Butternut Squash Risotto and butternut squash baby food

This is a healthy version of risotto. It came out extremely creamy and delicious. It's perfect for the fall/winter when squash and sage are in season.

This recipe works perfectly if you are making food for your baby too. The recipe calls for butternut squash puree. One squash is enough for the risotto and 6-8 jars of baby food. Winter squash, such as butternut squash or acron squash are great foods to introduce at 4-6 months. They are very packed with viatmins, beta-carotene and calcium. If you are not planning on making baby food, you can freeze the remainder for another time.

Below are some pictures of Layla eating butternut squash for the first time. Although the pictures do not look like it, she really did love it!

Butternut Squash Risotto
Serves 4 ( 1 1/2 cups each)

Ingredients:
5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
1 butternut sqaush, boiled and pureed (1 cup purée)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Peel and dice butternut squash and place in a pot of boiling water. Cook until tender about 25-30 mins. Remove squash and place in blender (or baby bullet), blend until a smooth puree. Add a little water at a time to help blend the squash. Set aside and reserve 1 cup for the risotto. (The remainder can be refrigerated or frozen for baby food)

2. To make the risotto: heat broth in a sauce pan until it is hot but not boiling. Reduce heat to low and cover to keep warm. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes; stirring frequently. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until it is absorbed into the rice, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.

3. Add ½ cup of hot broth and simmer over medium/low heat, stirring frequently, until it is absorbed. Repeat with remaining broth, ½ cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more, about 30 minutes total.

4. When all the broth is incorporated and the rice is tender and creamy, add squash, sage, all but 2 tablespoons of cheese, salt and peppee to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with remaining cheese.
(Recipe for risotto adapted from Ellie Kreiger's cookbook: Comfort Food Fix)

Thin Crust Pizza Margarita

This is my version of Thin Crust Pizza Margarita. This can be a really quick and simple dinner if you make the dough ahead of time or buy pizza dough in the grocery store or from your local pizzeria. Try to find thin crust dough, if possible,

I like to roast the tomatoes so they become a soft, sweet, roasted tomato spread for the top of the pizza dough. Roasting the tomatoes is especially good to do if it is not tomato season.

If you end up making the dough yourself you can freeze any extra dough for another time. I have also added another one of my favorite topping combinations below.

Thin Crust Pizza Margartia
Makes Three 12" Crusts and serves 4 people ( 3 slices each)

For the dough:
Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup of warm water
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 cups flour, plus more for dusting

1. Prepare the pizza dough: In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, sugar and warm water, stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand 5- 10 mins until it starts to foam.
2. Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tbsps of olive oil. Add in the flour a little at a time, mixing on lowest speed, until flour is incorporated. Keep mixing on medium speed, if it feels really sticky add a little more flour, if it is dry and crumbly add a little more water.Keep mixing for 5 minutes until the dough comes to a ball and become elastic.
3. Coat the dough with a little oil and place it back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.
4. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide into 3 even balls. Cover and let rest for 10 mins to make it easy to roll out. (If the dough is not rolling easily, let it rest a little while longer.)
5. At this point you can use the dough immediately, wrap the balls of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, or you can freeze the dough for later use.
6. When you are ready to use the dough, preheat the oven to 500 degrees with baking sheet in the oven.
7. Roll each section out into a 12" circle or oval shape. Place the dough on parchment paper.
8.Place the toppings on the dough (all the way to the edge) and brush crust with a little olive oil
9. Once the baking sheets are preheated place the parchment paper on the sheet (one pizza per baking sheet) and bake for 10-15 mins. Check at 10 mins and make sure it is not burning on the bottom.  You can serve one pizza while the others are baking in the oven, or bake all the pizzas and reheat before serving.

For the topping:
Ingredients:
15 large roma tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Herbs of choice (thyme, rosemary, oregano)
8 oz Fresh Mozzerlla
Basil

1. Cut 15 roma tomatoes in half or in quarters and place on a baking sheet. Coat with oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Roast at 350 degrees for 40-45 mins, until soft. You can make this ahead of time and set aside until ready to use. (You can prepare this as the dough is rising)
2. Once the tomatoes are soft, spread them on the pizza dough, covering as much as possible and top with slices of fresh mozzarella and chopped basil. Use 5 large tomatoes per pizza or 6-7 if they are smaller.
3. Bake pizza at 500 degrees for 10-15 mins, checking at 10 mins to make sure bottom is not burning.

Prosciutto, Asparagus, Fresh Mozzarella and Lemon:

Ingredients:

4 oz thin slices prosciutto 

1 bundle asparagus

2 Lemons

8 oz fresh mozzarella

1. Chop the asparagus into 1 inch pieces; discarding the tough bottoms of the stalks.

2, Sautee the asparagus in a little olive oil salt and pepper for 5-8 mins, until soft. 

3. Brush the pizza dough with a little oil and place slices of prosciutto and mozzeralla on top. Top with asparagus and slices of lemon. 

4. Bake 10-15 mins at 500 degrees, checking at 10 mins to make sure bottom is not burning. 

My favorite baby products

I have gone through some major milestones in my life over the past 3 years. I got engaged in 2009, moved into a house shorty after, got a dog, got married in 2010 and had a baby in 2011. During the many celebrations, I was fortunate to have bridal showers and baby showers, which all required a registry. Registering for my new baby girl was so much fun and I enjoyed every minute of it.
When you walk into a store such as Buy Buy Baby, its easy to get overwhelmed with products and its hard to know what you need and what is a waste of money.

