Kenya’s up to his 5th word and it is the cutest thing. Every time he sees something out of the oven or if the water is on, he looks at me with big eyes and says “hot, hot, hot”. When I handed him his first pizza bagel, he could see the cheese just out of the oven bubbling and of course he uttered, “Hot”!
I made 12 of these and Kenya enjoyed them so much, he even wanted to eat them at breakfast.
These pizzas are super simple to prepare and incredibly economical. Why bother buying pizza sauce for $3 when you can make it for less then $1. The best part is that you can refrigerate all the ingredients separately and have them on hand for 2 weeks. These are guaranteed winners for little ones!

Mini Whole Wheat Pizzas (Makes 12 Mini Pizzas)

1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp Italian Herbs
6 Mini Whole Wheat Bagels, split in half
3/4 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Stir the tomato sauce and herbs in a bowl to combine.
3. Place the bagels on a cookie sheet and coat each one with sauce.
4. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the mozzarella.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Cool and serve.

It’s funny to me how one day Kenya has no interest in a certain food and the next he can’t get enough of it. Two months ago, right after his 1st Birthday, I made him an omelette. I had seen my friend Diane giving one to her son and he was lovin’ it. That afternoon, I made a gorgeous fluffy omelette for Kenya, cut it into pieces and put it on his tray. He proceeded to hold it in his hand and drop it on the floor, piece by piece. Considering the fact that he loves egg yolks, I was kind of shocked. Yesterday, I decided to give it another try. Kenya couldn’t chew fast enough. He loved it. He was singing to the omelette, dangling it into his mouth — it was cracking me up. For parents with finicky eaters, this will hopefully be a home run and it’s also a good lesson that if your little one doesn’t like something, you can always try it again at a later date. Sometimes you just have to let their palettes develop at their own pace.
Eggs are a wonderful source of protein, Vitamin A and iron. If you serve the omelette with a Vitamin C food such as kiwi, your baby’s body will absorb the iron more readily. You can even finely chop vegetables or add a little cheese as I did to give it more flavor.

Baby Omelette (1 Baby Serving)

1 Organic Egg (we buy ours at our local farmer’s market, but every supermarket should carry organic eggs)
1 Tsp Whole Milk
1 Tbsp Cheddar Cheese, shredded (you can use other types of cheese)
1 Tsp Butter or Oil

1. Whisk the egg and milk in a bowl with a fork until throughly combined.
2. Melt butter in a 6 or 8 inch omelette pan over medium heat (approximately 30 seconds) making sure it coats the bottom of the pan. As soon as the butter stops bubbling (and before it starts to brown), slowly pour in the egg mixture.
3. Pour in the egg mixture tilting the pan to spread it evenly. Let eggs firm up a little, and after about ten-seconds shake the pan a bit and use a spatula to gently direct the mixture away from the sides and into the middle. Allow the remaining liquid to then flow into the space left at the sides of the pan.
4. Continue to cook for another minute or so until the egg mixture holds together. Do not let the underside of the eggs brown.
5. Sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese and with a spatula, gently fold the omelette in a half moon shape.
6. Continue to cook another 30 seconds or until the omelette is throughly cooked through.
7. Cool, cut into bite size pieces and serve.

This weekend Kenya and I went to the farmers market alone. It was easy when he was a baby because I could just throw him in the sling and off I went. It’s not exactly the same story now that he’s 26 pounds and interested in everything. Luckily my friend who makes the bubsnug slings, showed me how to put him on my hip while wearing the sling. Kenya acted like the king of the market while I pushed our cart and gathered our provisions for the week. The farmers gave him raw mushrooms, sugar snap peas and kumquats which he chowed on (then drooled all over my shoulder) while we shopped.
While there, we bought beautiful white rose potatoes. They’re long and slender with a creamy texture when pureed. You can even leave the thin skin on for extra fiber.
Kale is a powerhouse of nutrition. It’s packed full of vitamin C and beta-carotene which are important anti-oxidants for a healthy immune system. The calcium in kale also makes it an important source for children who are vegan or vegetarian. Since kale can have a strong taste on its own, I added it to this silky potato puree. While I was making it I realized it needed an added oomph…so I shredded in some low sodium cheddar cheese (you could also try soy cheese) which gives it a little tang and adds extra calcium and protein.

Potato, Kale & Cheese Puree (10-12 Baby Servings)

2 Large White Rose Potatoes, chopped (you could also use russet or Yukon gold)
1 Cup Kale, chopped
2 Tbsp Whole Milk, you could also substitute the water remaining in the steamer pot
2 Tbsp Mild Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1. Put potatoes in a steamer pot over boiling water and cook for 6 minutes.
2. Add the kale and continue cooking 4 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
3. In a food processor puree all the ingredients until smooth. You can add more water from the bottom of the steamer pot if necessary.
* I like to make this puree thinner then you might expect. After it cools and is refrigerated, it tend to firm up a bit. This way it won’t be too thick and difficult for baby to eat.
4. Cool and serve.

Who doesn’t like Mexican? Its simple food, but somehow the flavors are so vibrant and delicious. I was also shocked at how gorgeous the finished product looked.
This is a beginner version for using peppers which have tons of beta carotene and vitamin C. With the remaining bell pepper, I cut it into cubes for Kenya to eat as finger food. You could add a little chili powder to add spice, but I didn’t want it to over power the other flavors, so instead I added the fresh cilantro.
I let Kenya press the button on the food processor and he was chatting away, begging to scoop it out and let him try a bite. This one is a total hit with babies.

Mexican Chicken (8 Baby Servings, freeze 1/2)

1 Chicken Breast
1/4 Bell Pepper, any color, cut in chunks
2 Tbsp Cheese
1 Tomato, fresh or organic canned
1 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, leaves only
1/4 Cup Brown Rice, cooked

1. Place chicken in a steamer pot over boiling water. Let steam for 4 minutes.
2. Add the bell add continue to steam another 4 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree. You can use some of the chicken stock from the steamer pan or the juice from the canned tomatoes to make it smooth.
4. Cool and serve.

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.

When I first made these for Kenya, he wasn’t quite sure what to make of them. Was he supposed to play with them, eat them, toss them on the ground (usually all of the above when it comes to babies and their food). At 11 months, he was just getting introduced to foods HE can hold and put in his mouth.
The second time he tried them, I also offered them to his friend Mateo who was totally into the culinary treat. He popped them in his mouth life cheerios. Next thing you knew we were all eating them, grown ups included. I may even serve them for my next dinner party on an appetizer tray.

Chicken Meatballs (makes 30 1/2 inch meatballs)

1/2 pounds Ground Chicken
1 Egg Yolk, beaten
1/3 Cup Baby Oatmeal Cereal
1 oz chedder, colby or parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp Dried Basil and Oregano
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1. In a bowl mix all ingredients until combined.
2. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more
3. Rolls small meatballs and place on a parchment lined plate
4. In a saute pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat
5. Pan sear meat balls until just golden, about 5 minutes, turning once or twice.
6. Cool on a paper towel lined plate and serve.