Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Oh. my. word. y'all. You must try this soon.

I saw a variation of this recipe on Pinterest and knew I had to make it immediately. Here is the original recipe. I omitted a few ingredients in an attempt to keep it healthy.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

2 sweet potatoes
1 cup green onions
1 large handful spinach
1 heaping Tbsp sour cream
minced garlic
Mozzarella cheese

Bake sweet potatoes at 350 until they are fork tender, about 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Chop green onions and saute in heated olive oil with garlic. Add in spinach and stir for a few minutes until spinach is wilted. Slice potatoes into half. Scoop out your pulp and place it in a large bowl. Add in sour cream, green onions, and spinach. Brush empty potato shells with olive oil and place in the oven for about 5 minutes or until slightly crispy. Fill in shells with sweet potato mixture and top with cheese. Place back in oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

I have never been a huge fan of sweet potatoes, until now. These were amazing. I used a dairy free, organic mozzarella cheese just to try it out. It was pretty tasty. Hayes LOVED these. He ate them before he ate his grapes, which is kinda a big deal for him.

We ate these with grilled chicken marinated in a mixture of olive oil, minced garlic, chopped basil, and lemon pepper.

Baking the sweet potatoes was kinda long. I think I will look into cooking them in the crock pot during the day to eliminate that hour of cook time.

I promise these won't disappoint you!

Tabouli!

I tried Tabouli at Earth Fare a few weeks ago and loved how fresh it was. I was very intrigued by this dish, so I decided to make some myself. The label from Earth Fare listed the ingredients and I researched a few from Pinterest as well. Then, I created my own recipe. It probably isn't really technically Tabouli, but it is delicious and healthy.

This dish calls for bulgar, which is a whole grain that can be used in a variety of dishes. When cooked, it resembles rice in appearance and texture. It is low in fat and is a great source of dietary fiber and protein. It is a good substitution for pasta! I found a ground bulgur made by Bob's Red Mill at Kroger.

Katie's Tabouli

1 tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
fresh basil and parsley, chopped
1 cup dry bulgar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Start by cooking your bulgar. Combine 1 cup bulgar with 2 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes. While this is cooking, chop your veggies and herbs and throw them in a big bowl. Mix your lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and s & p in a small cup. When the bulgar is done, stir it in with the veggies. Add in the lemon juice mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to mix. It gets tastier with time!

Traditional tabouli has mint instead of basil and maybe a few other alterations. I prefer fresh basil, which is why I added into mine.

This dish is so light and fresh and healthy and super easy to make and perfect for summer! Hayes loved eating it too!

Enjoy!

Baby Food Bananza!

And the baby food making adventures continue! To recap, last week we did steamed carrots and banana slices. On this week's menu, banana pancakes, baked apples, peas, lima beans, and avocado.

The avocado was pretty simple. Just smashed it up, added lime juice and garlic powder, and done.
Peas and lima beans get steamed with some seasonings added.

I spent a lot of time looking for baked apple recipes I liked. I ended up just throwing stuff together. I sliced and peeled my apples. I only did 2 at a time so I didn't have to worry about storing them for too long. In a small bowl, I mixed a tbsp of flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I tossed the apples in the flour mixture until they were coated. I put them in a greased casserole dish and added milk until the bottom of the dish was covered. I baked them at 350 for about 50 minutes. And done!

Banana Pancakes! I found this recipe on this great website for moms who are making baby food, Momtastic's Wholesome Baby Food. I found so many fun finger food ideas and recipes that I can't wait to make.

To make banana pancakes:

Pancake Mix (I used multigrain)
Bananas

Mix your pancake batter according to package instructions. Slice your banana up into coins. Coat the coins in pancake batter and cook on griddle until done. They don't take long to cook since they are so small. Hayes loved these for breakfast this morning! They can be frozen too! I used 3 bananas and made enough for breakfast for the rest of the week! These are so good for kids...and adults:)

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Adventures in baby food...

Being a parent is the best job I have ever had. And the most complicated. And, it seems to change every day. The most challenging part of this for me has been eating. Food. Mealtimes. How much do I feed him? How often do I feed him? When do I increase food? When do I add new foods? Ahhh! Being in charge of a growing baby's nutrition is so stressful. I had toyed with the idea of making our own baby food, but we have been using Gerber since he started solid foods. He has been showing more interest in all foods and feeding himself. His gross motor skills have also been improving, so I think we are ready to make the transition into chunkier foods. I also think now is a great time to start making more of Hayes's food. My hope is that I will be able to make Hayes's meals from our meals. But, I don't want to make my goals too overwhelming at first. I am starting off with making either one veggie or one fruit a day this week. I chose carrots and bananas for week one. I will start sharing my baby food recipes on here. My hope is that I will create a great collection for me in the future, that I will be able to help others in their baby food journey, and that other moms will have great suggestions for me too!

Mashed Carrots!

I used a double broiler with a steamer insert to steam my carrots. Once they were tender, I mushed them with a fork. I added some cinnamon for flavor and done! Hayes LOVED them!

I'm so excited about this new journey in parenting!