When you’ve got one soft, ripe mango, one banana and one hungry baby, that’s a perfect combination! Smooth and creamy, this Mango Banana Puree is an ideal first food for any little one. Your baby will be getting more than her fair share of Vitamins A, C and B6, dietary fiber, Potassium and more. With all these exciting facts, you don’t need to be on the National Mango Board to know this puree will be a real winner!

Mango Banana Puree (Makes 8 Baby Food Servings)

1 Mango, cut into chunks
1 Banana

1. Place the mango and banana chunks in to a food processor.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Serve.

We used this to freeze this recipe:

Baby Cubes

I always find it funny how parents, including myself, get so hung up on only giving babies “breakfast” foods for breakfast. I’m sure that if you gave your little one Baby Beef Stew for breakfast, you wouldn’t hear any complaints from them, but there’s something about starting the day with traditional breakfast foods like oatmeal that seem to make more sense to most parents.

Bananas, oatmeal and molasses are all incredibly nutritious, and when mixed together, a great treat for kids. Bananas are filled with potassium, molasses are packed with calcium and iron and oatmeal is a true super food, rich in nutrients like B Vitamins, iron and fiber.

No matter what time of day I made this dish for Chloe when she was 9 to 12 months old, Kenya would beg me for some also (it’s funny how sibling rivalry reveals itself at such a young age). Whether you make this for your baby, toddler or even your spouse for breakfast — or really any time of day — it’s a creamy, sweet and delicious meal.

Banana, Molasses Oatmeal Mash (Makes 1 Baby Serving)

1/2 Banana
3 Tbsp Oatmeal Cereal
1/2 Tsp Molasses
2 Tbsp Water

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

I never leave my kitchen. I’m constantly in there testing new recipes and trying to come up with fun and delicious ideas I think kids AND parents will both love. The kitchen is also where our family congregates, so the only time I’m not in that room is when I’m sleeping! I don’t mind though. I like to think I spend all my time in the kitchen so you don’t have to!

Coming up with recipes that will appeal to the whole family is not always easy — especially when it comes to adding vegetables, because kids can be very particular about which vegetables they’ll eat (so can adults, for that matter). You can’t please all the people all the time, but carrots are one vegetable I find most people enjoy. That’s good news since carrots are not only delicious, but they’re also a powerhouse of nutrition, containing a high concentration of beta carotene (a substance that converts to Vitamin A in the body) and are a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamins C and K.

I’ve made these Carrot Snack Sticks for our family and friends several times and they tend to go missing as soon as they come out of the oven. They’re crunchy like a cracker and have a rich, sweet flavor. Even people who turn their noses up at veggies will ask for seconds of this yummy snack treat — and you’ll barely spend any time in the kitchen making them!

Carrot Snack Sticks (Makes about 30)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Carrot, finely shredded and thin
2 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable Oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine the first four ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Using your hands, add the carrots to the flour mixture coating the carrot pieces with flour.
4. Add the oil and work with your hands to bring the dough together.
(You really have to be patient with working this dough together so that the flour absorbs the oil. If you are concerned that it is not coming together, just add 1 extra tsp of oil to the dough and work it with your hands forming a ball until it comes together.)
5. Form the carrot parmesan dough into a flat rectangular disk and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes then roll out 1/2 inch thick on parchment paper or a dry clean surface.
6. Using a knife, cut the dough into sticks, 2 inches long by 1/4 inch wide.
7. Bake on a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet for 15-17 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

** Recipe can be doubled**

**After step 6, place onto a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove and place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready, follow steps 7-8, adding an additional 2-3 minutes baking time.

We used this to make this recipe:

Microplane Medium Ribbon Home Series Grater

Yes. That’s it. Just avocado. And no, I’m not being lazy with today’s recipe! Let me explain:

Every week at our local farmer’s market, without fail our favorite avocado farmers split an avocado, drizzle each half with lime juice, add a pinch of salt and give them to Kenya and Chloe to eat in their stroller. Five minutes later, all that’s left are the paper plates and the avocado shells. This ritual has been going on for over two years and I think it’s the most satisfying and complete meal either of my kids have all week. It’s always the simple pleasures in life that make us the happiest, and since weelicious is all about fast, fresh and easy, what could be a better recipe to post today than just….avocado.

