Meal Review Monday #11: Bacon & Egg Stuffed Avocados

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.
Up this week: Bacon & Egg Stuffed Avocados from Recipe by Photo.

Image from Recipe by Photo. Please respect the creator and pin from the original site!

Meal Review Monday #4: Peanut Butter and Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

Welcome to Meal Review Monday, where I review Pinterest recipe finds.

The first three Meal Review Mondays have featured some not-so-healthy recipes. While I love a good splurge recipe as much as more than the next person, I also love finding healthy foods that also taste good, which is why this week I'm reviewing a healthy fruit dip recipe.

Mexican Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust

 

This is a quick and easy weeknight meal I made up a while back that was an instant hit with my hubby. Not that he ever complains about whatever I cook, but I love it when a new recipe creation receives a "That's really good, Darlin'!" This is one of those recipes.

Homemade Baby Food

I have been making baby food for my little munchkin since she started solid foods. It's cheap, it's easy, and it's healthier, so I didn't even give it a second thought.
I've been surprised, though, by the number of other new moms who hear I am making baby food and seem to be at a loss, asking me how I do it. So enter blog post. It is so, so simple that I encourage you to give it a try.

Wholesome food about to be turned into baby food

In this post I'm just going to give a few general guidelines for making a few types of baby food from fresh and frozen produce. Take this information and run with it! Change it up, make it your own, and have fun! I encourage you to experiment with different recipes--and then leave me a comment and tell me about it. I love comments!

To make purees, you will need an immersion blender, food processor, or blender. I've done it multiple ways, but my favorite way is with the immersion blender. I have Cuisinart's Smart Stick and LOVE it! They didn't pay me to say that or anything, it's just the truth. :) I have the blue-ish one, and it's so pretty, which makes it even more fun to use.



You will also need some type of baby food storage system. My favorite is OXO's tot block system. Again, no money coming in from them on that one; it's just the best system I've found. Some people use ice cube trays with covers on them, but what I love about the tot blocks is that they serve as a storage/freezing container as well as a serving container. I just pull what I need out of the freezer and defrost it and feed it to my daughter right from the container, which means less dishes. Less dishes = a much happier momma!



I started by having a huge baby-food-making party, in which I chopped/boiled/baked/pureed until I had filled my freezer with adorable little blocks of baby food. Once that initial job was done, it has been easy to keep my freezer stocked by spending about 20-30 minutes roughly two or three times a week making baby food. That's it!

It's up to you if you would rather use fresh or frozen produce. I like fresh for a lot of things, but frozen has its advantages, too. If something is out of season, I can just buy the frozen. Plus, the frozen stuff is already chopped up, which is a huge help with things like mangoes, which are a pain (and are also currently out of season). I also prefer frozen for things like peas and green beans. I don't personally use canned vegetables to make baby food, but of course that's an option, too.

Using Frozen Foods

For frozen fruits, I simply thaw out the fruit and then puree it before spooning it into the storage containers. No need to cook those! Fast and easy!

When using frozen vegetables, I boil them according to package directions (usually going by the longest time, or sometimes a couple minutes longer, to make sure they are good and soft). Then I drain them and put them in a blending cup.

I puree them just as they are--no water, seasonings, anything. If, after pureeing them, the vegetables seem to be a little thick, I do add water at that point, just a couple tablespoons at a time, giving it a good blend between additions. Some vegetables don't need any water, and some seem to need a bit more. I never make my baby food as runny as the store-bought stuff, though. I bought a few jars of that to feed my daughter on a recent road trip, just for the convenience, and it was like trying to feed her soup! What a mess!

After the puree has reached the texture you prefer, spoon it into your storage containers. The tot blocks have the ounces marked on the side, so I like that I know how much my daughter is eating. It really helps when her pediatrician asks me at checkups!

These are just so cute! I love seeing the darling little blocks filled with the brightly-colored food. The color seriously looks so much better than the store-bought stuff.

Using Fresh Foods

Some fresh foods I wouldn't recommend preparing ahead of time. Avocados and bananas both get all brown and gross if they are messed with and stored, so I don't pre-make those. When I'm going to feed one of those to my daughter, I just mash it up with a fork right before mealtime. I'm sure that's common sense, but you never know. :)

Some fresh fruits can just be peeled and chopped, then pureed--like peaches or plums. No need to cook those.

