Bento for Baby 73: Mixed Grain Blueberry Muffin and Ak-Mak Peanut Butter Crackers

Baby Girl has another quick and simple bento today since I'm holding down the fort alone while her father is travelling.  For morning snack I gave her a mixed grain blueberry muffin from the freezer and some slices of banana.  For lunch she has some freshly ground, additive-free peanut butter sandwiched between some whole wheat Ak-Mak crackers, few slices of English cucumber, some gala apple slices and a mix of organic raisins and roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds in the yellow silicone cup.

Supplies similar to those used in this lunch:

Bento for Baby 72: Apple Sandwich, Zucchini and Apricot Muffin and Tortellini with Ricotta and Peas

Baby Girl's papa was out of town this week, so I wanted to make packing her lunches as quick and simple as possible.  A perfect reason to use her handy dandy new thermos!  The leftovers in the thermos today were Trader Joe's fresh spinach tortellini in a sauce of bacon, whole milk ricotta and peas.  With her pasta I also gave her a zucchini apricot muffin from the freezer, an apple peanut butter sandwich and some steamed green and yellow beans.  This was packed in the top section of her little green tiffin box.

Supplies similar to those used in this lunch:

Handy little 8 ounce Lunchbots Insulated Thermal.

Bento for Baby 71: Dan's Awesome Pancakes and Brussels Sprout Pasta

Big exciting news here at Bento for Baby - Baby Girl has a handy dandy new insulated container! OK, it's really not that thrilling. . .  I had been searching for a small thermos to keep dishes warm, rather than having school heat things up.  Most thermoses are rather large for toddler-sized amounts of food, so I was excited to find a nice little 8 ounce one from Lunchbots.  It's a little too deep for her to eat directly out of right now, so they have to transfer her food to another container for eating, but I think it might save them a little bit of time at school.

In today's bento, Baby Girl had two of Dan's original Awesome Pancakes from the freezer and some pieces of frozen pineapple and mango in the white silicone cup.  Packed in her brand new thermos for lunch, underneath all the shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (Baby Girl's most favorite cheese), she had some pasta with shredded brussels sprouts and bacon leftover from dinner the night before.  With the pasta I gave her some steamed green beans dressed in olive oil, a couple slices of pear and one sunbutter oatmeal ball.

Supplies similar to those used in this lunch:

Handy little 8 ounce Lunchbots Insulated Thermal.

Bento for Baby 70: Dan's Awesome(r) Pancakes and Pasta with Twenty Minute Tomato Sauce

Well, I'm back!  Sorry for the unintended holiday hiatus.  I had grand plans of catching up on bentos during the Thanksgiving break, but I didn't find the time.  I have quite a few bentos to post from before the break, so let's get started!

Lucky Baby Girl had some of her Papa's hearty Awsome(r) Pancakes with her morning snack on this day.  She also had two sunbutter oatmeal balls and some chunks of banana. For lunch, she had some whole wheat rotini in my quick and tasty Twenty Minute Tomato Sauce.  This was packed in a 4 ounce canning jar so that it could be warmed up in the microwave at school.  She also had some of the same avocado hummus from her roll the previous day, this time with some carrot and cucumber sticks for dipping.  Lunch was rounded out with a couple slices of organic gala apple.    

Supplies similar to those used in this lunch:

Bento for Baby Recipe: Twenty-Minute Tomato Sauce

This recipe is based on Maria’s Twenty-Minute Tomato Sauce from my well worn copy of the Joy of Cooking(1997 edition).  I haven't bought a jar of tomato sauce in 15 years.  Why would you when this recipe is so easy and tastes better than anything in a jar?  It also doesn't have any extra sodium, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, "natural flavors," or any other mystery ingredients you don't need to be eating.  This freezes well, but I mostly just make it every time I need some tomato sauce since it's so quick and easy.  I use it over pasta, on pizza, with calzones, in baked pasta dishes like cannelloni, lasagna. . . basically anywhere you need some red sauce.  

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

2-3 medium carrots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano

One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, with juice, broken into pieces (Diced is OK, too)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil  in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions, carrots and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the dried herbs.  Cook for a few seconds and then pour in the tomatoes.  Simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.

Remove pot from stove and blend with an immersion blender, or remove to a food processor and pulse until smooth (CAREFULLY).  If you used a food processor, return sauce to saucepan.  Put the saucepan back on medium heat and stir in balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes. Heat through, about 5 minutes.

