Banana Pancake Bites

This one goes out to my buddy, Ben, who is just looking for something new, and whose mamma is looking for finger foods.

My sister-in-law used to make little, itty-bitty pancakes for her daughters. They were no more than the size of a dime, and you could probably fit 30 to 50 of them on a cast iron skillet. She used to call them Baby Cakes. Back then, I used to stare at these infinitesimal cakes, unable to bear the thought of standing in front of a pan flipping 50 doll-sized pancakes (I’m not coordinated enough to flip cakes that small), but they gave me a good idea.

Banana Pancake Bites are simply a thin slice of banana dipped in pancake batter then fried in a skillet. They look just like little pancakes, and as they cook, the banana almost melts into the batter creating a soft, moist banana- flavored pancake the perfect size for toddlers, and fun for big kids, too.

When I first tried this recipe, I used buttermilk, but it makes the batter too thick and the sides of the cake, coated in batter, were puffing up very high and not fully cooking. On the second go-round, I looked for and found a great pancake recipe on allrecipes.com that used soured milk, which is simply milk with a bit of white vinegar added to it. It does not make the pancakes taste sour. Thanks to kris on allrecipes.com for sharing this recipe, which is slightly thinner, allowing the batter to spread a bit more in the pan, enabling the cake to fully cook around the banana slice.

Baby's Age: 1 year and up

Consistency: small pieces

Banana Pancake Bites

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 egg, beaten (sorry – 1 egg was too much, but this recipe can be doubled)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
dash of cinnamon (optional)
1 large, ripe, peeled banana
cooking spray

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using) in a small mixing bowl.

3. Whisk egg and melted butter into the "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. The mixture will thicken and bubble as it sits. Don’t stir it; the bubbles are a good thing. The mixture will appear too thick, but it will thin and spread a bit when heated in the pan.

4. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Thinly slice banana and dip half the slices into the batter using either your fingers or two forks. Transfer coated banana slices to skillet, leaving enough room between the slices for the batter to spread a bit. Cook until cakes are bubbly on the edges and slightly bubbly on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

5. Repeat with remaining slices.

If your toddler or child is old enough not to make a huge mess, serve with maple syrup on the side for dipping. Leftover slices can be placed on a cookie sheet and frozen, then transferred to a Ziplock freezer baggie for storage. Simply reheat in the microwave.

The pancake batter makes one bananas-worth of cakes. It can easily be doubled to make pancakes for the whole family.

Crispy Wontons

Too often, a hungry baby can turn into a picky toddler. At mealtime, toddlers can become less interested in mushy foods and a lot more interested in playing, watching the dog eat food that falls from the highchair, and finger painting with the food on the tray. They also become a lot more interested in the textures of food. They begin to prefer foods they can chew, foods that are crunchy, and foods that have a lot more flavor than those old mushy piles of applesauce and pureed green beans they used to love.

Enter the wonton. Wonton wrappers are a great way to spruce up even the simplest foods. Fill wonton wrappers with foods a toddler likes (or even foods he / she does not like so much), and suddenly the old and bland is a new experience.

Baby's Age: 1 year

Consistency: crispy pieces

Crispy Wontons

1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 oz cream cheese, softened
5 wonton wrappers
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup canola oil OR 4 tablespoons butter

If preparing this recipe for a baby less than 1 year old, place diced apple pieces in a very small pot with 1/2-inch of water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Drain excess water from pot and add cream cheese, stirring to combine. If your baby is more than a year old and can chew raw apple bits, you do not need to cook the apples beforehand.

In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk and a teaspoon of water. Set aside.

Lay out a wonton wrapper and place 3/4 teaspoon of the apple filling on the wonton. Using a small pastry brush, moisten the edges of half of the wonton with the egg yolk and water mixture, then fold the edges together to create either a triangle or a rectangle shape. Do not overfill the wonton; the filling will expand during cooking and can leak out if overfilled. Set aside wontons.

