Nothing makes Kenya happier then his oranges vegetables and since they’re both packed with beta-carotene, an antioxidant which protects skin and the lining of the intestines, lungs, nose and throat, it makes Mommy happy too.
These are three staples that I always have in the kitchen, so it’s quick and easy to prepare when you realize that you don’t have a meal in the house for baby to eat.

Chicken with Sweet Potato and Carrots (12 Baby Servings, freeze)

1 Chicken Breast
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed
15 Baby Carrots

1. Place the chicken breast in a steamer pot over boiling water for 3 minutes.
2. Add the sweet potato and carrots for another 5 minutes until all ingredients are tender and chicken is cooked through.
3. Put ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

Breakfast was always my favorite meal growing up. My Mother would make us homemade pancakes, muffins, eggs and more. It was always a surprise to see what would be waiting at the table before we started our long day of play and school.
Since Kenya has been eating almond butter for two weeks, it’s been my saving grace and a new addition to his usual breakfast dishes. He smiles when I show him the bowl with his new favorite treat.
This protein mash is packed with vitamins and minerals. It’s smooth and creamy and easy for him to digest first thing in the morning. Even better, it only takes seconds to prepare and can be made fresh each morning.

* Make sure to cover the tofu with new water everyday, so it remains fresh.

Oaty-Almond Protein Mash (1 Baby Serving)

1 Tbsp Soft (Silken) Tofu
1 Tsp Almond Butter
1 Tbsp Oatmeal Cereal (you could also use other infants cereals such as rice, barley or multigrain)
1 Tbsp Hot Water (use more if too thick)

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork.
2. Serve.

One of my favorite flavor combinations is found in the Moroccan dish known as “tagine”. It’s also a cooking vessel in which you put meat, vegetables, spices, cover and roast it for an hour or so. There are few restaurants that make it, so I decided to prepare the baby version for Kenya.
This is one of those dishes that I thought “there’s no way he’s going to like it”. When I tell you that he acted like a little piggy snarfing it down. I think the combination of the chicken, apricots and the mellow spices turned him on. And of course watching me cook and taste it made him want to be part of the fun even more.

*Feel free to to double the chicken breast or thighs if you don’t want to buy 2 different cuts

Chicken Tagine with Apricots (16 Baby Servings, freeze 1/2)

2 Chicken Thighs, skinless
1 Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless
15 Baby Carrots
1 Tbsp Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, peeled
1 Zucchini, chopped
1/2 Cup Chopped Organic Tomatoes, canned or fresh
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Ginger or 1/4 tsp dried
2 Tbsp Apricot Puree

1. Put chicken. carrots, onion, garlic and zucchini in a steamer pot over boiling water.
2. Steam for 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove chicken from the bone and put with remaining ingredients in a food processor.
4. Puree for 2 minutes or until smooth.
5. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

The name of this recipe sounds like something you would get at a five star restaurant. Sometimes I like to think of my kitchen as Kenya’s gourmet digs and he’s my best customer. Don’t our kids deserve to eat only the finest, freshest food possible?
Our pediatrician had recommended that we wait for 2 years before feeding Kenya nuts. Through my research I found that if you don’t have food allergies in your family, tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, etc..) Should be a good choice (avoid peanuts until age 3). The day after Kenya’s first Birthday, I pulled out the jar of raw almond butter and put a dab on a spoon. I placed the tiniest drop on his lips and waited, praying that he wouldn’t go into anaphylactic shock. Nothing. I gave him a little more. Now he was grabbing at the spoon begging for more.
Nuts are a fantastic source of protein, vitamins and minerals, but if there are any cases of food allergies in your family you may want to wait until your baby is older.
This is one of those fantastic and super easy recipes that makes you look like a gourmet chef. The best part is that you can keep the pesto in the refrigerator all week and add it to pasta, fish and other delicious treats.