Bento for Baby 69: Multi-grain Blueberry Muffin and Avocado Hummus Tortilla Roll

For her morning snack on this day, Baby Girl had two mini mixed grain blueberry muffins from the freezer and some halved grapes.  This was packed in the bottom section of my favorite small green tiffin box.  For lunch, packed in the top section of the tiffin box, I gave her some avocado hummus tortilla rolls.  I started with a typical hummus recipe with chickpeas and tahini, but substituted a small avocado for most of the tahini and some of the olive oil.  It turned out quite nicely; it had a strong avocado flavor but the chickpeas made it a bit heartier.  I spread this on a warmed 100% whole wheat tortilla, topped that with some grated cheddar cheese and rolled it up.  With her tortilla rolls, I gave Baby Girl some thin carrot sticks, a sunbutter oatmeal ball and some chunks of pear.

Supplies similar to those used in this lunch:

Bento for Baby 68: Yogurt with Granola and Zucchini and White Bean Canneloni

Baby Girl had some of her favorites in today's bento!  She hasn't been eating very much at school lately, so I thought I'd stack the deck to encourage her a bit.  I packed most of her food for the day together in a U Konserve Rectangle container, but I intended some for her morning snack and some for her lunch.  For snack, I gave her some plain greek yogurt in the smallest container from the Kids Konserve Nesting Trio.  To eat with that I included some homemade granola and some frozen blueberries.   Our entire household has become a bit obsessed with homemade granola the last few months.  We all love it for breakfasts and snacks.  I make a slightly sweeter one for the grown ups and a version with little to no added sweetener for Baby Girl.   I much prefer it to store bought cereal.

Anyway, back to the bento.  To eat for lunch I included a zucchini and apricot muffin from the freezer and some frozen edamame and peas in the U Konserve Rectangle.  I also gave her some leftover zucchini and white bean cannelloni I made for dinner the night before in a 4 ounce glass canning jar so it could be warmed in the microwave .  This is a fantastic dish where sautéed grated zucchini, white beans and spinach are wrapped in whole wheat crepes and then baked in a creamy ricotta based sauce.  I will post the recipe when I have time to type it all out.  It's not a quick and easy dinner, but it is so delicious it is worth the effort!

Items used to pack this bento:

Bento for Baby Recipe: Grown-up Granola

I've been making granola at home for a few months now.  My husband is a bit obsessed with it.  I like it a lot better than any store bought cereal.  For the adults, I make a recipe that combines a recipe by Melissa Clark from the New York Times where she tested how little sugar you can use in a popular recipe for olive oil granola and still end up with tasty results, and a great recipe by David Lebovitz that uses unsweetened apple sauce in place of some of the oil.  For Baby Girl, I make a granola with unsweetened apple sauce and no added refined sugar.  She loves it.

You can certainly adapt the nuts and dried fruit to your tastes, but this is our favorite combination.

Ingredients:

5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup organic unsweetened apple sauce
5 tablespoons real maple syrup
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (heaping)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1 cup sweetened dried cherries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl.  I like to mix in the flax seed meal after stirring everything else together.  That keeps the finely ground flax seed meal from coating everything and inhibiting clumping.  Clumps are the best part of granola!

Spread mixture out on a sheet tray and press it into an even layer with a spatula.  Bake in oven until lightly browned, about 40 minutes.  Stir the granola every 10 to 15 minutes, compressing with spatula after every stirring to ensure granola clumps together.

Cool completely and then mix in the dried cherries.  Store in an airtight container.

Bento for Baby Recipe: Kiddo Granola (Sugar Free)

This is a very low sugar version of the grown-up granola that I make.  It can also be made without nuts in case of allergies or if your child can't eat nuts safely yet.  The apple sauce makes the granola clump together nicely, so it is easy for kids to pick up with their hands.  My daughter LOVES this for breakfast and snacks, alone or with plain yogurt.  I have made it without the maple syrup, and my daughter still enjoys it, so you can make this completely sugar free if you desire.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup organic unsweetened apple sauce
1 tablespoon real maple syrup (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened grated coconut
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
1/4 cup walnut pieces (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Spread mixture out on a sheet tray and press it into an even layer with a spatula.  Bake in oven until lightly browned, about 30 to 40 minutes.  Stir the granola every 10 to 15 minutes, compressing with spatula after every stirring to ensure granola clumps together.

Cool completely and then store in an airtight container.

