Soren's Purple Plate

Babies, kids, and parents eat together. Simple, healthy food ideas.

Hearty Green Smoothie

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BLW from 6 months (omit nut butter until 7/8 months). I was nervous to give peanut and almond butter to Soren but my pediatritian assured me that the earlier the better so I finally became brave and offered it to my son when he was 7-8 months. He was fine and loved it.

 

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Recently I have been inspired by a few Instagram moms whose kids drink fresh juices and smoothies every day, I decided to up my game and start making more smoothies myself.

My kitchen is very small and I often feel lazy dragging the blender out (I use Vitamix) and washing all the veggies but hey, healthy eating deserves a greater effort! ??????.

This smoothie is very satisfying and doesn’t taste “green”, for those of you who are not fans of drinking their greens.

INGREDIENTS:

3 large kale leaves
3 celery stalks
1 apple
1 tbsp of almond butter
1 banana
1/2 cup almond milk
Water and/or ice cubes

METHOD:

Wash and chop all the ingredients and blend on high for 30 seconds if using a Vitamix or longer if using a less powerful blender. Add 1/2 cup of water first and then see how liquid it is. Add more if needed. (I didn’t use ice today).

 

 

Hearty Green Smoothie
 
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Author:
Recipe type: smoothie
Cuisine: healthy, vegan, vegetarian
Ingredients
  • 3 large kale leaves
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 1 apple
  • 1 tbsp of almond butter
  • 1 banana
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • Water and/or ice cubes
Instructions
  1. Wash and chop all the ingredients and blend on high for 30 seconds if using a Vitamix or longer if using a less powerful blender.
  2. Add ½ cup of water first and then see how liquid it is. Add more if needed. (I didn't use ice today)

RED LENTIL STEW WITH SWEET POTATOES AND Peppers

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BLW appropriate from 6 months! It is an ideal dish for beginners.

If I were to pick one dish that I make the most, that my son likes the most and that is one of the quickest and healthiest meals prepared in 30 minutes, it would be this one.

I change it up every time adding different spices and vegetables.

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❗️TIP: if you have the following ingredients in your kitchen at all times, you will always be able to prepare a healthy and yummy meal:

?Celery (for stews, sautés, soups, smoothies)
?Carrots (for steaming, stews, sautés, soups)
?Onions (for stews, sautés, soups and meatballs)
?Sweet potatoes (for steaming, stews, sautés)
?Parsley || for everything
?Cilantro || for everything

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium yellow onion
2-3 carrots
4 celery stalks
1 large sweet potato
1.5 cup red lentils
1 red pepper
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
1/3 tsp Turmeric
1/3 tsp Curry

 

METHOD:

1. Chop the onion, celery and cut carrots in circles. Cube sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes. Rinse red lentils.

2. Heat up 1 tbsp of coconut oil (or oil of choice) in a deep pot. Sauté the onion, carrots and celery for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

2. Add sweet potato and lentils. Pour enough water so that all the vegetables are covered by a 1/4 inch=pinky width (not more bc the dish will become too soupy). Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Add chopped red pepper and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, turmeric and curry. Cook for 10 minutes.

NOTE: red lentils fall apart very quickly and become creamy. They are perfect for a stew like this and definitely not good for adding to a salad.

 

 

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LENTIL STEW WITH SWEET POTATOES AND RED PEPPERS
 
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This is an ideal dish for the beginners of Baby Led Weaning. It's soft and creamy yet has texture. Sweet potatoes guarantee that your baby will like it.
Author:
Recipe type: lunch, dinner, lentils
Ingredients
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2-3 carrots
  • 4 celery stalks
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1.5 cup red lentils
  • 1 red pepper
  • ½ cup of chopped parsley
  • ⅓ tsp Turmeric
  • ⅓ tsp Curry
Instructions
  1. Chop the onion, celery and cut carrots in circles. Cube sweet potato into ½ inch cubes. Rinse red lentils.
  2. Heat up 1 tbsp of coconut oil (or oil of choice) in a deep pot. Sauté the onion, carrots and celery for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
  3. Add sweet potato and lentils. Pour enough water so that all the vegetables are covered by a ¼ inch=pinky width (not more bc the dish will become too soupy). Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Add chopped red pepper and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, turmeric and curry. Cook for 10 minutes.
  5. NOTE: red lentils fall apart very quickly and become creamy. They are perfect for a stew like this and definitely not good for adding to a salad. Keep that in mind.

 

Red Quinoa with Cucumbers and Peaches

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What are they serving in New York today? Apparently, red royal quinoa with shredded fresh cucumber and peaches.

