Feeding the Baby

I must admit... the main reason I make my own baby food is because I'm lazy. Yes, you heard right. But isn't it more work to make your own baby food? Not really. Once I've introduced single foods to the baby to check for allergies, I just grind up some of whatever we're eating for dinner (or at least some of the ingredients as I'm cooking, depending on the spiciness of the dish) and add a little plain whole milk yogurt to moisten and smooth the texture a little. My food mill has been my best friend through this - I've even taken it to restaurants so I can be sure there will be something I can feed the baby - and we've come up with some unusual but tasty combinations that the baby loves. I'll keep a list in the sidebar until we move on to table foods. You can also check out the Wholesome Baby Food website for more great ideas - it's most useful for things like making your own teething biscuits or finger foods since grinding baby food doesn't really require a whole lot of instruction. Then open wide for the airplane!

Tuna Casserole

This is my last minute and nothing planned meal. The easiest tuna casserole ever! It helps that my kids love tunafish - in fact they prefer it plain, eaten on chips like an appetizer.

1 box macaroni and cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can chunk light tuna

1 cup of your favorite frozen vegetable

chopped green onions

Prepare macaroni and cheese as directed on box, adding the frozen vegetables halfway through the cooking of the noodles. Add tuna (well-drained) and cream of mushroom soup and mix well. You can add a little milk if it seems to thick for your tastes. Warm over low heat until heated throughout. Garnish with fresh ground pepper and green onions.

Curried Egg Salad

Not much mystery to this one... just your run of the mill egg salad - with curry added to make things interesting! My husband loves curry, but I don't often know what to make with it so I tried adding it to egg salad one day and he loved it. Tonight I also used plain yogurt instead of mayo since I was out and I thought it tasted even better. It gets rid of that heavy, thick taste.

Tomato Soup

My daughter requested tomato soup for dinner today so I pulled out an old favorite that I haven't made in awhile. I actually got this recipe from my sister-in-law, whose mother is a wonder in the kitchen. I think this is a improvement on something they tasted in a restaurant once. The best part is that it's super easy!

2-12 oz cans tomato juice

2-14 oz cans diced tomatoes

1-8 oz package cream cheese

1 tsp Italian seasoning

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the tomato juice and cream cheese over medium heat, stirring to break up the cream cheese and help it melt. If you're impatient like me, you can use an immersion blender to speed up the process once it's started melting. Add diced tomatoes and seasoning. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Crunchy Poppyseed Chicken Salad

This salad was absolutely delicious! I love the flavor of the broccoli slaw and you MUST use the cashews for the full effect. I actually had less poppyseed dressing than I thought so I used another fruity one I had on hand (pomegranate/blueberry) and it was just as tasty.

4 cups broccoli slaw

2 large red peppers, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

4 carrots, shredded (about 2 cups)

1 can (8 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained

1 cup grilled chicken breast, chopped

1/2 cup poppyseed dressing

1/4 cup cashew

Combine all ingredients except cashews and toss to coat with dressing. Sprinkle cashews on top just before serving.

Spinach and Orzo Salad

This yummy salad was another big hit. It has a very mediterranean taste which I love! Next time I'll use half as many onions and add a can of garbanzo beans to make it more kid friendly.

Tomato Paella

I served a mission in Spain where paella is more work than it is worth, in my opinion. However, this paella is super easy and is probably my favorite way to cook luscious homegrown tomatoes during the summer. It's okay with grocery store tomatoes, but for the best flavor either grow your own or visit the farmer's market.