushroom and scallion and sauté in olive oil.

2.     Whisk the 2 eggs in a bowl and add the sauted veggies when cooled.

3.     Grease tins, that shit sticks!

4.     Bake 350 for 20-25 min.

Enjoy!

Song of the Week: Bibio - Lovers Carvings

This one is for those nice mornings where your baby sleeps in after his usual time. Your both groggy, both still warm with sleep, but you can function. Baby looks at you with eyes that say "hey ma im hungry but no rush, I can wait a minute while you get it ready. No crying in this house, i'll just listen to this pretty song."

Listen here.

Coconut Carrot Zucchini Muffins

So I have some earth shattering news. No, its not about the earthquake that hit NYC the other day that apparently everyone but me felt. It’s about my baby. He’s going dairy, wheat and gluten free for the next few weeks due to some allergies we are experiencing. We will resume normal programming, however the content will be altered accordingly.

You can use the recipes as is or change them up for your own babies needs, like instead of rice flour you can use regular flour and so on and so forth.

I may seem calm about this whole thing but it really has shaken up our “eating schedule”. I’m trying not to have a panic attack. Snack time for the past 2 months has been yogurt and fruit. Simple, transportable, no need to be heated up…it was a nice balance. Im currently testing out almond and coconut based yogurts but I wanted to make muffins to break up the routine. I can also use these for breakfast and my husband likes them too…hey look at me im so diverse.

1 ½ cup white rice flour

½ cup coconut flour

1/2 tspn cinnamon

a sprinkle o’ nutmeg

a sprinkle o’ ginger

1 tsp baking powder

1 larger carrot

1 medium zucchini

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup raw agave

3 eggs

1.     Mix the flours, spices and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.

2.     Peel the carrot, wash the zucchini and grate together in bowl numero 2.

3.     Mix together the coconut oil, applesauce, agave and whisked eggs in bowl 3.

4.     Mix bowl 3 with bowl 1 then add bowl 2, got it? Good.

5.     Mix mix mix.

6.     Grease muffin tins, add mixture bake at 325 for an hour.