We decided to go out last minute and I put together this 30 second dinner to take with us for Soren. I always have some kind of grain ready in the fridge (quinoa, millet, rice, oatmeal, etc.). Today it was quinoa. I just added some shredded cucumber and chopped peaches. Pure improvisation but it worked really well. We will be repeating this combination for sure and not only for the baby; it could actually be a nice side dish for adults.

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Quinoa is something that I cook on a weekly basis. I add it to our salads and the baby has it in many different variations: with veggies, fruit, meat, fish, you name it. It’s a better sources of protein and vitamins and minerals than other grains.

HOW TO COOK IT:

Pour a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan, add 1 cup of quinoa (very well rinsed to prevent bitterness). Stir well to coat quinoa in oil and toast it stirring frequently for about 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of water. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. If cooking just for adults, you can add any spices into the water. Or you can cook it in a stock to add more flavor. I usually just cook it in water and without any salt to be able to use it for Soren.

Green Smoothie with peanut butter

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Green smoothie: one for mama, one for papa and a few frozen pops for Soren. A pop like that (minus the peanut butter) was Soren’s first food when we started baby led weaning at 5.5 months. Babies learn very fast how to hold things and direct them towards their mouths purposefully. It’s a great first food and a self-feeding tool. I used Nuby Garden Fresh Fruitsicle Frozen Pop Tray , which can be purchased on Amazon.

Contrary to the old belief of having to wait until one to introduce nuts, these days it is believed that the earlier you introduce them, the better (if you don’t have nut allergies in family). I felt nervous giving peanut butter to Soren around 7 months and watched him closely every time he had it. Sometimes allergies show up after several times of having a certain food. He was fine though and liked it a lot.

Ingredients:

1 heart of romaine
2 celery stocks
1 apple with skin (make sure to buy organic. Apple is on the top of the “dirty foods” according to The Environmental Working Group or EWG)
1 banana
1 cup frozen peaches
1 tbsp ground flex seeds
1 tbsp peanut butter
A little water or even better coconut water

 

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a blender: soft and light ingredients on the bottom and heavy and hard on the top.   Blend until smooth. I use Vitamix because it really makes a difference. It’s an expensive piece of equipment but I think it’s invaluable in the kitchen.

 

Green Smoothie with peanut butter
 
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Author:
Recipe type: smoothies, snack
Ingredients
  • Ingredients:
  • 1 heart of romaine
  • 2 celery stocks
  • 1 apple with skin (make sure to buy organic. Apple is on the top of the "dirty foods" according to The Environmental Working Group or EWG)
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup frozen peaches
  • 1 tbsp ground flex seeds
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • A little water or even better coconut water
Instructions
  1. Place all the ingredients in a blender: soft and light ingredients on the bottom and heavy and hard on the top. Blend until smooth. Pour the smoothie into the
  2. I use Vitamix because it really makes a difference. It's an expensive piece of equipment but I think it's invaluable in the kitchen.

 

 

Simple Tofu dinner

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Tofu. A controversial topic. I read both good and bad things about it. Since we don’t have any soy allergies in the family, Soren is already 11 months and eats well, and I believe anything and everything in moderation is good, I decided that today’s lunch and dinner will be tofu.

I bought organic extra firm tofu. Used paper towels to soak extra moisture. Sprinkled some coriander and turmeric on both sides and pan fried it in olive oil. When I say pan fry, I mean I warmed up tofu on a pan on medium heat flipping it a couple of times. Anything fried is not good for babies or toddlers, plus olive oil should not be heated to a frying temperature.

Result: Soren loved it so we might stick to eating tofu once in a while. 4 oz of tofu has 13 gm of protein.

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Lentil Stew with Beet Greens

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Healthy Lentil Stew

Lentils are a perfect meal. They are full of protein and flavor. Unlike many other vegan dishes, lentils are very satisfying on their own: no sauce or anything else needed. The dish I made today is full of nutrients because I used beet greens in it. Don’t ever discard beet greens. They are one of the healthiest greens out there, they contain even more healthy goodness than the beetroot itself: plenty of calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, folate among others. You can eat it raw or cooked like in this recipe.

As always I made a big batch for my husband and me and a small, salt-free portion for the baby (he is still under one). You are chopping stuff up anyway, why not cook for everyone at once! I even froze a small portion for those empty-fridge days.  You can control the softness of the vegetables and the lentils by the amount of cooking time. If offering to the very small babies, add more water and cook for longer until the vegetables are very soft.

This stew is a wonderful meal to practice self-feeding skills right from 6 months. I used a 2-spoon-method with Soren: load one spoonful, offer it to the baby and while he is eating, prepare the second spoon. They learn so fast how to grab the spoon and direct it towards their mouths. It’s fascinating to watch.

