National Infertility Awareness Week

Today is the last day of National Infertility Awareness Week. One in eight couples suffer from infertility. We are one of those couples. I have been very open about our struggles to conceive. It took us 5 years, multiple procedures, lots of prayers, and tears before IVF helped us conceive Harrison and Brooke. We were extremely fortunate the first time around that our insurance coverage was based with Rob's employer's corporate office in Illinois. Illinois is one of only 15 states that have some type of infertility mandate. 15 out of 50 states. Not very good odds. While the procedure still cost us a few thousand dollars, it was nothing compared to what the total cost is without insurance.

After our canceled FET cycle, we are looking at doing a fresh cycle again. A fresh IVF cycle is a very involved and often painful procedure. Multiple injections per day for weeks or even months on end. Swollen ovaries and possible OHSS. Surgery to retrieve the mature eggs. While all of that seems scary, for most couples the scariest part of IVF, and other less invasive procedures as well, is the cost. Because the majority of insurance plans won't pay a single penny. Many carriers won't even help cover the cost of diagnosis. We are looking at $11,600 plus another $3,000-$4,000 for meds, all out of pocket. (Some clinics cycles cost over $20,000 once you factor in ICSI, PGD, and assisted hatching) Indiana is not a state with a mandate, so our insurance doesn't cover any costs incurred during a cycle. Why do so many insures refuse to cover costs associated with treatment and diagnosis of infertility?

After going through a barrage of testing during our first couple years trying to conceive, we were given a less than 1% chance of conceiving naturally. That means it's almost impossible for us to get pregnant without help. I know that God works miracles, and I continue to pray for one every day. I believe that God gave us the technology to help those who struggle to conceive get pregnant, and I am thankful for that beyond words. The realist in me knows where are issues conceiving are, and I know that we won't get pregnant on our own. We will try everything possible to make it happen though. Supplements, lifestyle changes, acupuncture.

Secondary infertility sucks as much as primary infertility. Being open about our journey has brought forward so many supportive people. People who have experience infertility first hand or those who have seen loved ones battle the disease. Having the support of loved ones is helpful and comforting beyond words. I know infertility can take you to a dark place. Infertility is not who I am, but it is part of who I am. Acknowledging that has made the entire experience less painful.

Don't let infertility be a taboo topic. Please talk about it. Please be supportive for those you know that are struggling. Write to your senators and representatives. Support legislation to bring a mandate to your state. Participate in the Walk of Hope. There are so many ways you can help. Visit Resolve's website to learn more about infertility and to find out how you can help support the infertility movement. The more people who speak up about infertility, the more likely it will be that states and insures recognize infertility for what it is, a disease that requires the same care and coverage as any other disease.

Tasty Tuesday - Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

At work we could run a dog daycare and child daycare.  There's at least one kid there 60% of the time, and often times three or four kids running around. H and B are eating almost every time we go into work, food keeps them happy, so often times kid friendly foods come up. We we're talking about homemade fruit roll ups last week,  so I thought I'd give them a go.  Carolyn and Kara, this one's for you.

 

If you search Pinterest for homemade fruit by the foot, you get lots of different pins with tons of variations on how to make these. I don't have a dehydrator, so any recipes using one were out. I also skipped any recipes that wanted me to put plastic wrap in the oven. I don't microwave plastic, why would I bake with it? After reading 4 or 5 recipes I decided to wing it using various info from each one.

I was hoping to avoid using the stove top, but after seeing the consistency of the blended puree, I did use the stove.  I also didn't want to grease my silicone mats even though some recipes are adamant that you do. A few recipes call for the use of an offset spatula, which I don't own, and I was able to get by without one. I do recommend having silicone mats and a pastry brush. I know those aren't things every kitchen has, but they make this process easy. Plus, they're just amazing to have.

These are super easy to make, but a very lengthy process.  At least 6 hours, maybe more. Worth it, in my opinion, for a snack that consists of just fruit.  No added sugars, chemicals or dyes.

Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

Ingredients 

1 pineapple 

1 6oz package blueberries

1. Rinse blueberries.  Peel, core and slice pineapple. 

2. Put fruit in blender and purée until smooth. 

3. Pour puréed fruit into a saue pan and reduce over medium heat.  

Before and after

4. Pour onto silicone baking mat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Spread with on offset spatula, or tilt pan from side to side to evenly spread mixture. (I tilted the pan and had great results.)

5. Bake at 140*, or your oven's lowest setting, for 6 to 8 hours. 

6. Occasionally take pan out of oven and moisten edges with a pastry brush that had been dipped in water.  (Optional step)

7. Once the center is fully dry, slightly sticky but no longer mushy or wet, cut into strips using a pizza cutter or knife. 

8. Roll strips onto strips of waxed paper and store in an airtight container.  

Notes: I made a second batch using raspberries and nectarines. The flavor is great, but they are very seedy. If using fruits with seeds, strain mixture before pouring onto silicone mat. One recipe suggested baking them for a couple hours before bed, turning off the oven, and then letting them sit in the oven overnight.  I tried that, and it didn't work.  In my oven it took about 6 hours to get them fully cooked.  I moistened the edges 4 or 5 times to keep them from getting too crispy.  When removing the strips, as soon as I got a corner free with my nail, they peeled right off of the silicone mat, no need for greasing.  

Harrison was very excited about his new treat.  Then in true Harrison fashion, he shoved the whole thing in his mouth.  

Brooke nibbled on hers like she was a little rabbit.  

I plan to try out more flavor combinations soon, and maybe even add in some veggies.  I will update with flavor successes as I go. 

Happy cooking!

Tasty Tuesday - Sweet Potato Fries and Risotto

Deciding when and how to start your baby on solid foods is a huge decision, and one that is different for every family.  What's right for one family, isn't always right for others.  If you read my Baby Led Weaning post, you know that we started out with purees and decided feeding more solid foods was better for us.

One of our go to foods in the beginning was sweet potato fries.  They had sweet potato fries twice a day, every day for weeks.  They couldn't get enough of them. They are still a favorite, and something I can always count on them eating if we are at a restaurant and looking for options for them. They are so easy to make at home, I almost feel silly writing out my "recipe" for them.

Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potato

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400*.  Peel sweet potato and slice into 1/4-1/2" strips.  Place on greased baking sheet, or silicone baking mat.

2. Bake for 20 minutes.

Notes: See, so easy. I like to sprinkle grated Parmesan on mine when I pull them out of the oven. One potato is usually enough to fill one standard size baking sheet.  I always use my baking mats and usually do 2-4 sweet potatoes at a time.  The cooked fries freeze well and are easy to reheat in the microwave or oven.



Since the babies moved on from purees pretty quickly, I had lots of frozen baby food left over that they weren't eating.  I have been using it up in recipes when possible.  Pumpkin or apple pancakes are a great way to use up left over baby food purees if your kids have moved on to finger foods.

They never ate any of the two acorn squashes I pureed for them.  The squash has been sitting in lonely little cubes at the bottom of my deep freeze for months. I remember seeing a recipe last fall for pumpkin risotto, and thought this would be the perfect way to use up the last of the frozen purees. I decided to add some of my just cooked sweet potato fries too.

I've seen enough episodes of Chopped to know that it's really easy to screw up risotto. You have to constantly stir and get the liquid to rice ratio just right. This was my first time braving a risotto dish, and I'm please with the results. It probably helps that my attempt was based off of Wolfgang Puck's recipe. It tastes like fall in a bowl.

Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato Risotto

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups Arborio rice
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 1/2 cups acorn squash puree
1 1/2 cups precooked chopped sweet potato
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

1. In a medium-large size heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring continuously, until softened.

2. Add the rice and continue to stir, Completely coat the rice with the oil.

3. Pour in enough chicken stock to cover the rice completely, about 3 cups, and continue to cook, stirring often, until all the liquid is absorbed.

