It didn’t take very long into motherhood for me to realize that eating was going to be one of the bigger challenges I face during Porter’s younger years. I’m vegetarian and care a lot about eating whole, nutritious foods and although I don’t have Porter on a vegetarian diet, I want to help her eat as healthy as I can with a diet limited in meat and dairy and full of fruits, veggies, good proteins and nutritious grains. She is 9 and a half months now and these are some of her absolute favorite healthy meals. I wanted to find meals that Porter would actually eat and that weren’t too far off from what Jake and I normally eat so the ingredients I used in these recipes are all things we eat on a regular basis (I obviously add more to Jake and I’s meals) so this way I don’t have to prepare two completely different meals. Porter is still so little and I already love finding ways to get good food in her tiny body and really believe eating habits play such a huge role in our lives that I want to help set her up for success as much as I can. I hope these recipes help you, help your little one to eat lots of healthy food!
Quinoa and Sweet Peas
Ingredients
1/2 Cup of QuinoaÂ
3/4 Cup of Sweet Peas (I just use organic frozen peas but you could also use fresh)
Directions
Rinse and drain the quinoa and place in a pot with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then cover and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the texture is light and fluffy. While that is cooking, take the frozen peas and place in a shallow dish with about 1/4 cup of water. Place in the microwave for a few minutes or until warm and no longer frozen and then drain any excess water. Mix the quinoa and peas together. This yields about 2 cups.
**This is obviously a really simple base but you could add lots of other veggies, herbs, etc. to this. I think Porter likes the sweet, blandness of this recipe so I usually just keep it simple but I have added other things a few times and she’s liked that too. Blake’s delicious quinoa salad would be a great one to try if you have a more adventurous eater.
Black Bean, Avocado and Sweet Potato Mash w/ Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
Black Beans (I just use canned organic, low sodium)
Ripe AvocadoÂ
Sweet Potato
Homemade Taco SeasoningÂ(This stuff is so good and so easy to make. We use it all the time now instead of buyingÂprepackagedÂstuff from the store because it has so much sodium and other not so natural ingredients.)
**You can make whatever size batch of this that you’d like. It’s pretty much equal parts black beans, avocado and sweet potato and then season to taste with the taco seasoning. I put a very small amount, about 1/2 tsp. per 1/2 cup of the black bean, avo, sweet potato mix so it doesn’t get spicy.
Directions
Peel the sweet potato and cut into 1 inch cubes. Place in a pot with enough water to cover the potato pieces and bring to a boil. Once boiling cook until tender and then drain and let cool. Next, drain and rinse the black beans and cut the avocado into small chunks. Mix all three of these ingredients together in a bowl and season very lightly with taco seasoning.
Chickpea Hummus with Mellow Garlic and Cumin
Ingredients
1 Can of ChickpeasÂ
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/6 Cup Olive Oil
1.5 Tbs. Tahini
1.5 Tbs. Lemon
1/2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
Directions
Combine the 1/6 cup oil with the garlic and cumin in a small pan. Cook over medium-low heat until you hear the garlic sizzling and bubbling, once that happens cook for another 3 minutes. Be careful to not let the garlic brown, you just want the garlic to soften. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool.
Put the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, soy sauce and salt in a food processor. Use a fork to take the softened garlic out of the oil and add it to the other ingredients in the processor (keep the oil and set to the side). Process those ingredients for about 20-30 seconds, and then slowly pour the cumin oil in while the processor is still running. Next, pour 1/8 cup cool water into the mixture and process until smooth and almost creamy. Add more lemon juice and/or salt if needed. The longer you let the hummus sit the more flavorful it will be.
This makes about a cup and a half.
**I use whole cumin seeds and grind them myself and the flavor is amazing. I can tell a pretty big difference from ground cumin but either one would work! And yes, Porter does just eat this hummus plain and by the spoonful.
Almond Butter, Apple and Banana Mash with Raisins
Ingredients
1 Tbs. of Almond Butter or Peanut Butter
1/6 Cup of Apple Sauce (I make homemade apple sauce but you can always just buy it in the jar if you don’t want to make it from scratch.)
1/2 BananaÂ
Very Small Handful of Raisins
Dash of CinnamonÂ
Directions
Chop up the banana and very finely chop the raisins into little pieces. It’s important to cut up the raisins really small if you’re feeding a child around Porter’s age because if the pieces are any larger than that it may be difficult for them to get down. Once those ingredients are chopped, mix and mash all of the ingredients together and season with a dash of cinnamon.
**I know that a lot of mom’s aren’t comfortable giving their babies peanut butter or almond butter so you can always skip that ingredient. I’ve heard from several friends that their pediatrician actually recommends giving their baby a small amount of peanut butter every day so they build up an immunity and aren’t as likely to develop a peanut allergy in the future. And this recipe is great because mixed with the applesauce and banana they peanut or almond butter loses all it’s stickiness so it’s totally safe and easy for babies to eat.
P.S. After trying a few different brands these Zoli Sippy Cups are by far my fave and along with these Dr. Brown’s Spatula Spoons.
dana
tags: 9 Months, Baby Food, Healthy, Homemade
category: DIY, Life, Motherhood, Recipes
