Banana Berry Peach Smoothie

If you read my previous post, then you know that Fry has some molars coming in right now. Two nice big ones on both the left and right side of the top of his mouth. They've been slowing pushing through for WEEKS now, and have really been messing up his whole little world. Most of the time, he's just fine. But the pain has most certainly affected his eating and sleeping habits. Understandable, yes… But still troublesome when the little stinker is waking up wanting to nurse 2-3 times a night again all of the sudden because his tummy is grumbling because he ate like a bird all day long! Le sigh.

So I got to thinking…
When I was pregnant with him, my first trimester was especially brutal. I felt nauseous and threw up often, and had very few foods that I could stand to see or smell (let alone eat and keep down). My solution? Liquid food! Slimfast shakes became my new best friend. Not because I was trying to lose weight, obviously, but because in one glass I was getting plenty of protein and vitamins and nutrients. It was generally far easier for me to keep down, and I figured a diet shake was better than nothin'.

So I got to thinking some more…
If liquid meals kept my belly happy when I couldn't eat anything else, why not do the same for baby boy? An epiphany! He was eating nothing but pureed fruits and veggies a few months ago, only now he'll be drinking it through a straw himself. Same difference, right? So lately, after we attempt some din din, he gets a fruit smoothie before bed. This is not only helping to fill his belly up a little bit more to encourage him to sleep through the night, but it's a real treat for him too! He sucks em up so quickly I honestly don't know how he doesn't get derailed by brain freezes.

Here's what you need:
Banana
Frozen peaches
Frozen blueberries
Milk

These, of course, have about a billion variations. Use whatever fruit or veggies your kiddo enjoys most, or even sneak in some of the ones they don't! My general go to smoothie for the boy always includes milk and banana as a base, and frozen fruit to thicken and chill the drink without having to use ice. I'm currently using a Ninja blender system, which is AWESOME (more on this lovely machine to come). If your blender isn't too great however, these smoothies should still come together for you just fine. The frozen fruit seems easier for most blenders to take down than ice. Anyway…

Put half a banana (and save the other half for breakfast or a snack for the next day), about 4-5 peach slices, roughly 10-20 blueberries, and 1/4-1/2 cup of milk into your blender. (We've been introducing cow's milk to Fry's diet recently. Since lactose intolerance is very prevalent on Dad's side, we're easing it in very gradually. Fry's shakes only get about a 1/4 cup of skim milk, and we're only using skim because that's what we drink. If there were even a half gallon of fatty milk, the majority would go to waste. So for now, he's getting what we're getting.)

Now BLEND! Duh.

And that's that!
If it's thin enough, pop it into a straw style sippy cup. If it's thicker, you'll probably have to monitor your little one with a regular cup and straw. If that doesn't work, well, you're on your own my friend.

(You see my creepster beast monger in the background there? Hahaha!)

Happy (über late) St. Patrick's Day!

My apologies for my sudden disappearance! This little booger face right here has been a handful lately, and I just haven't made the time to post. He's got some nice big flat teeth coming in agonizingly slow on both sides of the top of his mouth. What does this mean? It means much boycotting of daytime naps, sleeping through the night, and eating full meals. Joy. But that's just how it goes!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Fry and I here at SIZZLE MA!

I promise I'll try to keep up a little bit better with this blog. On the plus side though I'm fairly certain no one's following me yet, so we'll let this one slide. ;)

Tuna Pasta Salad

Just typing that title makes me nauseous. This meal is a shining example about serving your children things that you may not like yourself. Personally, I can't stand tuna (unless it's raw), "salads" (you know, a mix of whatever thrown in some mayo), or peas. YUCK! Nevertheless, it's an excellent meal for little man.

Here's what you need:
Tuna
Pasta (we're using whole wheat rotini)
Peas
Mayonnaise
Canola Oil (or olive oil, etc.. optional)




Start by cooking your pasta. To save some time, add your peas to cook with the pasta when it's close to being done.