4. Pour in 1 cup of the remaining stock, and continuing to stir until it has been absorbed. 

5. Add 2 cups of pureed acorn. Continue stirring until the rice is al dente, tender but still very chewy, and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

6. Stir in the remaining acorn puree and the chopped sweet potato and reduce the heat to low so that the risotto doesn't simmer anymore. 

7. Stir in the Parmesan and butter. The final product should be very creamy.

Notes: The original recipe called for 6 cups of stock and 1/2 of a pureed butternut squash.  My squash puree was very watery, so I just substituted 2 cups of puree for 2 cups of stock.  You should be able to adjust the recipe based on what purees you already have available, and yield a similar result.  The dish is very sweet, so I recommend seasoning with pepper to taste.

Harrison and I were all about it.  Brooke wouldn't take a bite, but she won't eat anything except fruit, cheese and yogurt lately.

Happy Cooking!!

Tasty Tuesday - Homemade Marinara and Meatballs

There are two things that I worry the kids don't get enough of when it come to food, veggies and iron.  I'm anemic and the kids are borderline anemic. We tried doing iron supplements with Brooke, her levels were low enough they wanted to do a full blood panel, but she gagged and spit it up as soon as the liquid hit her mouth. So much for that.

As you might know from our pictures on here and Instagram(justjm03), we do lots of popsicles and smoothies. All of their popsicles and smoothies are laced with either kale or spinach in hopes of keeping their iron levels high enough. I definitely don't eat a lot of red meat, which means the kids don't either, but I'd like to incorporate more into our diets.  Enter spaghetti and meatballs.

For the first 6 years rob and I were married anytime we had spaghetti I always used Prego and would occasionally add some ground beef or sausage to it.  One day I was watching "Cooking Boss" and Buddy was making his eggplant parm.  He talked about making his own sauce from scratch and how easy it was.  I decided to look it up and try it.  It's so easy and delicious I haven't used canned sauce since.

I remember one time Rob decided to make meatballs and he wanted to experiment. The mixture wound up containing balsamic vinegar, peanut butter and Pepsi. They weren't disgusting, but they weren't great either. From then on out I've made meatballs myself on the rare occasion we have them.  I'm not a huge fan of sticking my hands in raw meat and eggs, but you have to get it thoroughly mixed. For the same reason I don't often make meatloaf.

Below you'll find the recipes for both Buddy's Marinara Sauce and Italian Meatballs.  An added bonus to meatballs, they are a great way to sneak veggies into your kids mouths.  There's an entire bell pepper and 1 cup of spinach in the recipe below.

Marinara Sauce

2 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic thinly sliced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 .6 ounce package fresh basil

Instructions

1. Heat a dutch oven style pot over medium heat.  Add oil.  Once oil is warmed add garlic and cook until lightly golden and fragrant.  

2. Add tomatoes, salt and 1 spring of basil.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.    

3. While the sauce simmers, chop remaining basil.  Add basil to the sauce after 30 minutes of simmering. Serve immediately or freeze once cooled.  

Notes: This recipe yields enough for approximately 3 meals.  I always freeze two portions and use one immediately. 

Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

2/3 cup Italian bread crumbs

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 cloves minced or pressed garlic

1 cup frozen spinach

1 bell pepper

12-15 1/2" mozzarella cheese cubes (optional)

Instructions

1. Mince bell pepper and spinach.  The smaller the pieces the better. 

2. Mix all ingredients, except mozzarella cubes, by hand in a large bowl. Make sure all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. 

3. Roll mixture into 2"-3" balls. If you want to add mozzarella cheese, cover each cube with meat mixture making sure to pack it tightly into a 2"-3" ball.  Place balls on a baking sheet. 

4. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes, flipping meatballs halfway through.  Meatballs should be fully cooked and lightly browned when done.  

Makes 12-15 meatballs

Notes: I make my meatballs with the mozzarella.  No matter how tightly I roll the meatballs, I always have a little cheese leak out.  I used 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 orange pepper in addition to the spinach. Carrots, zucchini, squash and kale would all be great substitutes.  If you're concerned about fat content, use lean ground beef or turkey.

Brooke wanted just the meatballs and Harrison got down on everything.  Success!

Happy Cooking!

Tasty Tuesday - Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

I know some people who cringe when you say the word casserole.  I grew up eating casseroles and absolutely love them.  Some of my favorite dishes my mom makes are casseroles.  Pizza casserole, tater tot casserole, green bean casserole.  Just because its mixed together and baked in a 13x9 pan doesn't mean it can't be delicious and full of flavor.

I like making casseroles for the kids because it's a great way to add veggies to their dinner.  Although they will eat some veggies just steamed and as a side, often times they'll tackle the meat first and the veggies are left once they're full.  

I thought I would tackle a casserole favorite, broccoli rice casserole, and change it up a little.  While I'm not completely opposed to rice, I prefer not to base an entire meal around it. I'd much rather use a whole grain pasta or quinoa.  This was my first time using quinoa in a casserole, and I think it turned out well.  My 13 year old niece and both kids downed it.  H and B even had seconds.  

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

2 cups quinoa

2 cups cooked shredded or diced chicken

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 bunch broccoli

1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup

1 can low sodium cream of chicken soup

Instructions:

1. Prepare quinoa as instructed on bag. Most quinoa requires 2 cups of water per cup of quinoa.  

2. Clean, peel and cut up broccoli. Use the stems and heads. Smaller pieces are better. Steam for 5 minutes.  Do not fully cook.  

3. Once quinoa is fully cooked and broccoli is steamed, mix all ingredients in the pot the quinoa was cooked in. 

4. Spread mixture in a greased 13x9 pan.  Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes, until thoroughly warmed and lightly browned on top.    

Notes: I recommend getting pre rinsed quinoa.  Trying to rinse and drain quinoa is a pain. You can make this a vegetarian dish by leaving out the chicken and using an additional can of cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken.  I used salt and pepper when I served myself.  I think if I make it again I will add pepper to the mix and probably 1/2 cup of red onion.  While it wasn't bland by any means, I did feel it could use more flavors. 

Happy cooking!

Leftover Makeover

I had about 2/3 of a pan of this left after a couple days. I know there was no way we were going to finish it all, so I decided to whip up some mini muffins. The mini muffins are a go to food for my picky eaters. I make a batch of broccoli quinoa mini muffins every month now because they love them so much. I always have a stockpile of them in the freezer.

Ingredients

Leftover broccoli quinoa casserole
3 eggs
2 cups cheddar cheese.

1. Preheat oven to 400*.

2. Mix all ingredients together.

3. Spoon mixture into silicone mini muffin pan, or greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 400* for 20 minutes. Mini muffins will be lightly brown around the edges.

Notes: These freeze great and reheat easily in the microwave. If you want to make full size muffins, up the baking time to 25 or 30 minutes.

Tasty Tuesday - Roll Ups

I was introduced to the delicious roll ups last week in dessert form.  After enjoying Penne Pomo and  a glass of wine with a few girlfriends, one of them offered to make Nutella Roll Ups.  Of course we said yes. Paired with a cup of coffee and great conversation, these were the perfect end to the evening.

After talking about other possible ways to prepare these for dessert, I got to thinking about making them for the kids for breakfast, or dinner as was the case tonight.  They can be filled with peanut butter, cream cheese, jams, veggies, even meats.  The possibilities are endless.

I decided to try a few different variations tonight.  Peanut butter, bananas and honey, cream cheese and blueberries and cream cheese and strawberries.  All three were a huge hit! There wasn't a single bite left.

