Author: Jenna Helwig

Image of Baby-Led Weaning cookbook cover

What Is Baby-Led Feeding?

If you're a new parent chances are you've heard a lot about baby-led weaning, a feeding method popularized in the UK that encourages skipping purees altogether when transitioning babies to solids. Babies are allowed to feed themselves, to explore, get messy, eat what they can, and set...

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Pea puree baby food

When Can Babies Start Solids?

There is no hard and fast rule for when babies can start solids. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months (which isn't helpful for parents who are formula feeding!). The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology recommends offering babies...

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Make easy and healthy fish baby food with this recipe from Real Baby Food #babyfoodrecipes #fishrecipes #firstfoods

A Fish Dish for Baby

Get seafood into your baby’s diet early; there are few foods with as many nutritional benefits, including brain-boosting DHA, an especially important omega-3 fatty acid for babies. This mild-tasting, creamy purée from Real Baby Food is an excellent place to start on the fish front....

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Minty St. Patrick’s Day Shake

So many St. Patrick's Day treats for kids involve some sort of green food coloring. I am not averse to a drop or two of the fake stuff over the course of a year--especially around Christmas or Valentine's Day--but if it's not necessary I prefer to skip it, and I know many parents agree. This special smoothie from Smoothie-licious gets its gorgeous green hue from baby spinach and mint leaves. The spinach is virtually undetectable in the drink. But, if necessary, you can omit that ingredient when you tell your kids what's in their special St. Patty's breakfast or after-school snack.
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Pumpkin muffins

The Pumpkin Muffins That Made Me a Liar

As parents when we want to convince our kids to eat new foods it seems natural to extol their health benefits. "Jicama is soooo fun to eat--and full of fiber!" "Milk will help fill your tummy and build strong bones!" "Plain yogurt is the best--none of those nasty added sugars!" Sounds enticing to me, but it turns out that kids are not impressed. A 2014 study found that children are actually less likely to eat a food if they have been told how healthy it is. Just like a kid, right? I witnessed this very phenomenon with my own eyes a few days ago. Saturday morning I baked pumpkin chocolate chip muffins adapted from a quick bread recipe in The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. I switched up the method a bit, subbed in some whole wheat flour, cut the sugar, and trimmed the amount of chocolate chips. The result was delicious -- tender, still sweet, and very pumpkin-y.
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How to Improvise a Smoothie

I woke up a few days ago knowing that I wanted smoothie for breakfast, but unsure what flavors I was craving. One thing led to another: I was running late, hadn't finished my coffee, and knew I needed to get blending asap. I spotted the half-pear left on the counter after Rosa's breakfast, glanced at my half-drunk cup of coffee, and knew I had the ingredients for a delicious drink. But how do you go from lukewarm coffee and half a fruit to a satisfying smoothie? If you know the formula, you have a pretty good shot. In the Introduction of SMOOTHIE-LICIOUS I break down the Anatomy of a Smoothie, the components that most smoothies need to come together well:
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Wicked Fun Halloween Snacks (That Aren’t Sugar Bombs)

Kids LOVE Halloween. Candy! Costumes! What's not to like? I love it too, but what I'm not crazy about is the fact that if kids go to a party or two before the main event, they likely eat so much candy that they crash before they even start trick-or-treating. My solution is to try, try, try to feed Rosa something semi-nourishing before she pounds the pavement. It doesn't need to be a salad, for heaven's sake, just something that isn't 99% sugar. That's why I love the Halloween food in the October issue of parents. It's super-cool looking, but still healthy-ish. Think Turkey Meatball Eyeballs, a Spider Cheese Ball, and Hummus Haunted House Sandwiches (all developed by the very talented Genevieve Ko!).
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The Summer Recipe You Should Make ASAP

I admit that I am a fair weather Greenmarket shopper. Each year I sit out December-April, then head back in May for the promise of asparagus and, eventually strawberries. By summer I am a farmer's market fanatic. I love seeing how the market's offerings change week by week, with strawberries disappearing in late June (boo) about the same time peaches make their appearance (yay). Blueberries and zucchini arrive, then corn, and finally in August tomatoes and bell peppers. But for me peaches are queen. Ask me my favorite fruit, and I'll say a juicy, fragrant peach. The best peaches are only around for about six weeks, just a fraction of the year, so I buy many and eat them any which way I can. One of my favorite preparations is this gorgeous peach salsa. Fruit salsas are a staple at our house all year 'round. I love how they can add a punch of acid and sweet to a savory dish; I've found this sweet/savory combination especially appealing to kids. In fact, I included a recipe for Tropical Pork Tenderloin with a mango and red pepper salsa in Real Baby Food. But in the summer it's all about peaches. Last weekend I prepared this salsa at a book signing/demo at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket.   In action at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket
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