In a small saute pan over medium heat, heat the canola oil or butter just until warm. If the oil is shimmering, it is too hot and will burn the wonton. The butter should be just bubbling, otherwise it browns in the pan before the wonton is done. Working in batches of 2 or 3, fry the wontons for a minute on each side, just until brown. Transfer to a plate covered with a paper towel or to a wire rack to cool.

Cut wonton into pieces appropriate for toddler's age. Wontons can be left whole for older children. For younger toddlers, trim the very crisp edges, as they are often a bit harder to chew.

Wontons can be filled with a variety of fillings - go crazy: chicken, broccoli, and cheddar. For older kids, mozzarella and diced pepperoni! They can even be made into a desert - diced peaches and cream cheese with a sprinkle of sugar on them just as they're hot out of the pan. Wontons can also be frozen and reheated for use later.

Enjoy!

I like to eat, eat, eat, apples and Ba-nay-nays

Apples! Such a great first food for babies. After peeling, apples can be gently simmered or steamed, then pureed in a food mill or food processor. They are gentle on baby's tummy, and I've yet to meet a baby who didn't like applesauce. Remember, when introducing new food, it sometimes takes 10 - 15 introductions before baby accepts the food! So, if your little one isn't interested in applesauce right away, don't give up. Try the introduction every few days; he or she may eventually not only take to apples, but love them!

I started making applesauce for Hungry Baby when she was 6-months-old. After a few months, I started adding a bit of cinnamon to the apples while they cooked, and this was a big hit. Now that she is 9-month-old, I leave the sauce a bit chunkier knowing that she can easily gum the cooked pieces of apple.

Baby's Age: 6 months and up

Consistency: pureed, or left slightly chunky for older babies

Apple Sauce

2 medium apples, Fuji, Braeburn, Cameo, Gala, Golden Delicious, or Red Delicious are all great choices. Granny Smith tend to be too sour for baby's taste, so leave those for your baking for the rest of the family!
Sprinkle of cinnamon for older babies

Peel and core the apples. Place the chunks of apple (and cinnamon if making for an older baby) into a small sauce pan. Add approximately 3-4 tablespoons of water. Cover and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer 5-7 minutes. The longer the apples are simmered, the more the fibers of the fruit are broken down. So, you may want to simmer a bit longer for younger babies, as breaking down the fibers will make the apple easier to digest, hopefully avoiding a tummy ache from a new food. Transfer apples and cooking liquid to a food processor and pulse to desired consistency - finer and more liquid for younger babies, a little chunkier for older babies. Transfer a serving or two to a bowl and cover for the refrigerator, and freeze the rest in ice cube trays for later. Two medium apples should make around an ice cube tray's worth of cubes of applesauce.

By the time your baby is 10 months old, you may want to start to giving him or her small cubes of uncooked apple, as long as he or she can sit up unassisted, uses a pincher grasp to grab foods, and gums food.

Pea-nuuuuut, Peanut Butter...AND JELLY!

Hungry Baby just weighed in at her nine-month check up in the 95% for weight, and I think I know why. Not only do I put cream and butter in her foods, Hungry Baby loves peanut butter. Creamy, delicious, and fattening.

It used to be taboo to even show a baby a peanut before one year of age. Some literature even recommended waiting until age 2- or even 3-years-old to introduce the tasty legume. But the mindset on peanuts seems to be changing. If your family has no history of food allergies, you may want to consider trying peanut butter. I am a daring, throw caution to the wind, fly by the seat of my pants kind of mom when it comes to food, so when Hungry Baby was 8-month-old, I tried her on peanut butter in a small dose. After a week and no reaction, I gradually increased the amount of peanut butter, and now, at 9-months and few weeks old, she can eat between a quarter and a half of an adult-sized peanut butter sandwich.

If you're going to try your baby on peanut butter, make sure he / she can sit unsupported, is able to feed him or herself using a well-developed pincher grasp, and gums food.

If your infant has other food allergies, you may want to wait to introduce peanuts because of the severity of the reaction that may be caused by peanuts. Also, if your infant has other food allergies, you should talk to your doctor (and likely get the recommendation to wait on peanuts). A strong association between and allergy to eggs and an allergy to peanuts has been demonstrated, as well; in other words, if your baby is allergic to eggs, he / she has a much higher likelihood of being allergic to peanuts. Another good reason to wait on trying peanut butter.