I’m not exactly sure how many avocados my family goes through each week, but suffice to say it’s a lot. We use them in tons of recipes like guacamole, (yes, shakes!), sandwiches, dips, quesadillas, sushi, salads and more. Avocados are a superfood that should be an essential addition to your kid’s diet as they provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-Vitamins and folic acid. They’re also one of the best sources of monounsaturated fats of any food. And don’t forget, avocado is actually a fruit and its creamy, smooth texture and mild taste not only make it a perfect ingredient for both sweet and savory dishes but are also food qualities kids tend to love.

No matter how you decide to eat your avocado, one thing I can assure you of is that you’ll be happy!

Avocado (Serves 2)

1 Avocado
1 Small Lemon or Lime
1/4 Tsp Salt

1. Using a sharp knife, cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed.
2. Hold the knife in one hand and the avocado half in the other and gently tap the knife into the pit with just enough force that the blade of the knife goes into the avocado pit.
3. Gently twist the knife until the pit comes out.
* At this point I like to cut through the avocado into a checkerboard pattern like the picture above, but you can also leave it as is.
4. Squeeze a bit of the lemon juice onto the avocado halves and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
5. Serve with a spoon.

Avocado Tip: If you want to know how to pick and when serve avocados, check out these two links that feature great tips:
How to pick a ripe avocado
How to pick ripe avocados

How many days a week do you look in the refrigerator at a total loss for what to make for school lunch? You probably already have a ton of food staples in your fridge, but no idea how to put them together to create something your kids will love. When I came up with this super easy sandwich spread, it was one of those times.

Cream cheese and sun dried tomatoes are two foods that I always keep on hand, but until my last lunch emergency, I had never thought about mixing them together. Well, I did it and it was like they were made for each other. What do you know, I made a love connection between two strangers in my fridge! The result was a creamy, delicious spread that’s perfect to put on bagels, toast or even crackers. Keep a small batch of it in a small bowl (it should keep for a few weeks if you can resist eating it that long) and any time you’re banging your head against the wall about what to make the kids for lunch, you’ll be totally ahead of the game!

Sun Dried Tomato Cream Cheese Spread (Makes 1 1/2 Cups)

1 8 oz Package Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Oil-Packed Sun Dried Tomatoes, drained

Accompaniments: Bagels, Bread or Crackers

1. Place the sun dried tomatoes in the food processor and blend till chopped fine.
2. Add the cream cheese and puree.
3. Spread on sandwich (I like to add a few leaves of fresh basil) and serve.

We’ve been going to a small, but fantastic, farmer’s market near our house on Saturdays in order to satisfy my husband’s recent obsession with tropical fruit. One of the vendors there sells pineapples, papayas, mangos and bananas that taste so fresh, you’d think you were on a tropical island. By mid-week, if I’ve cut up all of the fruit but there’s still some left in the fridge, we love making smoothies with it. Not only are smoothies nutritious and fun for kids of almost any age to help prepare with you, they’re also a great use of any fruit you have laying around that may be overripe and otherwise going to waste.

In these economically tough times, going on vacation may be hard, but whipping up a batch of these creamy smoothies can bring the vacation to you!

Tropical Coconut Smoothie (Makes 3-4 Servings)

1 Cup Coconut Milk (regular or low fat)
1/3 Cup Plain Yogurt (I use Greek Yogurt)
1 Banana
1 Cup Pineapple, cubed
2 Tbsp Agave or Honey*
Hand full of Ice

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Serve.

*Do not add honey for children under 12 months for allergy reasons.

My grandparents used to keep two huge deep freezers in their basement where they stored bags and bags of the fruit and vegetables they picked in summertime. I cherish the memories of me and my cousins sitting around shelling peas (which my grandparents would buy by the hundreds from the U-pick farm in Starlight, Indiana). Sure we kids were an excellent source of free labor, but what did we know? We had a blast. Life just seemed so much slower and easier back then, when you could sit around with your family and have a lot of laughs enjoying such simple pleasures.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a one pound bag of freshly shelled spring peas being sold by one of the farmers at our local farmer’s market and I was elated. To me, the farmer’s market has become the second best thing to a U-pick farm for me. As much as I love the idea of sitting around with my kids picking fresh peas out of their pods, it’s not something we can realistically do on a regular basis. So being able to enjoy and provide my family with farm fresh peas and not have to invest all of that time and labor is a life saver.

Most kids I know love peas because of their vibrant green color, soft texture and sweet flavor. Bursting with 8 vitamins and 7 nutrients — including Vitamin K, folic acid, B6 and dietary fiber — peas are a great veggie choice for kids.

