Mommy FTW

Unfortunately Violet and I have been really sick lately – and what is better when you are sick than chicken soup?  The other morning we found ourselves at Whole Foods in Tenleytown and I got some soup for Violet and I.  I remembered that Cameron used to eat chicken soup without the soup – and that it was an easy, protein and veggie filled meal that we could share.

Yummy yummy in my tummy!

So get yourself some chicken soup, and fish out all the chunks – the veggies are usually really nice and soft and easy for baby to handle (Violet still only has 2 teeth!) and the chicken bits and noodles are easily made into little pieces.  Violet even let me feed her little spoonfuls of broth.  Just make sure it’s not too hot!

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.

A mom friend of mine brought these Blueberry Crumb Bars to my 4th of July BBQ earlier this summer, and Cameron (not to mention everyone else) gobbled them up.  I asked my friend for the recipe, made a few tweeks to it, and baked up another batch for Cameron.  He is still loving them, and I wanted to share the recipe with you all.

Blueberry and Peach Crumb Bars

2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of one lemon
Zest and juice of one lime
4 cups fresh blueberries
2 peaches, peeled and cut into small chunks
1/4cup white sugar
6 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a food processor, mix together 2/3 cup sugar, the all purpose and whole wheat flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Cut the cold butter into cubes, put it in the food processor, along with the eggs. Pulse the food processor until the mixture becomes crumbly. Press half the mixture into the pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, lime juice and zest. (You can use lemon if you don’t have lime, I’ve just found that lime really goes great with blueberries). Gently mix in the blueberries and peaches. Sprinkle the fruit mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the fruit layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares. I even chill mine in the fridge overnight before cutting.

FYI, this recipe is based on a recipe from Smitten Kitchen – here’s the link if you’d like to see the original (I basically used some whole wheat flour instead of all all-purpose flour, cut out some of the sugar, added more fruit, changed the method a bit to make it easier….)  I hope you enjoy it!

My husband and I are big fans of Chipotle, so I was super excited when I learned they had a kid’s menu…. and that Cameron loved eating their food!

Cameron is ready to dig in!

The kids meal comes on a super cute tray – you can get tacos or a quesadilla, it comes with beans, rice, a little bag of chips, and a drink (apple juice or milk).  Cameron likes the quesadilla – I get it with Carnitas (the shredded pork) because the chicken is a bit spicy for his taste.  It is extremely affordable (around 3$) and a heck of a lot more healthy than most fast food kid’s options.  So next time you go to Chipotle give the kid’s meal a try for the little one….  It’s a great option!

I am always on the look out for new snack options for Cameron.  I know he likes pretzels, and at his 2 year check up his pediatrician mentioned I should try and get him to eat more yogurt.  I’m not sure if yogurt covered pretzels really count in that department, but when I saw them at Trader Joe’s I thought I’d pick some up and see if Cameron liked them.  Indeed – he did!

Ready for snacking!

Overall I think they are a pretty hearty snack for him, plus they transport well.  If you’d like more information on the nutrition aspects of Trader Joe’s Yogurt Pretzels, check out this link.  FYI, I know Whole Foods also has yogurt covered pretzels in the bulk isles – and I’m sure you can find them elsewhere as well.  Give them a try – your toddler might love snacking on them!

A new mom friend I’ve met in DC recently suggested I try giving Cam Quesadillas when I was lamenting his poor eating habits (particularly in the vegetable department).  She said her daughter Giulia loves eating them – and they are a great way to hide vegetables.  She also suggested using salsa or avocado as a dip – and I’m not sure about your toddler, but Cameron loves to dip his food!

Easy to make, easy to eat, and easy to hide things in!

So, the other day I gave Quesadillas a try – just a simple cheese and chicken one – and Cameron gobbled it up.  Next time I’ll get a little more advanced and try the hidden vegetables and dip route.  Fingers crossed for continued success!  Give it a try – and feel free to post your recipe ideas for the rest of us to try!

I have to admit this idea was not one that I came up with – rather I give credit to a mom friend from Brooklyn (shout out to Crystal and her little one Jackson!)

The idea of Cameron + spoon + hot liquid scares me. This was the perfect solution!

This past week Cameron seemed a little under the weather with a runny nose, and the temperature here in DC had dropped to a decidedly fall level.  I didn’t have a lot in the fridge in the way of dinner options, but I remembered my friend had told me once that she fed her son chicken noodle soup, without the soup.  I searched the cabinets for a can, and behold – my dinner savior appeared.

I heated the soup on the stove, as normal, and then used a slotted spoon to pick out the chicken, noodles, and vegetables.  To be honest, Cameron stuck mostly to the chicken and the noodles.  Maybe someday a stray vegetable will make it into my child.  Until then – I’ll try and keep hope alive and place options in front of him!

I took what Cameron didn’t eat and put it back in the broth.  This became my dinner with a sandwich.  Yum!  Perfect for a chilly evening.

Lately Cameron has been teething up a storm with 4 molars coming in at once.  Because of this he has had an aversion to eating anything besides lots and lots of milk.  Wanting him to eat something more substantial, I’ve been giving him some veggie patty from Subway – its squishy and soft, and easy for him to eat.  This has always been my favorite sandwich offering that Subway has, and I noticed that Cameron seems to like this patty more than any other veggie patty that I’ve tried.  So, lately when I get my sandwich, I just ask for another patty on the side.

Om nom nom... Veggie Patty

Cameron will often eat the whole thing.  I looked up the ingredients online to see exactly what he was chowing on.  While it’s not the most perfect food (more sodium than I’d like) it does have a lot of protein and fiber.  If you want to see more about the ingredients, check out this page.

Cameron enjoys toast – peanut butter toast, french toast – but sometimes you need a change.  So when I was at Trader Joe’s recently I picked up some of their whole wheat “British muffins” (English muffins) and some tasty toppings.

I’ve been toasting them lightly and putting hummus on (per my pediatrician’s recommendation), or some peanut butter and honey.  I was even thinking of Apple or Pumpkin butter (though I haven’t gotten to those yet).  Another mom also told me that her toddler loves the cinnamon raisin British muffins.  Next time, I’ll give those a try!

Another mom was telling me about her daughter’s love of Trader Joe’s Freeze Dried Mangoes, so I went and picked some up a few weeks ago.  I was pleased to see that there were no other ingredients besides “mangoes” in this treat!  They have the consistency of Astronaut Ice Cream (if that means anything to you guys?!) Anyways last Friday I was at Trader Joe’s again and I noticed this time they had a lot more freeze dried fruit options – I picked up some blueberries, bananas, and strawberries in edition to the mangoes.   Healthy treats with a long shelf life – not too shabby!

Yum Yum, Gimmie Some!

What are your favorite toddler and baby snacks from Trader Joe’s?  Leave a comment and share with us!