When buying peanut butter, look for a brand that doesn't contain sugar. They're easy to find these days and your grocery should stock them either next to the regular peanut butters or over in the Organic, natural, whole foods section, which is where my grocer likes to hide them. Trader Joe's also makes a great Organic Creamy Peanut Butter. Valencia peanuts and salt are the only ingredients, and it's actually really good - I don't miss the sugar typically found in peanut butter.

Good Old Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

1 teaspoon natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon no-sugar-added jelly, such as Pollaner All Fruit
1 thin slice traditional bread, such as Pepperidge Farm Thin White Sandwich bread, or 1 thin slice of rice bread

When hungry baby first started eating these sandwiches, I would puree the Pollaner Al Fruit if there were large pieces of fruit in the jelly.

Slice the bread in half and assemble that peanut butter sandwich. The ingredients above should make half a sandwich (I'm not sure I know a baby who could eat a whole peanut butter sandwich). Cut the sandwich into very small bite-sized pieces. Remove all clothes from the baby, remove the cloth cover from the highchair (if it has one), and put down the splat mat under the highchair, as peanut butter and jelly will likely end up all over the baby, the chair, and the floor.

If your baby is an energetic eater, you may have to give them the pieces one at a time so they don't put too much in their mouth at once.

This is my favorite quick, no cooking, rainy day lunch. I usually serve with applesauce or another fruit to keep Hungry Baby's mouth from getting too gobbed up with peanut butter.

Carrots

I couldn't think of anything snazzy to say about carrots. But, most babies enjoy carrots. And the best thing about carrots is that once they're pureed, they can can be mixed in with other foods, so baby can get a nutritious vegetable mixed in with something they really enjoy, such as Cheesy Wagon Wheels. Unlike adults, babies are brave eaters, and they'll try food combinations that we consider odd, and they'll like them!

After Hungry Baby had enjoyed carrots for a few weeks, she grew tired of them - either the flavor (or lack thereof) or the consistency, which tends to be runny in jarred baby foods. So, I decided to jazz the carrots up a bit.

I try my best to avoid nitrates in food for Hungry Baby, so I purchase Organic carrots when making baby food.

Baby's Age: 8 months

Consistency: pureed, or left slightly chunky

Sweet Carrots

4-6 oz. Organic baby cut carrots, OR Organic baby carrots, tops trimmed
1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar
drizzle of pure maple syrup

Heat toaster oven or conventional oven to 400 degrees. Place carrots in a small glass or ceramic casserole dish, a 6x9 inch or 7x10 inch dish works well. Sprinkle brown sugar and drizzle maple syrup over carrots.

Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes. Carrots will be very tender when poked with a fork. Allow carrots to cool and, for toddlers, mash with a fork to desired consistency, or, for infants, transfer carrots to food processor and puree to desired consistency.

This recipe will make enough carrots for baby's meal, and to fill an ice cube tray for freezing and reheating at a later date. Or, if you're spouse gets into them, like mine, it just makes one meal for baby and a side dish for the spouse.

Cheesy Wagon Wheels

This is a family pleaser if the adults are up for eating pasta shaped like wagon wheels! Otherwise, it can be halved, or cut the finished dish into two dishes and freeze one half for the kids for later. My 9-month-old and 6-year-old enjoy this equally.

Cheesy Wagon Wheels

8 oz. (half a box) Barilla Piccolini (Mini Wheel-Shaped Pasta)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk (skim, 1%, 2% all work well, the more fat in the milk, the thicker the sauce gets)
2 cups shredded, soft, mild cheeses (I use what I have - last time I made this I used 1 cup medium cheddar, 3/4 cup Colby Jack and 1/4 cup Parmesan - Gruyere works well, too, so does mozzarella, but it gets realllllly stringy!)

In a large pot, bring water for the pasta to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a medium pot over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add flour and stir to combine, then stir for another minute to simmer and cook flour. The flour and butter will bubble ever so slightly.