Other fresh foods I boil or bake, depending on what they are. To make applesauce or pear sauce, I peel and chop the apples or pears.

Next, I boil them until they are soft and then drain them.

Finally, I puree them exactly as they are, without adding any sugar or anything.

And into the little storage blocks they go!

I have bought a jar of unsweetened applesauce instead of making my own, because it's pretty inexpensive and so easy, but my daughter doesn't like it as well. I don't know how she can tell the difference, but she can, and half the time refuses to eat it. She knows when momma is holding out on her and not giving her the good stuff. I may have created a monster. :)

I had someone specifically ask me about using sweet potatoes, so I thought I would explain that one, as well. I like to bake sweet potatoes and then puree them. You can peel, chop, and boil them just like other produce, but I prefer baking them, because after a sweet potato is baked, the peel will come off almost magically. I just chop the ends off and peel it with my hands (although I usually refrigerate it for a while first, because otherwise it is too hot to handle!)

I then chop it into pieces and remove any brown spots with a knife before pureeing. Sweet potatoes are usually pretty thick and pasty after they're pureed, so I add a decent amount of water to them.

So there you have it, a basic guide to getting started making homemade baby food. Of course, there are many, many more types of fruits and vegetables I haven't covered here, but I hope this gives you a good starting point, and the confidence to make all kinds of baby food.
I hope you find it helpful and that you have fun feeding your little one!

Banana Oat Bread with Pomegranate

Ever since creating my Oatmeal Almond Banana Pancakes, I've toyed around with the idea of doing something similar in a bread. This weekend I finally did!

You all know I love breads (or carbs of any form, really), so it's hard for me to give up breads when I'm trying to eat healthier, like I am now. Hubby and I ran our first 5K last month, which was a huge achievement for us, as two months before that we thought we were going to die if we ran for 60 seconds. (Sad, I know. I mean I did just have a baby six months ago, but still). We've come a long way in a short time, and this is only the beginning! To go along with our new running routine, we are also trying to do better about eating healthy. Don't worry, I will continue to offer delicious dessert recipes, because, as I have mentioned before, I believe healthy eating is all about balance. I'm a proponent of a healthy, balanced overall lifestyle, which can include a few indulgences now and then. :)

Today's recipe, however, isn't an indulgence. It's a tasty breakfast bread that's packed with nutrients and none of the bad stuff. It contains no refined sugars or flours, and can be made gluten-free. (If you're looking for a breakfast bread that is more of an indulgence, try my Cranberry Orange Bread).

If fresh pomegranates aren't in season, try substituting blueberries or cranberries or some other type of fruit. Fresh or frozen berries should work fine in this recipe.

**Scroll to the bottom of the post for a printable version of the recipe.**

You will need:
Oatmeal (enough to make 2 C oat flour)*
1/4 C chia seeds
1 1/2 t baking powder*
1/2 t baking soda*
1/2 t salt
2 medium bananas
1/3 C unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C plain Greek yogurt
1/4 C honey
1/4 C milk
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
3/4 - 1 C pomegranate arils (or other fruit, such as berries)

*If you want to make this gluten-free, be sure to purchase gluten-free oats, baking powder, and baking soda.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use a food processor to grind the oatmeal into oat flour.

Measure 2 cups of the oat flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the baking powder, baking soda, chia seeds, and salt. Combine.

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas. I like to use a pastry blender for this job, but you can use a fork, too.

Add applesauce, yogurt, honey, milk, eggs, and vanilla to the bananas. Whisk until well combined.

Stir wet mixture into flour mixture and mix well.

Fold in pomegranate arils or berries.

Pour batter into greased loaf pan.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until bread is golden brown.

Cut yourself a hearty slice and enjoy your guilt-free breakfast!

Right click image below to download a printable version of the recipe.

Basil Garden Frittata

I have a lot of fresh produce on hand right now, which I love! Fresh produce is just so good--infinitely better than it's canned or frozen counterparts. It takes a little more effort in preparation, but the taste is worth it!

Today for lunch, rather than my usual sandwich-and-yogurt routine, I decided to throw together a frittata. I'm a fan of my Sweet Potato Frittata, but I decided to change it up this time, to use all of the produce I had that was calling my name. And unlike the other recipe, which is a hybrid frittata/quiche (quittata?) this is an actual frittata. :)

Warm, cheesy goodness. This thing is packed with fresh flavor, and is actually healthy, too! Double win!

