Green Chicken Stew {For Baby}

This is one of Ella's favorites. Sound familiar? Yes, she has a lot of favorites...the girl loves to eat! What's better than (or just as good as) a crock pot recipe for grown ups? Duh, a crock pot recipe for babies! This is really easy to just throw together, let it cook all day, toss it in the food processor, and then freeze massive quantities!

Ingredients:
1 cup of low sodium chicken broth
2-3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup green beans
1 chopped zucchini
1 chopped celery stalk
1/4 onion chopped
1/2 peeled and chopped russet potato

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients into a crock pot.

2. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.

3. Puree in food processor.

*I can not for the life of me remember how much this made...if I had to guesstimate, I'd say about 6 - 8 four ounce containers. Can freeze up to 3 months. 

Cheesy Quinoa Potatoes {For Baby}

This was Ella's first experience with quinoa or anything with a grittier texture for that matter. She seemed a little confused at first, but got the hang of it REAL fast. Of course I gave them a try before serving them to her and they definitely have my seal of approval. You just can't go wrong with cheesy potatoes...EVER. As you'll notice from the baby food recipes I'll be posting, I'm also experimenting with some spices here and there (yes, there will be the same - twice...don't even go there smarty pant). 

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked quinoa

1/2 cup of potato puree (I had pureed steamed russet potatoes with water until it reached the desired consistency)
1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

*Pinch of onion powder and thyme (optional)

Directions:

1. Be sure potatoes and quinoa are warmed.
1. Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl.

2. Mix thoroughly until cheese is melted in. 

Made enough for 2 - 3 servings depending on babies appetite - approx. 10 oz. 

Can freeze up until 3 months. 

If I would have let her lick the bowl she would have gotten every last bit! 

Check out my lovely 'Savory' Sponsor:

Avocado Yogurt {For Baby}

Let's bring on the baby food! It's time for the next phase of my blog! Little people food just might be more enjoyable to make than big people food (there, I said it). I've been having a blast putting all kinds of yummy combinations together for Ella. She seems to be loving it too - at least there haven't been any complaints yet. Luckily my girl is a great eater and it's been SO much fun expanding her palate. Avocado is one of MY favorite ingredients so it was only right to make this my first baby food recipe post!

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1/3 cup of Greek yogurt (plain/full fat)

Pinch of cumin

1/2 tsp. of lime juice

Directions:

1. Put all of the ingredients into a food processor.

2. Puree until smooth.

Made enough for 2 servings - approx. 7 oz.

Can freeze up until 3 months.

Hopefully your baby loves this as much as mine did...minus the part where she got so excited and smeared it in her eye!

I Heart My Magimix {Review}

This review has been in the works for a while now. I wanted to use this bad boy several times before sharing my thoughts with you all. If you are in the market for a heavy duty food processor that literally does it all, then look no further!

A few months ago, the people at Magimix By Robot-Coupe were kind enough to contact me and send me this food processor to review. This powerful machine is no joke! When the box arrived, I couldn't believe how many different attachments and pieces that came with it....

• 6-cup, 10-cup and 12-cup mixing bowls.
• 2 metal Sabatier blades, one for small bowl, and one for medium and large bowls.
• Dough blade.
• 2 grating discs.
• 2 slicing discs.
• Blender Mix attachment.
• Egg whisk.
• Spatula.
• Recipe book and DVD.
• Storage box.

Unpacking the box was slightly overwhelming, I definitely wondered what half of this stuff even does! Upon reading the instructions though I realized it's not all that confusing...but I'm still unsure what the circular white piece in the upper right of this pic does. Stephen and I thought it was just a piece of plastic used in packing. I'm glad we didn't throw it away- it obviously does something. 

Ahhhh, upon further research I found out it's the blendermix attachment. Now I can't wait to try it out to make Ella's purees extra creamy. 

Let's talk pros, because there are a lot of them. The first thing I noticed is that the Magimix is quiet! I have no qualms about using it while Ella is napping. How convenient is that?! I love how powerful it is, and how it turns all of the fruits and veggies into purees with such ease, leaving no chunks! That is important especially when making baby food. 

It is very durable and sturdy. I could tell this baby is going to hold up for a long time. The chrome is very simple and wipes clean easily. Speaking of simplicity, there are only three buttons on the food processor itself - on, off, and pulse...easy peasy!