Turn off the heat and, using a whisk, very gradually, add milk, whisking constantly to combine. Continue whisking and adding milk in 1/3-cup doses, whisking after each addition until milk is incorporated. Return pot to heat and, whisking constantly, bring to a simmer - this should take around 5-7 minutes. Once milk simmers, the sauce should thicken. Remove the sauce from heat and add cheeses. Stir to combine. The cheeses will help thicken the sauce. Cover sauce with a lid and set aside until the pasta is done.

Back to the big pot of water - add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain and transfer pasta to a casserole dish or serving bowl. Pour cheese sauce over top and stir to combine. This is ready to serve, but will thicken even further upon sitting for a minute.

I add a bit more salt, some pepper and Tabasco to mine at the table.

To make a complete meal for baby, add pureed carrots, pureed broccoli, or a fruit dish, such as apple sauce, on the side or combined. Hungry Baby loves this pasta with pureed carrots mixed into the pasta and cheese - proof that baby taste buds are different than ours!

Because this takes 5-7 minutes of whisking to bring the milk to a simmer, I make the sauce while baby is napping. The sauce can be gently reheated on a low heat. If the heat is too high on reheating, the cheese will separate - not a pretty sight. Alternatively, the entire dish can be made ahead of time, combining the pasta and cheese sauce, and gently reheated in the oven, covered at 350 degrees until hot.

Go Meat! Again!

It's time to talk buffalo. Buffalo meat is a great alternative to ground beef. Ounce for ounce, buffalo has less fat, fewer calories, less cholesterol than either beef or skinless chicken. And, for a 3-oz. serving, buffalo contains 3.42 mg iron compared to beef's 2.00 mg and chicken's 1.21 mg. Buffalo is richer, tastier, and because it is low-fat, almost none of it disappears or shrinks in the pan or on the grill.

Also, buffalo meat is loaded with calcium, potassium, and vitamins B6 and B12. Vitamin B12's primary functions are in the formation of red blood cells and the maintenence of a healthy nervous system. B12 is necessary for the rapid synthesis of DNA during cell division. This is especially important in tissues where cells are dividing rapidly, particularly the bone marrow tissues responsible for red blood cell formation.

Buffalo comes in a nice, clean little 1-lb. packet and is usually located near the ground beef at the grocery store. Manufacturer's of buffalo meat are aware that people looking for buffalo are usually doing so for health-conscious reasons, so almost all buffalo is certified Organic, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and is often free-range, as well. Check the packing on the meat to confirm.

Baby's Age: 8 months

Consistency: small pieces

The following recipe makes 3 large and 1 baby-sized buffalo burger.

Buffalo Burgers and Bites

1 lb. ground buffalo meat
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth

In a small bowl, combine buffalo meat and garlic powder. Form buffalo meat into three regular-sized patties and one small patty for baby; use approximately 1 ounce of meat for the baby's patty. Press the patty flat, a thickness of approximately 1/4-inch works well.

Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat, then add baby patty and pour chicken broth around patty. Allow to cook for a few minutes, then turn patty over. Break patty into smaller pieces while in the pan - this will enable you to ensure the meat is cooked through. When no pink is remaining, transfer pieces to a plate.

Wipe out skillet with a paper towel and cook the rest of the patties in a touch of olive oil or in a dry skillet. Break baby's patty into age-appropriate pieces.

Go Meat!

I like the Hillshire Farm Go Meat commercial, because darn it, I like meat! And so do a lot of babies. The old train of thought used to be babies should not eat meat before one year of age, but that is changing. According to the book Baby Bites written by registered dietitian Bridget Swinney,

There are threee groups of infants who might benefit from meat as a first food as opposed to cereal: breastfed infants, premature infants and low birth weight infants. A recent study at the University of Colorado showed that a significant number of breastfed infants had marginal zinc and iron status. Introducing meat instead of cereal greatly increased zinc intake and appeared to increase head growth. Research has shown breastfed babies to be equally accepting of meat and cereal as a first food. Though cereal looks better to adults, babies don't seem to prefer it.

