Name: Turkey Cauliflower Zucchini Casserole
Ingredients: 1 lb ground turkey (half kilo); cauliflower (separated into florets); 2 zucchini (sliced); 1 medium sweet potato (cubed); 2-3 regular potato (grated); Half cup peas (frozen); Half an onion (diced); Small bunch of chives; 2-4 eggs (optional)

Red Quinoa with Cucumbers and Peaches

January 6, 2016 by Natasha Leave a Comment

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.

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.

Simple Tofu dinner

January 6, 2016 by Natasha Leave a Comment

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.

Lentil Stew with Beet Greens

January 6, 2016 by Natasha Leave a Comment

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.

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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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Natasha

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

In a big pot, sauté chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 5-8 minutes.
Add chopped beet greens and broccoli stems. Sauté for 3 minutes.
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.
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.

Potato Salmon Zucchini cakes

January 5, 2016 by Natasha 1 Comment

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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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

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: Natasha

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

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.
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.
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.
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.

Red Lentils with Vegetables

December 29, 2015 by Natasha Leave a Comment

And we are back to our weekly staple – lentils. When I am really pressed in time, I resort to red lentils because they are guaranteed to be cooked within 15-20 minutes. Also, unlike other types, red lentils don’t need to be soaked. If you would like to use them in a salad, then you would need to take them off the heat after just 10 minutes. Otherwise, keep them for 15-20 minutes to turn them into a puree or 25 minutes to make them really mushy. I personally love the mushy texture especially in contrast to the firmer vegetables in a stew.

Lentils was one of the very first foods I introduced to Soren when he was about 6.5 months old. My personal favorites are French lentils but I started with red ones because of its soft consistency and shortly after introduced all other kinds.

Lentils are really a powerhouse of nutrition. To learn more about this amazing food, why we like it and how we eat it read here.

FOR PREGNANCY: When I was pregnant with Soren, I ate a lot of beans and lentils. Besides high quantities of protein, they contain a lot of folate, which we need for cellular growth and regeneration and to prevent fetal deformities. Doctors always prescribe folic acid to pregnant women. Folic acid is a vitamin B9, a synthetic version of naturally occurring folate. While I still took prenatal vitamins, I tried to get the most vitamins from food.

On the topic of pregnancy and what we pass on to our unborn babies during that time, Annie Murphy Paul gives a wonderful presentation of a scientific study What We Learn Before We Are Born. Watch it; it’s really fascinating.

It could be just that Soren inherited my taste for lentils (being influenced in the womb) or it might be because they were on his plate that early (6.5 months); whatever the reason, they are his favorite food. I am lucky because it’s so easy to pack a lentil stew with all kinds of vegetables and spices. You are basically delivering a nutritious multi-vitamin-multi-mineral in a spoonful.

To take it to another level, I served it with my new Green Sauce made with parsley, cilantro and basil. It deserves a special post – Click here to view.

And how easy and quick it is to make! In this particular stew, I used rainbow carrots but you can use any carrots you like. And in general, you can substitute and add as much as you want with my recipes (except for baking). They are not really recipes, they are soft instructions which you can modify.

Red Lentils with Vegetables

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Author: Natasha

Recipe type: stew, lunch, dinner, family meal

Ingredients

1.5-2 cups red lentils
A bunch of spring onions (or ½ yellow onion)
3 celery stalks
4 carrots (I used rainbow carrots)
2 cups of chopped green beans
2 small potatoes
1 large garlic clove

Instructions

Wash and prepare all the vegetables: finely chop the onions, celery, cut carrots in large circles, chop green beans into 1 inch pieces, cube potatoes, mince the garlic.
In a large pot, warm up 3 tbsp of olive oil and sauté all the vegetables together for 8 minutes stirring frequently. If using a steel pot without a non-stick surface, add a bit of water to prevent from sticking too much.
Wash the lentils in a colander, add them to the vegetables. Toast them stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes. Add enough water to cover the lentils by 1 inch. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover with lid and cook for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft and mushy. These guys always fall apart and make a nice creamy stew.
Right before turning off the heat, it's nice to add some turmeric. It's an amazing anti-inflamatory spice without any flavor, which adds golden color to dishes.
TIP: turmeric stains pretty badly especially before it's cooked in a dish so handle with care.

