Hazardous Fruits and Vegetables: Do You Know the Dirty Dozen?

You may have heard the latest from Nancy Snyderman on the Today Show, regarding pesticide-laden fruits and veggies, and their potential link to autism in kids.  If you haven't, the full video segment is below.  As usual, I try to take every bit of information with a grain of salt, but this info was a bit disconcerting.  It's not conceivable for us to buy organic ALL the time, so I was pleased to find this little cheat sheet, pictured below, showing which produce is best to buy organic and what not to worry about.  I also downloaded the iPhone app recommended in the article, called "Locavore," which has all kinds of fun goodies, including information on what produce is currently in season and where to find the closest Farmers Market.  Anyway, some good stuff here.  Thought I'd share!

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Black Bean Cakes

A great source of fiber and iron, these scrumptious little black bean cakes are soft enough for little ones to chew.  Try them with or without the baby guacamole and sour cream.  They're great either way!


Black Bean Cakes
(Makes About 20 Patties)

1 15 Oz Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Ear of Corn, cut off the cob (or 1 cup frozen kernels, defrosted)
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/4 Cup Cilantro, packed
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
2 Tbsp Bread Crumbs
1 Egg

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.
2. Heat a large saute pan over low to medium heat.
3. Place 1 Tbsp of the bean mixture in the pan. Using the back of a spoon, spread the mixture into an even circle (the size and shape of a pancake).
4. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Flip on the other side and cook another 3-4 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Cook remaining patties and move to a plate.
7. Cool and serve.


Baby Guacamole
(4 Baby Servings)

1 Avocado
1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 of a Tomato, seeded and chopped
1 Tsp Cilantro, chopped

1. Cut the avocado in half. Use a chefs knife to pull the pit out.
2. Scoop the flesh out and place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.
3. Serve.

Weelicious Cupcakes for Kids!

Oh man.  These puppies are gooooood.  Our little playgroup has had these for a few of the first birthdays, and they are perfect for the kids!  Little and delicious, they have just the right amount of sweetness and a great texture.  I think the adults enjoyed them just as much as the kids!  Try them yourself; you'll see.

Mini Vanilla Cupcakes
(Makes 36 Mini Cupcakes)
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Whole Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla and beat on low speed until combined.
5. Slowly add some of the flour mixture and then some of the milk, alternating until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as you go.
6. Pour the batter into mini muffin cups (I like to use a mini ice cream scooper) lined with paper or foil liners until 2/3 full.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.
8. Cool and frost.
*Refrigerate cupcakes after frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting
(Makes About 1 Cup)

4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
4 Tbsp (1/4 Cup) Butter, softened
1 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
1. Place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat for 30 seconds on low to medium speed using a hand mixer.
2. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and continue to beat for 1 minute or until frosting is smooth and creamy.
3. Frost the cupcakes and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Finger Food Favorites

I have to tell you, while I am a big fan of toddler recipes and inventive ingredients, there is nothing I love more than opening up the fridge or freezer and tossing some ready-to-eat bites onto the high chair tray. I'm sure you have tried many of these finger foods already, but here is a list of our favorites for you to pick and choose!

Veggies:  (Note:  I always start the meal with veggies, since that's the most important part and usually the last consumed if given the choice).

• Frozen baby sweet peas (Yes, frozen!  They thaw quickly in the mouth, and are great for those sore gums).
• Steamed, sliced baby carrots
• Steamed butternut squash, cut into bites (Optional: Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Note:  I have found that the best way to do this is to boil the whole squash in a big pot of water for about 2-3 minutes.  This makes the skin much softer.  Then cut the squash in half, use an ice cream scooper to scoop out the seeds, and peel off the skin with a knife.  Then cut into bites, steam, and serve).
• Peeled, steamed sweet potatoes, cut into bites

Meats:

• Imitation crab meat (or go for the real stuff - Daddy just happens to have a seafood allergy, so we have to stay away from that until later)
• Freshly-cooked ham, cut into bites

Fruits:

