Prior to being a mom, I must admit, I never really spent too much time in the kitchen. When daddyO and I first got married several years back, I tried my hands at being the domestic goddess, but our busy lives, and non-stop work schedules, always seemed to make cooking meals from scratch too hard.
With the birth of babyR, the O family went from a two-income work horse, to a one-income, happier entity. Because I always need a project, and an outlet for my creativity, I began spending more time in my beautiful, shiny kitchen. Soon, it become my favorite spot in the house. And, when babyR started eating solids, I decided to take the plunge into making her very own, homemade baby food.
I started out with puree’s of all different kinds, moved into yogurt’s, and am now doing full-out meals. One of my favorite recipes comes from Annabel Karmel’s book, The Healthy Baby Meal Planner. If you have a little one, and are looking for a good source to teach you some yummy, and healthy!, recipes, you should definitely invest in it. Mine is proudly displayed at all times in my kitchen, and has taken quite a beating in just the 7 -8 months that I have had it.
My favorite recipe book in my kitchen!
BabyR loves this recipe, and it goes great with whole wheat noodles – and meat if you are feeling adventurous!
Pasta Stars with Veggie Sauce
For 2 potions use:
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
1 cup cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 pound of ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated (for those who want to use a less processed cheese, I buy Cabot white cheddar cheese and grate it myself.)
How to: Put the carrot into the bottom of a steamer. Cover with boiling water and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Put the cauliflower florets in the steamer basket, place over the carrots, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Then, melt butter and saute the tomatoes for about 3 minutes, or until mushy. Stir in cheddar cheese until melted. Blend cooked carrots and cauliflower together with the tomatoes and cheese. Mix with cooked pasta.
I usually make a larger portion and freeze the sauce. It tastes great warmed up, and is full of unseen veggies for those little ones who snub them!
Freezing baby food is a life-saver on those busy days!