Chicken Mushroom Meatballs from scratch

December 28, 2015 by Natasha Leave a Comment

Lunch today is healthy comfort food that adults and babies (from 6-7 months) would enjoy:

Mashed potatoes with corn and peas
Chicken mushroom meatballs made from scratch

The idea of mixing potatoes with another vegetable is not new but recently it caught my eye again when I was flipping through other mommy cooks Instagram pages. Some of my friends have been whipping their mashed with broccoli – a great idea. Today I made ours with peas and corn. Here is how to make it:

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 potatoes
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn (organic)
A bit of milk (nut or any other kind)
Butter or olive oil

METHOD:

Peel the potatoes and cut into 2 inch cubes. Place in a pot of water, add a little salt and boil until almost done. Right into that water add the peas and corn. In 4-5 minutes, strain the vegetables, and mash with some milk, butter or olive oil. I used the hand masher. If you want a very smooth consistency, you can purée it in a blender.

Tender Chicken Meatballs from scratch

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When made completely from scratch, these meatballs outdo any other homemade recipe. Make sure not to overcook it! It's the key to tenderness.

Author: Natasha

Recipe type: lunch, dinner

Ingredients

1 lb of chicken thighs (or ground chicken)
1 celery stalk (roughly chopped)
½ small onion (roughly chopped)
6 crimini mushrooms (or any other kind)
1 egg
A sprinkle of dried oregano

Instructions

If making from scratch, place all the ingredients in a blender. Add salt & pepper (skip for babies under one). Pulse a few times until the chicken and veggies are ground. The mixture will be kind of pasty. That's good.
Heat a pan with canola or coconut oil, form medium size meatballs with your hands and pan fry for no more than 4 minutes on each side.
Place the meatballs in a pot with a tablespoon of water on the bottom. Close the lid. Steam for 5 minutes. .

Sometimes I buy ground chicken but most of the time I use my Vitamix blender to grind organic chicken thighs or breasts. When made completely from scratch, these meatballs outdo any homemade recipe. I’m warning you right away: make sure to prepare a large amount of side dishes so that you are not tempted to eat all of the meatballs at once. They are so good.

❗️TIP: to make these meatballs really tender, pan fry for 4 minutes on each side and then place in a pot with a tiny bit of water (tablespoon) and steam for 5 minutes. This will ensure that all the bacteria is killed and they are safe to eat for babies. Do not overcook! That’s the key.

Another❗️TIP: if you are using a blender to grind the chicken, it’s very important to clean it very well afterwards. I know, the obvious. But I want to stress this because meat fibers can get wrapped around the blade (especially underneath) and easily get stuck there and overlooked. I assume that you have just one blender, which you mainly use for raw smoothies and such. So wash it very well in a soapy water. After, rinse with BOILING water! I use an electric kettle and it takes no time.

Rainbow Chard Lentil Stew

December 23, 2015 by Natasha Leave a Comment

…or PRE-CHRISTMAS EASY VEGAN STEW

Do you ever wonder how is it possible that there is nothing to eat with all the food lying around in your kitchen after a massive wallet-draining grocery shopping spree? It happens to me all the time around the holidays. My head is busy planning all the steps of the upcoming menu, I already feel tired, even though I haven’t started cooking, and my husband wonders around the kitchen looking for anything humans can eat. Oh wait, what about the baby? Ok, Soren will have to eat a bowl of cereal or something. And I am starving too! Exactly that happened during Thanksgiving. I learned my lesson. From now on I am making a large batch of something delicious that we all can munch on a few days leading up to the festive meal.

So what is it that you can make that can last you a couple of days while you are busy preparing for a Christmas dinner; something that tastes good hot and cold, something that is full of protein and vitamins, something that 6-months-old babies can eat as well. From now on, in my house it’s lentils. It’s really one of our favorite dishes and I always play around with various vegetables that go into the stew.