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INGREDIENTS:

Put as many various vegetables as you like. I used:

3 celery sticks
3 broccoli stems-optional (I never discard them. I remove the rough outer layer and use in many dishes)
4 carrots
1 yellow onion
a bunch of beet greens
1 cup of french lentils (darker in color and smaller)
1-1.5 cup of regular green lentils
3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
turmeric
rosemary (I used dried)
Salt and pepper (for adults)

METHOD:

1. In a big pot, sauté chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 5-8 minutes.

2. Add chopped beet greens and broccoli stems. Sauté for 3 minutes.

3. Add throughly washed lentils. Stir well. Pour water to cover lentils by an inch and a half. Season. Simmer for 25 minutes or until desired consistency.

4. Add more water if you like the stew to be soupy. Top with parsley or dill. I didn’t have any today but it still came out delicious.

 

Lentil Stew with Beet Greens
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Lentils, lunch, dinner, vegan
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients
  • 3 celery sticks
  • 3 broccoli stems-optional (I never discard them. I remove the rough outer layer and use in many dishes)
  • 4 carrots
  • 1 yellow onion
  • a bunch of beet greens
  • 1 cup of french lentils (darker in color and smaller)
  • 1-1.5 cup of regular green lentils
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • olive oil
  • ½ tsp of turmeric
  • rosemary (I used dried)
  • Salt and pepper (for adults)
Instructions
  1. In a big pot, sauté chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 5-8 minutes.
  2. Add chopped beet greens and broccoli stems. Sauté for 3 minutes.
  3. Add throughly washed lentils. Stir well. Pour water to cover lentils by an inch and a half. Season with salt, pepper, turmeric, rosemary. Simmer for 25 minutes or until desired consistency.
  4. Add more water if you like the stew to be soupy. Top with parsley or dill. I didn't have any today but it still came out delicious.

 

Healthy Banana Apple Muffins

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Banana Apple Muffins

These muffins are absolutely guilt-free. I wouldn’t hesitate a second giving them to my son. There is no added sugar or other sweeteners; the mildly sweet taste comes from bananas and apples.  Babies and adults love them. Super easy recipe! I tried it a dozen times and it works every time. I usually bake half batch in a mini muffin mold then add chocolate and nuts for the adult muffins.

IMG_8251 IMG_8252Ingredients:

1/3 cup melted coconut oil (if you don’t have it, the recipe works just fine without it)
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
2 small apples, grated (with or without skin works. More fiber with skin)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon (put more if you love it)
1/2 cup wholewheat flour
3/4 cup instant oats
Optional: raisins, nuts, chocolate

Method:

Preheat oven to 325F. Hand beat eggs with coconut oil in a bowl. Add mashed bananas, baking powder, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix. Add apples. Mix. Add flour and oats. Stir well. Pour half a batch in a lightly greased muffin mold for babies. Then add raisins, chocolate and any other goodness you like to the adult batch. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool off.

I hope you like it.

This recipe was adapted from Cookie & Kate recipe.

Healthy Banana Apple Muffins
 
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These healthy muffins can be enjoyed by babies and adults. There is no added sweeteners and sugar. The mildly sweet taste comes from apples and bananas. Baby Led Weaning appropriate from 6 months.
Author:
Recipe type: breakfast, treat, muffins
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil (if you don't have it, the recipe works just fine without it)
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 ripe bananas (mashed)
  • 2 small apples, grated (with or without skin works. More fiber with skin)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp cinnamon (put more if you love it)
  • ½ cup wholewheat flour
  • ¾ cup instant oats
  • Optional: raisins, nuts, chocolate
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. Hand beat eggs with coconut oil in a bowl. Add mashed bananas, baking powder, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix. Add apples. Mix. Add flour and oats. Stir well.
  3. Pour half a batch in a lightly greased muffin mold for babies. Then add raisins, chocolate and any other goodness you like to the adult batch. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool off.
  4. Enjoy.

 

Carrot Side Salad

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carrot side salad

 

carrot salad

 

This is a 1 minute side salad that I made with leftover steamed carrots. It’s so simple I can’t even call it a recipe. But I decided to post it anyway because it was tasty and I, personally, always need ideas on what to make from leftovers.

The key is the dressing. I used my traditional salad dressing but you can play around and add whatever you like. I also really like spring onions. They add an extra something to this little salad. If I had chives, I would have preferred them but oh well, spring onions work well too.

