Soren's Purple Plate

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

Quick breakfast and tips on buying bread

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I am feeling particularly lazy this morning. Not the time to be lazy when there is Christmas Eve dinner to be prepped and cooked. Maybe Santa will come and cook it for me ?; I’ve been pretty pre-e-e-tty good this year.

I would love to get more time to create some sophisticated recipes which yield delicious unusual meals. Those, I always think to myself, are worthy of a post. But then I looked at my and Soren’s breakfast plate and thought that if I were a busy mom or a not-so-busy mom (if that even exists), then I would want nothing more than a simple, almost a pretend recipe or meal idea. So here is one 60 second breakfast: mildly toast a slice of bread, spread some good quality but butter ( I used almond here) and top it with a ripe pear or an apple.

Despite the time it takes to make, it’s actually a legit healthy breakfast full of the necessary fats and proteins from the nut butter. I buy almond and peanut butter in my health foods store where you grind it yourself. Nothing other than peanuts or almonds goes in it unlike some of the jarred butters. It’s also the cheapest butter! But there are lots of jarred butters that are very good quality too; just check the ingredients to make sure there is nothing sketchy.

As for bread, we avoid most kinds of commercial packaged breads regardless of the benefits they claim they bring you. Most of the time these breads are highly processed and contain dangerous ingredients. If you are interested, here is an article written by FoodBabe on which breads you should stay away from and which ones you should eat. We like the most Ezekiel: it’s made with wheat, barley, millet, lentils, soybeans and spelt. All the ingredients are organic. And we also buy the sprouted spelt bread. Spelt is a grain closely related to wheat but that has a milder nuttier flavor. They say it’s a healthier choice than wheat and unlike wheat, where vital nutritional bran and germ are usually removed during milling, the vital substances of spelt are found in the inner kernel of the grain.

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For babies and toddlers: if your bread is too soft, toast it just so it hardens a little bit. It’s easier to handle with hands that way even for the toothless munchkins.

Rainbow Chard Lentil Stew

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…or PRE-CHRISTMAS EASY VEGAN STEW

French lentil 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).

French Lentil Stew

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!

French Lentils

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
  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Before turning off the heat, add lots of chopped basil.
  6. 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

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Butternut Squash Mushroom Risotto

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.

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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:
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
  1. Boil a large pot of water. Leave it simmering next to the pot where you will be making the risotto.
  2. In a pot or a deep pan, heat up some olive oil, add chopped onions and cook until translucent (about 4-5 minutes).
  3. Add diced mushrooms, butternut squash and minced garlic. Continue sautéing stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the rice (well rinsed) and stir everything well to coat the rice with all the juices from the pan.
  5. 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.
  6. 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!

 

 

 

CORN APPLE PANCAKES made with YOGURT

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Corn Apple Pancakes

Ahh, waking up to a full house of family! A dream (for some ?). I remember when I just moved to the US when I was 20, holidays time was the loneliest time ever. The streets were empty, the driveways crowded with cars, stores closed, and my family was so so far away (in Belarus). I honestly get chills when I think of that time. Now it’s different for me. I feel lucky and blessed.

Whether you are alone or not this holiday week, I hope you will treat yourself to some rest and fun. And maybe your mornings can be filled with some yummy things. Forget healthy. Now is the time to be naughty. Go ahead and pour that Nutella all over your pancakes and make some bacon on the side (my husband is scratching his head wondering where his bacon is ?).

I thought I’d give you an idea for some unusual but very yummy pancakes. They are healthy so please spoil them with some toppings of your choice. ?

I used the corn flour mix from the muffins I made last week. The muffins turned out a touch dry but you certainly can’t say that about these pancakes. I hope you enjoy them.

CORN APPLE PANCAKES made with YOGURT
 
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These corn apple pancakes are made with yogurt as a base. Have them with sour cream or fruit puree. A perfect Sunday breakfast for the whole family.
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Ingredients
  • ½ cup cornmeal
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • .
  • 1 grated apple with skin
  • 1 tbsp of maple syrup
  • 1 cup of yogurt (I used Greek 2% but any will work)
  • 1 egg
Instructions
  1. Mix the dry ingredients first.
  2. In a separate bowl whisk all the wet ingredients together. Now fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until combined but don't over mix.
Now, depending on which yogurt you are using, you will need to adjust the amount of flour you add. My yogurt was pretty thick. If yours is liquid, then add a little more whole wheat flour. The dough should not be too liquidy but you also should not be able to hold it with your hands.
  1. Use a large spoon to drop pancakes onto the pan heated with coconut oil. Pan fry for 2-3 minutes on each side.

 

Butternut Squash Cauliflower Sauce

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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.