These colors will fade and get lost in the yumminess of the stew so I always feel the urge to document what goes into the belly before it turns into a bit of a mush. This time it’s sweet potato, leeks, carrots and rainbow chard. I I like all kinds of lentils but my most favorite are French lentils. I think because they stay neat and pretty after being cooked unlike the other types that fall apart or become mushy (like red lentils).

I hear some (or even many) kids don’t like lentils. I was lucky Soren liked it right from 6 months. It might be that he did because he was offered lentils early and developed a taste for them or it might be pure luck. In any case, don’t give up on the foods your little ones refuse right away. Offer it to them periodically without insisting. And don’t get discouraged. Remember: hungry kids eat!

Pre-Christmas Lentil Stew

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This iron and protein rich lentil stew is an ideal food to make in large batches if you know busy week is coming up. It can be enjoyed hot and cold, stores well in the fridge and is suitable for everyone, even babies from 6 months. It's vegan, gluten free, dairy free and naturally guilt-free.

Cuisine: vegan, healthy

Ingredients

3 cups french lentils (or regular lentils)
2 large sweet potatoes
1 large bunch of rainbow chard (5 cups chopped)
1 leek
½ large onion
1 carrot
2-3 garlic cloves
Basil
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil)

Instructions

Wash and soak lentils for half hour. They will be ready once you have prepared all the other vegetables. I use french lentils in this stew but you can use the regular ones too. (For this particular recipe avoid yellow and red lentils because they cook much faster and become soupy).
In a large pan or pot, cook the chopped onion, garlic and leek (cut in large circles) in coconut oil (or olive oil) for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add carrots (circles). Cook for another 3 minutes.
Add the lentils, stir everything very well and let lentils toast on a pan for 3-4 minutes. Pour 5 cups of water or stock (I used water because I find lentils very flavorful anyway). Add the bay leaves. Close the lid, lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes.
Chop sweet potato and rainbow chard. Add it to the stew together with 2 more cups of water. Season with salt. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until lentils and vegetables are cooked through.
Before turning off the heat, add lots of chopped basil.
TIP: adjust the amount of water as you cook. If you like mushy lentils- add more, if you like them firm - add a bit less.

Mushroom Butternut Squash Risotto

December 23, 2015 by Natasha Leave a Comment

I had leftover butternut squash in the fridge (because I always have butternut squash and sweet potatoes in the kitchen) so I decided to put together this creamy and healthy risotto. It has simple ingredients and is full of nutrients. Trust me, not only babies and toddlers will enjoy it. Even though it is not made with white wine, it tastes like real italian risotto. Add parmesan for adults and kids well over one (avoid for babies because of salt) and you will think you are eating at a restaurant. We are at my mom’s house in Seattle now so I cooked it for the entire family and they loved it.

Before Soren turned one, I always made two batches simultaneously: one with salt and one without. You can always make one batch without salt and then add salt individually when serving but it’s not the same.

Mushroom Butternut Squash Risotto

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This creamy healthy risotto is healthy and delicious. This recipe serves 4. Double the ingredients and make a large batch, which will last you several days. Baby Led Weaning appropriate right from 6 months.

Author: Natasha

Recipe type: lunch, dinner, baby, toddler, family

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

½ yellow onion
5-6 crimini mushrooms (or any other kind)
½ butternut squash cubed into small pieces
1 cup of Arborio rice (this type of rice is key to creaminess)
⅓ almond milk (or any other nut or dairy milk)
fresh sage
1 garlic clove

Instructions

Boil a large pot of water. Leave it simmering next to the pot where you will be making the risotto.
In a pot or a deep pan, heat up some olive oil, add chopped onions and cook until translucent (about 4-5 minutes).
Add diced mushrooms, butternut squash and minced garlic. Continue sautéing stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
Add the rice (well rinsed) and stir everything well to coat the rice with all the juices from the pan.
Start adding a ladle of boiling water from the pot you prepared earlier. Keep stirring the rice until the water evaporates. Continue adding the boiling water one ladle at a time until the rice is nice and creamy and almost cooked.
Add almond milk and plenty of sage (you can chop up the sage or add whole leaves). Cook for 5 minutes until the milk is evaporated. Done. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Cauliflower Sauce

December 21, 2015 by Natasha Leave a Comment

I think the food that all babies are sure to love is butternut squash. It’s so soft, juicy, sweet, mild in flavor and is a very healthy food. It contains high amounts of potassium, which is great for the bones, and Vitamin B6, responsible for proper function of both nervous and immune systems. It is packed with Vitamin A and C.