Carrot Side Salad
 
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This is an example of a 1 minute salad or side dish you can put together from leftover steamed carrots (if you have a baby, you always have some leftover steamed veggies). Dress it nicely with white balsamic vinegar and olive oil and you are good to go (see dressing recipe below).
Author:
Recipe type: Salad, side dish
Cuisine: Vegan, vegetarian, side dish
Ingredients
  • Steamed carrots
  • Spring onions or chives
  • Parsley
  • White balsamic vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • 1 small garlic
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Steam carrots for 8-10 minutes. I use stainless steel collapsible steamer all the time ($8 on Amazon).
  2. Chop spring onions or chives and parsley.
  3. Dressing: combine ½ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of white balsamic vinegar, 1 or ½ small garlic clove (minced), salt, pepper.
  4. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

 

Potato Salmon Zucchini cakes

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Potato Salmon Zucchini fishcakes

Potato Salmon cakes

I am a big fan of making food so it lasts several days. Very often I have one or two ingredients leftover and I like putting them to use by making something quick and simple. These cakes are a good example of this practice: I used the leftover salmon and mashed potatoes from the dinner before.

If you are just starting with Baby Led Weaning, if you don’t have any family seafood allergies, I would say you should introduce fish early. My pediatrician recommended we started right from the beginning so Soren tasted salmon when he was 6.5 months and has really been liking it since. My mom friends start around 7-8 months. Whatever you feel comfortable with.

Theses little cakes are ideal for a play date meal or for traveling. They are easy to handle for you and for the baby avoiding major mess like with other foods.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of mashed potatoes or a medium boiled potato (cooled and grated)
1 cup of cooked salmon
1 small zucchini (grated)
1 egg
Optional: dill or parsley or both

 

METHOD:

Separate salmon into small pieces. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Form little pancakes and pan fry on medium heat in a pan greased with coconut oil (any other oil would work too).

 

Potato Salmon Zucchini cakes
 
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These little cakes are ideal for a play-date meal or for traveling. Baby Led Weaning appropriate from 7-8 months provided you don't have seafood allergies in the family.
Author:
Recipe type: lunch, dinner, travel, leftovers
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of mashed potatoes or 1 large boiled potato (cooled and grated)
  • 1 cup of cooked salmon
  • 1 small zucchini (grated)
  • 1 egg
  • Optional: dill or parsley or both
Instructions
  1. If not using leftovers like us, bake salmon at 350F for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the piece. Cool. Separate into chunks watching out for the bones.
  2. Grate 1 medium zucchini, squeeze excess water. Finely chop some dill and parsley (I really like the combination of two together). If not using leftover mashed potatoes, grate one cooked potato.
  3. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Add salt and pepper if cooking for kids over one. You don't need much salt: the fishcakes are pretty flavorful because of salmon and the herbs.
  4. Pan fry on a medium heat flipping once or twice. I use coconut oil but if the taste bothers you (salmon and coconut, eeeek for some), you can use any frying oil.

Classic Panna Cotta

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panna cotta

REAL AND NAUGHTY PANNA COTTA

Here is something NOT to give to your small babies! It’s all about parents and their naughty desires.

If you are not going out New Year’s Eve, treat yourself to a simple but simply divine dessert that evening.

When my husband and I met in London 6 years ago, our first real date night was at this cute authentic Italian restaurant in Notting Hill called Osteria Basilico. That night we had the best panna cotta on earth and ever since then always ordering it in restaurants became a tradition.

Until a few days ago, I didn’t know that it was so easy to make it at home! It is a pretty naughty desert in terms of calories (fat and sugar) but it’s so delicious so we splurged.

Soren didn’t have it. One day though.

The dark stuff you see on the top is the natural vanilla powder that settled on the bottom of the ramekin and appeared on top when I flipped it. The recipe called for vanilla extract which I didn’t have.

Recipe from Epicurious.com

panna cotta

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 tbsp cold water
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half and half
1/3 cup sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla extract

.
METHOD:

1. In a very small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand 1 minute. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat until it’s dissolved. Remove from heat.

2. In a large saucepan bring cream, half and half, and sugar to boil over medium heat, stirring.

3. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture and vanilla. Divide mixture among eight ramekins and cool to room temperature. Chill ramekins, covered, at least 4 hours in the fridge. Better overnight.

4. When serving, dip ramekins, 1 at a time, into a bowl of hot water 3 seconds. Run a knife around edge and invert ramekin onto center of a small plate.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE NAUGHTY DESERT?

 

Classic Panna Cotta
 
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Here is something NOT to give your small babies! It's all about parents and their naughty desires. If you are not going out New Year's Eve, treat yourself to a simple but simply divine dessert that evening.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup half and half
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a very small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand 1 minute. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat until it's dissolved. Remove from heat.
  2. In a large saucepan bring cream, half and half, and sugar to boil over medium heat, stirring.
  3. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture and vanilla. Divide mixture among eight ramekins and cool to room temperature. Chill ramekins, covered, at least 4 hours in the fridge. Better overnight.
  4. When serving, dip ramekins, 1 at a time, into a bowl of hot water 3 seconds. Run a knife around edge and invert ramekin onto center of a small plate.