 

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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
  1. 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).
  2. Once the vegetables are done, place them in a blender with milk and salt. Blend until silky smooth.
  3. Transfer to a little saucepan and heat up adding more milk if you feel that the sauce is not liquid enough.
  4. Serve over pasta

 

Mango Apple Banana pancakes

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Apple Banana Mango Pancakes

This is the simplest recipe ever. I learned it from my friend Liza who is a very talented cook and in general a “can do it all” kind of superwoman. She has a nice Instagram account called @CookingforGrey. Definitely check it out if you haven’t already.

So these pancakes have a mild sweet and sour taste. They are fruity and delicious. If you use coconut oil to pan fry (which I highly recommend), these pancakes will taste like an exotic vacation. Soren likes them with yogurt and my husband and I are guilty of pouring plum jam over them.

 

 

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Mango Apple Banana pancakes
 
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These easy healthy fruit pancakes are a perfect first food for a 7 months-old baby. Everyone in the family will love them too.
Author:
Cuisine: vegetarian, baby
Ingredients
  • ½ cup mango chunks (I always use frozen)
  • 1 apple
  • 1 banana
  • 1 egg
  • oat flour
  • quinoa flour
Instructions
  1. Using a blender, blend the egg with mango, banana and apple.
  2. Add the oat and quinoa flour in equal proportions. Start adding a little at a time and see how your dough is. It should be pretty thick but you should be able to pour it. (The dough will appear thick because of the frozen mangos).
  3. In a non-stick pan, heat a little bit of coconut oil and drop tablespoonfuls of dough. Pan fry for 2 minutes on each side.

 

Broccoli Omelet

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Eggs or no eggs?

As a first time mom, everything is anxiety-causing, especially when just starting to introduce your baby to solids. I wasn’t an exception. I worried about which foods to give, how to offer them, which ones to avoid, how to store food, whether to give it the second day, whether to reheat (and potentially lose nutrients), how to freeze, etc. I was trying to listen to my motherly intuition but my brain often took over and needed proof, facts, research, medical advice. Ahh, the reality of doing this baby business the first time around. Moms of multiple kids laugh at people like me and themselves when they remember how it all started. Anyway, by 8 months I let go and relaxed. By then, baby led weaning was fully underway and I was more brave about everything.

That said, being concerned about eggs as a first food is a pretty justified fear. Egg white is one of the big allergy-triggering foods. Many pediatricians still recommend to avoid it until 12 months. Egg yolk, on the other hand, is commonly known as a great first food for babies. I did do my research and found out that these days the more progressive crowd of doctors are suggesting to offer whole eggs right from the start. Our pediatrician has also encouraged me to give Soren anything (except for honey) right from 6 months of age. So I did. At 7 months, omelets was (and to this day is) my son’s favorite food. You will see many variations of them on these pages.

Adding vegetables to an omelet is a great way to add nutrients. For those little ones who refuse vegetables, sneaking them in an omelet is a good way (or an attempt) to get your baby to eat them. I have nothing against hiding vegetables in dishes. The most important thing is for your child to receive as many nutrients, flavors, textures, colors and food groups as possible early! Do whatever it takes and whatever is easier to accomplish it.

METHOD

There is no particular trick to this omelet. Whisk 2 eggs with a little bit of milk – mothers, coconut, cows – whichever your child is taking these days. Add chopped leftover steamed broccoli. Cook on low heat on a pan covered with a lid. Until Soren turned 12, I scraped the top of the omelet discarding the crispy bottom. If you leave the omelet in a pan to cool off, then your omelet will not stick.

If you don’t have any egg allergies in the family, I would encourage you to offer it to your baby as early as 6-7 months.

Good luck.

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Apple – Sweet Potato – Zucchini Pancakes

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Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Snack. Travel food. An oldie but a goodie. Super easy to make. These pancakes can be made with a cooked sweet potato (think leftovers) or with raw. If using raw, make sure to finely grate it and squeeze excess liquid.

Apple Zucchini Sweet Potato PancakesApple Zucchini Sweet Potato Pancakes

Apple – Sweet Potato – Zucchini Pancakes
 
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These pancakes are perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack or travel. They take a bit longer to prep but are worth the wait. Enjoy.
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 1 apple
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup oat flour
  • ½ cup semolina flour
Instructions
  1. Grate zucchini and apple on medium grater. Squeeze the juice out with hands.
  2. Grate raw sweet potato on fine grater or mash cooked sweet potato with a fork.
  3. Combine apples, zucchinis, sweet potato and semolina. Let it sit for 20 minutes for the semolina to absorb the moisture and expand.
  4. Beat eggs with a fork and add to the mixture followed by the oat flour. Add salt for babies over 1.
  5. Panfry carefully. Serve with yogurt or sour cream.

