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Our favorite (easy & quick) healthy waffles

My kids most requested breakfast is, by far, waffles. We cut them in strips and my oldest dips the "waffle sticks" into syrup and younger son likes to dip them in jam. We make big batches of them and freeze them to make weekday mornings a bit easier (and cleaner).

There are some great waffle recipes out there. We make a variety of them. But because my kids ask for waffles so often, I was looking an easy weekday waffle and I needed the recipe to have a few key things. I didn't want have to separate eggs. I didn't want very many ingredients and I wanted them all to be pantry staples. And I didn't want to add yogurt. Yogurt is a hot commodity in our house and we're in quarantine right now and don't always have it on hand.

With minimal help on my part, my 4 year old and 5 year old can now make this batter themselves. This took practice and me breathing through the mess, but we made these this morning and I didn't even touch the whisk or the spatula.

Easy Weekday Waffles
(makes approx. 10 waffles)
adapted from Weelicious

Ingredients*:

-       1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (all purpose flour or a combination of flours works too)

-       2 teaspoons baking powder

-       1/4 teaspoon salt
-       1 cup milk (any preferred type) 

-       3 eggs 

-       3 tablespoons butter, melted (I use unsalted for baking)

-       2 tablespoons honey (or agave)

-       1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Optional: 1-2 scoops protein powder (I like this one because it's completely plant-based and very clean)

*All ingredients are organic whenever possible

Directions:
Preheat waffle maker. Whisk first 3 ingredients together in a bowl (and protein powder, is using). In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Don't over mix, just fold together until combined. It's ok if there are clumps remaining. If the batter seems thick add a little bit of water. If it seems thin, let it sit for a couple minutes and it will thicken up. Scoop batter into waffle maker and cook according to manufacturer's settings.

Serve with maple syrup, homemade whipped cream, and fresh berries.

Notes:
 -       Any leftovers freeze really well. Let cool and put in a ziploc or reusable freezer safe bag and place in freezer. Reheat in the toaster using the 'defrost' setting or in an oven or toaster oven.
 -       We have to double this recipe if we want to be able to freeze any for another day. When I make a double batch I double all of the ingredients above except I use: 5 eggs and 1/3 cup butter, melted.
 -       Depending on your waffle maker you may need to grease the waffle maker with butter or oil before you add the batter.
 - As with most of my recipes there are always substitutions to be made depending on what's in your pantry. If you don't have enough milk, use a combination of milk and water; no honey or agave, use maple syrup or good old-fashioned sugar; no butter, use any kind of oil you have, coconut oil is one of our go-to's; no vanilla, leave it out; not enough eggs, use what you have and continue on. Trust me, at the end you'll still have a delicious waffle.

Things to outsource as a homemaker, wife, mother

Most of the food we serve our kids is homemade. But as a busy mama there are still things that I need to outsource to someone else. Here are some of those things:

-        Yogurt – my mom got me a yogurt maker one Christmas. I very respectfully gave it back to her and said "there are way too many things we already make from scratch. I’m going to have to outsource our yogurt". That said, I am extremely picky about what yogurt we buy. Like, if the store doesn’t have want I want, we go without. Most yogurts have such a high sugar content it’s practically a dessert. My kids don’t need that. I don't need that. I love the siggi’s brand and just about all the flavors are fairly low in sugar. I still tend to stick to the plain or vanilla. I also love the Trader Joe’s, Straus, and Stonyfield organic plain yogurts.

-        Hummus – I know this is so easy to make homemade, but we just don’t. I’m pretty happy with the organic Trader Joe’s hummus and their eggplant and olive flavors, so we stick to those.

-        Chicken and/or vegetable stock – We will make this at home sometimes. I think it’s great to have on hand especially during cold season and homemade really is best. But for the most part we buy the organic chicken stock from Costco. I’m not thrilled with the sodium content, but most of the time I use half the amount of stock and half water.

-        Pancake / Waffle mix – Every so often we’ll make this from scratch. It really is so easy. But having the mix on hand is so quick. I really like Bob’s Red Mill Organic, 7 Grain Pancake & Waffle Whole Grain Mix. I add vanilla and a baking spice blend and protein powder when I use a mix to freshen it up a bit.

-        Granola – I know this is another super easy thing to make at home. And maybe someday I will. But every time I go to make it, I stand in the dried fruit and nut aisle and pile $60 worth of items in my cart and then decide it’s way easier to head to the bulk section. We buy it from Whole Foods in bulk or the Trader’s Joe’s Organic Coconut granola or if I’m really lucky, my mom makes it and gives us a giant jar. This is my favorite way to outsource. J

-        Bread – One day I will make my own delicious crusty sourdough bread to share with my friends and family. I have made a few attempts, but without much success. This is a goal of mine, but for now, we buy our bread from a local bakery and just have them slice it for us. It’s a huge time saver and we get fresh bread made locally and with few ingredients.