*Scroll to the end of the post to download a printable version of the recipe*

You will need:

1/2 T butter
1 potato
8 stalks asparagus
1 Roma tomato (I love Roma tomatoes. They're my fave!)
4-5 fresh basil leaves
4 eggs
1/2 C shredded mozzarella
Salt & pepper to taste

You will also need an oven-safe skillet or pan for this recipe--something that does not have a plastic handle! I LOVE my pots and pans set, which were a wedding gift. They are stainless steel so I can scrub them with steel wool, and they are safe to stick in the oven or under the broiler.
This is the exact pan I used to make this recipe:


Melt the butter in your pan.
Chop up the potato into 1/4" cubes. You want them to be small so they cook through fairly quickly; unless you just want to wait a long time to eat. :)

Toss the potatoes in with the butter and let them start cooking. Cut the asparagus into 1" pieces, and then toss them in with the potatoes.

Give them a good stir, and continue to stir them every few minutes so they cook evenly.

Meanwhile, chop your tomato and your basil leaves into 1/2" pieces.

Beat eggs in a small mixing bowl.

Add tomato, basil, and mozzarella to eggs.

I actually used fresh mozzarella, because it's my favorite, but I got lazy after shredding about half of it, so I cubed the rest and tossed it in. You can see the delicious gooey chunks in some of the upcoming pictures.

Pour egg mixture into skillet with potatoes and asparagus. Give everything a good stir, then let it cook.

Continue cooking until the bottom is done and the top is just starting to set. This only takes a few minutes as the skillet is already hot.

Place the pan in the oven under the broiler. Broil until top is cooked and just starting to brown. I set my broiler on low, and it took about 10 minutes. Some broilers don't have various heat settings, and all ovens cook differently, so watch it carefully. It's easy to burn things under the broiler.

I like to eat my frittata while it's still hot; others prefer it at room temperature. Either way, cut yourself a slice and enjoy your fresh, tasty, healthy meal!

Right-click the image below to download a printable version of the recipe.

Fresh Vegetable Lasagna

Fall and winter is the time of year I love hearty, feel-good, "comfy" meals. Unfortunately, most of these meals are also heavy and calorie-laden. Add in holiday food and the fact that I tend to spend more time indoors, curled up on the couch during winter, and it's really easy to pack on a few pounds at this time of year. I'm still trying to get back to my pre-baby body, and hubby and I are also training to run a 5K, so I've been making an effort to make healthier meals, which is where this lasagna comes in. It's a healthier choice, but still has a lot of the hearty, feel-good qualities of a traditional lasagna.

Just as a disclaimer: I believe in moderation in all things, so most of my healthy meals are going to still have pretty "normal" ingredients. You won't find a lot of no-carb, no-fat, no-dairy, no-anything-that-tastes-good here. I believe in balance, and that your body needs a certain amount of all of those things. I am not a fan of fad diets, but I am a fan of making smarter choices every day, which is what you will find in my healthier recipes. Of course, I will continue to offer recipes for not-quite-as-healthy dishes, as well. :) Life is short, and meant to be enjoyed; what better way to do that than with a rich meal or tasty dessert once in a while? Again, for me, it's all about balance.

Fresh Vegetable Lasagna
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 jar spaghetti sauce
3 C shredded mozzarella (I like to use reduced fat)
16 ounces low-fat cottage cheese (you may use ricotta if you prefer)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T balsamic vinegar (optional)
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced*
2 C fresh spinach*
1 C kale leaves, torn into smaller pieces (or use baby kale)*
2-3 zucchini, sliced*

Note: Some ground turkey would also make a nice addition to this recipe if you don't want to make it vegetarian. Just brown it up first and mix it in with the spaghetti sauce, then follow the directions listed below.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix 2 C of the mozzarella with the cottage cheese, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.
Spread a small amount of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan (to keep the noodles from sticking).
Layer in the pan: 3 lasagna noodles, cheese mixture, zucchini, tomato, spinach and kale, spaghetti sauce. Repeat layers two more times. Top with remaining 1 C of mozzarella.
Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

*These were vegetables that were in season and I had on hand. This recipe would be delicious with sliced carrots, eggplant, yellow squash, etc. I also think some fresh basil would taste fantastic added in with the spinach and kale. Mix it up and see what vegetables you like!