 

Bok Choy Soba Noodles Sauté

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Ok, so this is one of our family’s favorite dishes. It’s easy to make, as most things I cook, and it’s also very yummy and nutritious. Noodles can be tricky with little babies who have just a few teeth but I would still encourage you not to exclude them, especially soba noodles (made of buckwheat). Every new texture, color and flavor adds invaluable experience to your baby’s early life setting a great foundation for diverse food tastes and flavor open-mindedness. You’ll thank yourself for offering as many new foods as possible when you see you toddler finish an adult-type dinner when the rest of the kids around are barely interested in mac&cheese. When cooked well, noodles can easily be gnawed by your little munchkin; just chop them up into small pieces.

Now, a word on bok choy. Did you know that it is one of the highest nutritionally ranked vegetables out there? One cup of cooked bok choy provides more than 100% of the recommended amount of vitamin A (it beats cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli) and close to two-thirds of vitamin C. It also has a ton of vitamin K, potassium, folate and Vitamin B6 (needed for proper brain development among other things).

A note on Baby Led Weaning. Go easy on the soy sauce for toddlers and skip all together if offering to babies under 1. I would have 2 pans going: you are chopping all the veggies anyway; it will take you no time to make 2 portions.

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Bok Choy Soba Noodle Sauté
 
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A quick go-to dish, this soba noodle sauté with bok choy provides a great source of Vitamin C, K and A. Easy to make and full of flavor. Babies can eat it as well if you skip soy sauce.
Author:
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients
  • 1 pack of soba noodles
  • 2-3 heads of portobello mushrooms
  • 1 large bunch of bok choy
  • 1 cup of frozen peas
  • 3 spring onions
  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • lemon
  • 3-4 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ -1 tbsp sesame oil
  • Optional: red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Cook soba noodles in boiling water for 6 minutes (or check the packaging for cook time). Drain, rinse with cold water. Set aside.
  2. Slice mushrooms and sauté them in olive oil together with minced garlic for 5 minutes stirring a few times (make sure garlic does't burn).
  3. Wash bok choy and slice each lengthwise into 3 strips. Add peas and bok choy to the pan. I also added a few broccoli stems (optional). Sauté for 6 minutes. If mushrooms didn't give enough water, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to create steam.
  4. When bok choy is wilted and almost cooked, add chopped spring onions, cilantro (the more the better), soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, red pepper flakes. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2 minutes. Soy sauce is very salty but still check to see if you want to add more salt.
  5. Add soba noodles to the pan, spray with a little lemon, mix well and serve.

 

Pumpkin Oat Muffins

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Pumpkin muffins

When Soren turned ONE, we entered the unknown world of snacks. I’m not much of a snacker myself so to come up with diverse, colorful, nutritious snacks for the baby on a daily basis was kind of stressful for me. Fruits, vegetables and yogurt were the obvious choices but I wanted to also add some muffins, breads, scones, etc. I browsed the isles of Whole Foods and other supermarkets but couldn’t find any brand that didn’t have a long list of ingredients (some hard to pronounce). I try to stay away from foods like that. Baby crackers and snacks of all kinds have acceptable food labels but questionable nutritional value (too much of refined flours or too much sugar).

I decided to start learning to make my own breads and muffins. I’ve never been much of a baker. Firstly, the science is too precise for my impatient nature. Secondly, to bake with unrefined flours and unprocessed sweeteners is hard. Thirdly, because in my small New York apartment, the oven happens to be old and huge so to use it often with a baby roaming around is dangerous and messy (I store all my pots and pans in it). And lastly, my husband would divorce me. He actually has a sweet tooth and enjoys anything baked. The problem is he eats it all at once and then yells at me with accusations.

After a bit of talking him into it, we bought the Breville convection oven. Yes, we sacrificed the precious counter space. But it was totally worth it because now I can bake all kinds of delicious goodness from sweet potatoes to frittatas and cakes. No more excuses.

Today’s muffins are based on Cookie&Kate recipe. I love this girl’s blog. She is doing such an amazing job creating healthy and diverse foods.

I skipped salt and ginger called for in her recipe, used only 1/4 cup maple syrup. For a real breakfast treat, stick to half a cup of maple syrup.

Pumpkin Oat Muffins Pumpkin Oat Muffins Pumpkin Oat Muffins

 

Pumpkin Oat Muffins
 
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These Pumpkin muffins taste more like a breakfast bread than a dessert. If you like sweet baked goods, add more maple syrup. Enjoy!
Author:
Serves: 10 muffins
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée
  • ¼ cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves
  • 1¾ cups whole wheat flour
  • ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup together. Add eggs, and beat well.
  2. Mix in the pumpkin purée and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice or cloves.
  3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
  4. Bake at 325F for 23-25 minutes. Cool before taking out of molds.