Once cooked, drain the water and add a teeny tiny bit of canola oil. This keeps the pasta from sticking to itself and adds a pinch of healthy fats.

Next, add your drained tuna and a small spoon of mayonnaise. You just need enough to lightly coat everything. Stir it all up. DONE!

To add some different texture, I broke up a couple crackers on top of everything. Easy peasy! I suppose this can be made as a family meal, but as mentioned, I can't stomach any part of this! Lucky for me though, baby boy ate it right up. Enjoy!

The Finest of Finger Foods

Oh finger foods, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways….

Finger foods sure are wonderful. They're quick and easy. They encourage your tot to work on that pincer grip, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, the art of chewing, and how to simply enjoy mealtime.

Most days, lunch is 100% hands on for Fry. It gives him that lovely feeling of independence and "I can do it!" that toddlers thrive on, and it gives me a chance to catch up on chores around the apartment. The nice thing about this age, is that it doesn't have to make sense either.

Today's finger food lunch, for example, is a bowl full of: peeled green apple, raw zucchini, peas, matchstick carrots, cooked tomato, cheddar cheese, ham, turkey, and white bread.

Is this my ideal lunch? Goodness, no! (I'm a bit compulsive, so the thought of all these things mingling and touching is kind of repulsive to me.) But that doesn't mean it's not great for Fry! It's just a pile of things he likes with a whole array of different flavors, textures, and colors that is as filling as it is healthy.

To add to the fun, every now and then I'll serve him his nibblies in a few different sized and shaped containers. It gives him the opportunity to play with his food in a mommy-approved fashion. Be prepared for a super messy floor though!

Apple Cinnamon Waffles

The sun is up and tiny tummies are already grumbling. Time to get started on some breakfast, and I mean fast, otherwise there's going to be a little grumpers running around my ankles screaming.

Now, you want your baby's meals all homemade, right? Sometimes you just don't have time to make every little thing from scratch. Understandable! That's where the freezer comes in, your new best friend. There are tons of things that can be pre-made, pre-portioned, put in the freezer and will be ready to go whenever you need them. Breakfast items are some of my favorite to make ahead of time and put in the freezer. Pancakes, waffles, and even french toast heat right back up without any hassle straight from the freezer to the toaster.

And on that note, we can get started. So QUICKLY NOW! Breakfast!

Grab a waffle from the freezer and pop it in the toaster. Wash your apple thoroughly. (Quick tip: apples are one of those items you may want to consider buying organic. Why? It's almost standard for them to get a coating of wax to make them all pretty and shiny in the produce section. Nice to look at? Sure. Nice to eat? Not so much. More on this subject later.) Today baby boy is getting a nice tart granny smith green apple. I peel the skin since it's still tough for him to chew when raw, core it, and dice it up. I give him about half to go with his waffle, and the other half gets put away for finger food nibblies for later. Waffle popped up yet? It should have. If not, you might wanna check on it because it's probably on fire. I like to cut it along it's built in grid because until my coffee is ready my brain is useless, and these seem to be perfect sized squares. Toss your cut up waffle and apple into a bowl, dust with cinnamon, and put a light drizzle of syrup on top. No need to avoid syrup if you're feeding your tot well, the bit of sugar is a nice treat for them as long as you're giving it in moderation and not loading them up on other junk throughout the rest of the day. Personally, I like to put this into the microwave for a few seconds to warm up the apples and the syrup, but this certainly isn't a must. Make sure you mix it up a bit so that cinnamon gets on everything, and that's that!

Breakfast time! If you like, take the other apple half and make some waffles for yourself! After all, baby isn't the only one that needs a good breakfast to start the day.

Tilapia with Zucchini and Rice

What do I think is the best part about leaving the baby phase behind and entering the crazy world of toddlerhood? CHOW TIME! But of course.

