We have the most fantastic next door neighbors. Not only are they the 
most easygoing and kind people, their yard is essentially a farm. I get a 
phone call at least once a week asking me to come outside so they can 
hand me a grocery bag full of sweet peaches, bushels of delicious beets or in the latest 
case, a bag of perfectly gorgeous Fuji apples. The apples were like little 
gems, sweet and crunchy, not too big or small. For me, there is 
nothing like fruits and vegetables that you grow in your yard. This way you can be absolutely sure that there aren’t any harmful sprays or pesticides being 
used. My neighbors grow their food like this and so do I.
Apples are not only a rich in vitamin C and an excellent source of 
fiber, they’re also a favorite of Kenya’s. When he’s teething and 
doesn’t feel like having to chew, this recipe comes in handy because the apples get really soft. It is 
a real winner with him. When the apple bakes, the flavor intensifies giving it 
almost a caramel flavor. A perfect dessert for your little one.

Baked Apple with Cinnamon and Raisin (1-2 Toddler Servings or 3 Baby
Servings)

*recipe can be doubled, tripled and so on

1 Apple, cored
6 Raisins
1 Tbsp Apple Juice (you could substitute another tbsp of water for the
juice)
1 Tbsp Water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the apple in a small baking dish.
3. Fill the center the the apple with raisins.
4. Mix the water and apple juice and pour over the center of the apple.
5. Bake for 55 minutes or until apple is fork tender.
6. Cool, peel off the skin and serve (alternatively, you could peel
the skin and puree the apple and raisins for babies 8-12 months old).

I’ve been getting tons of emails from parents asking for cake recipe ideas for 1st birthday parties. I still find it amazing how one’s family’s social calendar completely changes after one has a kid. Our weekend schedules are packed with kids’ birthday parties whereas we used to get invited to them about twice a year. Birthday parties for little ones can be loads of fun, but the last thing a parent wants on the ride home is their little one on a sugar high from all the birthday cake.
These carrot cupcakes are delectable. They’re made with agave nectar instead of sugar. Agave nectar comes from the agave plant. It is a sweet liquid with a consistency a bit smoother than honey. Agave is also low on the glycemic index and is metabolized by your body slower than sugar so it has a less severe effect on blood sugar fluctuations. You can find it at any health food store and I bet you’ll find many ways for it to replace sugar in your kitchen.
Instead of baking one big cake, I prefer to decorate a platter with tons of cupcakes. I think this is ultimately more fun for the kids (and parents) since they all get their own cupcake they can decorate with nuts, sprinkles or whatever suits their fancy. It’s also a good way to manage portion control. Anyway these are a blast to make for a birthday or any special occassion and heavenly tasting to eat!


Carrot/Pineapple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing (Make 14 Cupcakes)

1 Cup Flour
3/4 Tsp Baking Powder
3/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Agave
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Carrots, peeled and shredded
1/4 Cup Pineapple, drained, crushed in juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a medium sized bowl.
3. Using a mixer, beat the agave, oil and eggs until throughly combined.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
5. Add the carrots and pineapple and beat until all the ingredients are throughly combined.
6. Line 14 1/3 cup muffin cups with paper liners.
7. Scoop batter into cups, filling 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 30 minutes.
9. Cool (cupcakes can be made 1 day ahead, cover and store at room temperature).
10 Spread top of each cupcake with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese icing and serve.

Cream Cheese Icing (Make 2 Cups)

1 8 oz Package Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature
4 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 Tsp Vanilla

1. Place all the ingredients in a mixer and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy.
2. Spread on cupcakes.

This is a perfect first food for a little one. I’ve been making it for 
Kenya since he started eating solids, but for some reason I forgot to put my recipe on 
weelicious. Applesauce is THE baby food standard. Inexpensive, 
healthy, sweet and complementary to so many other fruits and 
vegetables, apples should be one of the stars in your babies diet.
Full of vitamin C and fiber, you can make sauce from almost any kind of apple 
you can find, although Fuji’s and Gala apples are especially sweet and 
delicious.
I add a touch of cinnamon just to give it a little zip, but you could 
easily leave it out. Why spend more money buying jarred when you can make this in minutes?!


Apple Sauce (6 Baby Servings)

2 Apples, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon

1. Place apples in a steamer pot over boiling water.
2. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Place apples and cinnamon in a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Cool and 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.

Thanksgiving is my favorite meal hands down. I’m not sure what I like better, though, the turkey or the fresh cranberry sauce. I actually started freezing the berries when they’re in season so I could eat it all year long. Cranberries are intensely sour, so I added some sweet potato and apple to balance the flavor and give it a little sweetness. This puree has protein from the turkey, beta carotene from the sweet potato and carrots, and vitamin C from the apple. I always trying to expand Kenya’s taste buds with spices, so I added the thyme. It was still missing something, though. The cinnamon gives it that last kick that makes this puree smell of a Thanksgiving feast, baby style of course.

Thanksgiving Dinner (15 Baby Servings, freeze 1/2)

1 Turkey Breast Tender (about 3/4 pound)
1 Small Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed
15 Baby Carrots
1/2 Cup Cranberries
1/2 Apple, peeled
1/4 Tsp Thyme
Pinch of Cinnamon

1. Place turkey in a steamer over boiling water. Sprinkle thyme over it. Cook for 6 minutes.
2. Add sweet potatoes, carrots and cranberries to the pot with the turkey. Cook another 6 minutes or until turkey is cooked though and vegetables are tender.
3. Cool turkey for several minutes, so the juices can redistribute and then cut into cubes.
4. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree. Add some of the water from the pot, a tablespoon at a time to make smooth.
5. Cool and serve.

Kenya could eat a whole sweet potato if I handed it to him. Being that his tiny little hand couldn’t hold the whole thing up, mashed sweet potatoes seem like a better choice. In my quest to find new ingredients that will tempt his taste buds I realized that he hadn’t tried coconut milk. Sweet and creamy, it adds body and depth to the puree. Add a touch of cinnamon, yummy delicious.

My Sweet Potato, Yes, Ma’am (serves 14 2 Tbsp Servings)

2 Medium Yams, washed
1/3 cup Coconut Milk (full fat or light)
1 tsp Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Poke several holes in the yam with a fork.
3. Bake for an hour. (I put them on a piece of tin foil so they don’t drip all over the oven).
4. When yams are cool to the touch peel off the skin and scoop insides into a food processor with remaining ingredients.
5. Puree until smooth.
6. Cool and serve.

*I always use yams. I don’t know when the confusion started and why we cook with yams, but call them sweet potatoes, but yams are much sweeter. Pick ones with deep orange skins. That’s the best way to tell the difference.