"Spaghetti" & Meatballs!

"Spaghetti" because it bugs my husband that I call any noodle with tomato sauce spaghetti.  The secret to getting George to eat spaghetti was to get noodles that he can actually pick up!  I chose the Barilla mini-bowtie pasta.  We tried giving him spaghetti noodles a few weeks ago and he ended up eating only the meatballs and garlic bread.  Changing to pasta shapes that are better-suited to his little hands made a big difference!  I also got the Barilla mini-penne and I'll probably make that next time!

Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna

Tonight we had a guest chef:  Marie Callender.  Tonight was a lazy dinner night.  Actually, I bought this for last night and it ended up being too late to cook it by the time I got home.  

I would have never tried this before I married Steve... but he forces me to try new foods.  So I saw this and it looked much better than the basic lasagna that I had in my cart.  This was delicious and George couldn't get enough of it!  If I was even 2 seconds between bites he would yell, "ma ma ma ma" which must be baby babble for "more!" because he definitely doesn't call me "mama" yet.

This will probably become a lazy dinner staple at our house.

Black Bean & Veggie Patties

We took a family drive that ended up at Costco a few weeks ago.  It was almost George's snack time, so we gave him a few of the samples.  I was shocked when he downed the veggie patty sample!  My child?? Voluntarily eating vegetables??  I just had to give it a try at home.  I found a recipe at Happy Green Babies and cooked it up.  They don't look pretty, but George loved them.  The great thing is that this recipe makes 8-10 (mine made 16 because I made them chicken-nugget sized).  He eats 4 at a time.  I froze the rest and just pop them in the microwave for about a minute when I want to serve them.

The Recipe:

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large onion, shredded
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1 small zucchini, shredded
• 1 small yellow squash, shredded
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 2/3 c flour (whole wheat preferred)
• 1 c black beans, pureed
• 2 tbsp tahini (I couldn't find this at the grocery store, so I skipped it)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp honey (I skipped this because G can't have honey yet)
• 1 egg, beaten
• water for thickening

1. Heat veggies in 1 T of olive oil over medium heat until soft.
2. In a bowl, combine flour and beans.
3. Add veggies and remaining ingredients.
4. Blend well.
5. Add just enough water to make a thick batter (like pancake batter)
6. Pour remaining tbsp of oil in pan.
7. Make 3" wide cakes, turning with spatula until lightly browned

Be patient--these take a while to brown.  They're pretty good (I think) and George thinks they are delish!  Served with whole milk and fruit (or applesauce).

Also, be careful--I got a nasty little splinter while I was shredding the zucchini (from the stem)!  It took 2 days before I could get that out!

Pork Chops and Pasta with Broccoli Pesto

Talk about an unlikely success!  Tonight I made dinner based on what sounded good to me.  I figured there was no way that George would eat it, but I knew I could always make him a second meal.  I fed him a few bites of pasta... and he actually swallowed them!  And wanted more!  Then I fed him some pork chop and he not only loved it, but wanted to feed himself!  I couldn't get it on his tray fast enough!  The best thing was that he didn't even know that he was eating broccoli!  So this was a success all around.

Pork Chops:  Seasoned with Grub Rub and grilled on the George Foreman grill.  Grub Rub is just about my favorite thing in the world.  It's seasoning and meat tenderizer and it is delicious on everything.  It's a Texas thing, but I was just looking on their website and it looks like it's sold in about 16 states... and online.  It's expensive online, so I'm probably going to have to live in one of those 16 states forever.

Pasta with Broccoli Pesto:

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 bunch broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 10oz short pasta (I used mini-fusilli by Barilla)
• 5 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 oz Parmesan finely grated (plus more for serving)
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 c packed fresh parsley leaves (I used 8 tsp dried parsley)
• 1/2 small garlic clove
• (recipe calls for but I didn't use) 1 can (15.5oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1. Cook pasta according to directions.  Reserve 2 c pasta water.  Return to pot.  Boil broccoli 4-5 minutes or until tender (next time, I will steam it).
2. Add:  oil, parmesan, lemon zest and juice, parsley and garlic to food processor.  Puree until smooth (about 2 minutes).  Transfer pesto to pot with pasta.  Stir to coat, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to make it creamy.
3. (Optional)  Add in beans --over medium heat until warmed.  Serve with salt and pepper and extra parmesan. 

Spicing it Up!

I cook and eat a lot of chicken.  It's even a joke with one of my friends.  Whatever!  It's easy!  And dependable!  And versatile!  And also a little bland... 

Yes, I like bland food.  Seriously.  Like I would fit right in in Great Britain where food has zero taste. 

Well, George must take after his father... because last week he tried enchiladas.  I was worried that he might not like it, but he kept reaching for my fork, so I gave him a bite!  I seriously couldn't shovel it into his mouth fast enough!  He loves enchiladas!

So my discovery is that maybe I need to spice up some of George's food.  Maybe (sometimes) the problem isn't my picky toddler... but my bland food.  So I'm working on spicing things up.

In other news:  Our "throwing food on the floor" problem has been temporarily solved.  George just doesn't like to feed himself--especially if he doesn't know if he's going to like it.  So, when introducing new foods (or if he starts throwing), I feed him... and he usually eats it up!  We still have a sippy-cup-throwing problem.  More on that when I figure out how to get him to drink it more than once before throwing it.