Bento for Baby 67: Zucchini Apricot Muffin and Sausage Squash and Brussels Sprout Pizza

Dan made an absolutely delicious pizza for dinner last night.  It had mild Italian sausage, roasted delicata squash, roasted Brussels sprouts and fresh mozzarella on homemade whole wheat dough.  It was a perfect combination of slightly spicy, sweet and bitter.   Baby Girl has been cautious of Brussels sprouts and squash lately, but even she recognized the deliciousness of this pizza and ate a whole slice without picking it apart.  So, for her lunch the next day, I gave her two small slices of the leftover pizza.  I included a mishmash of other food with the pizza in the U Konserve Rectangle for her to eat for morning snack and lunch.  She got half a pear, some carrot and cucumber sticks, some halved green grapes, a sunbutter oatmeal ball, a zucchini apricot muffin from the freezer and a few squares of organic cheddar cheese.  An interesting note about the zucchini muffin - I was chatting with my husband while making this new batch recently, and I completely forgot to add the small amount of brown sugar called for in the recipe.  Guess what?  They are still rather tasty!  Baby Girl actually seems to prefer them this way! Next time I make them I think I'll put just a tiny bit of sugar in them, because the bite of the baking soda without any sugar is a bit sharp for me.  But I'm really glad that I can make a healthy muffin even healthier!

Items used to pack this bento:

Bento for Baby 66: Pancakes and Avocado Pita

Baby Girl had some of her Papa's Awesome Pancakes along with some sliced green grapes for her morning snack on this day.  This was packed into the left side of the U Konserve Rectangle.  Food for her lunch took up the remaining portion the container.  Her lunch consisted of half a 100% whole wheat pita filled with a mix of Greek yogurt and avocado, some frozen broccoli and peas in the orange silicone cup and a trail mix of dried apricots, almond slivers and walnut pieces in the white silicone cup.

Items used to pack this bento:

Bento for Baby 64: Peanut Butter Banana Rolls

I tried out something new for Baby Girl's bento this day - peanut butter banana tortilla rolls.  I've seen these on various lunch idea/recipe sites, and bananas and peanut butter some of Baby Girl's favorite things, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I zapped a 100% whole wheat tortilla in the microwave for a few seconds to make it malleable, spread it with some of my favorite freshly ground no-additive peanut butter, wrapped it round a peeled banana, trimmed the ends and cut it into four equal pieces.  I'm not sure if she'll eat this for morning snack or lunch (or eat it at all!) so I packed a bunch of other filling things to round out her lunch and snack.  With the banana rolls I put some slices of purple carrot and English cucumber in the orange silicone cup.  In the bottom section of the tiffin box I gave her some chickpeas, sliced green grapes, cubes of aged gouda cheese and one sunbutter oatmeal ball.  

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 63: Waffle with Yogurt and Green Curry Tofu

Dan the pancake man made some waffles the previous weekend, so lucky Baby Girl got a leftover quarter for her morning snack on this day.  She also got a bit of plain Greek yogurt to accompany it.  She has a new-found love of dipping things, always accompanied by her gleefully saying "dip, dip, dip," so I imagine the yogurt will become dip for the waffle.  For her lunch I gave her a few cubes of tofu leftover from the Thai green curry I made for dinner the night before.  She was a huge fan of the tofu, but didn't really like the taste of the curry sauce, even though it was very mild.  I'm sure she'll come around.  I also gave her some frozen broccoli florets, a few carrot slices from the curry, some halved green grapes and a couple mini whole wheat biscuits from the freezer.

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 62: Squash Blossom Risotto

I think risotto is a great food for little ones.  For babies starting out with baby led weaning it is a great soft texture that's easy to eat.  They can also eat it easily with their hands since it gets sticky and clumps together when it is cool.  You can also throw all sorts of vegetables in it and it always tastes fantastic.  For older kids learning to eat with utensils, it is easy to scoop up and doesn't fall off a fork or spoon.   It's the kind of dish that will satisfy both adults and kids for dinner.  And it comes together in less than half an hour!

We got some beautiful squash blossoms with our CSA share, so I thought a nice way to appreciate their delicate flavor would be to use them in a risotto.  I made a classic risotto and then stirred in the sliced squash blossoms with the last couple additions of stock right before the risotto was finished.  The risotto was delicious, as it always is, but I didn't think that the flavor of the squash blossoms came through as much as I was hoping.  But the beauty of being a member of a CSA is I will likely get more squash blossoms in the future and can experiment with fun new ways to cook with them.