Pesto with Chicken and Quinoa (10 Baby Servings with extra Pesto, freeze 1/2)

Quinoa (Makes 1/2 Cup)

1/4 Cup Quinoa
1/2 Cup Water

1. Place both ingredients in a pot.
2. Bring to a boil and immediately cover and simmer
3. Cook for 15 minutes over low heat.
4. Serve.

Pesto (Makes 2 Cups)

3 Cups Basil Leaves, washed
1/2 Cup Pine nuts
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

1 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
2 Chicken Skinless Chicken Thighs

1. Add chicken to a steamer basket over boiling water and cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
2. Remove from pot, reserving water in pot.
3. Remove chicken from the bone and cut into pieces.

Pesto with Chicken and Quinoa

1. Put chicken, 1/2 cup quinoa and 3-4 Tablespoons pesto into a food processor and puree until smooth. Add some of the water from the pot to thin.
2. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

Poor baby. It was Kenya’s first Birthday and he got sick. I always thought that nursing him for a year would ward off all the viruses that seem to plague little ones. Nice try. Babies and kids get sick and there’s so little you can do to prevent it, but I’m always willing to give it a try.
He wasn’t feeling himself and I wanted to make sure that he had some food in his tummy to fight off whatever had gotten a hold of him. I’ve always read that chicken soup is the best thing to eat when you’re sick, so I tried to come up with something similar that would go down easily and that I could cook in a jiffy. He took one look at it and decided that he would open his mouth and give it a try. Within hours he was feeling better. Maybe it was the food, or maybe Mommy’s TLC. Whatever it was, he started to smile and feel better.

Chicken Soup for Babies Soul (10 baby servings, freeze 1/2)

1 Yukon Gold or Russet Potato, peeled and cubed
12 Baby Carrots
1 Chicken Breast
2 Tbsp White Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/4 Whole Milk or Water

1. Put chicken, carrots and potatoes in a steamer basket over boiling water.
2. Steam for 8 minutes or until all ingredients are cooked though and tender.
3. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy. Add more liquid if needed from the water remaining in the pot.
5. Cool and serve.

In my quest to create new and exciting recipes, I forgot how much Kenya loves Tahini. He eats hummus as fast as I can get it on the spoon. Why not add it to a puree of protein and vegetables. Tahini is packed with Vitamin B3, E and Calcium. Since he’s still under a year, I’ve decided not to give him any nuts, since babies can have allergies at a young age. Tahini is a great replacement when you’re looking for a nutty taste and smooth texture. The bonus to this recipe is the frozen vegetables. It makes this recipe super fast and easy to prepare with minimal clean up.

Sesame Chicken Mash (10 Baby Servings, freeze 1/2)

1 Potato, cubed in 1/2 inch pieces
1 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
1 Cup Organic Frozen Peas, Carrots, Corn and Green Beans
1 Tbsp Tahini

1. Put potato cubes in a steamer pot over boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken breast and steam another 4 minutes.
3. Add vegetables and steam for 3 more minutes or until all the ingredients are fork tender and chicken is cooked through.
4. Put steamed ingredients and tahini in a food processor and blend until smooth (for babies with a few teeth, you can leave it a little chunky).
5. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

I took a baby nutrition class yesterday that I was so excited about. Sadly, it was totally uninspirational. Someone asked the teacher about turning babies on to spices and she said “maybe you can put in a pinch if it’s part of your culture”. Really!? When I go out to dinner I can’t wait to try Mexican, French, Thai, anything and everything that’s new and exciting especially when it comes to dishes with complex flavors. Why shouldn’t babies be turned on to interesting new tastes? In this dish I put curry, cumin and coconut, 3 things that turn a blah dish into something exciting. Any time Kenya tries Indian food he gobbles it up.