Baby Led Weaning appropriate from 6 months.

My goal as a mom is to avoid typical kids foods as long as possible. I believe I can teach my son to love healthy foods so that he will say no, without interest, to the typical unhealthy refined carbs foods like pizza, pasta, white breads, etc. Yeah, right. I know I’m pretty crazy. As much as I want to believe we, mothers, can do anything we set our minds to, I am aware that the reality is so far from this perfect scenario. As soon my son tastes the oily, tomatoey, cheesy slice of warm margherita, I’m pretty sure I am going to be in trouble with all my healthy cooking. But hey, I can try, right? I can try to create as many tasty flavors as possible to give him a good foundation to base his tastes on and the rest is really out of my hands.

This pasta sauce is one of my attempts to create a healthy substitution to a mac-n-cheese sauce. We served it over quinoa pasta. I use the Ancient Harvest organic brand.

Butternut Squash Cauliflower Sauce

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This delicious vegan butternut squash cauliflower sauce is very healthy. It's a great alternative to the typical processed mac-n-cheese sauce all the kids are so addicted to. Add some parmigiano and your adult family and friends will come for second helpings.

Recipe type: baby, pasta

Cuisine: vegan, italian, kids

Ingredients

1 cup steamed butternut squash
1 cups of steamed cauliflower
½ cup of milk (I used hemp milk but any milk of your preference would work)
Salt (for kids over 1)

Instructions

Wash cauliflower, roughly chop it and place in a pot over the steam rack. Cut butternut squash in large cubes and add to the same pot. Steam until tender. You will need to take the butternut squash out earlier since cauliflower takes longer to steam (15-20 minutes).
Once the vegetables are done, place them in a blender with milk and salt. Blend until silky smooth.
Transfer to a little saucepan and heat up adding more milk if you feel that the sauce is not liquid enough.
Serve over pasta

Turkey Cauliflower Zucchini Casserole

December 21, 2015 by Natasha Leave a Comment

This very easy healthy casserole can be enjoyed by everyone in the family. Make one large for family and small for the baby without salt. You can skip ground turkey and egg to make it vegan. It still comes out delicious.

INGREDIENTS: (could be used in various quantities/proportions depending on what you like. You can’t mess this dish up):

1 lb ground turkey (half kilo)
cauliflower (separated into florets)
2 zucchini (sliced)
1 medium sweet potato (cubed)
2-3 regular potato (grated)
Half cup peas (frozen)
Half an onion (diced)
Small bunch of chives
2-4 eggs (optional)

METHOD:

In a pan sauté onions with ground turkey (season with salt and pepper) for 3-4 min until the beef turns brown and onions translucent. Transfer to a baking dish and spread on the bottom. In a bowl, combine all vegetables and season with olive oil, salt, pepper and any other spices you like. Spread the veggies on top of beef. Beat eggs with fork and pour over casserole. (Eggs are optional). Cover the dish with foil and pop it in the oven preheated to 375F for 30 min. Remove foil and leave in oven for another 15 min. That’s it.

Turkey Cauliflower Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey (half kilo)
cauliflower (separated into florets)
2 zucchini (sliced)
1 medium sweet potato (cubed)
2-3 regular potato (grated)
Half cup peas (frozen)
Half an onion (diced)
Small bunch of chives
2-4 eggs (optional)

Instructions

In a pan sauté onions with ground turkey (season with salt and pepper) for 3-4 min until the beef turns brown and onions translucent. Transfer to casserole and spread on the bottom.
In a bowl, combine all vegetables and season with olive oil, salt, pepper and any other spices you like. Spread the veggies on top of beef.
Beat eggs with fork and pour over casserole. (Eggs are optional). Cover the dish with foil and pop it in the oven preheated to 375F for 30 min. Remove foil and leave in oven for another 15 min. That's it.

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