No longer does the boy need to eat mish-mush that has to be carefully cooked until it's squishy goo and then pureed to oblivion. No, now he just walks right up to me and points at whatever's in my hand demanding a bite! Although I do not want Fry to get in the habit of begging like a bad dog, I do appreciate the fact that he can enjoy the same things that I am. Talk about a time saver too!

So today's meal idea is based around just that: Saving time in the kitchen by creating meals that the whole family can eat!

Dinner last night consisted of grilled tilapia with garlic zucchini and steamed white rice.

Let's pause for a minute so that I may explain my cooking style a little bit.
I.
LOVE.
GARLIC.
A lot. My husband has had to take on a love of garlic as well, and now it's the boy's turn. Nearly anything I ever cook has garlic involved. Fresh garlic, garlic powder, often times both... I. Love. Garlic.

That being said, I did have to use one extra pot for this meal so that I could tone down the garlic levels in Fry's meal as compared to what Mom and Dad were having. Plus, I put a ton of pepper on the zucchini, and a decent amount of salt on the fish, neither of which I feel Fry needs to be having so much of. So alas, one extra pot weaseled it's way onto the stovetop and into my dishes. Uuusually though, the goal here is to not add to your work level whatsoever. But... let's get cooking!

It's all about timing.
Before beginning any meal that requires some effort, take a moment to consider what needs to be done. What needs the most attention? What can be left in the background? You want everything to come together at the same time without overwhelming yourself, burning food, or leaving items to wait and get cold.

How this meal was timed:
The rice can steam in the background and even when it finishes the rice cooker will keep it warm. Thus, making the rice is the first step. Set it and forget it, right? While that's happening, the tilapia comes straight from the freezer and into a sink of hot water to thaw. And while that's happening, I can gather up supplies and prep for the rest of the meal.

What do I need? A pot to cook the zucchini, a pan to cook the fish, and a small pot to prepare Fry's portion. Also the cutting board, a paring knife, colander, cooking spoon, and spatula. Food? Fresh garlic, zucchini, canola oil, butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Got everything all over the counters? Good. (Quick tip: Gathering everything before hand will save you time while cooking. To save time AFTER your meal i.e. clean-up, put things away as soon as you finish with them. Any extra time I have, I use to put spices back or get no longer needed dishes into the dishwasher. It can be a hard habit to get in to, but it really pays off. I don't know about you, but I hate having to clean after I've just cooked and eaten a nice big meal.)

The pan for the fish is set medium-low heat to warm up, with canola oil to keep the tilapia from sticking. The pots are left to start boiling water for the zucchini. While the stove is going, veggie prep time! Wash and cut zucchini, then dice a portion of it into bite sizes for the boy. Roughly chop about 3 cloves of garlic to cook with Mom and Dad's tilapia, and mince another clove for the zucchini. Fish thawed? Water boiling by now? It's cook time!

Popping the fish in the heated pan gives it a good crisp without burning it. I season it while it cooks with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on one side. The zucchini goes into the boiling water for a quick blanch, and the diced zucchini goes in the smaller pot to blanch as well. A few minutes later, the zucchini can be drained and the fish flipped.

When I turn the tilapia, I add a nice sized pat of butter to the pan along with the chopped garlic. (Did I mention how much I love garlic?) I don't start with the butter in there because it burns somewhat fast, so adding it later lets the fish soak up some buttery goodness without burning. The other side gets another light dusting of salt and pepper, along with a hit of paprika. For the zucchini, that is currently waiting in the colander in the sink while the tilapia gets it's final seasoning, I start by melting some butter in the same pot it was in, and add the minced garlic to cook. Once you smell the garlic well, toss the zucchini back in with a bit of salt and lots of pepper.

For Fry's portion, his zucchini is done after blanching. I set that aside in his plate with some rice (which has long since finished in the background) so that it can cool down. In his little pot, I now cook his piece of tilapia. This one only gets some canola oil in the pan and a bit of garlic powder and paprika. No salt, no pepper, nice and simple but flavorful. His piece is nice and small, so in the time it takes to cook both sides, Mom and Dad's zucchini and tilapia have just finished cooking.

And it's done!

Everything finished at the same time, only one more small pot used than if I was cooking only for my husband and I, and everything nice and hot. Success!

Ellis approves of this meal. Greatly! So much so, that he nearly inhaled his food and ended up tapping into mine. He was shoveling food into his mouth so fast, that there was an epic amount of rice casualties all over the floor within a 4 foot radius of his chair. Let me assure you, I had a date with my vacuum after this. But hey, that's my amazing little eater!

Toddler "Sushi Rolls"

Lunchtime is looming. The kiddos are already rolling their eyes at the thought of another sammich. What's a parent to do? Try this fun alternative! Toddler "Sushi Rolls" are easily customized to your child's particular tastes, and are really quick and easy to make.

Here's what you need:

Lunchmeat

Cheese

Veggies (optional)

Today, we're using turkey and ham with colby-jack cheese, cooked matchstick carrots, and pureed yellow squash and zucchini.

Simply lay out a slice of lunchmeat and add some shredded/grated cheese and your veggies (if any).

Now roll it all up!

Heat in the microwave for a few seconds to melt the cheese and warm everything up.

Slice, serve, and you're all done!

I served this up with some cucumber cubes and some whole grain white bread on the side. Now, baby boy loooves him some cheese. I was really expecting this to be a big hit. The verdict? FAIL. Fry used to adore his zucchini and yellow squash, but for some reason he hasn't been taking to it. I'll be damned if I'm gonna let this last batch of it go to waste though! I keep trying to sneak it into other meals, this being one of them. Sometimes it works, this time it didn't. Darn! Normally though, this meal clears plates.

"Nice try, Mom. I keep telling you I'm not eating that green mush crap though."

Before I forget...

Let this post stand as my "disclaimer".

No, I am not a nutritionist.

I am not a doctor.

I am not a child care specialist.

I am a mother, and that is all. You should always discuss matters concerning your child's health with their pediatrician.

When introducing new foods, introduce them one at a time with at least 4 days in between new items. This way if they have any kind of reaction, you'll know exactly what caused it. Not all food allergies will leave your kid a red swollen blob that can't breathe... it can be a diaper rash, spitting up more than usual, hives, uncharacteristic grumpiness. YOU know your child best, so you ought to be able to identify when something's not quite right.

Figure out what foods are highest risk for an allergic reaction for your child based on family history. (For Fry, banana, avocado, pineapple, and citrus are high risk and he may also be lactose intolerant based on me and my husband's family background). These items should probably be avoided until approved by your baby's doctor.

There is also a mighty fine list of things that are NOT recommended for children under one year of age to include: peanut butter, honey, eggs, cow's milk, corn, shell fish/crustaceans, certain kinds of fish, and plenty more. Each item is off limits for different reasons to include: high risk for allergic reactions, choking hazards, difficult to digest, and more.

Anything that I don't run by his doctor first, I research online. Personally, one of my favorite sites to reference (for anything bebe!) is Baby Center. There's a whole wealth of valuable information here that has yet to steer me wrong.

And that's that.
My little Fry monster is alive and kickin' after my cooking, but that in no way means that the menu I have presented to him will work for your tot. Use your common sense and better judgement when preparing foods for your child, and take the proper precautions when introducing new items.

Let's Meet Our Contender: FRY

More importantly than going more into depth about who I am, allow me to introduce to you Ellis Fry!

Yes, that is his legal name. He was born February 9, 2012 putting him just above the one year mark today. My baby isn't my baby anymore, but a wild little toddler! (Which means I'll have to do some backtracking to document his baby food mish-mush days, but we'll get into that another time.) He has been walking for months now, and jibber jabbers on all day long. His current interests include Mama & Dada, reading (not that he can read, of course, but he loves his books!), being outdoors, and watching Yo Gabba Gabba and Finding Nemo.


