Food By Instinct-Baby Edition

When making my son's baby food, I try to include a great balance of both fruits and vegetables (whether he's aware or not). This combo was another successful hit! I call it Cantaloupe Sprouts. If you haven't already guessed, it's cantaloupe melon and brussel sprouts! This combo provides countless vitamins and nutrients like Vitamin C, folate, calcium and Vitamin K. With this recipe, make sure your baby is at least 8-9 months. Brussel Sprouts are also known to cause gas...so get ready! 

Ingredients:

6-10 Brussel Sprouts (add or subtract more as needed)

1/2 cantaloupe (add more or less more sweetness)

Steam Brussel Sprouts until tender.

While sprouts are steaming, cut the melon into chunks

Add Brussel Sprouts and melon into blender and puree to desired consistency.

-Let's eAt

Food By Instinct-Baby Edition

In March, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. I'm still nursing him, however, when I introduced him to solid food I was very hesitant in what to offer him. Researching different things like what companies offer the best types of food and how much good food cost to buy in bulk...things were looking expensive! I decided what better way to feed my baby than to make the food myself!

 

I got in the kitchen and went to work!  Left and right I made purees (with a Baby Bullet I received from my baby shower) of different combinations of fruits, vegetables and grains. I was so excited to make food for my baby that I couldn't wait for him to taste everything! Many were a success (some weren't as great) but to know my son was eating the best quality food I could offer puts my mind at ease.

 

I decided to include baby food that I make to encourage those moms out there to make your own baby food. It can be time consuming and sometimes labor intensive, but it's so worth it! I mentioned before I use a Baby Bullet to mix his food, but you can get a blender or food processor. Any machine that will get the food down to a smooth consistency. Depending on how old your baby is will determine what kind of foods they get introduced to first. We fed him individual fruits or veggies until he was around 6 months. After that, we began combining them together.

 

This recipe below is called "Daddy's Mix". My husband has hopped on the baby food making train. This is his "go-to" combo when he makes our son's food in bulk.       

 

 

Ingredients:

 

White potatoes

Pears

Apples

 

1. Peel 1 potato, then steam until soft

2. Peel 1 apple and 1 pear, then steam them until soft

3. Add all the ingredients to your mixer and puree until smooth

4. Store in the refrigerator (3 days) or in the freezer (30 days)

 

-Let's eAt

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple questions...

I get questions all the time about the food featured in this blog....and just food in general. The most common questions I get are:

1. How do you have time to cook every day?

2. How do you find different ideas all the time?

3. Can I find everything you cook at the grocery store or are some of these specialty items?

4. How long does it usually take you to cook a meal?

These questions became so common, that it encouraged me to just write a blog addressing these concerns.

1. How do I find time to cook everyday? Honestly, I don't know! I was exposed to the world of cooking at a young age. All of the women in my family cook (everything from old southern country cooking to healthier alternative cooking), so the kitchen always manages to draw me in day after day. I know some of you don't enjoy it as much and try to find ways to make it part of your busy schedule. My best advice to you is to find recipes that you think you would enjoy and try them out! Get family members involved so it's a fun project instead of a dreaded chore. Best case scenario it's a success and you're excited to try a new recipe. Worst case scenario....well....it doesn't work. Regardless, you have to put forth the effort into making it fit your schedule.

2. I find different ideas by inspiration. I may come across a recipe online that I want to try, but I don't have all the ingredients, so I start substituting. Next thing you know, I have a brand new recipe! I also have a recipe app on my phone (allrecipes) that has an option called "dinner spinner" which gives you random dishes and drinks to try. There are times I may create my own twist to a family recipe, or I may try a dish from a restaurant and create my own version of it in the kitchen. That's the basis of my blog, my inspiration comes from instinct.

3. 99.9% of the things I cook are from REGULAR grocery stores and farmers markets! I have a friend that swears up and down I'm going to super specialty markets and secret grocery store clubs. Now don't get me wrong, I will go into spice markets and global markets just to try different things, but if I post something you can't find in a local store I'll definitely let you know :)

4. All of the meals I cook take no more than an hour to an hour and a half. They are meals purposely made to be quick and tasty. There are some meals that take a little longer, but just know it's worth it in the end.

Keep the questions coming! I enjoy discussing food and anything that comes with it. Are there any recipes you want me to try? Restaurants you want me to check out? Let me know!

-Let's eAt

Quick Quesadilla

Ingredients:

Ground turkey
Salsa
1 avocado
Plain greek yogurt
Whole grain tortillas (corn or flour tortillas can work too)
Shredded cheese
Spinach
1 green pepper
1 onion
Olive oil
Salt (not a lot!)
Pepper
Garlic powder

Grab a pan (big enough to hold a tortilla) and add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. While the olive oil warms up, dice your green pepper and onion; add to the pan once oil is hot. Cook veggies for about 5 minutes, then add your meat. Cook, season and add spinach. Reduce heat and mix spinach in with meat, then set aside.

In the same pan, add more olive oil and replace back on medium heat. Place one tortilla inside the pan. Add one layer of cheese, a layer of meat/spinach, another layer of cheese, and finally another tortilla. Once the bottom is slightly browned, you are faced with 2 options. You can carefully flip the whole quesadilla so it can brown on the other side or you can fold it in half. After you've made a decision, plate your quesadilla (you can cut it at this point), then top with plain greek yogurt, salsa, and avocado slices.

This recipe is fun and quick. Chicken breast, steak, or shrimp are other great alternatives to this recipe. You can also add corn, black beans, and lime juice for an extra kick. Plain greek yogurt is a great (and healthier) alternative to sour cream. You don't want to add too much salt in this dish because you already have salt in your cheese and in your salsa. This is an easy dish so have fun with it!

-Let's eAt

Spaghetti Squash Bowl

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash (1 half per person)

Ground turkey

1-2 Broccoli crowns

1 green pepper

1 onion

salsa

shredded cheddar (optional)

feta cheese

olive oil

Spaghetti squash is not as intimidating as some may think. I've found that one of the quickest ways to prepare the squash is to cut it in half, scoop the middle out, and place one half in a microwaveable bowl of water (the water should be halfway up the bowl. If you can fit both halves in the bowl, go for it!) Place the bowl in the microwave and cook for 15 minutes. After they have cooked, carefully remove the squash from the microwave. Set aside and let them cool.

While you're squash is cooking, place a pan on the stove on medium heat and put enough olive oil in it to cover the bottom of the pan. Dice your onion and bell pepper and throw them in the pan. After about 5 minutes, add your ground turkey. Cook the ground turkey until brown, season to taste, then set aside.

In a medium pot, put about an inch of water in it then place on medium heat. Rinse your broccoli and cut into bite size pieces, add them to the pot and cover. Steam the broccoli until it becomes a bright green color, then season to taste. You don't want to steam the broccoli until it becomes a darker green and mushy because you'll lose most of the vitamins and nutrients broccoli has to offer.

Take one half of your cooled squash and add a couple spoonfuls of your ground turkey. Add your broccoli on top, then cheddar, then salsa, and finally top with feta cheese. 

*Note: I used ground turkey, but you can use chicken breast, ground beef, shrimp, fish, beans, tofu, etc. I used some leftover salsa I wanted to get rid of, but you can substitute that with a fresh homemade salsa or just diced tomatoes. 

-Let's eAt!