Photo credit: MarthaStewart.com
We all know by know that Mama doesn’t have a whole lot of time to cook. Not only that but cooking just cannot be fun with three screaming kidlets running all around you. Cooking…real cooking takes time, a glass of wine and a little Enya playing in the background. Thus, in Mama’s house we do what’s known as modified cooking. Not that the ingredients are all that different but the process is definitely different. The luxury of time has slipped away from Mama and while playing taxi cab, chef, laundress, housekeeper, teacher and referee is all well and good, at 5:30 p.m. we’re at a loss for dinner. That’s when the lightbulb went off as Mama was feeding CeCe a yummy spoonful of vegetable goop (organic goop but…) — breakfast for dinner!
Not only breakfast…but muffins! Not really a revelation for most people but Mama’s kids are keen breakfast eaters and not so much on anything else. So Mama decided that it was time to get all Deceptively Delicious on them and sneak some of CeCe’s yummy vegetable and fruit purees into some muffins to whip up a tasty, yet healthy meal. The best of three worlds when you think of it.
After consulting with Martha (yes, thee Martha…well, at least her iPad app of recipes), Mama found a muffin recipe that would serve as the base then whatever purees Mama had available would be substituted to make a healthy muffin. Right now Mama is loving the Ella’s Kitchen brand of baby food (available at Target) that is filled with lots of different organic vegetables and fruits like butternut squash, carrots, apples and prunes or spinach, apples and rutabagas. Mama must admit, Mama has never even had a rutabaga…have you? Or a parsnip? But the kids have!
So breakfast for dinner it is…and for snacks…and for on-the-go healthy meals…Mama is happy with the results (minus the crumbs…bring a napkin) and so are the kids. For an extra healthy meal pair with your favorite smoothie…mmmmm!
Mama’s Baby MuffinsÂ
1 cup of your favorite Baby Food Pouch Puree (see Mama’s suggestions above)
1/2 cup of your favorite berries or fruit chopped into chunks (i.e. blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, mango, apples)
1/3 cup of sugar
1 1/4 cup of All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup of Whole Wheat Flour (if you don’t have whole wheat then use more of the All-Purpose Flour)
2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon of Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamom
1/2 cup of lowfat Buttermilk
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pan with muffin tin liners. Toss and mash together the chopped fruit and 1/3 cup of sugar. In a separate bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Next, stir in the buttermilk, olive oil, egg and vanilla. Stir until there are no lumps and then add your baby food pouch puree and chopped fruit. Stir together and divide evenly among the muffin tins. Bake 15-18 minutes until toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Yum, yum, yum…how do you make sure your kids eat healthy?