Indian Fish (10 baby servings)

1 Cup Coconut Milk
1 Tsp Curry
1/2 Tsp Cumin
1/2 Potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 Cup Cauliflower
1 Tilapia Fillet (any whitefish will do)
1/2 Cup Frozen Pea

1. In a saucepan, bring coconut milk and spices to a boil. Add potato and simmer for 2 minutes.
2. Add cauliflower and cover 2 more minutes. Add fish and cover for 3 minutes.
3. Put all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Cool and serve.
*If mixture is still too thick, add hot water to thin.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

Babies need more protein than adults because they’re growing so fast. This is especially true in first few years of your baby’s life. Most of the time I cook with skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but last week I found organic/free range chicken thighs that looked delicious. The thigh is higher in fat than the breast, which is a good thing for babies and it also has more iron and twice as much zinc.
The first time I gave it to Kenya he kind of turned up his nose. I couldn’t figure it out since he loves carrots and corn. After try number two, I added a little hot water to thin it out and presto, he loved it. Always take into consideration the texture of baby food. Sometimes a creamy texture is all it takes.

Chicken with Carrots and Corn (10 baby servings, freeze 1/2)

1/2 Cup Brown Rice
1 1/2 Cup Water
2 Chicken Thighs, skinned on the bone
1/2 Cup Baby Carrots, sliced into coins
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup Frozen Corn

1. In a saucepan bring water and rice to a boil and immeditaly cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring stock to a boil.
3. Add the chicken and carrots and reduce to a simmer.
4. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add corn and cook another 2 minutes or until carrots are tender and chicken is cooked through.
6. Let mixture cool for several minutes.
7. Remove the meat from the chicken and put into a food processor with the remining ingredients and puree until smooth.
8. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

Somehow a rich sauce and pasta seemed too heavy for a baby. All I could picture was one of the Sopranos slurping up spaghetti bolognese with noodles dripping all over. Then I remembered my love of tiny letter and number pasta as a kid. It was so much fun making out what all the symbols and shapes were in soup or sauce. Kenya’s still under 1 year old, but he loves everything in bolognese, so why not make a baby version.
While I was making it for him, our friend Dana, the chinese Doctor, was over and wanted to know if she could try it. “Delicious”, she exclaimed. Perfect, now I know what we’re having for dinner. Kenya’s unpureed sauce. Bon Appetito!
*This is a thick sauce, so add more liquid if you want it more thin.

Baby Bolognese (Makes 20 Baby Servings (2 Cups extra for adults)
*You can 1/2 the recipe if just making it for baby

2 Tbsp Onion, diced (about 1/4 onion)
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped fine
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Cup Ground Meat (I used Bison)
1/4 Tsp Dried Basil
1/4 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 16 Ounce Can Chopped Tomatoes
6 Baby Carrots, cut into thin coins
1 Cup Mini Vegetable Pasta, numbers and shapes

1. In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium flame.
2. Saute onion for 3 minutes.
3. Add garlic, meat and herbs. With a spoon breakup meat into smaller pieces.
4. Saute for 6 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
5. Add the tomatoes and carrots.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for 10 minutes.
7. Remove the lid and continue to simmer until desired thickness of sauce.
8. Puree for baby.
9. In a large pot bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
10. Add pasta, return to a boil and cook for 9-11 minutes.
11. Mix the pasta and pureed sauce.
12. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

What baby doesn’t like cheese? It’s easy to pick up, soft, and has tons of flavor. One of my friends is vegan and introduced me to Nutritional Yeast a few years ago. The name sounds kind of disgusting if you ask me, but it’s a pretty cool ingredient. It comes in a powder form which is flakey.
My friend was cooking for her toddler and made vegan macaroni and cheese. I was totally skeptical at first, but then realized it was delicious! You can sprinkle it into casseroles, soup, sauces to add tons of nutrients and cheese flavor. In this dish, I’ve added it along with Colby Cheese, so that Kenya will get the protein and fat from a little cheese plus the vitamins and nutrients from the nutritional yeast.

Cheesy Chicken Casserole (10 Baby Servings, freeze 1/2)

1 Russet Potato, cubed
15 Organic Baby Carrots
1 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast
1/4 Cup Shredded Organic Colby or Cheddar Cheese
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast

1. Add the potato, carrots and chicken to a steamer pot over boiling water.
2. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender and chicken is cooked through.
3. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.
4. Add water from the steamer pot to make smooth.
5. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor