Spinach, Egg, and Cheese Toasty Bites

My big boy started feeding himself earlier this week!  It was a very exciting event for me, but also very emotional (he doesn't need my help to eat anymore, sniff sniff).  I've started serving him foods that are easy to pick up like this yummy breakfast I made him this morning.









Spinach, Egg, and Cheese Toasty Bites

1 slice whole grain bread, crusts removed, lightly toasted
1 egg scrambled
1/4 cup fresh baby spinach leaves, stems
removed
3 tbsp cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 or preheat the broiler.

Layer scrambled egg, spinach, and cheese on toast.  Place toast on cookie sheet and heat until cheese melts.  Cool slightly, cut into bite size pieces and serve.

Spaghetti Bolognese

L tried this for the first time on New Year's Eve and he loved it.  My husband loved it too!  The recipe came from Annabel Karmel's Top 100 Baby Purees. 












1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil), divided
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
3/4 cup button mushrooms, wiped and sliced
5 oz lean ground beef
1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of brown sugar
1 bay leaf
2 ounces spaghetti

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a saucepan and saute the garlic and onion for 2 minutes.  Add the grated carrot and saute for 2 minutes more.  Pour in the remaining oil and saute the mushrooms for about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the ground beef in a frying pan until browned, then add to the vegetables together with the tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and bay leaf.  Cover the saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes; remove bay leaf.  Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.

Puree the cooked meat using a handheld electric blender for a smoother texture, if necessary.  Chop up the spaghetti in short lengths and stir into the Bolognese sauce.

I doubled this recipe and froze individual portions.  It goes great with steamed broccoli or peas and carrots.

Baby's Chicken Noodle Soup

We were visiting family in Texas for Christmas when L came down with a bad cold...his first cold ever!  I knew his little throat was sore and hurting him, so I whipped up a little homemade chicken soup with what we had on hand.  This picture shows the most basic form of the soup, but I changed it up a little each time I made it during our visit.

I basically started with homemade chicken broth (no salt added) and cooked orzo pasta (tiny pasta stars would work too). Then I added other ingredients to jazz it up:
chopped cooked egg yolk (seen in the picture)
carrot puree
diced cooked chicken
mashed potatoes, thinned
tiny steamed broccoli florets

I have to add that getting him to drink the broth from a spoon was a challenge and pretty messy.  So I just put the leftover warm broth in his sippy cup so he could drink it.  I think this soup really helped him feel better.