Meat as a first food is not uncommon in many places around the world. Do your own research and talk to your child's pediatrician - you may want to consider giving meat prior to baby's first birthday.

My biggest concern with serving meat as a first food was food safety. Serving an infant under-cooked meat or poultry can be very dangerous. If you've ever experienced salmonella or E. coli poisoning, you can understand the many reasons why it can be dangerous for an infant to experience these illnesses; diarrhea, dehydration, etc. So it's important to be sure that all meats served to an infant have been fully cooked to FDA recommended internal temperatures. I have found the best way to achieve safe internal temperatures without drying the food is through poaching (for poultry) and slow cooking for meats (beef and pork). That means it's time to get out that slow cooker! Heck, Fall is just around the corner anyway, right?

Further, make sure the meat you are considering feeding a baby does not contain additives or preservatives, such as sodium nitrate, and that the meat has not been given hormones or antibiotics. For this reason, it is important to check the ingredients of deli meats, as almost all of them contain sodium nitrate.

So, what meats are best? Beef, chicken, pork, duck, buffalo? In the past, the common thought was that chicken was the best first meat, but these days, beef seems to be emerging as a popular choice for its high iron content. You'll have to decide which meat is best for your baby, and when to feed your baby meat for the first time. Hungry Baby had chicken as a first meat at 7 months. Try buffalo or even lamb.

Following is a simple chicken recipe. I will post a recipe for buffalo burgers in the near future.

Basic Chicken

1 Organic cornish game hen
pat of butter
salt, to taste
garlic powder, to taste

Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine butter, a dash of salt and a dash of garlic powder. Set aside.

Wash and pat dry game hen. Gently lift skin of game hen and rub butter between skin and meat. Place hen breast side up on tray with a rack (chicken will drip fat and juices, so it is important to raise the chicken on a rack or slotted tray to keep chicken out of the drippings). Bake for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour; juices will run clear and an internal temperature reading between the thigh and body (not touching the bone!) will read 165 degrees. If you like a brown chicken, increase heat to 450 for the last 5 - 10 minutes of cooking, but watch it in the toaster oven as the hen tends to be closer to the heating element. Remove from oven and allow to rest.

Pour drippings from chicken into a fat separator or a 2-cup measuring cup and allow to sit for 15 minutes. The fat will separate from the juices and rise to the top. Pour off fat, or use a turkey baster to remove the fat from the top.

If serving an infant, remove meat from breast and put through a food mill or food processor, adding juices as needed for moisture. I add approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup of juices for each hen I puree. Chicken can be served immediately or frozen in ice cube trays for later.

If serving an older child, shred or cube chicken breast and serve.

Hungry Baby enjoys chicken mixed with peaches or mangos. Also serve with peas, carrots, squash or rice.

This recipe can be easily doubled for a couple, or purchase a larger chicken and bake in a conventional oven for the whole family. The internal temperature is the same - 165 degrees.

I'll Be Your Sweet Potato....

What is wrong with me???? (Don't answer that.) I can't believe that I have not sung the praises of Hungry Baby's absolute favorite food: sweet potatoes!!! And what an awesome food sweet potatoes are - sweet potato is like white potato's darker, sweeter, more nutritious cousin. And if you're used to seeing it only on holidays covered with marshmallow fluff and / or brown sugar, then let's take another look at this terrific tuber.

The sweet potato is a nutritional super star - one of the best vegetables you can eat. They're loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. And they are so versatile; they can be whipped, cut into fries, or simply baked. And the best part is, the whole family will love 'em! Hungry Baby started at 6 months with whipped sweet potatoes, and now that she is 9 months, has graduated to sweet potato fries. Both recipes are below.

Baby's Age: 6 months

Consistency: whipped or in pieces

Whipped Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato
butter, to taste
cream, to taste
dash of salt
formula or breast milk, to thin

Poke holes in sweet potato to allow steam to escape. Place sweet potato in microwave and press "Potato" button. I have found that sweet potatoes and white potatoes cook equally well in the microwave with the Potato button if your microwave has a steam sensor, which it should if it is not ancient. Otherwise, bake the sweet potato in the toaster oven on 400 for 45 minutes. Whether baking in microwave or toaster oven, the sweet potato will "sweat" a sticky, sweet goo out of the holes you poked in it when it is done. Test for doneness by inserting a butter knife into the sweet potato. If the knife slides in easily, the potato is done.

Allow the potato to cool enough to handle. Then, slice potato in half and, using a spoon, scoop the fleshy orange insides into a food processor. Add just a bit of butter, cream, a pinch of salt and just a bit of formula, breast milk, or water to thin the potato to desired consistency. The younger your baby, the thinner you will want the mixture. Then let the food processor run for about 30 - 40 seconds, periodically scraping down the sides and thinning with more liquid as necessary.

Serve immediately or spoon into ice cube trays and transfer to Ziplock bags when completely frozen. Potato will freeze well for up to a month.

Bake enough potatoes for the whole family and adjust the recipe (obviously you would not want to use formula or breast milk), making the potatoes thicker and more buttery.

Whipped sweet potatoes are great with grilled chicken and wilted spinach, or a full-flavored fish, such as salmon.


Sweet Potato Fries

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries
1 tablespoon olive oil OR canola oil
cumin, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
sea salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large Ziplock or large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes and oil. Spread the fries out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle fries with cumin and salt.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until crispy and brown on one side. Turn the fries over using a spatula, and cook for another 15 minutes, or until they are all crispy on the outside and tender inside. Thinner fries may not take as long.

This recipe can be increased to feed the family, and of course, the fries for the family can be done on a separate tray with more intense seasonings than the seasonings for baby. Try some pepper on the family's fries!

These potato fry leftovers can also be frozen, but it is nearly impossible to get them crispy again.

Enjoy!

Just Peachy!

One of the best first foods, peaches are sweet, juicy, and most babies love them! Peaches are a diverse fruit - they can be eaten alone, coupled with grains for breakfast, added to yogurt for a snack, and even paired with meats, such as chicken and pork, as part of a dinner. Hungry Baby started eating peaches around 6 months. For older infants (8-months and older), you do not have to cook peaches, but the gentle simmering helps to break down some of the fibers in the peach, making it easier on baby's tummy.

Baby's Age: 6 months

Consistency: pureed, chunked, sliced

Basic Peaches

2 Organic peaches, peeled and cut into chunks, pits discarded
a splash of water

In a small pot over medium low heat, bring peaches to a simmer. Keep heat on low as peaches have a tendency to scorch easily. Simmer just until tender, approximately 3-5 minutes for peaches that are ripe and in-season.

Transfer peaches and any juices to a food processor. If preparing peaches for an older infant, pulse just a few times for a chunkier texture. Puree until smooth for a younger baby.

Allow to cool and either serve immediately or transfer to ice cube trays and freeze for later. Peaches should last up to a month in the freezer.

Try peaches for breakfast!

Peaches and Oatmeal

2 frozen peach cubes
2 teaspoons of infant oatmeal cereal
1 tablespoon of formula or breast milk, or more to thin

Defrost peaches in microwave. Add oatmeal and milk, stirring to desired consistency. Serve. As baby grows, you'll need to increase the amounts in this recipe, and have fun adding: 1 teaspoon of Greek yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup, or a drizzle of cream.

Try peaches for dinner!

1 frozen peach cube
1 frozen chicken cube

Defrost peaches and chicken in microwave, stirring to incorporate. Serve with peas, rice cereal, or sweet potatoes.

Enjoy!

Peas, Please!

Fall reminds me of squash, beans and peas. Dried, split peas are high in folate and thiamin, and are good sources of phosphorus and potassium, but otherwise are not loaded with nutrition, so they are a good paired with other vegetables, fruit or meat. This is also an economical dish as lots of farmer's markets carry Organic dried split peas in bulk; usually averaging between 30 and 50 cents per 1/2 cup of peas.

This is a super simple recipe that uses dried peas, so the ingredients are easy to keep on-hand. The peas come out creamy and sweet, and are great when combined with chicken, carrots, rice cereal, yogurt or squash.

