Spicing it up with some new recipes

I love to try new recipes, and couponing as well as the Eat from The Pantry Challenge that I did in January in February has helped me continue to stretch my creative muscles to use the food we have on hand or what's cheap.  This year I've already found a couple of great go-to recipes that are easy to fix and extremely tasty.   My current fave:  Shrimp Fried Rice.  When you're able to get shrimp and rice on sale, it's a fairly frugal recipe to prepare, with sesame oil being a possible exception if you don't use it much.

If you like to make things ahead, this is a recipe for you.  It's SUPPOSED to be prepared with leftover cold rice, so I just cook that and dice the vegetables earlier in the afternoon during my daughter's nap.  Near dinnertime, just saute the shrimp and follow the directions.  Dinner on the plate within 15 min.  At least to my taste buds, this rivals takeout...mmmm!

Mini Apple-Cheddar Meatloaves is another recent find which can be whipped up in a short amount of time to rave reviews.  It's ground turkey-based, so there's an added level of healthfulness.  To cut the prep time, opted to put my onion and apple in the food processor to get it into small pieces rather than shred them.  You can also substitute regular breadcrumbs for panko. 

I've been able to get amazing deals on pork tenderloin in the past couple of weeks, but I really didn't have any pork tenderloin recipes.  Enter Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Olive Stuffing.  This isn't a cheap recipe to prepare, nor is it quick; but it's easy and tastes fan-freaking-tastic.  Think restaurant-quality-impress-your-guests delicious.  I'm still dreaming about the sauce.  From all the money we've been saving, it was a bit easier for me to fork out the extra cash for olive tapenade and blue cheese to make this splurge meal.  Well worth it for a dish that makes me miss going out to nice restaurants just a bit less.  ;)

Best of all, my 2 year old will eat all three of these!  Woo hoo!

photo courtesy of dearbarbie on flickr

Happy Baby Puffs

With my little gal and I on the go more in the mornings since she's dropped her morning nap, (yessss!!) I've been happy to find something I can put in her Snack Trap that's convenient, healthy, won't spoil and doesn't make a mess. I used to feel like I was limited to Cheerios or risk delving into the high-sugar world of BeechNut or Gerber puffs, or the salty world of goldfish or pretzels.

Enter Happy Baby Puffs, an organic whole grain melt-in-baby's-mouth snack with greens, apples or bananas baked right in. My daughter likes the greens ones a lot, and loves their o-like shape which she thinks looks like a flower. I admit that I've eaten a few and found them appealing. Happy Baby Puffs are fortified with vitamins and minerals including vitamin D, much like the 'big brands' puffs.

More bonuses about these snacks:

- Half the sugar of other brands
- Better value - 40% more puffs inside in a convenient flip-top package
- Green Packaging: Their containers are sourced through a green partnership with Method. They are made with 25% recycled materials, are BPA free, and are recyclable.

I've saved the package to use for storing other small items, and it's great for travel.

Looking for more healthy toddler finger foods? Take a look and tell me what you think. Please share some of your child's favorites too.

Edamame. Your toddler make like it. Really.

I have to say that edamame (steamed young soybeans) was not one of the first things (or even first dozen things) I thought of as healthy finger foods to feed my toddler. The word edamame conjures up images in my mind of furry bean pods, vegetarian cafes, and women who wear long skirts with little bells on them and burn incense. I know people who love eating edamame, but I've never really gotten into it.

We were stuck in a finger food rut with our daughter, and I didn't want to add any more high carb offerings. My husband and I brainstormed other ideas, and edamame made the list. Our grocery store (Publix) had shelled ready-to-eat edamame, so into my cart it went.

I easily popped a handful little beans out of their translucent skins and set them on Samantha's high chair tray like I was giving her some Cheerios and not an unusual vegetable. One went into her mouth, then two, then six. She gobbled up all the edamame on her plate and asked for more.

Steamed young soybeans as a great toddler snack? Who knew.

Plus, they're super-healthy. The United States Department of Agriculture states that edamame are "a soybean that can be eaten fresh and is best known as a snack with a nutritional punch". Edamame contains protein, which further helps stabilize blood sugar, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids. They also contain a high source of vitamin A, vitamin B and calcium.

Convenient, healthy, and soft enough for an older baby or toddler to chew. They're worth a try; your child might like them too.