How to Feed a Henry

Henry loves m uffins and we've been trying out a new variation this week -- Pancake Muffins! This is a n easy recipe shortcut for making muffins with pancake mix. We made three different flavors this week and Henry loved all of them. Making Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancake Muffins Th e recipe makes 6 muffins. We shared 4 at breakfast, and then he packed 2 in his lunchbox for the following day. They were all devoured! PANCAKE MUFFINS Makes 6 - 1 c up Pancake Mix - 1 egg - 1/2 cup milk - 2 tablespoons ma ple syrup - 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into lined muffin tin . Bake 15-20 minutes. Enjoy! Pumpkin Pan cake Muffins : We tr ied th e recipe with pumpkin pancake mix for a hearty fall flavor. Chocolate Banana Coconut Pancake Muffins : We made a batch with toasted coconut pancake mix . Reduce the m ilk to 1/4 cup. Add one ripe mashed banana and 1-2 table spo ons cocoa powder. Peanut...

One of Henry's favorite foods is bananas. Of course, he has been asking to pack bananas in his lunchbox.  Henry has chosen dried banana chips several times, but we've discouraged him from taking fresh bananas. Fresh bananas brown easily when they sit in a lunchbox all morning, so I started thinking about how he could enjoy a banana in his school lunch. He was so excited when I suggested a banana roll-up for Monday's school lunch. I think this is one of Henry's new favorite recipes. Most of the items in Henry's lunchbox are grab and go, but this simple combination was quick and easy for Henry to make himself. Sprinkling cinnamon on the banana and wrapping it inside a tortilla helps to keep it fresh in his lunchbox. This recipe is definitely Henry approved; he ate all of it at lunch. CINNAMON BANANA ALMOND BUTTER ROLL-UP Serves 1 - 1 Banana - 1 Wheat Tortilla - Almond butter (you could use peanut butter or sunflower seed butter instead) - Cinnamon...

Henry turns three years old today and he is so excited for his birthday.  A birthday high-five! Henry requested peanut butter toast and a strawberry banana smoothie for his birthday breakfast. This weekend, we'll celebrate with family. By special request, Henry's Grandma and Nana are baking a rainbow cake that I am sure will be a highlight of the day. Henry says that his birthday wish will be to ride a real elephant (unfortunately, I don't think Daddy or I will be able to make that dream come true). We recently upgrade Henry's plates, bowls and cups from plastic to ceramic and glass. He was excited to find his new "big kid" dishes in the cupboard last week and has been very careful with them. If one does break, he is old enough now to help clean up. It's been quite a while since I last posted so I think it is time for me to officially close out this blog. Thank you for everyone who joined in on Henry's childhood food journey. I hope ...

Most kids I know love chicken strips, and Henry is no exception. Baked chicken strips are an easy weeknight meal with just a short amount of prep time. The dried plantains give them a delicious crunchy coating. This recipe is Henry-approved. If dried plantains are not a staple in your pantry, you can find them at Trader Joe’s. Their plantain chips are pre-salted so no need to add any salt to this recipe. Henry creates a play dough scene while I prepare the Plantain Chicken Tenders. Ingredients 1 lb chicken breast cut into strips 1-½ cups dried plantain chips 1 t ground cumin 1 t ground coriander 1 clove garlic 1 egg 1 T whole milk 1 T olive oil Plantain chips chopped in the food processor. Directions Put plantain chips, spices and garlic into a food processor. Grind until the mixture is in small crumbs. This will be the breading for the chicken. Prepare your breading station with two shallow dishes. I like to use pie plates, one for the ...

Warm weather is on the way, so here is a new grilling recipe for you to try. Cauliflower does not have much of a reputation as a food to grill outdoors, but I think you will be impressed by this delicious dish. Henry helped prepare the grilled cauliflower. Since Henry is in an " I don't like it " phase, I cannot say that he approved this dish. He was, however, willing to take two taste test bites. And he very much enjoyed painting the cauliflower with olive oil and spices. You’ll probably be able to use about half of the cauliflower head as large steaks for this recipe; you can reserve the remaining small florets for another recipe (I used ours to make New York Cauliflower for the next evening’s dinner). Ingredients 1 head of cauliflower ½ cup olive oil ½ t cumin ½ t coriander ½ t salt ½ t pepper Grilled cauliflower cooking on the barbecue. Directions Rinse cauliflower. Slice it vertically into large steaks ¼-inch thick. Place the caulifl...

This recipe for pork schnitzel makes a frequent appearance on our family's dinner table. It's an easy weeknight meal to satisfy any hungry kiddo, especially Henry. This recipe is Henry-approved. Ingredients Pork Schnitzel 4-6 1/2-inch thick boneless pork chops (about 1-1.5 pounds) 1 egg 1 T milk 1 cup dry breadcrumbs 1 t paprika 1 t dried parsley 1 t salt 1 t pepper ¼ cup olive oil for pan frying 1 lemon Mushroom sauce 1 cup sliced mushrooms (5-6 small/med) 1 cup chopped onion (1/2 yellow onion) 1 cup vegetable broth ½ cup sour cream Salt and pepper to taste Pork schnitzel frying in the pan. Directions Prepare your breading station for the pork with two shallow dishes. I like to use pie plates, one for the egg dip and one for the dry ingredients. For the egg dip, use a fork to lightly whisk the egg and milk. For the dry ingredients, stir together breadcrumbs, paprika, parsley, salt and pepper. Preparing to bread the pork ...