The Queen Doesn't Cook #6

Swedish Meatballs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 lbs ground chuck

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs (I used Corn Flake Crumbs)

Combine all ingredients. Mix well and make into meatballs. Cook in preheated oven 30 - 35 minutes or until done.

Yummy.

Your kids will like them.

Optional sauce (I didn't make this, but it is worth a try)
1 bottle chili sauce
1 jar grape jelly

While meatballs are baking, combine chili sauce and grape jelly in a saucepan and heat until jelly has melted. When meatballs are done, remove from oven. Drain and transfer meatballs to saucepan and coat well with sauce before serving.

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Submitted by Heather

HELP - 1 Year Old Diet

I feel like I mastered the art homemade baby puree. Now I feel a little out of my element. We're trying to feed Cohen a mostly organic diet - especially milk, meat and the dirty dozen vegetables and fruits. I feel challenged as I try to expand Cohen's diet and at the same time try to be frugal and keep things as easy as possible. Please comment with anything that worked for you and your child. Any and all suggestions are welcome!!!!

The Queen Doesn't Cook #3 - Chicken Meat

Because organic chicken is so expensive, I buy a whole raw chicken and cook it for Cohen. It is actually easier than I thought it would be. Barb showed me how to throw it in a pot of water with the liver and boil it until it is at 180 degrees. The part that I HATE is taking the meat off of the bone. Many of you know that I am a clean freak (don't look at the counter in the pictures...we're still unpacking). Taking chicken off of the bone requires messy hands. I've learned to get over my fear of dirty fingers long enough to make Cohen's food.

Mission accomplished.

Breakthrough!!!

Cohen, like his mother, doesn't like to get his hands dirty. So, whenever I put mushy food on his tray he picks it up, drops it and then tries to push it off of his tray. Then, he looks at his fingers with disgust. I looked online and found a great tip. Coat fruit in crushed cereal so it is easier to pick up. IT WORKED!!

The Dirty Dozen

I've been reading a lot about organic foods lately. Cohen eats about 95% organic solids. Mark and I eat about 10% organic.

There are some organic foods that are hard to find or way too expensive. So, here is a list of fruits and veggies that top the list for their pesticide load.

THE DIRTY DOZEN
1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet bell peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Imported grapes
10. Pears
11. Spinach
12. Potatoes
(according to The Environmental Walking Group as listed in Baby Talk magazine)

Yesterday we received a Product Safety Tip Card from Organic and Natural Experience.

Highest in Pesticides

(some of these foods match the list above)
Peaches

Nectarines
Grapes

Apples
Strawberries

Pears
Sweet Bell Peppers

Cherries

Spinach

Celery
Lettuce

Potatoes

Lowest in Pesticides

Onions

Mango

Bananas

Avocado

Asparagus

Cabbage

Sweet Corn (frozen)

Sweet Peas (frozen)

Broccoli

Pineapples

Kiwi Fruit

Papaya

The Queen Doesn't Cook #1 - Apricots and Apples

Try this. It is very tart, but really delicious! I'll see if Cohen likes it tomorrow.

Recipe:
About 5 apricots - peeled and sliced
2 apples - peeled and sliced
Steam apricots and apples until tender.
Puree in blender. (I didn't need to add any liquid, but you can add juice or water if you want a thinner consistency.)
Eat or freeze.


YUMMY!

Tofu!

Doesn't that look nasty?

I gave Cohen tofu today. I mashed it up with some applesauce. I would have never thought about tofu as a protein for Cohen, but my book by Dr. Spock suggested it. Cohen actually liked it. He got full pretty fast, though (after about 1 oz.). So next time I don't think I need such a big chunk.