• Blueberries, gently "popped" between your fingers, to prevent choking
• Raspberries, cut in half
• Strawberries, cut into bites
• Bananas, cut into bites and sprinkled with wheat germ (makes the bites easier to pick up)
• Mango, peeled and cut into bites
• Pineapple, cut into bites
• Peaches, peeled and cut into bites (must be pretty ripe)

Dairy:

• Cheddar cheese, broken into bite-sized crumbles
• Yogurt melts (available in the baby section of most grocery stores, in a resealable bag)
• Yogurt pops (Buy individual yogurts at the grocery store, stick a popsicle stick through the foil top, and freeze.  When ready to eat, just pull the yogurt out by the stick and serve).

Other:

• Avocado, cut into bites (Easiest way:  Slice avocado in half, use knife to cut lines one way and then the other into the "meat" of the avocado, then use a spoon to scoop the pieces out).
• Peanut butter & jelly on multi-grain bread, cut into bites

Thai Chicken and Broccoli

During our most recent visit to Florida to see family, I decided to try a new concoction for Baby Girl.  I had been thinking about ways to entice her into eating meat, and decided peanut butter might just be the ticket.  We just tried peanut butter a couple of weeks ago - just a little bit spread on whole grain bread - which she LOVED; so, I thought I would try some sort of Thai recipe with chicken, peanut butter, and a vegetable.  Since broccoli has also been a bit of a battle, that is what I chose.

Now, keep in mind that peanut butter is one of those hot-button foods you should check with your pediatrician about before serving to your little one.  Here is what babycenter.com says about when to introduce it.  I spoke with my pediatrician about it, and was given clearance to start at around 9 months.

Also, this recipe calls for the tiniest bit of low sodium soy sauce - another hot-button food.  Please be aware that general medical opinion advises that you not add salt to baby food until after the first year.  Too much salt can cause kidney strain for babies under 1, as well as other problems.  However, many baby food recipes call for a dash or two of low sodium soy sauce.  Although this ingredient is low sodium, soy sauce packs a salty punch regardless, so just remember to use sparingly!

SO...  All that said, here is the recipe!  Little Girl went CRAZY for this stuff!  I have never seen her so excited about a meaty meal.  I would consider this a healthy success!

Thai Chicken and Broccoli

(These measurements are approximate).

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 chicken breast tenders, small diced

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/4 cup frozen chopped broccoli florets and stems*, defrosted and small diced
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Dash of soy sauce (low sodium)
A few sprinkles of ground ginger
A few sprinkles of garlic powder
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Warm the sesame oil in a medium sauté pan or wok, over medium heat.  Add the sesame seeds and sauté  for a couple of minutes, until seeds are lightly toasted.  Add diced chicken and broccoli and sauté for about 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Season the mixture with the rice vinegar, low sodium soy sauce, ginger, and garlic powder, and stir to combine.  Add the peanut butter last, and stir until the peanut butter has melted and coated the chicken and broccoli pieces.  Serve warm, either alone or with unsalted rice.

*I chose to use broccoli florets and stems because the stems actually have a sweeter flavor than the more bitter florets.

SUCCESS! Well, sort of...

Amidst the teething screams of my daughter (her two front teeth are about to pop through the gums any day), I made "Tuna Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce" on Friday evening. As I whisked the flour and milk into the butter for the cheese sauce, I thought to myself: This is much more complicated than I would prefer for a recipe I don't even get to eat! However, the cheese sauce came together beautifully and I had high hopes for the success of the recipe. I even tasted it myself, and with a dash of salt and pepper, I would have served it to my husband for dinner. It was good!

Given the slightly more complicated nature of the recipe, Baby Girl's dinner time was delayed by about half an hour; so, she was quite hungry and fussy by the time I plopped a little mound of the pasta in a bowl for her to eat. I could feel the apprehension rising as I scooped a bit of the concoction onto the spoon and eased it toward her mouth. I pasted on an artificial smile and cooed ridiculously, hoping to increase her interest in the food. ("Yay! This looks so YUMMY! It's cheesy, and gooey, and you probably won't even taste the tuna! Yum, yum!!!")

