Food at 12 Months

Scarlett loves to eat. She walks around with her hand out anytime someone in the house is eating. She thinks that she is as big as everyone else.

Confession time! A list of things that Scarlett really does eat.

peas, carrots, mac & cheese, avocado, rice (brown & white), broccoli (easy recipe follows)

raw celery & carrot sticks with hummus, peanut butter, or ranch dip (be super careful, Scarlett eats this while we are sitting at the table with her)

chicken - crockpot a whole chicken and you will have savory chicken for days.
cheese, yogurt, eggs, grits, applesauce, bananas

And sweets, she will eat every sweet she can get. M&M's are not safe in this house. We give her the yellow ones so she won't stain her clothes with the colored drool. Shameful, I know!

Easy Steamed Broccoli

Use a coffee cup to hold a few broccoli pieces and a splash of water. Microwave for less than a minute.

you can add a dash of salt, butter, cheese.

We do not like our broccoli to limp so cook to your liking.

Make Dill Pickles Sweet

1 Quart jar of dill pickles (I use Mt Olive, Hamburger Dill Chips)

2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup of vinegar

Drain your pickles, rinse, and lay out on a couple of paper towels to dry out some. In a small bowl combine the sugar and the vinegar. It will dissolve some, but does not have to dissolve completely. Put the pickles back in the jar and pour the sugar/vinegar mixture on top. I promise it will all fit. Put the top back on and shake, set the bottle on it lid for a little while and then turn it over. After you do that 3 or 4 times everything is mixed, dissolved and ready for the fridge.

Granola

  Update: This was originally on my written when we lived in San Diego and posted on my first blog.  I left on the information for San Diego in there.  I miss Trader Joe's in our new location, but I can find a lot of this stuff on Amazon and the Commissary. 

Granola

In honor of our trip to Balboa Park for the Earth Day Fair, I made some granola. Just so you know, we did not learn one thing at the Earth Day Fair but what a hippie looks like. We also had to leave because A LOT of information being distributed and yelled was not appropriate for kids. We did enjoy a walk through the Botanical Gardens. It was a nice refreshing break from the chaos.

So this is my recipe for granola. We love it with yogurt or by the hand full.

Granola

Mix together:
3 cups oats (I used steel cut this time and I likes the bigger chunks it made)
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt (depends on your liking)

In a separate bowl:
2 tablespoons melted butter (you can use canola oil)
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon of molasses (any dark syrup, I use Alaga, made in AL)

Mix the wet ingredients and pour over the mixed up dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into a pan. Cook at 325 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

When the granola is golden brown it is done, remove from oven, break up large chunks, and add any dried fruits that you like. We love dried cranberries. When completely cool you can store for a couple weeks, if it last that long.

Really and truly you can substitute any of the nuts that you like just as long as they are raw going in. I broke up some walnuts one time and that was very good.

Can I just say that I love Trader Joe's, this is the first time we have lived by one and that may spell trouble. The cost of the raw nuts was actually pretty good. There was a better selection per price than the commissary. We will be back and we just won't talk about how good their chocolate peanut butter cups are.

Crockpot Whole Chicken

A crockpot chicken is super easy and delicious. It is one of our go-to meals when the days are busy or we are out of cooking inspiration.

Photo Credit

This is how we do it. You can easily add in or take away ingredients to satisfy your family. 

Crockpot Chicken

• Turn your crockpot to high and let it get hot while you prep everything.

• Get one good size bird. That way you can make other meals out of your chicken. Wash and clean out your bird. Season with salt and pepper.

• Cut long lengths of carrots, celery, and onion and line the bottom of the crockpot. Drizzle with olive oil.

• Place the chicken right on top of the vegetables. 

• Add one cup of chicken broth or water.

• Turn the crockpot to low and let cook until chicken falls off the bone (about 6 hours).

Now you can use everything that you have cooked. The chicken should reach a temperature of 165* to kill all bacteria and there will be no cross contamination of your vegetables.  Don't forget to save some of the yummy broth.

Make chicken salad

Cold cuts of chicken for the lunch box

Chicken and rice (tip: add some chicken broth to the water when cooking the rice)

Shred the chicken for BBQ sandwiches

Freeze some