I'm going to write out a kid friendly and a dessert version.  The only difference is what you put in them and that you don't roll the kid friendly one in sugar. 

Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey Roll Ups

High quality sandwich bread

Peanut butter

Honey

1/3 banana sliced thin

Cinnamon

Butter

1. Cut crust off bread.  Roll bread with a rolling pin until it is thin and approximately 1 1/2 times original size.

2. Spread on peanut butter and top with banana slices.  Drizzle with honey. Roll up bread.

3. Melt butter, enough to coat bottom of pan, in a saute pan or skillet on medium heat. Lightly brown roll up on both sides.

4. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve warm.

Nutella Roll Up

High quality sandwich bread

Nutella

Cinnamon

Sugar

Butter

1. Cut crust off bread.  Roll bread with a rolling pin until it is thin and approximately 1 1/2 times original size.

2. Spread on Nutella. Roll up bread.

3. Melt butter, enough to coat bottom of pan, in a saute pan or skillet on medium heat. Lightly brown roll up on both sides.

4. Make a cinnamon and sugar mixture and roll cooked roll up in mixture.  Serve warm. 

Notes:  When using fruit, cut into into small pieces.  I tried mashing the strawberries and it created too much juice and a soggy roll up.  It still tasted good and the kids ate it up.  I used Aunt Millie's Oatmeal & Honey Nut bread which added a nice textural aspect. 

If anyone makes a variation that turns out really well, please share.  I can always use more ideas when it comes to feeding the kids, or me for that matter. Happy cooking!

Tasty Tuesday - Delicious Bites

This week's recipe is another muffin cup recipe.  Delicious Bites were known as Broccoli Bites until I offered them to a 3 year old.  Say the word broccoli and it's game over.  She was willing they try them and took a couple bites.  Them she realized that there was, gasp!, veggies in them.  I consider a couple bites a win.

H and B on the other hand eat these up. They eat them for lunch a couple times every week.  They're easy to pull out of the freezer, heat up and take with us to the zoo or grocery store.

Delicious Bites aka Broccoli Bites

1 bunch, 3 heads with stems, broccoli

1 1/2 cups diced or shredded precooked chicken

3 cups shredded cheddar

3 slices sandwich bread

6 eggs

All of the ingredients before mixing.  

Instructions: 

1. Peel broccoli stems.  Cut up broccoli stems and heads.  Steam until soft.  Mash cooked broccoli in a large bowl until it is coarsely mashed. 

2. Place cut up sandwich bread in food processor. Pulse until the bread reaches breadcrumb consistency.  

3. Add the breadcrumbs, eggs, cheese, and chicken to the bowl of broccoli.  Mix thoroughly. 

4. Spoon mixture in greased, ungreased if using silicone trays, muffin tins. 

5.  Bake at 400* for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are browned.  

Notes: I've made this recipe without the chicken and it turns out just as well.  As you can see in the picture, I baked shapes using Wilton Star Molds.  Baking times may vary depending on the size and shape of baking trays used.  I usually leave some larger broccoli chunks in the mix. If I were trying to hide the broccoli from my kids, I would mash the broccoli very finely.  

Tasty Tuesday - Penne Pomodoro

Rob and I met when we worked together at a great little Italian joint called The Blu Tomato.  We used to eat there all the time even though it was completely out if the way for us.  The food was great and it always brought back great memories of us falling in love.

They unfortunately closed their doors a couple years ago.  Fortunately for us, I perfected one of their signature pasta dishes  and make it on a regular basis.  Penne Pomo is a light pasta dish that is so easy to make. It only has 6 ingredients, but it's full of flavor. It was the first pasta the kids tried, and they love it as much as we do.   

They are having seconds after our trip to the splash pad tonight. 

Penne Pomodoro 

8 cloves garlic

1 ounce fresh basil

1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

12 ounces penne pasta 

Fresh whole milk mozzarella 

Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Peel garlic and thinly slice. Chop or tear basil into small pieces. 

2. Add 2 tbsp EVOO to a hot sauté pan.  Add sliced garlic and cook until lightly brown and fragrant over medium-high heat.   

3. Meanwhile, bring water for pasta to a boil in a large sauce pan.  Make sure to salt your pasta water. Once water is boiling, add pasta and cook fully. Drain pasta. 

4. Reduce heat to medium and add juice from tomatoes to sauté pan. Be careful as the juice and hot oil will pop.  Slice tomatoes into quarters and add to sauté pan.  I recommend doing this over the pan as you want all the juice from the tomatoes.  You could also do it over the cam ahead of time and just dump the juice and tomatoes in all at once. 

5. Add basil and let cook for no more than 5 minutes.  If you cook it too long your sauce will be too thick.  If needed add more EVOO to thin out sauce.  

6. Add pasta and serve hot. Garnish with    fresh mozzarella balls or cut up cubes.  

Notes : it is important to have everything prepped before you start. this dish cooks very quickly. You can use fresh tomatoes, diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes.  I prefer whole peeled because of the juice they have.  I have used more or less garlic or basil than what I put in the recipe.  It turns out well even if the amounts aren't exact.  If you don't have access to fresh basil, Bolthouse Farms makes a great freeze dried basil that can be substituted. The dish is best when the pasta is hot enough to make the cheese gooey.  I occasionally microwave the pasta after garnishing with cheese to get it gooey.  I recommend buying the large ball or log of fresh mozz. The small balls are convenient, but don't melt as well.  I only use them if, like today, the store is out of the larger variety.  

I hope you all love this dish as much as we do.  Everyone who I have made this for, or passed the recipe on to, raves about how great it is.  Happy cooking!!

Tasty Tuesday - Muffin Tin Quiches

For this weeks recipe I thought I'd go with a breakfast dish. Our breakfasts usually consist of fruit, more fruit and some Cheerios.  Occasionally we mix it up with some toast, pancakes or a scramble.  

I originally made this recipe when the babies were 7 months old.  It was the first muffin tray dish I made, and it was a hit.  They liked it, and I caught the hubs stealing some muffins for a quick breakfast on the go. While it's not technically a quiche, that how we always wind up referring to them in our house.  

This recipe is another one that is really easy to change up the ingredients in depending on what you have on hand.  I had bacon and green peppers that needed to get used, so that's what I incorporated.  

Muffin Tin Quiches

Yields 24 muffins or 48 mini muffins

4 cups frozen shredded hash browns 

2 tbsp butter

1 green pepper

6 slices bacon

1 cup cheddar cheese

10 eggs

1 tsp pepper (optional)

1. Preheat over to 375*. Grease muffins tins using cooking spray. 

2. Defrost 4 cups hash browns in microwave.  Pour 2 tbsp melted butter over hash browns. Stir. 

3. Spoon has browns into muffin tins.  Press hash browns into muffin tins creating a hash brown cup.  Bake at 375* for 15 minutes.  

4. While the hash browns are baking, cook the bacon in a frying pan.  Dice the bacon and green pepper. 

5. Whisk the eggs, and optional pepper, together and set aside.

6. When the hash browns are lightly browned around the edges, pull out of the oven.  Fill each hash town cup with a small amount of bacon, green pepper and cheese.  

7. Pour eggs on top of hash brown cups and filling.  Fill 3/4 of the way full.  

8. Bake at 375* for 15-20 minutes.  A toothpick should come out clean when they are fully cooked.  

Notes: The first time I made these I used ham and no peppers.  They were really good.   If egg spills over the side of the hash brown cup, it's ok.  I've made them both as regular and mini muffins.  I think I prefer the regular size muffin for this recipe.  You can melt the cheese on top of the quiches instead of putting it on the inside.   Both ways taste good.  

