Posted by JC2 | Posted in Physical Health, Recipes, Time | Posted on 04-07-2011
Tags: children, family, recipe
I envisioned our 4th of July as a restful, celebratory day of family fun… unfortunately, my son woke up “on the wrong side of the bed” and my daughter was more interested in watching cartoons than hanging out with me. So, (as usual) I found a project to occupy my time until we went to watch the city parade.
Dangerously low on my famous (infamous?) purees, I made that my top priority (while also preparing or reheating breakfast for the entire family – honestly, I am physiologically incapable of doing one thing at a time although I really do strive for margin).
STEP 1:
I washed two carrots and 1/2 a head of cauliflower, threw them in the combination rice cooker/steamer and turned the dial (there’s a great tutorial on steaming vegetables on YouTube and there is a comprehensive chart for veggie cooking times on TLC if you are unfamiliar with the process or do not own a rice cooker/steamer contraption).
In the meantime, I washed fresh spinach and pulled some organic green beans out of the freezer to add towards the end of the cooking time. Unfortunately, I added the beans and spinach too early and the carrots weren’t completely tender so I had to pull them (I just put them in a little dish in the fridge for “not thank you bites” at dinnertime) before I went on to step 2.
STEP 2:
When the vegetables are tender, I dump them (carefully because steam burns really hurt!) into the food processor and turn it on. I stop the processor occasionally and scrape down the sides or chop up big pieces with a spoon so the mixture becomes really smooth.
Vegetable Puree in Food Processor
STEP 3:
Spoon the purée into a silicone muffin pan or ice cube tray.
Vegetable Puree in Muffin Pan
If the purée is still warm, place the tray in the fridge for an hour or two before transferring to the freezer to harden.
STEP 4:
After purée is completely frozen, pop out of ice cube tray or muffin pan and store in plastic baggies.
Frozen Vegetable Puree
I don’t know many people (especially children) that willingly eat enough vegetables every single day (I’m an exception, but my husband complains that I eat like a rabbit). Because my children’s immune systems are already compromised, and I am desperate to help them find some margin in physical health (I really despise hospitals)… I add the vegetable purees toeverything (seriously – even cookies and cake are not exempt). Because my daughter has a dairy and egg allergy, I also use the purees as a substitute for butter.
Although I own both The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious, I am too lazy to actually follow a recipe (especially for a purée) so I just steam and purée whatever is on hand. I generally use only veggies for purees (because my children need them the most), but you can add fruit (cranberries, apples, pears or even prunes work well), sweet potatoes and even beans (drained and rinsed) for extra protein.
So, rather than hanging out by the pool or enjoying a cook-out, I made vegetable purees (and homemade “milk,” but I’ll save that recipe for tomorrow). Actually, it wasn’t such a bad idea since my son is now incredibly jacked up on sugar (the parental joys of the 4th of July parade)…
Have you ever used vegetable purees in cooking? How do you add nutrient density (heck, just nutrients) to your children’s meals?
I really need to do this… I have a rice cooker gathering dust at the back of my pantry. (And I just discovered last night that both kids like brown rice and quinoa!) Might be time to bust out the wedding gift kitchen tools.
That’s funny… my original rice cooker/veggie steamer was a wedding gift from my sister. Although I didn’t use it for a long time, I started pureeing with my second kiddo… needless to say, I was horribly upset when it finally quit working (after a long and happy life) last year. We had to replace immediately!
Purees are much easier than they look and you can use up all the veggies from the crisper drawer that aren’t being eaten fast enough which saves money and reduces waste!
Good point. And I do have some baby carrots in the drawer now that are looking a bit sad… goal for this weekend. Find the instructions for the steamer (or google) and get to steaming/pureeing!!
Good luck – let me know how it goes! It is much easier than it seems…
If I eat them will I be the HULK?
If the color was .. like dark brown… would I not have to tan for summer?
I’ve heard overconsumption of foods high in beta-carotene (carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, etc.) turning the skin orange, but haven’t tested it with green foods. My superhero-loving son would be thrilled if it DID work, though!!
The fake tan is more my speed…
I have many baby photos of me with a bright orange little nose!
Not sure if the green veggies will turn you green, but perhaps they will give you “Popeye” muscles!!
Too funny! So it IS true!
I’m hoping for the muscles (because there are already a lot of skin colors in our house)
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