WEEK 34: The Best Place for Eating Pasta

And, where is the best place to eat pasta? Well, outside of course. At least, that is with my two boys. Pasta is a tried and true favorite, but it is also an obviously huge mess. So, when the weather cooperates, mommy and boys are both über happy. They get their pasta, the grass gets the droppings, and the boys get sprayed off with the hose. It’s a perfect mealtime for everyone.

This week, we also took the boys for their first dentist trip. I share this here, because I feel like good eating habits and oral hygiene go at least somewhat hand-in-hand. Does just over 18 months old and going to the dentist sound weird to you? Well, it did to me too, but our dentist even wants them to come in younger. He recommends when they get their first tooth. Well, that’s a little ridiculous to me, but we did go ahead and schedule since Wyatt seemed to be taking his sweet time getting his teeth and overall it was a fine trip, but I got reprimanded. Yes, in all my years, I’ve never had a single problem going to the dentist myself. Well, now I get in trouble for not having brushed my boys teeth well enough who have only been outside the womb for just over 18 months. I’ve learned my lesson and we’re on a strict teeth-brushing regimen from here on out.

One of my silly boys

showing off his only

4 teeth not too long

before his first ever

dentist visit.

Food Description

You’ve seen the mess before. I posted pictures of the boys eating pasta inside along with the pasta recipe. But, now here’s where the fun begins. Take the same, good ole pasta outside and what do you get? Well, it’s the same good ole pasta, but the mess stays outside!

Process

Chicken Sausage Pasta

You can find the recipe here. I’m just showing off the fruits of my labor with photos today.

What I Learned

I was reminded of how much I love being able to eat lunch outside (and dinner for that matter). This is a great time of year and a wonderful thing for mom and boys. One other tip that I’ve learned when feeding ultra hungry boys a favorite meal is to bring an extra dish to the table for seconds and thirds. It’s not always easy to get up with two ravenous 18 month olds, so I come prepared.

Reaction

The boys continue to love pasta almost as much as hot dogs and salmon! They made it through a whole round of thirds and I had to officially throw in the towel. Literally, I had to spray them off and throw a towel around them to clean them up…phew!

Summary

Remember to add-in those healthy vegetables into your sauce. Carrots and zucchini are a great place to start. Don’t forget the spices…make it tasty!

Tags: pasta, summer, vegetable

TIP OF THE DAY: Olive Oil

Tags: ideas, pasta, process, whole grain

WEEK 11: Leftovers & Spinach Bites

This week was leftover week. I made a breakfast casserole in my crock pot and a large pan of baked ziti. The boys have eaten many lunch and dinner meals from those as well as new lima beans and nectarines. They liked both new introductions, but I think the nectarines are causing a yucky diaper rash.

FOOD DESCRIPTION
The baked ziti was a regular recipe using ground turkey and whole wheat pasta noodles. The breakfast casserole included sausage, hashbrowns, cheese, and eggs. On both of these, be careful with salt. I definitely wouldn’t add any if you’re planning to serve to your baby or toddler, but also look at the ingredients on any pasta sauces or other ingredients. I always use whole wheat pasta and used cottage cheese in the ziti.

PROCESS

• Lima Beans I love, love, love these beans and can’t believe I haven’t introduced them to my boys yet. Just peal the shell, cut into smaller pieces if desired and let them go for it. I’m sure you could mash these for spoon feeding as well.
• Spinach Bites These are a great way to get a green, mushy vegetable in tiny little fingers. This recipe yields about 48 bites.

• 16 oz frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained well
• 1 cup bread crumbs (if you save old bread, you can make these yourself)
• 1/4 cup wheat germ or flax meal 
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 
• 3  Large eggs (or 5 egg yolks) 
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder

1. Heat oven to 375°F
2. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with olive oil and set aside.
3. Combine all ingredients and mix well. 
4. Chill in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to help mixture set.
5. Shape mixture and place on baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning over after 15 minutes.

I stored 12 bites in the refrigerator for upcoming meals and froze the rest in a freezer bag.

WHAT I LEARNED
The mixture was super messy when I first tried to make the shapes. This is when I decided to chill in the refrigerator which did help. I also think that I did not drain my spinach well enough, so be sure to do that.

Also, be careful with your olive oil as you don’t want them to burn.

REACTION
My boys ate the spinach bites up right away and loved them. I’m excited that we have so many more in the refrigerator and freezer. They also enjoyed the lima beans.

SUMMARY
The spinach bites are great to have on-hand in the freezer and could be good snacks or part of a wholesome lunch or dinner. Adjust the spices to make them your own and everyone’s sure to love them! The leftover casserole and ziti were also hits and wonderful to have ready-made lunches without having to prepare ahead of time.

Please share your thoughts or ideas.
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Tags: bites, pasta, spinach

WEEK 10: Pasta

The boys continue to eat well and are becoming cleaner and neater at doing it every day. We haven’t really introduced the spoon yet, but I can see that on the horizon.

FOOD DESCRIPTION
Well, I say it in the header, but this adventure would fall under the “ugly” category. I decided to actually prepare and bake something yummy for them this week and it turns out, it wasn’t much of a success, at least so far. Pasta is one of my favorite things to eat. Maybe it’s because I can load up on garlic. So, I combined some ideas that I had read about and made some pasta rollups.

The boys have also been eating the cooked carrot and apple pieces that I made in the crock pot and they have been a great hit. It’s nice to have some healthy finger foods for them to eat at meals. The carrots are a personal favorite as they are not as messy.

PROCESS

• Pasta Tofu Rollups Nothing about this recipe is difficult, but it does take some time, maybe more than I had anticipated. You could make it simpler by buying your own pasta sauce and maybe less messy by using shredded cheese for the stuffing instead of cottage cheese.

• 8 whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 cup mashed tofu
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2-1/2 cups tomato sauce (or the ingredients below)

• 3 organic tomatoes
• 1 organic zucchini
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Cook the lasagna noodles, following the directions on the package.
2. If you are making your own tomato sauce, then wash and cut your tomatoes and zucchini into pieces. You can simmer with the oil and spices, or steam. I used my Beaba Babycook and steamed the veggies together, then added my oil and spices and pureed.
3. Lay out your noodles and cut them half.
4. Spread thin layers of the tofu, sauce, and cheese (in that order) on top of the noodle. I would suggest leaving one end plain to use as the tail. When wrapping, your stuffing will ooze to the end and you will also need an open piece without filling to close the rollup.
5. Place them spiral-end up in a baking dish. Top with the remaining sauce and parmesan cheese.
6. Bake covered in a 350° oven for 30-45 minutes.

WHAT I LEARNED
The rollups were super messy. I attribute this to the runniness of my homemade sauce and the cottage cheese. I would suggest adding paste, making a thicker sauce, or using one that you buy. Also, you may want to use shredded mozzarella instead of cottage cheese.

I also found the rollups hard to keep rolled up. So, you may want to use a toothpick to hold them together.

REACTION
My boys haven’t eaten them yet, as they went straight to the freezer. I did pool together a bunch of the sauce that oozed out from the preparation and leftover cheese and noodle pieces and made a mixed pasta. They ate it and loved it. The sauce did have a yummy flavor.

SUMMARY
I’m not giving up on these as I’m anticipating pulling them from the freezer in a month or so. I also plan to try making them again with a thicker sauce and shredded cheese.

Please share your thoughts or ideas.
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Tags: pasta, recipe