Easy Organic Mac and Cheese

Buying an organic box of Mac and Cheese will set you back about $2.59...make it yourself for much less, and with minimal effort! The stickiness of the cheese makes this a good finger food for our little ones that are still mastering the art of the spoon.

Ingredients
1 16 oz box plain macaroni
1/2 cuip cream cheese
2 cups cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Boil macaroni and drain. Mix with cream cheese and cheddar. Place in oven and heat. You can easily add in meat or veggies to make it a hearty meal.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Maybe not the most nutritous of snacks, but this one at least sneaks some oatmeal in and has less sugar than some other cookie recipes. Both of our little ones kept running to the counter saying "cookie!"

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup coconut
1 egg
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

In mixing bowl, beat butter, egg, and vanilla. In another bowl, mix remainder of ingredients. Add dry mixture to butter mixture (note, this batter will seem dry, trust me, it turns out!). Mix well. Form little cookie balls and flatten onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes. Cool 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack. Yum!

Carrot Zucchini Muffins

I've tried quite a few muffin recipes for the little ones, and they seem to enjoy this recipe the most. Not only do they taste great (I snuck some bites as well!) but the ingredients are relatively inexpensive even when you buy organically.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup whole milk or buttermilk
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar (I used a little less and they still turned out well)
• 1 cup zucchini, shredded (make sure to drain the zucchini to remove all excess water)
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and shredded

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. With nonstick cooking spray, coat just the bottoms

2. In large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
3. In medium-size bowl, whisk egg, milk, oil and sugar until blended. Stir in zucchini and carrots. Make a well in flour mixture; pour in egg mixture. Stir until dry ingredients are just moistened.
4. Spoon rounded tablespoon batter into each cup. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool pans on rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins; cool on rack.

Apple Pie for Little Ones

This recipe was a hit even with our picky eater. Keep in mind, the apple chunks may be too chewy for little ones without teeth or under 6 months. Also, the recipe calls for eggs. Most pediatricians advise against using the whole egg before 10 months. Check with yours, of course! In this recipe, you could just sub in some baby cereal to thicken instead of using egg.

3 apples
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon water
Small pinch of ground cinnamon

Peel and core the apples and then cut up into small pieces.  Pour lemon juice and water into a small saucepan, add apples.  Heat on medium for about 20 minutes or until the mixture is soft. Stir pretty often to prevent burning.

Puree the mixture to the consistency you want it. For older babies/toddlers, you can leave the chunks bigger to allow them to eat it with their fingers.  Add in egg yolk (or cereal) and sugar. 

Beat until the mixture is to desired consistency. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, enought time for the pie to set.  Serve cooled.  

Parsnip and Carrot Casserole

My little guy loved this recipe. It was easy to make and freezes well.

1 lb Parsnips, sliced and cooked
1 lb Carrots, sliced and cooked
1/2 cup chedder or mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs (you can make your own by putting bits of bread on a baking sheet in the oven for 10 min at 350)
Roux (2 TBS melted butter, 2 TBS whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 cup milk, pinch of nutmeg and garlic powder)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cooked parsnips and carrots in bottom of 8x12 casserole dish. Pour the roux over the parsnips, top with bread crumbs and melted cheese. Bake for 15- 20 minutes.

Welcome to Messy Eaters!

Over the past six months, I have tried numerous recipes for our little ones with varying amounts of success. I hope you can find a recipe or two posted that looks interesting enough to make for your youngin's. While it may not be as easy as opening a box or jar, it can be a fun "chore" to make new and unusual menu items for your budding foodies!