Muffins, Part Three

After literally months of muffins, I think I have the recipe down.  These are kid friendly with no sugar and dad friendly with real flavor.

Banana Sweet Potato Muffins

Simple and Delicious!

• 1 sweet potato
• 4 smallish ripe bananas 
• 1/3 cup oil (I used Safflower or canola oil)
• 1 eggs
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp All Spice
• 1 cup spelt flour

Directions

• Heat the oven to 350
• Peel and roughly chop the sweet potato
• Steam the potato (I use my Beaba Babycook) and then puree into a sweet potato mash
• Use the KitchenAid and mix the bananas, oil, eggs, vanilla, and potato.  Blend thoroughly.
• Add in the baking powder, soda, spices, and flour.  Mix until the batter is smooth.
• Line a muffin pan with cases.  
• Fill up each case to the very top.  This should make 12 muffins.
• Bake for about 40-45 minutes.  Cool and store!

First Muffins

A fellow new mom brought a version of the One Handed Cooks' Sweet Potato, Carrot & Apple Spelt muffins to a little get together last week.  Robert got a hold of some and devoured an entire muffin, so I asked for the recipe.  I made a batch yesterday, and they are going quickly!  Robert ate 2 as part of his lunch today.  (Don't worry, they were dessert - he still got plenty of good vegetables!)

Ingredients

• 2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potato (this is one good sized, but not huge, potato)
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 Tbs coconut palm sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 carrot
• 1 peeled and chopped apple
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

• Preheat your convection oven to 350
• Steam the sweet potato for about 15 minutes
• While steaming, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg)
• Using a food processor (or a Beaba once the potatoes are steamed), blend the carrot and apple together.  Mix the carrot and apple into the dry mix
• Use the food processor to puree your sweet potato
• In a Kitchenaid or big bowl, beat your eggs and milk
• Add the sweet potato puree to the eggs and milk
• Fold in the dry mixture until just blended
• Either use cupcake wrappers or butter a muffin pan.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes  My muffins were perfect at the 25 minute mark - and that never happens!

This recipe made 12 muffins exactly.  My husband's comments about them are, "They are so moist and spongey!  I love that!"  Needless to say, I think 3 or 4 have found there way into his belly, too.

*** Update ***  I tried another variation with about 1 tsp of Mexican vanilla.  This added just a touch more flavor.

17 Basic Purees

After several months of feeding my first baby, I feel like I've got a pretty good list of basic purees that helped introduce different foods and flavors.  In a desperate attempt to not get bored - because let's face it, there are a lot of meals when you have to feed this little person something but I certainly don't have the brainpower, time, or ingredients to do something fancy - I've created a go-to list of purees that are simple.  These basics will most likely be the keystones for many more meals.  Just appropriate prep the food by peeling (if necessary) and cutting into chunks.  Steam, puree by adding enough reserved cooking liquid as needed, and you're ready to go:

Deconstructed Omelet

Last night we had breakfast for dinner.  Jon is out of town, so there's no need to get fancy.  I had a tasty omelet stuffed with braising greens with sweet potato hash.  Robert had his own version of a deconstructed omelet -egg yolk and pureed greens.  His side was mashed sweet potato.

Sadly, when I introduced egg a week ago, I had to look up how to boil an egg.  As it turns out, its pretty easy - just put water in a pot, put your egg(s) in it, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Plunge in cold water when it is done.  I've heard that yolks are ok starting at 7 months, but we're introducing some items early, this one included.  Robert absolutely loves the mashed yolk.  I've even used it to sneak in some other foods that he's not excited about.  Once he's used to the yolk + new mystery food, then I'll switch it up on him and just give him the new food.  So far, so good.

The braising greens were from our Farmhouse Delivery bushel, but it was pretty heavy with broccolini, which I know he loves.  The taste was quite bitter, but I mixed just a little breast milk with it, and he gobbled it up.

And what could be easier than mashed sweet potato?  I confess, I stuck this potato in the microwave and didn't even steam it.  When it was done, I portioned out 2 oz bits and mixed in a small amount of breast milk to soften it more.  It was also therapeutic to mash everything together with a fork.