Browse Tag: baby food

School Lunches

With the start of the new school year, I thought I’d write this as a reminder to myself when I run out of ideas.

One of the new challenges of KK’s preschool is that I have to pack her lunch everyday.  What makes it challenging is that 1) she doesn’t like sandwiches (only PB&J, which is not allowed), 2) they don’t warm up the food at school, and 3) KK is a slow eater.  She usually comes home with leftovers everyday and her teacher told us that the kids get only 35 minutes to eat.  Here is what I’ve packed for her this past month.

IMG_8882Rice, furikake (she calls them “sprinkles”), hard-boiled egg, steamed brocolli leftover from night before, and watermelon

IMG_9077Ham, cheddar cheese, bell pepper, rice, edamame, furikake, and watermelon

IMG_8631Hard-boiled egg, grilled corn from last night’s dinner, pasta, and bell pepper (under the pasta)

IMG_9394Pasta, peas, grilled chicken from last night’s dinner, and pineapple

IMG_9638Edamame, cucumber, carrots, Mediterranean flatbread (TJ’s), and hummus

IMG_9693Chicken salad, flatbread, cucumber, edamame, and cantaloupe

kale, spinach, and chicken bites

I saw some kale and spinach bites in the freezer section at Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago and thought I could try to make my own for Kumquat.  I looked up a few recipes and made a few tweaks of my own.

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I started with onion sweating in butter and olive oil.  I bought frozen spinach and kale (1/2 bag each) because I didn’t know when I would have the time/energy to make these.IMG_9458

The spinach and kale went into the pan and I cooked it until all the frozen veggies were warm and soft.

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In the meantime, I shredded some parmagiano reggiano (~1/2 cup) and then set it aside in a bowl.  IMG_9460

I also found some leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge, so I chopped some up and put them in the food processor.IMG_9461

The cooked spinach and kale went in with the chicken and I added some green onion.IMG_9462

It was all pulsed together to shred and mix everything together.IMG_9463

In the bowl that had the shredded cheese, I added the veggie/chicken mixture along with an egg and 2/3 cups of panko bread crumbs.IMG_9464

It all got mixed together and some salt and pepper went in to season it all.IMG_9465

Then I rolled the mixture into a ball and flattened it into a patty.  It got rolled in more panko bread crumbs and placed on a cookie sheet.IMG_9466

Here they are before going into the 325-degree oven.  They can sit close to each other since they won’t be expanding or anything.

IMG_9468When it was all done, the bread crumbs didn’t really brown but it was a little crispy on the outside and tender inside.  It stays together enough to use a fork for the small pieces and Kumquat really liked it!  I froze the remaining 12 and stored them for later meals.  Mission accomplished.

Pasta Cups

IMG_6744Tonight I made up a new recipe.  Went to Safeway to pick up some ground turkey and ricotta.  Had some pasta, kale, and leftover shredded cheese and tomato sauce at home.  I cooked up the ground turkey, added the tomato sauce, and then mixed in chopped kale until it wilted.

IMG_6745At the same time, I boiled some wheel pasta and when it was done, I scooped some into the turkey mixture.

IMG_6747While it was still hot, I folded in some bread crumbs and ricotta (about 3 heaping scoops).  It all went into the trusty muffin tin and got a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.

IMG_6749They turned out quite well and has a flavor and texture similar to lasagna.  You can barely taste and feel the kale so it’s an easy way to packed in the vitamins and iron too!

IMG_6757This is how they looked after they cooled and placed in a ziploc for the freezer.  I set aside one of the cups for Kumquat’s lunch tomorrow.  Hope she likes it!

Mac&Cheese Bites

IMG_5933This was a really easy toddler recipe that I put together last night.  I prepared two boxes of Annie’s Organic Shells and Cheddar and added some frozen peas and corn.  After making a bowl for Kumquat’s dinner and packing away a portion for her lunch the next day, I still had plenty to store.  I sprayed a muffin tin and scooped the pasta into the wells.  Then I covered the tray with foil and put it in the freezer.  This morning, I took out the tray and wiggled the cups out.  They all went into a Ziploc bag and they’re ready to eat another day.  Aren’t they cute?!

Basil

IMG_4430I bought this basil plant from Trader Joe’s for $2.99.  It had grown so big and bushy that I was able to harvest some basil to make caprese salad and pesto a month ago.  I took such good care of it that it kept growing to a point where I could harvest more leaves a second time.  This is what the plant looked like AFTER I had harvested the leaves.  Woot.  I’m definitely getting my money’s worth (and more) out of this plant.

IMG_4431Look at how much I got from a second harvest!

IMG_4432So, I made some pesto.  Notice the baby food processor?  It’s great for more than just baby food!  This is what it looked like when I put the leaves, garlic cloves, and some pine nuts in the machine.

IMG_4433Then I added some shredded parmigiano reggiano and olive oil to make it nice and smooth.  Once I seasoned it with salt and pepper, it was ready to go!  IMG_4434

We made pasta with chicken tonight for dinner.  The bowl is all wrong for this photo but you get the point.  So, we had enough pesto for dinner tonight and a little bit reserved for Kumquat to eat later this week with her pasta wheels.  Yippee!

Egg Bites

IMG_7886I had some chicken and spinach in the fridge so I made some egg bites for Kumquat.  I got inspiration from Pintrest but kinda winged it.  It started out with the following ingredients:

  • 7 eggs
  • chopped baby spinach (about two handfuls)
  • chopped cooked chicken from two nights ago (about two handfuls)
  • 1/2 cup of shredded cheese I found in the fridge
  • 1/2 cup of whole milk

IMG_7887They all went in a bowl together.  I mixed the wet ingredients together first and then dumped all the dry ingredients afterward.

I used a little baking spray on the bottom of each of the muffin wells and wiped it up with a paper towel to spread it evenly.  Then I used a ladle to get them into the muffin tins and I had just the right amount to fill all 12 wells.

IMG_7888They went into the oven at 350 degrees until they were puffed up and golden around the edges.

IMG_7890Here’s the final product!  They went into the freezer in ziploc bags for future meals.  Let’s hope Kumquat eats them up!

 

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