Reduce your carbon contest

Dorky, snide remarks about "carbon-free" sugar aside, I'm all for greening the kitchen. Here's a great opportunity to offer up nuggets of wisdom about eco-friendly cooking. And to earn prizes in the process (Kindle anyone?)!

It's thanks to the folks at the Brighter Planet Blog. Happy Blog Action Day 2009!

Toddler friendly fruit muffins (dairy free version too)!

With summer in full swing, the farmer's markets are packed with fruit (and people... mob scene today at our). Trying to do organic on the cheap means I gravitate to the boxes of really ripe fruit that many of the farmers sell for a fraction of the usual price. But that means you either have to 1) eat the fruit right away, 2) cut it up and freeze it for later or 3) bake with it. I usually opt for 1 or 3 since our freezer is this magical place where I put things and promptly forget about them (were that the icebox worked for my problems too, but alas.)

So here's one generic fruit muffin recipe that is great to make with toddlers and can take almost any fruit you throw at it (and I think that these muffins freeze better than the fruit by itself). Also, you can make it dairy free by substituting orange juice for the milk (I usually do half and half). Thank you to my friend Megan for the lead!

EASY FRUIT MUFFINS
makes 12

2 cups flour (I use half white whole wheat/half white)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tsp. grated lemon zest (optional)
1-1/2 cup fruit

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix dry ingredients together: flour, salt, baking powder, sugar. In a small bowl, mix fruit with 1/4 cup of the dry mixture. Add wet ingredients to the mixing bowl. Stir in fruit. Do not overmix.

Split dough among 12 regular size muffin cups. Dust with sugar if desired. Bake for 20 (+?) minutes.

MMmmmmm, peach muffins, apricot muffins, mixed berry muffins... happy summer! Of course these work just as well in the fall with apples, pears, cranberries, just give it a try.

Great food for teaching your babies to spoon feed themsleves

With twins it's especially important to get kids learning to do stuff for themselves early. When you have to spoon feed two, for example, it's a real chore. But then I decided to let the girls have at the spoons themselves... I quickly discovered the MESS that two can make when learning to feed themselves with a spoon often takes more effort to clean than just sucking it up and holding the spoons for them.

I discovered the best learner food for using a spoon was mixing whole plain yogurt with a natural food thickener like granola. Initially I mixed a few big spoons of yogurt with a scant 1/4 cup of nut-free granola in a small container. I'd mix it up the night before, let it soften and thicken in the fridge and then give it to the girls to feed themselves in the morning for breakfast or their snack. I found that there's often a nut-free blueberry flavor granola in the bulk food section of many grocery stores. Also Trader Joe's has the Granola and the Three Berries which is nut free. (You could probably make your own too. I don't have my act together for that, but if I did I'd do a nut-free variation on this recipe which is delish).

This is a great paste like concoction that is hard for the toddlers to splatter everywhere. And if it falls of their spoon you can just pick up the little clump and put it back in their bowl. Since they've gotten a little more proficient we've moved on to yogurt mixed with fruit compote (as in pic above). The yogurt's consistency is more liquidy with chunks of cooked dried fruit.

My recipe for compote is basically throwing mixed dried fruits in a pot, say dried cherries, raisins, apricots and nectarines, and then adding 2 cups orange juice, 2 cinnamon sticks and a sprinkle of cloves. I simmer it until it's really soft, but watch to make sure all the liquid hasn't evaporated. Before stirring it into the yogurt I chop it to the appropriate size for their chewing ability.

On a related note: I've been doing this with my girls for months now and it's a still a very messy proposition. So I heartily recommend this piece of equipment: Bumkins junior bibs (see left). Somehow the pocket at the bottom catches almost everything they can throw down and the full shoulder protection is mighty helpful.

We are getting somewhere, though. When they eat things like peas now they insist on spoons and while they put them on the spoons with their fingers, it's still a step in the right direction.

Wholesome mac 'n' cheese with veggies for your toddler

This still has cheese and milk and a little butter, but it is also made with whole wheat pasta and chock full of veggies. An easy all in one meal that your toddler and the big people in the house will down with gusto. It's also a great easy to reheat casserole to bring to a new mom as a "sunshine meal" (that's why I'm making the mac 'n' cheese pictured below in a disposable pan).

I've taken an old recipe my mom used for us growing up and made it about as quick and easy as a dinner dish could be (caveat: assuming you have a food processor).

