recipe Tag

Small bowl of risotto with blue spoon and puzzle pieces

18 Nov Instant Pot Risotto Recipe for Babies

Posted at 01:37h in Blog by Jenna Helwig 0 Comments

I love my Instant Pot (a.k.a. my multi-cooker) for a lot of reasons. Beans cook up creamy and tender in less than an hour (without soaking!), meats turn succulent with little coaxing, and I can make hard-boiled eggs for a crowd without breaking a sweat....

Slow-Cooker Maple Dijon Pork is a great way to serve meat to baby-led weaning babies. Get the recipe! #easydinnerrecipes #slowcookerrecipes #babyledweaningrecipes #babyfoodrecipes

30 Apr Preparing Meat for Baby-Led Weaning

Posted at 22:09h in Blog by Jenna Helwig 0 Comments

Preparing meat that's soft enough for baby-led weaning can be a little tricky. A grilled chicken breast or medium-rare steak is delicious for bigger kids and grown-ups, but babies need extra soft meat. If you're serving your baby purees, problem solved. I think the easiest way...

28 Feb 20-Minute Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Posted at 03:59h in Blog by Jenna Helwig 0 Comments

I used to think of homemade macaroni and cheese as a special occasion dish. And it is when I'm making this epic Martha version (26 oz. of cheese!). But one day, around lunch time, when a mac 'n' cheese craving hit, I realized I could...

10 Jan Family Recipe: Coconut Curry Mussels

Posted at 03:18h in Blog by Jenna Helwig 0 Comments

This may sound shocking, but I believe that mussels are the ultimate kid-friendly food. How fun is it to scoop your dinner out of seashells? Parents also like them because they’re high in protein and iron and almost shockingly inexpensive. They're also a sustainable seafood, so it's...

02 Jan Baby Food Recipe: Rosemary-Roasted Pears

Posted at 23:08h in Blog by Jenna Helwig 0 Comments

Sometimes people ask me what my favorite recipe is in Real Baby Food or Smoothie-licious, or even the upcoming Baby-Led Feeding. Well, that's a tough question to answer! I won't claim that recipes are like children (that's a bit much), but I truly feel affection for each...

13 Nov How to Make Butternut Squash Puree for Baby

Posted at 21:47h in Blog by Jenna Helwig 0 Comments

People often ask me what the best first food is for their babies, especially if they're planning on spoon-feeding purees. The truth is, there isn't a single best option. Most fruits or veggies would make for nutritious, appealing first bites, but so would salmon, chicken, beef,...

24 Nov The Pumpkin Muffins That Made Me a Liar

Posted at 02:37h in Blog by Jenna Helwig 0 Comments

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.

15 Aug The Summer Recipe You Should Make ASAP

Posted at 02:16h in Blog by Jenna Helwig 0 Comments

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

03 Aug Recipe: Summer Zucchini Bread

Posted at 01:30h in Blog by Jenna Helwig 1 Comment

Well, it's August, so that must mean it's zucchini bread time. To me, it just wouldn't be summer without this recipe. My mom made it when I was a kid, and every year I bake it to much acclaim from Dave and Rosa. (In fact, today Rosa had a friend over while I was baking. She literally asked, "What is that wonderful smell?") We eat it warm out of the oven or spread with peanut butter for breakfast. I will probably make several batches throughout the month and will freeze some for later in the year when we desperately need a taste of summer. Nearly every time I make this recipe I tinker with it a bit. Sometimes I use canola oil, sometimes olive. I might play with different flours, and I almost always trim the amount of sugar. Like most quick breads this batter also bakes up beautifully as muffins. I even included a version in the breakfast chapter of Real Baby Food as Zucchini and Carrot Donuts. Did I mention this recipe is also really easy? There are no special tricks here, just measuring, stirring, and summoning your will power to wait until the bread is just warm before cutting a slice.