 In my experience, this is what I have found to be useful to me and baby Layla from ages newborn to 5 months old.

1. Sleep Sacks: Layla was born in August, right before the cooler weather. These sleep sacks are a must for me because she is not allowed to sleep with a blanket and they keep her nice and warm at night. I recommend getting one with sleeves and one without.

2. Swing- The swing was the best product I had when Layla was born until she was around 4 months old. It would put her right to sleep. Now that she is a little older, it still is a good place to put her when I cannot keep my eye on her every minute, however, she seems to be more impatient about sitting still and tries to sit up and get out. Now I put her in the jumperoo and it entertains her a bit more.

3. Baby carrier-I have both the baby Bjorn and the EGRObaby. I like them both, although I find the Egro to be a little more comfortable for me and my husband prefers the Bjorn. They both serve their purpose and keep the baby nice and warm in the cooler months.

4. Breast pump- If you have to splurge on one item, this is the item to buy. I recommend Medela Pump In Style Advance. Being able to pump gives you a lot of freedom.

5. Baby Bullet System- This product makes it very easy if you are planning on making your own baby food. I recommend getting the Baby Bullet will the storage containers.

Other products that I find useful:
-Pajamas with zippers- I find it easier than trying to find all the buttons in the middle on the night
-Diaper Pale- I recommend the Dekor Plus, make sure to buy extra bad refills
-Bouncer- I think the best bouncer to get is one that has something entertaining for the baby, such as lights or a mobile.
-Bassinet- I love having the baby next to my bed the first few months. This bassinet was really nice: http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?SKU=16442496&

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

I really love using the slow cooker all year but by this time I start getting a little sick of the same old stews and slow cooker dishes. This recipe for BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches transports you to summer time as the winter weather gets colder. It is a healthier version of pulled pork and is so easy to make.

BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches
Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 onion- thinly sliced
1 cup ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp molasses
4 potato hamburger rolls

1. Place chicken and onion in the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. In a separate bowl combine the ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, cumin, cider vinegar and molasses.
3. Pour sauce over chicken and onions and mix together.
4. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
5. When you are ready to serve, remove the chicken and shred with two forks.
6. Place the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and coat with the sauce.
7. Scoop out the shredded chicken onto hamburger roll and serve immediately.

Healthy Stuffed Sweet Potato and Sweet Potato Puree for Baby

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had  a nice relaxing holiday and wish everyone a happy and healthy 2012.

This past week, I have been introducing different foods to Layla and learning all about the first stages of feeding a baby solid food. For those of you who are new moms, this is what I have learned.
-Start with rice cereal or baby oatmeal mixed with a little breast milk or formula.
-Start introducing different foods one a time, wait 3-5 days to make sure the baby is not allergic before introducing a different food.
-When making food, you can refrigerate the fruits and veggies for up to 3 days, otherwise freeze the rest for later use.

In the past 2-3 weeks I have given Layla apples, bananas, sweet potatoes and peas. She seems to like sweet potatoes and bananas best so far.

Here are a few ideas that I think help to make homemade baby food easier and healthier.
-The baby bullet is a great system to blend and puree the food and it comes with storage jars and freezer containers. You could use a regular blender, but I like that this one is really small and easy to clean and put away each day.
-I also think buying organic for the baby is important. I'll admit that I don't always buy organic food for myself and Tom because its to expensive with the amount of fruit and veggies we eat daily, but buying the baby organic food should not be too costly. You only need 1-2 vegetables or fruits and it makes a lot of jars. For example, I large organic sweet potato makes 6-8 jars of baby food.

Below is a recipe for a healthy stuffed sweet potato. I like to make this when I have been eating a little too much and feel like a light dinner. However, you can cut the potato in half (2 servings per potato) and have them as a side dish.

Healthy Stuffed Sweet Potato (sweet potato puree for baby food):
Serves 1 for dinner and makes 6-8 jars of baby food

Ingredients:
2 Sweet Potatoes ( 1 per person and 1 for baby food)
1 cup baby spinach
1 tsp butter or margarine (optional)
2 Tbsp feta cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake the potatoes for 45mins to 1 hour until cooked through and soft in the middle.
2. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Keep oven on.
(If you are preparing baby food, set one potato aside to cool)
3. While the potatoes are cooling for a few minutes, steam or sautee the spinach until wilted.
4. Make a slice on the top of the potato and scoop out the insides into a bowl.
5. Mix in spinach and butter with the inside of the potato.
6. Put the mixture back into the potato skin and top with feta cheese.
7. Bake for another 10-15 mins until the feta cheese is starting to become golden brown.

To prepare Sweet Potato baby food:
Scoop out the insides of the potato and discard (or eat) the skin. Place the flesh of the potato into a blender or baby bullet and add in 1 cup of water. Puree until very smooth. Refrigerate for up to 3 days and freeze extra.
(I like to roast the sweet potatoes instead of boiling or steaming because it gives the potato a little more flavor. Sweet Potatoes are rich in vitamin A, good for healthy skin and eyes. Vitamin A also helps fight infection.)