So, for Baby Girl's bento on this day, I gave her some of the leftover risotto from the night before.  I packaged it in a 4 ounce glass canning jar so that it could be heated up in the microwave at daycare. To round out her lunch, and to eat for morning snack, I gave her a multi-grain blueberry muffin from the freezer, two sun butter oatmeal balls, some sliced green grapes and a mix of garbanzo beans and frozen peas in the red silicone cup.  This was packed into the top layer of my favorite little green tiffin box.

Similar items to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 61: Yogurt and Zucchini and Rice Crostata

For morning snack on this day Baby Girl had some plain Greek yogurt and half a banana.  We made another of our favorite zucchini and rice crostatas for dinner the night before, so I gave Baby Girl a small piece for lunch the next day.  I also gave her a few slices of cucumber, a couple slices of apples, and some walnut pieces and quartered dried apricots.

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 60: Pancakes and Palmiers

Since we went out the night before, I grabbed a few things from the freezer to quickly pack this bento in the morning.  I put all her food for the day in the U Konserve rectangular container.  For her morning snack I gave Baby Girl a couple of Dan's Awesome Pancakes and some frozen mango chunks.  For lunch she had three pizza palmiers, two filled with spinach and ricotta and one with pesto, ricotta and broccoli.  I also gave her some sliced carrots and English cucumber and a little trail mix I made with walnuts, raisins and sunflower seeds.

Items used to pack this bento:

Bento for Baby 59: Zucchini Apricot Muffin and Rice Noodle Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

For lunch on this day, Baby Girl had some leftover brown rice vermicelli stir fry with peanut sauce, tofu and vegetables.  This recipe was very loosely based on a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day, for Fragrant Rice Noodles with Vegetables.  Baby Girl loves tofu and anything with peanut sauce, so this dinner was a hit.  The leftovers were packed in a 4 oz glass canning jar so that they could be warmed in the microwave.  I packed some more food in the largest container from the Kids Konserve Nesting Trio to supplement her lunch and eat for morning snack. Clockwise from the broccoli in the white silicone cup we have a sunbutter oatmeal ball, a zucchini and apricot muffin from the freezer, a strawberry and some organic frozen blueberries in the yellow silicone cup, and some organic cheddar cheese cubes.

Items used to pack this bento:

Bento for Baby 58: Dan's Awesome Pancake and Goat Cheese Cucumber Tortilla Rolls

For morning snack on this day Baby Girl had one of Dan's Awesome Pancakes from the freezer along with some sliced grapes in the blue silicone cup.  Baby Girl's love of goat cheese is enduring, so for her lunch I made her some goat cheese and cucumber tortilla rolls.  I warmed a 100% whole wheat tortilla in the microwave briefly and then spread it with a thin-ish layer of goat cheese.  Warming the tortilla helps it roll without cracking and makes the cheese easier to spread.  I cut some English cucumber into really thin slices using my mandolin and then layered them over the cheese on the bottom half of the tortilla.  Then I rolled the tortilla tightly and cut it into four equal pieces.  With her tortilla rolls, I gave her her a little trail mix of walnuts, sunflower seeds and raisins in the red silicone cup, some strawberries and one sunbutter oatmeal ball.

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 57: Banana Bread Peanut Butter Sandwich with Pasta Carbonara

Baby Girl had some old favorites for her morning snack and lunch on this day.  We had pasta carbonara with summer squash for dinner again the night before, so I gave her some of the leftovers the next day.  This was packaged in a 4 ounce canning jar so it could be warmed in the microwave. To round out her lunch and to have for her morning snack I packed Baby Girl a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat banana bread from the freezer, some strawberries and some sliced cucumbers and sugar snap peas.  This was packed in the largest container from the Kids Konserve Nesting Trio.

