Oh my goodness, these are amazing! I’m not just saying that from an adult culinary point of view either. I made these for 8 kids, age 20 months to 5 years old and even the 5 year old who supposedly hates everything gobbled them up. The best part is that the “crust” is a vegetable (not more bread), but they look just like pizzas.
The big bonus is that they took me no time to prepare and I had barely any clean up. I was kind of scared the kids would say “wait, this isn’t REAL pizza,” but not a word. Happy kids make happy mommies. What could be better?

Portobello Pizzas (4 Big Kids)

1 15 Oz Can Tomato Sauce
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 Tsp Thyme, Basil and Oregano
1 Tsp Salt
4 Portobello Mushrooms, stems removed (wiggle the stem back and forth gently to remove)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a bowl to combine.
2. Preheat the oven the 400 degrees.
3. Place a piece of foil on a cookie sheet and brush lightly with olive oil.
4. Place the mushrooms stem side down on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. If there’s a lot of excess liquid on the cookie sheet, discard.
5. Place the mushrooms stem side up, cover with 2-3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese.
6. Bake the mushrooms for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
7. Serve.

Stuffing is one of those Thanksgiving foods that I’ve found you don’t have to twist a kid’s arm to eat. I mean come on, the base of it is bread!
This recipe is sweet, savory and truly delicious. There are tons of variations on the ingredients you can put in your stuffing. Cornbread, wheat or white bread, fruits, vegetables, herbs, the list goes on…But the mixture of ingredients in this apple sausage stuffing is truly geared for little ones taste buds (and secretly mine, too!).

Kids Apple Sausage Stuffing (Makes 8-10 Servings)

3/4 Pound Bread Cubes (I use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white bread cubes, but you can also buy other types of bread cubes that are already dried out and skip step 1).
3 Chicken Apple Sausage Links (or 1/2 pound ground sausage)
2 Tsp Oil
2 Tbsp Butter plus more for greasing
1 Apple, peeled and chopped (Gala, Fuji and Golden Delicious or any other sweet apple)
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
1/2 Tsp Salt
3 Eggs, beaten
1 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock

1. Toast bread cubes in a 300 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.
2. Turn the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
2. If using sausage links, remove casings.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook sausage for 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove to a plate.
4. Heat butter in the saute pan over medium heat and cook the apples, celery, onion, thyme and salt for 6-8 minutes until soft and tender.
5. Place the bread cubes in a bowl with the sausage, vegetables and chicken stock. Combine thoroughly.
6. Grease a 11 x 7 baking dish. Place the stuffing mixture in the dish.
7. Bake for 40 minutes.
8. Serve.

Always trying to change things up for breakfast in our house, I went 
to the grocery to buy breakfast sausage patties. Bad idea. The sodium in 
the frozen patties I found was off the charts! Wow. But how can I deprive Kenya of breakfast sausage? Back to the test kitchen for me.
These patties take only seconds to make because you toss all the 
ingredients in the food processor, whiz them up and form them into 
mini patties. I bought organic turkey and pork at Whole Foods since their meat doesn’t contain hormones and is excellent quality. Whole Foods is also unofficially known as 
”Whole Wallet” for their high prices, but I was 
shocked that my recipe still cost A LOT less then buying FOUR boxes of frozen patties 
that would yield the same amount.
I even added apple and spices to give them a sweet note and give a 
little zip. After cooking them, just pop the ones you don’t need into 
a labeled freezer bag and toss them in the freezer so you have them on hand any time of the day — Which is a good thing because these sausages are perfect for any meal.

Wee Sausage (Make 20 Patties)

1/2 Lb. Ground Pork
1/2 Pound Ground Turkey (I used dark meat turkey because it has more iron then white meat, but you could also use white meat )
2 Tbsp Onion, chopped
1/2 Apple, peeled and cored (gala, golden delicious and fuji are good choices)
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tsp Fresh Thyme (or 1/2 Tsp Dried)
1/2 Tsp Fennel Seeds
2 Tsp Maple Syrup

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.
2. Using your hands, form 1 tbsp of the mixture into patties.
3. After all the patties are formed, heat a large non stick pan over medium heat.
4. Cook for 3 minutes, flip the patties and cover for 2 minutes.
5. Uncover and cook an additional minute or until patties are cooked through.
6. 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.

I admit, this isn’t exactly a dish that would come to mind when you think of “baby food,” but my little guy sure does love it. Yes, it’s 70 degrees in Los Angeles, which doesn’t make you think of pulling out the crock pot to make a slow roast, but I disagree. Last weekend at the Farmers market I trudged out in the rain (it does rain here once in a while), and realized that I hadn’t purchased the delectable Bison ( http://lindnerbison.com/ ) that’s sold there in quite a while. Packed with more protein and Iron then even beef, it’s a perfect meat for everyone in the family. This is one of my favorite 1, 2, 3 dishes that takes little effort and is packed with flavor. As soon as its ready just puree a cup for baby and you can enjoy the rest.

Baby Bourguignon

3 lb. Bison (or Beef, Preferably Grass Fed, Roast)
1 Onion, chopped
4 Stalks Celery
1 bag Baby Carrots, 16 ounces
1 Bay Leaf
2 Cups Mushrooms, halved
1 14 ounce can Chopped Tomatoes
1 Cup Pomegranate Juice or Wine (only if you’re making for adults only)
2 Cups Water
1 Tbsp fresh Thyme
3 Cloves Garlic
Salt (after you remove portion for Baby)

1. Put all the ingredients in the Crock pot and cover.
2. Set to cook for 6 5-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.
3. Remove 1 cup portion for baby and puree.
4. Salt the dish to taste for adults and serve.

*You may also heat 1 tbsp oil in a saute pan and sear the roast on all sides for several minutes before putting in the crock pot. Do not “cook” it, though.