Okay so yessss, there are a bunch of attachments. Depending on you you look at it, it can be either a pro or a con. I like to think of it as a major positive even though they all overwhelmed me at first. The little storage box it comes with is perfect for packing it all away neatly. There are a few key pieces that are my "go to" attachments however it is great to know that the possibilities are endless as far as what else I could use this machine for. I don't have a need for a multitude of kitchen appliances since this is an all-in-one food processor. 

In addition to a TON of baby food purees (fruit, vegetables AND meats), I've also made bases for several soups, as well as sauces. The other night I used the smaller 6 cup bowl to make salad dressing. 

One thing I wasn't impressed with the mash and puree kit. Then again I only attempted it once with sweet potatoes. There is a chance I may have been using it wrong, the directions were a little confusing I'm not going to lie. The food processor itself purees her food so well, I just didn't find a need for the extra attachement anyway.

The only other con I could think of is that since there are so many pieces, there is a lot to clean. The fact that there are multiple mixing bowls helps a lot though when cranking out 8 different kinds of purees!

It is definitely on the pricey side ($350)...but I would say it is SO worth it to have one machine that is capable of doing so much. There are also additional slicing discs, and a juicing attachment that looks like something I may want to get into!

For the past few weekends, my typical Sunday has looked a lot like this...

All things considered, I'm more than pleased with this beast of a kitchen appliance. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is in need of a food processor that can do it all! Ella is loving all of the yuminess that I've prepared for her so far. There is MUCH more where that came from. I hope this review was helpful to you all. Click HERE to learn more about the wonderful products that Magimix has to offer! You can buy one at Williams Sonoma!

This Magimix was sent to me free of charge from Magimix by Robot-Coupe. All opinions shared in this review are my own.

Christie @ Little Big H {Guest Post}

Hi, my name is Cristie and I blog at Little Big H. This is my very first guest post so I am very excited. I started Little Big H late last year as a way to share recipes with other parents interested in raising adventurous eaters. My son is now 12 months old and eats everything (just about everything - I’m still working on blue cheese).

The recipes on my blog are nutritious, delicious and not too difficult. You will find lots of recipe ideas that are suitable for babies just starting solids at 4 months old and now that my son is reaching the point that he can eat what we eat - recipes that are suitable for the whole family.

I also write about baby/toddler fashion and the occasional baby/toddler product.

I hope you enjoy the recipes below. They are suitable from 6 months (if you have introduced the ingredients individually). Chicken with apples is a great introduction to a protein as apples are often one of the first foods babies try. The addition of thyme gives it a lovely flavor.

Chicken with Granny Smith Apples and Thyme

Ingredients
¼ onion, finely diced
2 medium sized Granny Smith apples (approx 150g), diced
1 potato, diced
50 grams chicken breast, diced
Pinch of nutmeg
1 sprig of thyme
1 tbls crème fraise (optional)

Steps
Add the onion, apple, potato, chicken and the sprig of thyme to a steamer basket and steam for approximately 15 minutes – or until the chicken is cooked through

Once cooked, discard the spring of thyme. Add the ingredients to a blender along with nutmeg and crème fraise and a little of the cooking juices

Blend until you have a smooth puree, adding more of the cooking juices until the desired consistency is reached 

Sole with Red Grapes and Fennel

Ingredients
1 small bulb of baby fennel, finely sliced
A bunch of red grapes – about 100g (or a tbls raisins if out of season)
50g Sole fillet (or another delicate white fish), diced
150g parsnip (or potato), diced
A few parsley leaves

Steps
Add all ingredients to a steamer basket. Steam for approximately 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked and the vegetables are tender

Once cooked, add the ingredients to a blender along with a little of the cooking juices. Blend until the desired consistency is reached.

Berry Coulis

Ingredients

250g mixed berries (I used strawberries, blueberries and raspberries)
1 tbls water

Steps
Add berries and water to a saucepan and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Squash the berries with a folk to release some of the juices. Add additional water as needed.

Remove from the heat and serve as is to older babies that are used to the texture or blend to achieve a smooth coulis.

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Hey guys, it's Steph! How INCREDIBLE are these recipes?!?! Christie is phenomenal, and so is her blog. Definitely check it out! Is anyone else inspired...because I am! I think I'm ready to step up my game! Thanks a bunch for sharing Christie!!!!