2011 Bento 96 (Last chance to win a Yubo Box!)

Don' forget to enter to win a Yubo Deluxe Lunchbox like the ones pictured in this post, go HERE to enter. You have until July 15th 9pm EST to enter!

Sunbutter Sandwich- really there's nothing in there but bread because my kids were eating before I could finish up the box! So pretend this is ANY sandwich you like :)

Grapes

Tomatoes

Green eggs, hold the Ham

Pixie hasn't needed her food processed for a while now. She been eating just about every table food without the extra salt or sugar. Except for nuts and honey and maybe a few other foods. I have given her both the white and yolk of eggs and she hasn't had any allergic reactions. These scrambled eggs have a little bit of cheese on them and steamed broccoli. The toast squares a lightly buttered.

Spinach and Rice for Baby

This is a simple Spinach and Rice soup. You can use vegetable or meat stock. Make sure it's salt free. If you have cubes on hand it will make this dish even easier to make for baby. Link to freezing stock and making salt free baby stock. For younger babies you can process or puree it.

Cabbage and Beet soup for Pixie

My mom made this soup for my aunt who is recovering from surgery. Since it isn't seasoned with salt Pixie had some also. It's pork stock bones, beets, cabbage and water. The beets and cabbage give it a sweetness and the stock bones give it flavor and depth.

Rice Congee or Jok for Pixie

Rice Congee is rice porridge. Eaten in many Asian countries, it can be made with brown or white rice, with just water or with the addition of chicken, fish, beef or other proteins, herbs, sometimes beans or lotus root or ginkgo nuts. As a child my grandfather on my dad's side lived with us. He used to eat plain white rice congee with condiments like pickled mustard greens, salted duck eggs, soy sauce, pickled tofu and century eggs/thousand year old eggs. It's a comfort food. Pixie has had plain white rice congee, I also make her one with vegetables and chicken stock. Congee is Chinese while Jok is Thai. In Lao we call it Khao Peaak, literally "wet rice".

Chicken and Vegetables for Baby

I have a picture of the finished dish somewhere but I can't seem to find it. The beauty of the baby cook is less pots, pans and what not to wash, smaller batches for fresh meals fast with the option of making a couple of extra batches to freeze. This is chicken breast, sugar snap peas and red bell pepper. Once it's cooked and blended to the consistency you baby likes add some cumin, pepper other herbs/spices to broaden your baby's pallet.

Tilapia and Fish Packet for Baby

This method of coking fish for babies is versatile. You can use almost any vegetable or fruit that your baby has had. I prefer parchment paper because, for me at least these packets cook up faster in parchment as opposed to foil.

Salt free vegetable stock for babies

A salt free vegetable stock is a great way to thin out purees for baby and a great base for meat free soups. Making a big batch is convenient because once you freeze the stock in an ice cube container it's ready to be used any time. It's also nice to have stock on hand for cooking any meal. It's less expensive than buying stock and you know what's in it.