-        Meals – yes the majority of our meals are completely homemade. But we also get take-out at about once a week – this is usually sushi or Indian food – something that we can’t easily make at home. We also have used meal kit delivery services in the past, such as One Potato, Blue Apron, and Plated. Sometimes when we get in a dinner rut, we’ll get a week of these to switch things up a bit and get some new inspiration.

-        Deep house cleaning – I know not everyone can afford this. But we made the decision a few years ago to put it in our budget. We have someone come in every month or two and clean our house top to bottom. I used to feel very guilty about this and really dug in when my husband first suggested it. I now feel it's some of the best money we spend. With both of us working full-time outside the home and with 3 kids 4 and under, we have decided to let this one go. Our home isn’t as clean as we would like all the time – I would love for her to come every two weeks, or even weekly (what a dream!), but for this season of life, it’s clean enough. If cleaning your house makes you cringe and hate life, consider hiring someone to come in, even if it’s just once or twice a year.

[A few things] I refuse to outsource:

-        Cookies and muffins – Unless they are from a really good bakery, I rarely buy muffins or cookies out. There’s so much sugar (and preservatives) in the bakery and store bought ones, I’d rather eat the ones we make at home. It's a great activity to do with the kids: it teaches them motor skills, math skills, practical life skills and I know every ingredient going into them.

-        Croutons – The store bought ones don’t even taste that good, it’s almost like crunching down on dust. If we have stale bread at home, we’ll bake them with olive oil and herbs and they are so so good. They keep for a couple weeks in an airtight jar in the pantry.

I would love to know what things you outsource to make your home run smoother. Also, what things do you refuse to outsource?

No Chicken Noodle soup

My four year old has always loved chicken noodle soup. Even as an infant, we would spoon the broth-soaked carrots, celery and noodles onto his high chair tray and he would gobble it up, pounding his fingers together for more.

This is one of my favorite quick and easy recipes and we almost always have everything on hand. However, I’m not usually prepared enough to have picked up chicken at the store or thawed some out from the freezer, so we usually do “no-chicken noodle soup”.

No Chicken Noodle soup

Ingredients*:

-       ½ onion, chopped

-       2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped into coins

-       2-3 celery stalks + some of the celery leaves, chopped

-       1-2 quarts chicken broth (or vegetable broth for a vegetarian or vegan option) (I like the organic one from Costco or I’ll use some homemade if we have it in the freezer)

-       1 – 1½ cups of small dried pasta

-       Olive oil, salt, pepper

-       Fresh herbs: thyme, parsley, roughly chopped, and 1-2 bay leaves

*All ingredients are organic whenever possible

Note: As with most the recipes I post there are always substitutions that can be made if you don’t have all the ingredients listed. Don’t let that stop you from making what could be a yummy home-cooked meal. 

I used to shy away from recipes when I didn’t have all the ingredients or I would find a recipe to make and then go out and buy all the ingredients and have so much waste when I didn’t use all of something. (Like that whole bag of celery - seriously though, could Trader Joe’s start selling just half that amount of celery?). Side note: When my husband doesn’t want to buy a whole big stalk of celery, he’ll go by the salad bar section and pick up the amount we need there. 

Directions:

Add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and salt and pepper to olive oil. Cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If veggies look dry or are sticking to the pan, add a bit more olive oil. If you get dark bits of onion, don’t worry, it’ll just add more flavor. Add chicken broth and herbs, scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil. Add pasta, cover, turn down heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until pasta is done. If your soup seems too thick add a bit more broth or water and let cook for a bit longer. If your soup seems too thin, let it cook with the lid off so that some of the liquid evaporates.

Spoon into bowls (let your toddler add an ice cube if they want). Serve with a chunk of yummy crusty bread. The crusty bread is especially good for teething infants. Soak the crust of the bread in the broth and then give to your baby. To help them work on their pincer grasp, spoon the veggies and noodles directly on to their high chair tray. I was terrified of my babies choking with most foods, but the broth soaked veggies are perfect and will just melt in their mouth.

Substitutions:

-       If you don’t have olive oil, use butter or ghee or coconut oil or avocado oil

-       If you don’t have an onion, use leeks or green onions (white parts only) or shallots. You could also add a bit of onion powder to the carrots and celery while they are sautéing. Just make sure you have enough olive oil in the pot and you don’t see any more powder before you add the liquid.

-       No celery, try a bit of celery seed.

-       Other veggies you could add: frozen peas, frozen corn, leafy greens like spinach or kale. I like to roughly chop the greens before adding. My kids tend to eat them better that way. The four veggies I listed here would all be added at the end, as they don’t need to sauté like the onions, carrots and celery.

-       If you don’t have enough chicken broth, add water or vegetable broth. I usually add water directly to the empty broth carton and then pour that straight into the pot.  If makes me feel like I’m getting every drop of flavor.

-       If you don’t have pasta, add rice or potatoes. If using uncooked, you’ll have to cook a bit longer. Add the potatoes at the same time as the veggies.

-       For the pasta we usually use macaroni or orzo because that’s what we tend to have on hand. I love adding alphabet pasta for the kids too. I’ll usually combine it with one of the other pastas. I’ve also used mini dried tortellini or ravioli. It makes it a bit heartier and sometimes it’s all I have in the pantry.

-       If you’re making this for a younger child, I would add more pasta to make it a bit thicker and easier for them to eat. We started using these spoons for broth soup with the kids and it’s much easier for them and slightly less messy.

-       Fresh herbs really make this 30 minute dish feel slow-cooked. Tarragon and rosemary would be good in this too. A great way to test it is to smell the herb and if you like it toss it in. If your kids don’t like green flecks in their food, you can tie the herbs up in a cheesecloth and put the whole bundle in the soup to steep.  If all you have is dried herbs, use them generously. The more flavor the better.

If you happen to have a rotisserie chicken or any cooked chicken or turkey in your fridge, chop this up and add it with the pasta.

Homemade baby cereal

Food manufacturers have done their jobs well when it comes to baby cereal. We've come to believe that it should be baby's first food and that we need to buy something special in order to make it.

When we first discussed introducing solids to our oldest over 4 years ago our pediatrician suggested rice cereal. I did some research and found that rice can contain small traces of arsenic which can build up and have adverse effects on babies tiny bodies (studies can be found here and here). For this reason we decided to start with oat cereal instead of rice.

A friend gave me an organic oat cereal for babies from a brand I knew. We made it following the directions on the box. The thin grey cereal was not something I even wanted to taste. But I thought that this is what we were supposed to feed our baby - the doctor had told me, my friends did it - so we gave it to him. After 3 days it just didn't seem right that I was giving him something I didn't even want to eat myself. Aren't we supposed to teach a baby what good food should taste like?

I did more research and found that in other parts of the world baby's first food is much more flavorful: in France it might be leek soup, in Thailand a banana, in Italy veggie purees or semolina pasta. It's really only in the US that we've come to believe that babies need bland food with little flavor.

That said I still wanted him to have baby cereal as part of his diet. We eat a lot of oatmeal and it felt like a good vehicle for introducing other foods.  It can easily be made more flavorful with spices and herbs and fruit and veggie purees. And it doesn't need to come from a box. It is so easy to make and significantly less expensive than buying baby cereal from the store.

Homemade baby cereal
Ingredients
 - organic old fashioned oats
 - water

Directions
Using a food processor grind up oats, pulse oats for about 15-30 seconds until finely ground. This can be stored in an airtight container for later use.
To make the oatmeal I do a 1:2 ratio for oats to liquid. Add 1 cup water and 1/2 cup oats to pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and stir until mixture becomes thick and creamy.

Notes:
Oatmeal can be thinned using breast milk or formula. Add to the oatmeal after it's cooked, as breast milk and formula should not be boiled. Adding breast milk or formula may help introduce a new flavor since it is a familiar taste to the baby already.
Do not add salt as you might when making oatmeal for yourself. Babies can't process excess salt and should be avoided when making them food.
Feel free to add spices like cinnamon or nutmeg to boost the flavor.
Do not add honey for babies under the age of 1 year old, or any other sweeteners like agave or syrup.
You could also use a combination of water and milk to make it creamier.
Try adding fruit and veggie purees. Oatmeal is such a simple dish it lends itself well to both savory and sweet dishes. My youngest really likes it mixed with an apple - spinach puree.

If you have older children they might love helping you grind up the oats in the food processor. Since you don't have to be precise with the measuring they can scoop out the oats and pour it into the bowl of the food processor themselves. My kids also really like seeing the cause and effect of pulsing the food processor.

Age: 4-months+
Store finely ground oats in sealed container in pantry.
Store cooked oatmeal in fridge for 3-5 days. May need to be thinned with water or milk when re-heating.

Creamy broccoli soup

My baby is 9 months old and right at the point where she is fully getting into eating meals. It really snuck up on me. She went from trying different foods every so often to wanting to eat actual meals multiple times per day. I absolutely love it. She's been gobbling up this creamy broccoli soup so I wanted to get the recipe written down as soon as possible. This can easily be creamy broccoli cheese soup or be dairy-free or vegetarian depending on your tastes and / or dietary restrictions.

Creamy broccoli soup
Ingredients*
 - olive oil
 - 1 small onion, diced
 - 3 carrots, diced
 - 3 celery stalks, diced
 - 2-3 small potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (I use gold potatoes)
 - 6 small broccoli heads, cut into small florets (you could also do 3-4 full stalks of broccoli including the stems)
 - 1 quart reduced sodium chicken stock or veggie stock
 - 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional) (it must be sharp cheddar, mild and medium are not flavorful enough with the broccoli)
 - salt / pepper to taste

*Note all ingredients are organic whenever possible

Directions
In large pot heat olive oil. Add onions, carrots and celery (these should be cut in approximately the same size), cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and cover. Stir occasionally, cook about 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cover. When broccoli has turned bright green, about 5 minutes, add stock. Liquid should almost cover veggies. If it doesn't, add water or additional stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes and broccoli are tender.
Using an immersion blender (or transfer to blender or food processor) puree until smooth. If the soup is thicker than you would like, add water or additional stock. If it's thinner than you'd like turn up the heat and let it reduce a bit. If it's the perfect consistency, add the cheese and stir until melted.

Our whole family ate this with a crusty baguette from a local bakery. I left out salt intentionally since I was serving it to my 9-month old, but added it to our family's servings once it was done. This would also be good with crumbled bacon on top, garnished with roasted broccoli pieces and / or finely chopped chives or parsley.

This soup is just as yummy without the cheese if you wanted it to be dairy-free. The potatoes make it creamy without having to add cream or milk.

Age: 6 months+
Store in fridge for 4-5 days or freezer for up to four months. Favorite storage containers (this and this)

Welcome (and homemade whipped cream)

My third baby was born 8 weeks ago, on her oldest brothers birthday. I have been wanting to create my own space on the web since we started him on solids, about 4 years ago. I have loved teaching my babies to enjoy food and I have been wanting a place online to collect our family recipes. Hopefully, this will be a place other families can use as a resource too.

I hope this can be a place to find inspiration for healthy meals, especially for busy families; for ways to teach kids about enjoying food; as well as ways to involve kids in the kitchen. This should not be a place to feel shame or guilt about giving your kids goldfish crackers or letting them eat a lollipop. What works for one family may not work for another. We all just want what's best for our family and sometimes that means pulling out a frozen pizza and counting the tomato sauce on it as that nights vegetable. We are all just doing our best.

A few nights ago, my 2 boys were getting restless before dinner. Involving them in cooking usually gets them calmer because they are focused and they usually get to taste test the ingredients. While my husband made dinner, the boys and I decided to make whipped cream. We had a pint of heavy whipping cream in the fridge. So we got out the stand-mixer and whisk attachment. My oldest (4 years old) opened the pint of cream and poured it into a measuring cup. My younger son (3 years old) held the measuring cup for him and then poured it in the bowl. I turned on the mixer and the boys watched the liquid cream turn into a solid whipped cream and then each took a taste. The boys had it for breakfast the next day with strawberries on top of their homemade whole wheat protein waffles we had in the freezer. I added a scoop of it to my coffee that morning. It made for a very decadent coffee.

Homemade whipped cream
Ingredients:
 - heavy whipping cream
 - vanilla extract or other extracts, lemon, almond, etc. (optional)

Directions:
Pour heavy whipping cream in stand mixer bowl. Add a very small amount of extract to the cream. We used 1 cup of cream and it was enough for breakfast the next morning and 3 coffees for me. :)
If you don't have a stand mixer, a hand-mixer will work just as well or you could whip it by hand if you want to get an arm work out in. (Note: whipping it by hand will take a long time). If you use a hand mixer, depending on their ages, the kids could take turns holding the hand mixer.
Start the mixer off on the lower settings and then slowly increase the speed so that it doesn't splatter everywhere. It's ready when it looks like whipped cream. It couldn't be easier. This can be stored in the fridge for a couple days.

I usually let the boys turn off the mixer and lower down the bowl on the stand mixer. I try to let them do as much as possible when we're in the kitchen together.

I know this is such a simple recipe and probably doesn't even merit a post, but these are the types of recipes and activities I need to be reminded of. What can be a hard time for us in the evening turned into a fun time together and resulted in introducing them to something new and delicious.

I enjoy simple, fresh food. In the past, I have really overcomplicated cooking but since having kids (and a lot less time) I've been learning that it's possible to create simple balanced meals with some thoughtfulness and intention.

Welcome to elle emme kitchen.