Here's what you need...
EASY WHOLE WHEAT MAC AND CHEESE WITH VEGGIES

8 oz. whole wheat pasta (penne, spirals, easy ones like these for tots to hold are good)

1 sweet bell pepper
2 medium green zuchinni
2 medium carrots
(or the equivalent of the above in fresh, seasonal veggies - about 4 cups shredded, packed)

8 oz. cheddar cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper (if you want)
2 cups hot milk (I use a glass 2 cup measure to heat the milk in the microwave)

1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I make them whenever I have bread around that's getting a little stale and keep them in the freezer)

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Start out by putting water on to boil to make the pasta. Next wash the veggies and put them through a grater blade in the food processor.


Once the vegetables are grated in the food processor, transfer them to another bowl and put in the metal blending blade. Now it's time to make the "sauce." Check the water pot on the stove and ideally it's boiling so you can start cooking the pasta now according to the directions on the package. Once the pasta is in the pot, I set a timer for 3 minutes LESS than it will take the pasta to cook thoroughly. When the timer rings I throw in the grated veggies to just cook briefly.

Put the milk in the microwave to heat. While that's going on, with the metal blending blade in place put the cheese cubes, flour, butter, salt, and pepper in the processor bowl. Once the milk is almost boiling, cover and turn on the processor and start pouring the milk slowly (and carefully) in through the feeding tube. The cheese will melt as the milk pours in and if you let it run for about 40 seconds it will turn into a nice cheese sauce.


Hopefully the timer has rung and you've added the veggies. After a few minutes when the pasta and veggies are ready, you can strain it. Now put the pasta and veggies in a casserole dish. I believe I use a 2 quart. Cover the pasta with the cheese sauce and stir to mix. Cover this with the bread crumbs. Put the pan in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. It's done when it's bubbling. YUM.
I'm actually curious how this stacks up cost-wise to store bought organic mac n cheese and veggies so I'm going to try to do that ounce for ounce cost comparison in the next week and will post.

Waffles, baby!

Waffles are a terrific fast food for kids: if you can load them with fruits and/or veggies - and also milk and yogurt - you're covering lots of nutritional bases. Plus you can freeze leftovers and just pop them in the toaster when you want them warmed up. EASY!

Here are three recipes I've adapted for our kids. Because there is canola oil instead of butter they don't have the usual crispiness of waffles, but we don't mind. Also they have less sugar than usual with the idea that we adults can pour a little syrup on to sweeten them up. Finally, they are made on a waffle iron like the one pictured at left. Enjoy!

Kabocha Squash Spice Waffles
Makes almost 3 large (12 small) square waffles

2/3 cup smashed, roasted Kabocha Squash (I’m sure other squash would be fine, too, I just like Kabocha for it’s rich flavor)
½ cup plain full-fat yogurt
½ cup milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat the waffle iron.

In a large bowl combine well the squash, yogurt, milk, eggs, oil, vanilla and brown sugar. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add flour and stir just until combined.

Pour onto a waffle iron coated with non-stick spray. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for baking.


Carrot-Whole Wheat-Raisin Waffles
Makes 3 big waffles (12 little squares)

1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
¼ cup raisins
2 tablespoons sugar
¾ cup white whole wheat flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ cup quick oatmeal
½ cup + packed fine grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)

Whisk together milk, eggs, oil and raisins and set aside 15 minutes to plump.

Preheat the waffle iron.

While raisins are plumping combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix with a fork. Gently stir in oats and carrots.

Pour onto the waffle iron and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for baking.

Oatmeal-Buttermilk-Blueberry Waffles
Makes 16 little square waffles

2 cups quick oatmeal
2 cups buttermilk

Combine in a bowl and let stand to soften, about 10 minutes – less if in a real hurry. Softer it is, the tastier it is. Even overnight is fine.

Add in and stir:
3 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons canola oil
dash of vanilla

Stir in:
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt or less

Once that’s combined add:
½ cup white whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups frozen organic wild blueberries (I bet you could substitute 1-1/2 cups of almost any other fruit or veggie, like raisins or finely shredded zucchini, etc)

Spray a light coat of oil or Pam on a preheated waffle iron. Put a heaping cup of batter on the iron and bake as directed. You end up with 4 big waffles, 16 little squares. Enjoy!

the Kitchen Cheat: Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies (low fat!)