Instead of incorporating them into a dish with a ton of other ingredients, spring peas get to be the star of this simple recipe. From start to finish, you can have this meal on the table in less then 15 minutes with happy faces all around — no child labor necessary!!

Peas & Pasta (Serves 4-6)

1 Lb Pasta, I used Campanelle (they look like little bugles)
2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Peas
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Salt

1. Bring 4-6 quarts of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. In the last 3 minutes of cooking the pasta, add the peas to the pasta and boiling water.
3. Drain the peas and the pasta reserving a 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
4. Pour the pasta, peas, parmesan cheese, salt, olive oil, and reserved water back into the pot or into a bowl and stir to combine.
5. Serve.

Once you move beyond vegetables and fruit purees and into baby’s first foods, the real fun starts to happen. This is the time when introducing new flavors and textures can be exciting not only for you, but also for your baby.

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa) is a food that you might not automatically think about serving to your little one, but not only is it incredibly nutritious, it’s also delicious. Quinoa has the most protein of any grain, has a soft texture (which is great on little gums), possesses a delicious nutty flavor, and I find that kids love to eat it. Mixing it with the banana (a flavor that your baby is likely already very familiar with), makes it very likely that your little one will really take to this recipe. And since it only takes 15 minutes to cook quinoa and it stays well in the refrigerator, it’s a great food to keep around for you or your baby to snack on morning, noon or night!

Quinoa Banana Mash (Makes 2 Servings)

1/2 Banana
Pinch Cinnamon
3 Tbsp Cooked Quinoa
1 Tbsp Whole Milk Yogurt

1. Place all the banana in a bowl and mash.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Serve.

When I’m trying to come up with new baby food purees, I have several unspoken criteria that I always try and meet: I want to make something that tastes smooth and creamy, but also provides as much visual interest and nutritional value as possible. There are certain foods, like broccoli, that meet almost all of my standards: it’s loaded with essential vitamins and minerals, has beautiful color and is delicious when steamed on its own. But pureed alone into baby food and the results are watery and bland. Still, broccoli is so nutritionally ideal for babies, I refuse to disqualify it just for being blender-averse. Instead, I simply combine it with a couple of other select ingredients and, voila, it’s perfect.

By adding potato and cheese to this recipe, the broccoli incorporates beautifully and the resulting puree has a smooth texture that’s perfect for babies. In addition, the cheese provides a healthy dose of dairy, making this dish a superstar. Both of my kids ate this regularly when they were starting solids and never seemed to get enough of it!

Broccoli, Potato & Cheese Puree (Makes 6 Baby Servings)

1 Large Potato, peeled and cubed
1 Cup Broccoli, chopped
2 Tbsp Cheddar Cheese (I used white cheddar cheese)

1. Place the potato cubes in a steamer pot over boiling water and cook for 6 minutes.
2. Add the broccoli and steam for an additional 4 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.
3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.
4. Serve.

One of the biggest challenges in trying to feed a family comprised of babies, toddlers and adults is finding recipes that everyone will love so you don’t feel like a short order cook making something different for each person. These Banana Bites are hands-down one of our family’s favorites for a few simple reasons: they’re healthy, inexpensive and easy to make (which equals a happy mommy and daddy), and sweet and delicious (which equals happy baby girl and big brother). The recipe makes quite a few Bites so you can eat a bunch and keep the rest on hand in the fridge for a few days — that is, if you can keep them around that long. Not only are my 1 and 3 year olds obsessed with them, but my hubby and I devour them just as fast! And my friend said they’re equally good for dessert as they are for breakfast, which I totally agree with!

Banana Bites (Makes 2-3 Servings)

2 Bananas
1 Cup Pancake Batter (Your favorite boxed brand OR your weelicious favorite recipe: Whole Wheat Oat Pancakes, Raspberr-Wee Pancakes (minus the raspberries) or even Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes)

Accompaniments: Honey, maple syrup, yogurt or a healthy berry sauce*

1. Cut the bananas into 1/4 inch slices (I like to make slices on a diagonal bias so they’re a little bit longer than circles).
2. One at a time, dip the banana slices into the batter, coating all over, shaking off the excess batter into the bowl and place on a buttered griddle or skillet over medium heat.
3. Cook for 1 minute on each side or until golden.
4. Serve.

*Do not serve with honey for children under 12 months for allergy reasons.