Both kids are enjoying them for breakfast this morning. Brooke insisted on holding all of hers at once. 

Tasty Tuesday - Homemade Mac and Cheese

One of the kids' favorite recipes, mine and my husband's too, is homemade mac and cheese.  I mean, pasta and cheese, how can you go wrong? As much as I love me some Velveeta Shells and Cheese, it's not something I want to be giving H and B on a regular basis.  Too much sodium and processed food, not enough real cheese,.

If you search the internet for Mac and Cheese recipes you'll find hundreds of different variations. Bread crumbs, sour cream, Gruyere and other fancy cheeses. The list of add ins and special ways to make it are endless.  

We prefer a really simple recipe that has 3 ingredients. Pasta, cottage cheese and shredded cheese.  It is simple, delicious, and if you want to add in other items or change up the flavor with different cheeses, you easily can.  

A few nights ago I tried to turn my trusty side dish into a main course by adding mixed veggies and chopped chicken.  The results were good, but I'll probably stick to keeping it as a side dish. 

When I used to make this for just Rob and I, I would use elbow macaroni.  Now I usually use cavatappi.  It's easy for the kids to grab onto and I like the flavor. Rotini is another option that's really great for little hands.  

I usually use a combination of sharp cheddar and colby jack cheese.  Use whatever type of shredded cheese you have on hand.  I also usually use 4% milk fat small curd cottage cheese since fat it important for the kids.  I have used 1% large curd, and it works just as well.  

Ingredients

1 box cavatappi or other pasta

1 16 oz package cottage cheese

1 16 oz package shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Fill large, Dutch oven size, saucepan 2/3 full with water. Generously salt your pasta water and bring to a boil.

2. Add pasta to water and cook over med-hi heat until pasta is fully cooked. Drain pasta.  

3. Mix cottage cheese, cooked pasta and 8 oz shredded cheese.  Spread in a greased 13x9 baking dish. 

4. Sprinkle remaining 8oz of cheese on top of pasta mixture.  Bake at 350* for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. 

Notes: Make sure you salt your pasta water.  It makes a huge difference in the flavor of the pasta.  If you want to add in chicken, veggies, beef, do so after mixing the pasta and cheeses.  Adding milk or heavy cream to the mixture if needed still yields a good result.  I have not frozen the max and cheese before, but I can say it does keep well in the fridge for up to a week and reheats well in the microwave. I have never added breadcrumbs, but I'm sure they would add a good textural element and nice flavor.    

Happy cooking!

Tasty Tuesday - Zucchini Mini Muffins

I am by no means a cooking expert, but I really enjoy cooking for H and B.  Finding new, nutritious options for them to eat has become somewhat of a hobby. I am sure they would be happy to consume all of their vegetables in pouch form, but I'd go broke and a little variety is a good thing.

One of the best options I've found so far is making vegetable "bites." They aren't really bite size, but pretty much every recipe refers to them as bites. Vegetables mixed with a grain, eggs, cheese and a little seasoning.  We've made bites with quinoa and carrots, broccoli and cheese, and most recently zucchini, onion and cheese.  

They've all been super easy to make and have been huge hits with the kids.  I usually make a double or triple batch and put them in the freezer.  They're super easy to heat up, less than a minute in the microwave, and they taste just as good as they did when they were fresh out of the oven.  

You can use any muffin or mini muffin tin to bake them.  You can even have fun with it and bake them in shaped silicone trays.  Little hearts or stars would be so adorable. 

When these were done cooling the kids went to town on them.  They each had a couple with lunch and then 3 or 4 more each as a snack. 

Zucchini Mini Muffins

Ingredients (yields 36 mini muffins)

2 small zucchinis

2 small yellow squashes

3/4 cup diced red onion

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

3 large eggs

Pepper for seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 400* F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray, I use Pam olive oil spray, and set aside. 