Full disclosure: I looove mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I used to enjoy making cookies, but current reality doesn't allow for that much. All the in an out of the oven and scooping and trying not to burn them. Pan cookies are a lot more practical these days. But always making them from scratch isn't going to happen. So I compromised. I found a mix I liked (the No Pudge Fudge brownie mix at Trader Joe's) and gussied it up a little... fashioned the brownies in the image of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Might as well lean on the extracts to give all the rich goodness!

The only bummer with these is that the batter tastes kinda like toothpaste because the peppermint extract is pretty strong until the alcohol cooks off a bit in the baking. Just a warning so fellow batter addicts aren't diasappointed!

1 package no pudge brownie mix (available at Trader Joe's)
2/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 tsp. pure peppermint extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

You basically just follow the box's directions using those ingredients. I bake them in an 8X10 pan for 24 minutes (but that's because I don't have an 8X8 pan like the box calls for).

These are a great treat to take to new moms since that's a time when you constantly need a pick me up, but ideally one that's guilt free.

Buttermilk Oatmeal Pancakes - toddler friendly!

These were a big hit with the girls. They're adapted from a recipe in the original Laurel's Kitchen cookbook - one that I grew up with.

Buttermilk Oatmeal Pancakes
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup quick oats

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup flour (can use whole wheat)
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine the buttermilk and oats in a bowl and let stand at least 5 minutes.

Add the oil and beaten eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Bake on a hot, buttered griddle, using 1/4 - 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. Turn them when the top is bubbly and the edges are slightly dry.

YUM! We broke them into pieces for the girls but I'm looking forward to the day when we can make the pancakes a little smaller and then just hand the girls a whole one.

Mmmmmm... birthday cake

This is an egg-less, milk-less frosted Banana Cake that was a hit when I made it for a good friend's 1-year old. Because it doesn't have the egg whites and straight milk it should be fine for any solid foods baby who has started eating yogurt and wheat already. And who is allowed an occasional sugar treat. It made one 8" X 10" sheet cake and then one small loaf cake (sweets for later!).

I frosted the sheet cake with a version of cream cheese frosting and used the juice from some microwaved frozen blueberries to color the lettering.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

5 big, ripe bananas (about 2 cups)

2 cups plain yogurt
2 scant cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour (white whole wheat flour works fine here)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8"X10" pan and a small loaf pan with non-stick spray.

In a big bowl smash up the bananas. Add the yogurt through vanilla (all the wet ingredients). Once that is all combined add the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make sure it is well combined with wet ingredients, then add the flour.

Final step is to add 1 cup of frozen blueberries if you'd like them. Pour batter into the pans...

and bake for about 35 minutes, until golden brown on top and a fork inserted in the cake comes out almost clean of crumbs. (this picture makes them look more golden than they should be)
Then, make the frosting:

Cream Cheese Frosting
To cover one 8X10 sheet cake well, plus extra for writing

1 8-oz. brick cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon water

Combine the cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer. Add vanilla and water to smooth. Use most of it to frost the cooled banana cake.

If you want to write "Happy Birthday Little One" on the cake here's a way to make fruit dye. Just take a handful of frozen blueberries or raspberries and microwave them in a little water.

The water will turn blue or red and if you mix that into a little bit of the frosting you'll have purple or pink frosting.

You then just fold a piece of wax paper into quarters

and spoon the frosting down in one sealed off corner. I take some scissors and snip off the tiniest bit of that corner and you can write with your wax paper "pen."


Yum!

Baby-parent food: Kabocha-Spinach Soup

I really like to cook so I always imagined I would make my own baby food. While there are twin parents who seem to be able to do it right off the bat, I found getting my girls eating was enough of a challenge. Making their food was something I put on hold for a bit. Now that they're 9 months and happy eaters of lots of different foods, I'm trying to figure out recipes I can cook for THEM and US. Multi-tasking is the name of the game.

This is the first recipe that I tried that has made a meal for all four of us. It's Kabocha Squash-Spinach Soup.

Soup for the girls (left), Soup for the grown-ups (right):

It's long been a favorite of mine and I've served it to lots of company and everyone always loves it. Pair it with salad and bread and wine and done. It's perfect for twin parents: you don't have to peel Kabocha squash since the rind is edible (and tasty) so that's yet another time saver. And the flavor is very rich without any stock, so it's just straight up water and veggies. I just took out a couple ladles full of soup to puree for the girls before adding the salt and pepper. And voila! It even freezes well for them.