My little amazers is nothing short of... well... amazing! I'm so full of love for this beautiful little boy. He is my motivation to be the best person I can be so that hopefully he can always look up to me and be proud to call me Mom. It's this overwhelming love that sparked the desire to never buy a single jar of baby food. I mean, I wouldn't eat that crap, so why should I expect him to?

His current safe food list is as follows:

Apple, banana, mango, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, pear, plum, blueberry, peach, cucumber, tomato, avocado, zucchini, yellow squash, peas, carrot, potato, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, turnip, onion, beans, rice, oatmeal, cheerio's, pasta, bread, waffles, crackers, cheese, greek yogurt, hamburger/steak, chicken, turkey, ham, tilapia, salmon, sausage, cranberry juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, garlic, paprika, chili, and less importantly chocolate and birthday cake.

(Pretty sure I got just about everything there, unless Dada or the grandparents have been sneaking him things.)

He eats most anything without a fuss. When he does put up a fight, usually if I can sneak in one bite he'll realize, "Oh yeeeah! I like this!" and devour his meal. Lately, I've been having more troubles getting him to eat his mish-mush (that's what we call his pureed food). He's enjoying his growing independence and prefers to feed himself. In the same breath though, he has a habit of shoving WAY too much food in his mouth at one time, so I still have to chop things up pretty itty bitty and am a bit insistent on just a little mish-mush each day.

And that's my Gubba Bubba! (You'll come to find this poor child has about 10,000 nicknames. Lucky for you though, I've only got one child, so he's always the one I'll be talking about!)

Currently, he's eating a wider variety of foods than his 6 and 4 year old cousins. That's something I feel good about. I'm determined to keep my little awesome eater and not have a McKiddo that only wants chicken nuggets, pizza, french fries, and ketchup. No no no. Not in this household!

Welcome to SIZZLE MA!

Howdy y'all! Greetings from the heart of Texas!

I'm Sarah, but you can call me Sarsy.

Who am I?

No one really. I'm a 25 year old stay at home mother. My husband's name is Aldo, we've been together for over 6 years, and he works full time so that I may stay home with our son. Ellis Fry was born February 9, 2012. He is our first (and currently only) child. Our little family is very tight knit, and we're most certainly homebodies. 

Parenthood has been a unique and amazing journey thus far. It has brought out things in me that I never guessed were there. Patience especially. I, like any reasonable parent, want to give my boy the best this world has to offer. I have extremely high expectations of myself as a mother. That said, brings me to my point...

Why am I here?

Well, on my quest to provide my boy the best start in life began in his tummy. I chose to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months of his life. He maybe had one can of formula total during this chunk of his life, mostly against my will but for the sake of me getting a pinch of shuteye. The day he turned 6 months old, I added another job title to my Mommy resume: Master Chef!

I have not once bought baby food for Fry.

Everything that he eats, comes straight from my kitchen. Why? Because I know exactly what he's eating. If he has any reactions to a new food, there's zero guessing about what isn't agreeing with him. No preservatives. No fillers. No artificial this or that. No unnecessary salt or sugar. I know it's fresh. I know it's healthy. I know it's jam packed with vitamins and nutrients essential to his rapid development. 

The bonus? Fry has an amazing appetite and quite the varied palate for a kid his age!

And that, my friends, is why I have created SIZZLE MA.

I want to document my journey in baby/toddler food making for a few reasons. One is so that when I'm feeling less than inspired to cook, I can reference my own meal ideas to remind myself how easy it can be. So that when the next kiddo comes along, I'll have motivation to provide the same awesome start in life as Fry got. To use as a food journal since Fry is still trying new things. But more than anything... I want to encourage other parents to try making your own baby food! I want you to see that it's not as difficult or time consuming as you might think. I want you to be daring and adventurous with your child! Let's get away from the oh so bland palate set out for American children these days and spice things up!!!

So Mama.. Daddy.. LET'S GET COOKING!

<3