If you happen to know that your little one has no egg allergies, then quiche is a great (and easy) way to get them to eat lots of different things (hello, hidden vegetables!) as well as clean out your fridge. Here’s my simple recipe – but feel free to add anything you like to your quiche!
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of nutmeg (optional)
A dash of hot sauce (optional)
1 cup shredded cheese (swiss, cheddar, whatever you have on hand)
Options for fillings – choose as many as you want, or get creative!:
1/2 cup cut up ham
1/2 cup broccoli florets (steam first to soften)
1/2 cup cut up asparagus (steam first to soften)
1/2 cup defrosted frozen chopped spinach (squeeze as much water out of it as you can first)
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 (9-inch) frozen pie crust
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine the eggs, cream, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and hot sauce in a food processor or blender. (FYI if you only have milk on hand, just use that). Layer the fillings and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. You can really put anything you like in a quiche – get creative! You really can’t go wrong with all that cheesy goodness. The one I made had cheddar and emmentaler cheese, ham, green onions, and broccoli.
My little girl, Violet, is 6 months old and well on her way to becoming a foodie. She’s been eating solids for awhile now – I admit I started her much earlier than Cameron. At first I though there was no way that I was going to make food for her. I was too busy, and certainly not feeling motivated. But once Cameron started school I suddenly felt inspired to make her some simple purees while she took her morning nap. I remember my pediatrician in Brooklyn always told me that feeding Cameron foods that started with ‘P’ would help keep his digestion moving (a constipated baby is no fun!) Pears, peas, prunes, peaches…. So when making food for Violet, I try to keep that in mind. Here’s two of my recent purees with ‘P’ power -
Butternut Squash with Pears
Peel and cube one butternut squash and one pear. Steam them till they are good and soft (20 minutes?) Dump them in your cuisinart with some butter, if you like, and puree. The pears bring out the sweetness in the squash, so this is a super tasty one! It also works great with sweet potatoes for the same reason.
Frozen Peas and Beef Stock
Frozen peas are one of the few vegetables I buy frozen because most of the time, they will be better than fresh (since they are frozen pretty much immediately after picking and will remain sweeter). Plus, who has the time or patience to shell all those peas? Not this mom. Heat up the frozen peas in a little beef stock (chicken would be fine too – I just happened to have some beef stock in the fridge). I use stock instead of water to add a little extra protein to the puree – low sodium stocks are readily available, and these make a better choice for this recipe I think. Once the peas are good and tender, dump them in the cuisinart and puree.
Pump Up the Protein
I always try to include some protein in Violet’s meal. For breakfast she has yogurt, and for lunch and dinner I take a puree like one of the ones above and add either ricotta cheese (full fat version) or hummus to it. These are already nice and smooth so they stir in easily. If you like, you can throw some tofu into the cuisinart when you make your baby food.