2. Shred zucchini and squash (I used the medium size on my cheese grater) soak up excess moisture using paper towels or a dish towel.  If you don't blot out enough moisture the muffins will be soggy in the middle.   There should be approximately 3 cups of zucchini and squash once shredded and blotted.  

3. Dice red onion

4. Whisk eggs in large mixing bowl and then add all the ingredients.  Stir ingredients together until we'll combined.   

5. Spoon mixture into greased muffin tin, filling each cup to the top.  

6. Bake at 400* for 18-20 minutes or until the top and edges are crisp and brown. Remove from tray and let cool before serving.  

Notes: I used a mini muffin tin, so cooking times may vary if you are using a full size muffin tin or silicone bakeware. I used ingredients I had on hand.  You can use only zucchini, use yellow onion instead or red, or mix up the seasoning depending on what you have on hand. I modified my recipe from one I found on Pinterest.  Unlike baking, cooking isn't a science, so have fun with it.  

I am hoping to do a weekly post with a new recipe I've recently tried for the kids. If you're looking for ideas, search Pinterest or the web for baby lead weaning recipes. That's how I find most of my recipes. I've had luck with the majority of the things I've found, but there have also been a couple things that didn't go over well, and one particular cooking episode that should have been put on Pinstrosity.  

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and that it gets your kids eating their veggies.  

Baby Led Weaning

When Harrison and Brooke hit about 4 months I started to plan their introduction to solid foods. I knew I wanted to make their food for them so I ordered a Baby Breeza and silicone ice cube trays. I visited the farmer's market and picked up a couple organic squashes and a pumpkin. I picked up some sweet potatoes and green beans from the store too. I spent an entire weekend when they were about 5 months old making purees and freezing them into perfect one ounce cubes. I was all set to start their introduction to solids in just a few short weeks.

I knew I wanted avocado to be their first food, so at around 5.5 months we introduced avocado to them. They weren't thrilled, but they were definitely interested. We waited a couple of days and tried more avocado. After a few attempts they still weren't thrilled with eating, so we took a week off. They hit six months and I decided to jump back into introducing more foods. They tried sweet potatoes, apples, squash, pumpkin, pears, prunes, green beans, mango and broccoli. Some feedings they loved it and other times I couldn't convince them to take a bite.

I had been hearing a lot about baby led weaning as a way to introduce solids to your baby. Essentially it is letting your babies learn to feed themselves with solid age appropriate foods. H and B did seem to enjoy grabbing food off my plate and they were always willing to eat anything I was having.

By 8 months we were completely off of purees. They don't even want me to feed them applesauce anymore. They want to do it themselves. Their spoon skills aren't great yet, so we are doing everything in easy to handle solid form. Sweet potato fries, pear slices, cheese cubes, pumpkin pancakes, whole bananas.

Since switching to baby led weaning style of feeding their interest in food and willingness to eat has skyrocketed. Since I'm not spoon feeding them I can sit back and enjoy a meal with them. They make a huge mess pretty much every time they eat, but that's what Tyson and Layla are for. I'm so glad we discovered BLW when we did. It makes perfect sense to let them learn about food with real food instead of something that could be fed through a feeding tube at the nursing home. They've already had food from a few of our favorite restaurants too. They were big fans of Cebolla's and Taj Mahal. I've listed a few great links for places to start as well as a sample daily menu for Harrison and Brooke.

Breakfast
1/2 a banana or a 1/2 cup of other fruit and a generous handful of Cheerios or one pumpkin pancake

Lunch
6 cheese cubes and 5 sweet potato fries or half of a cheese toastie cut into strips

Dinner
1/2 cup of pasta with veggies and chicken or whatever the adults are having for dinner

Baby Led Weaning Blog

Wholesome Baby Food - A great site for feeding babies in general.  Not just BLW.

Tyson and Layla anxiously wait for a stray piece of food to hit the floor.

Brooke Enjoying a pumpkin pancake.

Harrison enjoys blackberries a little too much.