Items used to pack this bento:

Bento for Baby 56: Zucchini Apricot Muffin with Caramelized Onion Butternut Squash Hand Pie

I made a lovely free-form savory crostata for dinner last night; filled with a bit of ricotta, caramelized onions, butternut squash and blue cheese.  It was rather beautiful, too, I wish I had snapped a picture of it.  For Baby Girl, I used the same crust and fillings to make little hand pies because it's hard for her to eat a wedge of tart.  We use a fantastic whole wheat olive oil dough recipe from the Chocolate and Zucchini blog for many of the savory tarts/crostatas we make in these parts.  However, unlike the blog author, I make the dough in my food processor.  I just mix the dry ingredients in the bowl with the metal blade then pour in the wet ingredients and blend until a ball forms. I love this dough.  It is much healthier than regular pastry dough, it is really quick and easy to make and it is a dream to work with. I've never had difficulties rolling this out or moving it to a tart pan.  And it's delicious, it has a really nice light and flaky texture.  I rarely par bake the crust when using it for a savory tart. For the crostata last night I simply rolled it out into a large circle, layered on the fillings and folded the edges up over the filling and baked it on a preheated baking stone.  To ease the transfer of the crostata to the oven I rolled it out onto a large piece of parchment paper and then just slid the whole thing onto the stone.  

So!  Back to what we're here for - the bento!  I gave baby girl one of the leftover hand pies for her lunch the next day.  I had a taste of the cold tart myself, and it was equally tasty cold as it was warm. With her hand pie I gave her a mix of frozen edamame and peas and one sunbutter oatmeal ball.  For morning snack I packed a zucchini apricot muffin from the freezer along with some strawberries and some frozen mango chunks in the blue silicone cup.  I intended for her to eat some of this fruit with her lunch, too, but I couldn't fit it in that section of her tiffin box.

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 55: Strawberry Tortilla Rolls and Quinoa Cake with Spinach Cake

I've been breaking my own rules and buying strawberries even though they are way out of season and nowhere near local, but Baby Girl loves them, so I continued to buy them.  Not surprisingly, they don't taste nearly as good as fresh, local berries.  I bought one last box for this week, so I thought I'd make some strawberry and cream cheese tortilla rolls for Baby Girl's morning snack for the last time this year.  With her tortilla rolls I included some halved organic green grapes.  For her lunch I grabbed a few things from the freezer: a quinoa cake, some organic mixed vegetables and half a spinach cake.  I also packed her a couple slices of Gala apple and a sun butter oatmeal ball.

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 54: Dan's Awesome Pancakes and Vegetarian Chili with Cornbread

Baby Girl had some more leftovers in her bento on this day.  For her morning snack I gave her one of Dan's Awesome Pancakes from the freezer along with a couple strawberries.  Her lunch was made up of leftovers from our dinner the night before - some homemade white bean vegetarian chili in a small 4 oz canning jar (so it could be warmed in the microwave) and a slice of cornbread.  With her chili she had a few slices of English cucumber and some green grapes.  This chili was mildly spiced and included one of her favorite things - beans! - so it was a hit for dinner.

Similar items to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 53: Mixed Grain Blueberry Muffin and Ak-Mak Peanut Butter Sandwich

Today's bento is kind of old school.  I contains the foods that automatically pop into my mind when someone says "kid's lunch."  Not that that's a bad thing, it's still healthy and tasty, and I can be pretty sure that Baby Girl will eat all of it!  Here are the details - For her morning snack, I gave Baby Girl a mixed grain blueberry muffin from the freezer and some cut up green grapes.  For lunch I made her a peanut butter sandwich on a couple 100% whole wheat Ak Mak crackers.  I used the freshly ground, straight from the tap peanut butter from Earth Fare that only contains organic unsalted peanuts.  It is a new hit in our house for the whole family.  With her cracker sandwich I packed some organic raisins, a couple slices of gala apple and some English cucumber slices and sugar snap peas.  I cut one of the cucumber slices into a flower shape as an enticement to try it.  Sometimes cucumbers come home, sometimes they disappear from her lunch, so it's still a work in progress to get her to eat them.

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 52: Yogurt Waffle with Mango and Zucchini Fritters with Roasted Chicken

Baby Girl had the last of the yogurt waffles from the freezer for her morning snack on this day.  She also had a couple pieces of frozen mango and a sun butter oatmeal ball.  She had some new foods for her lunch.  We got a bunch of zucchini in our CSA share so I made some zucchini fritters for dinner using a recipe I had been wanting to try from the Well column of the New York Times.  The fritters were delicious, and it was great to see Baby Girl eat so much zucchini.  I gave her two leftover fritters in her lunch.  With the fritters, I also roasted a chicken for dinner, so I packed her a little bit of the meat in the red silicone cup.  I also included half a pear for dessert. It was all packed into my favorite little tiffin box.