At first, Baby Girl did try to bat away the spoon, but I got in a lucky shot and stuffed a tiny pasta shell between her lips. She started to spit it out, but then - miraculously - chewed. I didn't get excited yet; it was still too early. I let her finish the first bite, and then tentatively offered her another bite. To my pleasant surprise, she opened her mouth! Not wide, but enough for me to pop in another shell. Again she chewed and swallowed, and again, she opened her mouth - this time wider! She smacked her hands against the high chair tray and squealed.

YES! I celebrated at this point. "See??? It's good, huh?" She happily wolfed down the whole bowl of Tuna Pasta, and my heart soared. I was beside myself that I had finally found a meat recipe my little girl would eat! (Ah, the little things...)

On Saturday, I prepared myself to write this celebratory post, still reveling in my success. My husband and I had planned to make a trip out to Costco that day to fill up our new Utility Room fridge (oh, the joy of shopping in bulk and actually having a place to put it all!), so I packed a lunch bag for Baby with a little bowl of Tuna Pasta, some fresh raspberries, and a sippy cup. The hubs and I planned to partake in the nutritious selections of pepperoni pizza and hot dogs at the store.

We sat down at a table to eat, I put the bib on Baby Girl, and I popped open the bowl of Tuna Pasta, all too ready to show my husband how much she enjoyed this new recipe. Well, as children so often do, she was also ready - ready to prove me wrong. She batted away the spoon and spit out any bites I managed to force into her mouth. I thought: If I could just get her to chew one bite, she'll remember how much she liked it last night!

Well, Baby Girl won in the battle of the wills, and I ended up bringing home an uneaten bowl of Tuna Pasta. What happened? I have no idea. Maybe it's not as good the next day. Maybe the temperature wasn't just right after traveling with it in the car. Maybe sore gums make everything less appetizing. I haven't a clue...

But what I do know is there was one successful meaty meal in there, and I must hold onto that as inspiration. I'll keep trying with the Tuna Pasta until it's no good anymore, just as I did with the (Modified) Broccoli Cheese Nuggets, and will try another recipe after that. Maybe, just maybe, we'll find a true winner somewhere along the way.

Until then, I'll keep you posted.

Tuna Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

A fellow mom of a 9-month-old just shared this recipe with me, and although I'm skeptical of Baby Girl's reception of tuna (given her complete rejection of my modified "Broccoli Cheddar Nuggets"), I am ready to try out this recipe. I am dying to find ANY recipe that includes meat that she will eat!

My only question on this one was whether or not I should be concerned about the mercury content in the tuna. I know canned tuna is safe for solid-eating bambinos, but this recipe makes quite a bit of food, and I'm not sure how well tuna pasta freezes - which means, we will be eating this meal every day for quite some time...

However, after looking up the tuna stats, I am confident that this recipe, even if eaten every day for a week (or even two!) is safe for little ones. According to the EPA, young children may "eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury." (This includes shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish). The EPA also says, "Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week." So, depending on what type of tuna you purchase, you will want to limit the serving span of this recipe to either 1 or 2 weeks. I think that's doable!

Tuna Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

1/4 C small pasta shapes

1/4 C finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 T vegetable oil

1/2 C canned crushed tomatoes

One 6 oz can tuna in oil, drained & flaked

Cheese Sauce

1 T unsalted butter

1 T all-purpose flour

1/2 C milk

1/4 C grated cheddar cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, but without adding salt to the water. To make the cheese sauce, follow the instructions below. Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in the oil until softened, stir in the tomatoes and flaked tuna and cook for about 4 minutes. Mix the cheese sauce with the tuna and tomato and stir in the cooked pasta.

Cheese Sauce

Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour to make a smooth paste, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk, bring to a boil, and cook for a few minutes over low heat until thickened and smooth. Stir in the grated cheese until melted.

My friend also uses this cheese sauce to go along with lots of other veggies like steamed broccoli & cauliflower, etc.

I'll let you know my review after we've tried it this evening!