I’ve always loved chicken salad. I’m used to the traditional kind — chicken, celery, mayo — but I thought I could come up with a healthy and more exciting version for Kenya. Something about the addition of grapes seemed like a delicious idea to me since Kenya loves them on their own, so why not in this recipe?!
My friend Diane came over today and said that she normally doesn’t like chicken salad because the pieces of chicken are too big. I couldn’t agree more. You want to be able to take a bite and enjoy all of the tastes, not just chicken. By throwing everything in the food processor, it combines the ingredients so every bite has a little of everything and a lot more flavor, in my opinion.
This is a great “on the go” dish for little ones because it has a fruit, protein, carb and vegetable. Just be sure it doesn’t sit out too long because of the mayo (or Veganaise).

Chicken, Wild Rice and Grape Salad (8 Toddler Servings)

1 Chicken Breast
1/2 Cup Celery , chopped
1/2 Cup Grapes, halved, red and/or green
1 Tsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 Tbsp Mayonnaise or Veganaise
1/2 Cup Wild Rice, cooked

1. Cook the chicken in a steamer pot over boiling water for 8 minutes. Cool and chop.
2. Place all of the ingredients except the rice in a food processor and pulse. Everything should be combined and in tiny pieces.
3. Throughly combine the chicken mixture with the rice and serve.

Kenya usually loves beans in any form, but for some reason when I gave him whole cannelini beans, he didn’t want to eat them. I tried several times, but no go and I didn’t want to throw them out so I came up with this puree.
Recently, I turned the sunny side of our yard into my own little garden.
This time of year, the herbs are growing like weeds, so I try to use them in as many of our dishes as possible. For this puree I added basil and a touch of mint. If you don’t have the mint, no worries, it will still be delicious.
Herbs have tons of vitamins and minerals and medicinal properties making them important for baby’s nutrition. They’re also great substitutes for salt and heighten your baby’s palate and taste buds. I guarantee you’ll be shocked at how a pinch of cilantro, oregano, thyme or any other herb can brighten a dish for you and your baby.

Cannelini Bean Puree (6 Baby Servings)

1 Cup Cannelini Beans, cooked
1/4 Cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped (you could also use orange or yellow)
1 Tsp Mint
2 Tsp Cilantro

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree.
2. Serve.

This weekend my mother said to me, “I was an awful cook when you were 
little”. I admit, part of that statement is true, but there were actually 
some things my mother made for breakfast that I loved. I was a bit of a garbage can as 
a kid, eating anything and everything on my plate, unlike my little brother who 
wouldn’t eat a thing. There were a lot of cereal mornings — I mean a lot. BUT, there were 
also those mornings when my mother would muster the energy to make 
fresh muffins, omelets and my favorite, pancakes. Somehow those times seemed so important and someday I want Kenya to have nostalgic breakfast
 memories of his own.
Yesterday morning I whipped up his first batch of pancakes. I didn’t 
want them to be out-of-the-box Aunt Jemima style, but I also had a busy morning, so 
they had to be quick. 
This recipe is a perfect option. In minutes I had delicious pancakes 
that he could hold and much on while I ran around trying to get our 
morning started. If you know you’re really going to be in a 
hurry, you could also mix the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls the night before and combine them in the morning.

Whole Wheat Banana Cinnamon Pancakes (Makes 16 Mini Pancakes)

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Wheat Germ
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Egg
1 Cup Whole Milk
1 Tbsp Oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1 Banana, sliced

1. Whisk the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the egg, milk and oil in a separate bowl.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until
combined.
4. Heat a non stick pan or a griddle to medium heat. Pour a little oil
(or butter) in the pan and take a paper towel to evenly coat the pan
(make sure not to overly grease the pan).
5. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of batter into the pan to make one pancake and
let it cook until tiny bubbles start appearing and it firms up. You can make
several pancakes in the pan at once.
6. Place 1 or 2 bananas on top of the pancake. With a spatula,
gently loosen the pancakes and flip them over. Continue to cook until they appear
firm and cooked through.
7. Cool and serve.

Meatloaf is THE all-American food. I always think of it as the dish that you either love or absolutely hate. I’ve also seen hundreds of recipes for it and people are extremely passionate about what they think does and doesn’t belong inside. My mother must have used an entire bottle of ketchup on hers. I’ll refrain from commenting.
My version of meatloaf is perfect for the whole family, but especially for your little one. The best part is they’re cooked in mini muffin pans, so they only take 20 minutes to bake. I pack mine with vegetables and since there’s no salt or sugary ketchup, I add some cheese which makes every bite taste heavenly. Kenya had such a grin on his face when I gave him his first one. He tried to shove the entire thing in his mouth, but luckily I cajoled him into letting me cut it up.

Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites (24 Mini Bites)

1 Zucchini, chopped
1/2 Cup Onion, chopped
1/2 Cup Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Cup Baby Carrots (about
1 Egg, beaten
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tbsp Worsteshire Sauce
1 Tsp Italian Herbs
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs (whole wheat, preferably)
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, white or orange, shredded
1 Lb. Ground Turkey (93% lean ground meat)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray a nonstick mini muffin tin with vegetable oil cooking spray or grease with oil.
3. Place all of the ingredients, except the turkey, in a food processor and pulse until everything is combined and the vegetables are in tiny pieces.
4. Place the ground turkey and vegetable mixture in a bowl and throughly combine (using your hands is the easiest way to do it).
5. Place about a tablespoon of the meatloaf mixture in the muffin pans and pack down with a spoon.
6. Bake until the mini turkey loaves are cooked through or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165 degrees F, about 20 minutes.
7. Cool and serve.
garlic, worsheshire sauce, bread crumbs

This seems like a very unlikely combination, but it’s a good lesson in working with what you have available. The results were better than I expected and even when I tried it I thought it was delicious.
I added an extra ingredient to this dish: brewer’s yeast. Most people have no idea what brewer’s yeast is, but it’s a great source of vitamin B and has a kind of toasted cheese flavor. The B complex vitamins help the body produce antibodies, provide, energy by converting carbohydrates into glucose, metabolize fats and proteins, and help regenerate red blood cells. A lot of vegetarians sprinkle brewer’s yeast on cereals, salads, or put it in soups, sauces and even baked goods. It can be purchased at health food stores.
Add in the broccoli and apricot puree, and this dish is also packed with vitamin C, iron, potassium and beta-carotene. Your baby will happily buzzing about with good energy from this delicious combination.

Broccoli, Tofu and Apricot Puree (6 Baby Servings)

1 Cup Broccoli Florets
1/2 Cup Soft Tofu
2 Tbsp Apricot Puree
1 Tbsp Brewers Yeast

1. Place the broccoli in a steamer pot over boiling water and cook for
4 minutes or until broccoli is fork tender. Cool.
2. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and puree (you can
leave it chunkier for babies with a few teeth).
3. Serve.

Last Sunday I ran into my friend Leslie at the farmers market. We started talking about weelicious and a recipe that she had come up with for her adorable son, August. She said that the rice ball recipe I had made for the website inspired her to try a polenta version. She took me through how she did it and I thought it was a genius and healthy idea. I changed it up a bit, but so can you. Feel free to use greens instead of broccoli or cheddar instead of Monterrey jack. This is a perfect recipe to improvise on. Also, if your little one isn’t ready for bites yet, you can do a pureed version.
Trader Joe’s (to the rescue, again) sells organic polenta packaged in an 18 oz. tube, which is a huge time saver. Since it’s also gluten free, it’s a perfect option for little ones with allergies. You only need half of the tube for this recipe, so you could take the leftover portion and pan sear slices for your dinner and serve it with some fresh tomato sauce and cheese.
Kenya loved popping these little bites in his mouth!

Polenta Bites (makes 30-40 “bites” or 2 cups of puree)

1 Cup Broccoli, florets
1/4 Cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 Cup Tofu, chopped
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp Parmesan
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Italian Herbs
1/2 Tube (9 oz) Polenta

*You can also use 1 cup of fresh polenta

1. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the
vegetables and tofu and saute for 3 minutes. Cover the pan and steam for
2 more minutes or until broccoli is fork tender.
2. Place the sauteed ingredients, cheese and herbs in a food processor
and pulse until everything is combined, but tiny pieces remain.
3. In a bowl mix the polenta with the vegetable/tofu mixture and roll
into bite size balls.
4. Serve.

As you may be able to tell from weelicious, I’m a huge fan of 
potatoes. They’re inexpensive and nutritious, and babies and toddlers, in 
my experience, love them.
When I was little, potato salad was one of 
my favorite foods. It’s really easy to make and even more delicious to eat. Potatoes are a great staple food because they’re packed with fiber, 
potassium, vitamins B6 and C. 
At our local farmers market, there is a stand that sells all kinds of 
different potatoes year-round. Blue, white rose, yukon gold, you name 
it, they have it. I thought it would be fun to make a salad with different color tubers. The eye appeal of food can be a big selling 
point for little ones and this colorful treat is a hit in my house.

Blue and White Potato Salad (6 Toddler Servings)

1 Blue Potato, cubed
1 White or Yellow Potato, cubed
1 Tbsp Yogurt
1 Tbsp Vegannaise or mayonnaise
1 Tsp Dill, chopped

1. Place the potatoes in a steamer pot over boiling water and cook for
3-4 minutes or until fork tender.
2. Mix the yogurt, vegannaise and dill in a bowl.
3. Once the potato had cooled, place them in a bowl and add the yogurt
sauce.
4. Serve.

After coming home from the farmer’s market Sunday morning, exhausted from a long weekend, I had to cook something quick and nutritious for Kenya’s dinner. Believe it or not, my husband came up with this combination. The man loves a lemon (especially if it’s a Meyer lemon which is a little sweeter) and since he’s my best tester and loves to influence Kenya’s palate, I give him props for coming up with this delicious recipe.
It took me minutes to prepare and it makes several meals to serve and a few more to freeze. This dish represents all the delicious flavors that we found at the Sunday market.

Lemon Chicken and Vegetables (10 Baby/Toddler Servings)

1 Chicken Breast
1 Cup Broccoli Florets
1/2 Cup Yellow Squash, chopped
1Tsp Lemon Juice
1Tsp Vegit

1. Cook the chicken breast in a steamer pot over boiling water for 4
minutes.
2. Add the broccoli and yellow squash and steam 4 more minutes or until
chicken is cooked through and vegetables are fork tender.
3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse.*
4. Cool and serve.

*It’s nice to keep this dish a little chunky if you’re serving it to a
little one with a few teeth.