Baby's Age: 6 months, 8 months

Consistency: pureed

Creamy Peas

If preparing as a first food, has your baby had chicken in the past? If not, you may want to use 2 cups of water and no broth.

1/2 cup Organic split dried peas
1 cup sodium-free or low sodium Organic chicken broth
1 cup water

Place peas, chicken broth and water in a small pot and cover with a lid. Bring peas to a simmer and cook, covered for 45 -50 minutes stirring every once in awhile to make sure the peas don't stick. When peas are done, they should be creamy and very easily smashed; there should be no bite to the peas.

Allow peas to cool and puree in food processor until peas are a creamy, smooth consistency. Serve! Leftovers make enough to fill an ice cube tray to be frozen for later use.

Snack Time!

Hungry Baby cannot go for more than a few hours without a snack, especially when we're out and about at the pool, park, or a friend's house. And finding convenient, portable snacks for an infant is not always easy! If your child is accustomed to chewing solid foods, they may be ready to try some of these on-the-go snacks. This is certainly not a comprehensive list of snacks, but a quick rundown of snacks that we find very convenient.

Baby's Age: approximately 8 to 12 months

Consistency: both soft and crunchy pieces

Dried Fruits -
Gerber Graduates Mini Fruit Snacks - These mini fruit snacks are small and very easily chewed. They are not typical fried fruit, which can sometimes be chewy. They are freeze-dried, which makes them almost melt in baby's mouth - try one before you give it to your baby. And best of all, there are no additives; the ingredients for the mini apples is freeze dried apples, and so on for all three flavors: Apple, Pineapple Banana, and Strawberry Banana.

Dried Vegetables -
Comforts for Toddlers Little Veggies Sweet Corn - This product is new and distributed by Kroger, so may not be available at grocery stores other than Kroger. But, where one company starts, others are sure to follow, so watch for this product in your local grocery store in the near future. Once again, the ingredient is just freeze dried corn; no additives or preservatives.

Calbee Snack Salad Snapea Crisps - A super-fun and delicious snack, these snap peas are dried, making them crispy, yet easily dissolvable. They are also easily graspable, so little hands can get a good grip on them. These peas are not intended strictly as an infant or toddler snack; they're actually great for the whole family. Cut and paste the following address into your browser to find a location near you that carries the Snack Salad brand.

http://calbeeamerica.com/snapea_store.htm

Crackers and Cookies -
Baby Mum Mums - These rice rusk crackers dissolve very easily and they can be gummed into mush, they they are not messy like other teething toasts. Where to find Baby Mum-Mums is another issue altogether. In Georgia, they are available at Wal-Mart in the baby food aisle, usually tucked away on the top shelf near the end of the aisle. But I have not been able to find them in any grocery store here. Cut and paste the following address into your browser to find stores near you that carry Baby Mum Mums.

http://www.mummums.com/products/retailers

Baby Mum Mums come in three flavors: Original, Original Organic and Vegetable. All crackers are gluten-free, egg-free, and peanut-free. The crackers are wrapped two to a wrapper, 12 wrappers, a total of 24 crackers in a box. And they actually taste really good!

Cheerios - The old stand-by, Cheerios are one of Hungry Baby's favorite finger foods, and such a bargain since a box will last months when a bay is only eating a few handfuls at a sitting.

Beech Nut Let's Grow Banana Cookies - As far as cookies go, these are likely one of the least offensive, most readily available in grocery stores everywhere. Unlike animal crackers, these cookies are made with whole grain wheat flour and evaporated cane juice as opposed to the high fructose corn syrup and sugar found in traditional animal crackers.

Dairy -
Tillamook Cheeses - Tillamook Medium Cheddar is one of Hungry Baby's favorites! With a mild flavor and soft texture, it's perfect for cutting into small cubes for babies who've mastered the pincher grasp. And its mild flavor means it's not to tangy for baby's taste buds. Tillamook is readily available across the U.S. Cut and paste the following address into your browser to find a Tillamook retailer near you.

http://tillamookcheese.com

Hungry Baby tries new snacks all the time, so we'll post her favorites again in a few months!