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 51: Dan's Awesome(r) Pancakes and Goat Cheese Cucumber Sandwiches

Dan made some new, delicious pancakes last weekend for Sunday breakfast.  They're a bit healthier than his other awesome pancakes - they're 100% whole wheat with some oatmeal added in.  They are still delicious and very filling.  He's modestly named them Dan's Awesome(r) Pancakes.  They were so good we ate most of them that morning, but Baby Girl was lucky enough to get one for morning snack in her bento the following Monday morning, cut into quarters.  She also had some strawberries with her pancake.   Baby Girl has been a bit obsessed with goat cheese lately, so for her lunch on this day she had goat cheese and thinly sliced English cucumber on a 100% whole wheat pita.  With her sandwich she had some sugar snap peas and some cut up pear.

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Dan's Awesome(r) Pancakes

These are a bit healthier version of Dan's Awesome Pancakes.  They're still delicious, but are a bit more filling.  They have some oatmeal in them and are 100% whole wheat.  Dan uses King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour in a lot of baked goods, it adds the goodness of whole grains without the heaviness of typical whole wheat flour.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup light whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoons salt
Pinch or two of cinnamon

1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 eggs
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 smashed ripe bananas

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk to aerate the dry ingredients. In smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients, except butter and bananas. Whisk until smooth. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; fold in butter and bananas.

***

Heat a lightly oiled frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Dollop small amounts of batter on the prepared griddle to make pancakes of desired size. Drop a few frozen blueberries on each pancake. Let cook until edges of pancake firm up and small bubbles form on the top, then flip. Let cook until each side is golden brown. Serve immediately or let cool and place in freezer bag to enjoy in the future.

We enjoy these fresh fruit and real maple syrup, Baby Girl enjoys them plain or with some yogurt.

Bento for Baby 50: Multi-Grain Blueberry Muffin and Squash Ricotta Pasta with Spinach Cake

Baby Girl had a multi-grain blueberry muffin from the freezer and half a banana for breakfast on this morning.  For lunch she had some pasta leftover from dinner the night before.  We got some summer squash and squash blossoms with our CSA share, so we made the recipe for Pappardelle with Fresh Ricotta, Squash Blossoms and Basil Oil from the New York Times, using whole wheat penne in place of the pappardelle.  This recipe was very tasty; the basil oil was particularly nice.  With the pasta I packed her some edamame, half a spinach cake from the freezer and a couple of strawberries.

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 49: Yogurt with Granola and Red Pepper Hummus with Pita

Baby Girl had some plain whole Greek yogurt, some homemade granola and a couple organic strawberries for her morning snack on this day.  I've been making granola at home for a few months now.  My husband is a bit obsessed with it.  I like it a lot better than store bought cereal.  For the adults, I make a recipe that combines a recipe by Melissa Clark from the New York Times where she tested how little sugar you can use in a granola and still end up with tasty results, and a great recipe by David Lebovitz that uses unsweetened apple sauce in place of some of the oil.  For Baby Girl, I make a granola with just unsweetened apple sauce and no added refined sugar.  She loves it.  I'll post the recipes separately in the near future.

For lunch, Baby Girl had some homemade roasted red pepper hummus in the blue silicone cup.  To eat with the hummus I packed some 100% whole wheat pita wedges, some cucumber slices and a few sugar snap peas.  She also had one sun butter oatmeal ball to round out her lunch.  

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 48: Yogurt Waffle and Moroccan Chickpeas with Couscous

Baby Girls bento today is pretty much all leftovers.  For her morning snack I pulled a leftover cornmeal waffle quarter from the freezer and  put some frozen blue berries in the white silicone cup. I also included a sun butter oatmeal ball.  Her lunch was leftovers from dinner the night before - a Moroccan flavored chickpea and vegetable tagine with some dried apricots.  We had it with some whole wheat couscous cooked in vegetable stock.  Baby Girl absolutely loved this dish, she even ate the carrots, which she has been avoiding lately.  I combined a few different recipes to suit what I had on hand, so I'll try and type up the recipe when I have the chance.  With her two little cups of leftovers I also included a couple slices of Gala apple.

