G and E's 1st Snow!!

Well Charlotte finally got snow!!  It was about an inch, but we still enjoyed it!  Graham and Ellie didn't really get what was going on, but we played and played until they were little icicles:)
Watching the snow fall before bed!

 Lots more snow when they woke up this morning!

 It was really cold!  Thank goodness for these Patagonia fleece suits!

 Attempting a snow angle haha!

We met some friends at the park to sled down some hills.  Some of these pics don't look like there is a lot of snow because so many kids sled down that there wasn't a ton left...but it was still slick and icy!
Andy and Adam

 Rachel loading Graham up!

 Uncle Andy pulling Graham down!

 Holdens turn

 Graham, Holly, me, Ellie, Rachel and Adam

 Me and Ellie

 She is our daredevil for sure!

 The boys loved pulling Ellie around...and so did she!

Aunt Rachel and Ellie!  Weeeeeeee!!!  This hill didn't have a ton of snow, but lots of ice so it was pretty fast once you got going!

 Holly and Holden!

 Me and my little boy:)

E loves her Aunt Rach!

 We finally found an untouched snow hill!

 Daddy and Grahams turn!

 Yes in North Carolina we use beach toys for sledding!

 Me and my snow bug!

After all that playing in the snow we took the twins home to nap.  When they woke up we decided to run a few errands and get pizza....I mean what goes better with a snow day than pizza!!!  And for all you gluten free Charlotteans Pizza Fusion has great gluten free pizzas (and brownies and beer:))

 E mostly licked off the cheese and sauce.

 G got 1/2 in his mouth and 1/2 on the floor.

 They liked the pizza and made a huge mess....we won't wear white next time we eat pizza haha!

What a fun day and G and E's first snow was so special and memorable!

Baby Food and Recipes

I have always loved to cook, but these days I find myself mostly making food for the twins.  Luckily it is worth it because not only do they eat it up, I know they are getting good healthy food!   Here are some recipes and things that they are loving these days.

Our kids are still eating 50% baby pureed food and now about 50% finger food they can feed themselves.  I still use and LOVE my Vitamix for food!  I even use it for a lot of the new finger food recipes I am making.

Ellies Favorite:
2 Tomatoes sliced and I squeeze juice out a little
1 cup cauliflower
2 spoonfuls Coconut Oil
2 carrots peeled
Basil- a few leaves
1/4 cup cheddar cheese

1. Boil carrots and cauliflower for 8-10 min.
2. Melt Coconut Oil in another pan, add tomatoes and sauté 5 min or until getting mushy.
3. Remove pan from heat and stir in the basil and cheese.
4. Put everything in a blender and puree!

Graham's Favorite (although that kid will eat anything!):
1 piece of chicken
1 apple peeled and chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1 spoonful coconut oil

1. Wrap the chicken in foil and broil for 45 min.
2. Melt coconut oil in a pan and then add chopped apple and onion and sauté for 5 min.
3. Add chicken to mixture and then puree all in a blender

We also will do chicken with sweet potato and yellow pepper a lot.   For greens I will do squash, spinach and corn….or green beans, black eyed peas and apples.  We have done lots of combinations and will include qunioa and rice in place of a starch too.  Salmon is our Monday night dinner for the twins so I will puree salmon with some veggies and then give them small pieces of salmon as well to pick up and eat.  I still sometimes puree one individual veggie or fruit alone, but for the most part I blend several together!  I always mix it up though.  Try not to feed them the same thing 2 days in a row.  Don't be afraid to add spices and different flavors too.

Good Finger Foods:
cheese
blueberries
strawberries
avocado
banana
steamed green beans
steamed carrots
steamed potatoes/sweet potatoes
steamed eggplant
hard boiled eggs
edamame
beans
chicken
salmon
gnocchi
cheerios
cucumber
mandarin oranges
peaches
steamed squash
boiled chicken
sodium free turkey slices (from the lunch meat deli section)
*we have puffs, peanut butter crackers and veggie sticks, but I try not to give them these unless we are out in public and I need a quick snack!

Here are a few of the other recipes and the modifications I made for finger foods.
Veggie Muffins: I don't put sugar in it and I substitute coconut oil for butter.   We like these too so I will make a double batch and add walnuts and flax seed for Ryan and I to eat!
http://www.superhealthykids.com/healthy-kids-recipes/power-packed-fruit-and-veggie-muffin-for-picky-eaters.php

Breakfast Pancakes:
http://thewholetulip.com/recipes.php?recipe=18

And Meatballs: We used both ground turkey and chicken.  We doubled the recipe and froze a huge bag of them.
http://www.parents.com/blogs/high-chair-times/2011/07/21/fruits/mini-veggie-filled-meatballs-for-baby/

Although it takes time to make their food, almost all of it freezes well.  So its not like I am making each meal as they eat it.  I will make and double or triple recipes and then freeze and just thaw as I need it.  Even the pancakes, muffins and meatballs freeze well!
Speaking of freeze…this is what my freezer looks like!

When we go out to eat I still bring pureed baby food.  I put two frozen cubes in these reusable pouches in the morning and by the time we go to a restaurant or picnic at the park they are thawed and ready!

We will either squeeze it in their mouth or squeeze onto a spoon.  We usually order food and feed them the pureed pouch while we are waiting for the food.  Then we can give them finger food while we eat too!  They are (so far) really good out to eaters!!!