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 47: Zucchini Apricot Muffin and Tuna White Bean Salad

I packed Baby Girl one of her favorite zucchini and apricot muffins from the freezer for morning snack on this day, along with half a banana.  For lunch I gave her some tuna and white bean salad that we had for dinner the previous night.  This salad was made with oil packed yellow fin tuna, some navy beans that I had cooked that afternoon, onions, chopped artichoke hearts, a few finely chopped Kalamata olives, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  I included half of a whole wheat pita cut into wedges for her to eat with the salad. She also had a slice of Gala apple and some slices of English cucumber cut into fun shapes to encourage her to eat them!  This was packed into my favorite little two layer tiffin box from World Market. One of the greatest things about this box is that it is the perfect depth to use silicone cupcake liners to contain food - the cups go all the way to the top of the container so messy things like tuna salad won't spill on your apple slices!

Supplies similar to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 46: Banana Bread and Pasta Carbonara

Baby Girl had some more leftovers to start off her week of bentos.  I made some pasta carbonara for dinner the night before using fresh farm eggs and summer squash from our CSA and whole wheat rotini.  We love pasta carbonara. It's not the lightest dish, but it is a crowd pleaser that can be made in less than half an hour.  After being at the beach all afternoon I needed a quick dinner before Baby Girl crashed!  After trying a few recipes over the years, this recipe from Gourmet Magazine is my favorite backbone to work from.  I use nice uncured bacon from Earth Fare in place of pancetta, and I often add squash or peas to the mix.  If it's peas, I add frozen peas to the onions right before the wine and let them simmer with the onions.  If it's squash, I slice it thinly then add it right after the onions have softened and saute it for a bit before adding the wine.  Sometimes we get squash blossoms with the CSA and I'll throw those in too.  They're best lightly cooked so I'll cut them into strips and mix them into the hot onion/wine mixture before combining everything.  They add a lovely floral flavor to the dish.  I love this dish with the classic spaghetti, but larger pasta shapes are easier for Baby Girl to eat, and the final stirring to cook the egg into a lovely creamy sauce is a lot easier with shapes than spaghetti.  It's an arm work out with spaghetti.  I make this in my enameled cast iron pot, which retains a lot of heat, alleviating any worries I have about uncooked eggs.  I often move the pot back to the still-warm burner if the sauce looks a little thin.  Be careful not to scramble the egg, though!

Anywhoo, back to the bento. . .I put some pasta for Baby Girl into a 4 ounce glass canning jar so it could be warmed in the microwave.  I packed the rest of her food for the day in the medium sized container from the Kids Konserve Nesting Trio.  For morning snack and the rest of her lunch she had a slice of whole wheat banana bread from the freezer, two sunbutter oatmeal balls, half of a spinach cake from the freezer (she ate the other half with dinner the night before), some sugar snap peas and a strawberry.

Items used to pack this bento:

Bento for Baby 45: Blueberry Muffin and Butternut Squash Pasta

My husband made a lovely whole wheat pasta dish with grated butternut squash for dinner the night before, so Baby Girl had some of the leftovers for lunch the next day.  (I'd post a link, but I don't know what recipe he used. . .) I packed the pasta into a 4 ounce glass canning jar so that it could be reheated in the microwave.  I packed the rest of her food for the day in the top section of my favorite tiffin box.  For morning snack and lunch Baby Girl had a multigrain blueberry muffin from the freezer, one sun butter oatmeal ball, a couple organic strawberries, some organic green beans and a few cubes of aged gouda.

Similar items to those used in this bento:

Bento for Baby 44: Zucchini Apricot Muffin with Black Beans and Butternut Squash Polenta

Here's a quick little bento mostly made up of leftovers.  For morning snack I gave Baby Girl a zucchini and apricot muffin from the freezer and a couple of strawberries.  Lunch was some black beans topped with crumbled feta in the red silicone cup.  We ate the black beans the night before for dinner as part of some huevos rancheros.  She also got some leftover butternut squash polenta from our dinner a couple nights before.  I spread the leftover polenta in a small baking dish and baked it for ~20 minutes or so at 350 degrees.  I then let it cool completely in the fridge and then cut it with a fluted biscuit cutter.  It didn't turn out as firm as I had hoped.  If I do this again, I will cut the shapes and then bake them on a sheet tray until crispy on the outside.  I rounded out Baby Girl's lunch with a sun butter oatmeal ball and some cucumber slices - I cut the top two into flower shapes to encourage her to try them.  

The butternut squash polenta comes from a yummy recipe from the New York Times.  It is an easy weeknight dinner that we have made a few times.  The butternut squash disappears into the polenta, and gives it a nice slightly sweet, earthy flavor.  Baby Girl has been turning her nose up at squash lately, but will happily eat this polenta, so this is a nice way to diversify her diet a bit.

Items used to pack this bento: