Dinner prep: entertaining your toddler when preparing meals

Margaux  is at the age she wants to imitate everything I do. Very cute, but sometimes I need her to be entertained while I prepare her meal. In this case, she becomes a mini cook!

Tools:

• Egg container
• Toddler cooking utensils
• Coffee straws
• Silicone muffin pans

How To:

• Let your mini chef play with silicone muffin pans which are soft enough to use
• Give him/her coffee straws to put in a colander
• Using an egg container, break the egg shapes to make cardboard eggs
• If your toddler is used to seeing you cook, he/she will imitate you with toddler utensils: store them at your child's level for easy access. Quickly he/she will gather them instinctively while you cook

Ice cube painting

What to do when you have a toddler who is obsessed with going outside and it is currently raining? Let her/his inner artist shine!

Tools:

• Ice cube tray
• Food coloring
• Craft sticks
• Craft paper

How To:

• Pour one drop of food coloring in the cubes of an ice cube tray. I used only 4 squares of the tray, one for each color I used. Add water and place in your freezer for about 45 mins
• Cut craft sticks in half
• Check your ice cube tray. It should be half frozen. Insert the craft sticks in the center
• Put it back in the freezer until solid frozen
• Loosen the ice cubes and show your toddler how to paint

Butterflies collage

Inspiration:
For this craft, I was inspired by two of Margaux's favorites: Eric Carle's book "The very hungry caterpillar" and her love of magazines and catalogs.
Tools: 
Craft paper, cutouts from a catalog, Elmer's© purple glitter glue (washable, non toxic, this was a great find)
How To: 
- Simply cutout shapes in the pages of a catalog while your toddler naps
- Stick the page to a desk preferably
- Let your toddler put glitter glue on all the cutouts (Margaux got excited with this and overloaded on it!)
- Help him/her place them on the paper if needed but random placement from your toddler is best even if they overlap :)

Margaux makes a bird feeder

The weather was beautiful out and we could hear birds sing...perfect day to make Margaux's first bird feeder!

This is very simple to make and your toddler will most certainly enjoy tasting the cheerios in the process. There is some fun in there throughout the whole process. We don't eat Cheerios© so actually just walking to the store to get some is an activity in itself when you have a toddler!

Tools:
Floral wire
Cheerios©
A ribbon

How To:
- Cut a string of floral wire and shape it in a heart. Repeat as many times as you want hearts
- Let your toddler thread some cheerios© all around the wire
- Loop the hearts together and twist the wire to tie
- Tie a ribbon through the bird feeder to hang on a branch

Birthday sparkles

Margaux is 16 months old now and has reached the age of the busy toddler who is very curious and loves to try new things. We've had an incredibly white Winter to say the least, with snow days multiple times a week. How do you occupy a toddler in that case? Lots of CRAFTS.
It was my husband's birthday in January and a great occasion to try our first craft project. I got the idea from a friend of mine who has two children and is a lot more experienced than me on this. The concept is simple, gives pretty results and is definitely "toddler-approved".

Inspiration:
The view of the Eiffel Tower from our home when we lived in Paris
Tools: 
Heavy cardboard paper, sequins or glitters, Playskool© glue, pencil, cookie cutter
How To: 
- Draw your desired shape using a cookie cutter on the cardboard (a simple shape is best)
- Help your toddler squeeze some glue onto the drawing
- Let your toddler place sequins/glitters all over
- Let the artwork dry for about 30 mns
- Gently shake to remove the excess sequins

Keeping warm

This winter is a rough one. Gorgeous with the many heavy snow storms covering everything in white, but bitterly cold and unpractical.
I had just finished a project using some silver grey yarn and had some leftover yarn. Legwarmers definitely seemed appropriate. Here's Margaux modelling them.

Stay warm everyone!

Wishing my readers and all the babies out there many magical moments, joy and good eats throughout 2014!

A la Maud

x

Baby shells with carrots, onions and golden raisins

An easy and quick but tasty dinner which is perfect to make on a busy night.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of small shells
• 2 tablespoons of sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon golden raisins

Cook the small shells in boiling water with the carrots for 12 minutes and set aside. In a saucepan brown the onions with the sunflower oil for 2 minutes. Mix together with the golden raisins.

Dhal of coral lentils cooked in coconut milk and bulghur with coriander

Margaux's first Indian Meal!
I loved the idea of giving Margaux the opportunity to try new spices while making it all within the proportions that are right for a 12 months old baby.

This is a recipe from Jenny Carenco, "Mon livre de recettes pour Bébé"

Babies 12 months and up
This makes 5 dinners which you can freeze

Ingredients:

• 3dl/10 oz of coral lentils
• 5 tomatoes
• 4 carrots
• 25cl/8.5 oz coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 200g/7oz bulgur
• 5 leaves of fresh coriander, minced

- Wash the carotts and tomatoes. Peel the carrots and dice them. Cut the tomatoes in cubes.
- In a saucepan, cover the lentils with water and bring to a boil. Cook at medium heat for 10 mns then drain.
- Put the bulgur in saucepan with 14oz water, bring to a boil and let cook for 10mns at medium heat (the water will have been absorbed).
- In a pan, heat the sunflower oil and garlic, cook for a minute then add the carrots and tomatoes. Add the spices and tomato paste then mix in well.
- Add the coconut milk and let cook for 10 mns. you can mix with a blender if your abby prefers a thinner texture.
- Add the lentils
- Serve with the bulgur topped with fresh coriander leaves, thinly sliced

Tennis anyone?

Racchette Pasta with Zucchini and Parmesan

This fun shaped pasta will sure please your little one for dinner!

Good for: Baby's dinner, 9 months and up

Ingredients:

• 2 oz racchette pasta
• 3.5 oz zucchini
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Slice, dice and steam your zucchini. Cook the racchette according to package's instructions. Mix in zucchini, olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

In 15 mins, here you have a dinner sure to please your baby and easy to make on busy weeknights.

Tuna with a South of France twist

As Margaux is now ONE (big girl!) I want to move on to new tastes and widen her horizons a bit. I thought a little tour of different cooking styles taken from around the world would be nice. The next series will feature some tastes from France, India, Italy, China and Spain. Bon appétit!

This is a fun and different lunch which is very easy to prepare ahead of time. The tuna is served with a ratatouille which can be made days ahead and a simple semolina couscous.

For babies 9 months and up

You will need:

• 1  1/2 tablespoon of canned tuna
• Half a zucchini
• A slice of eggplant
• 2 tomatoes
• A teaspoon of tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Very easy directions:

Peel and dice all vegetables and steam for 15 minutes or until tender. Add the tuna and mix in with the tomato paste and olive oil. Serve with a bit of couscous. You can also add some thyme and a bit of garlic to this.

And why not make more and share with baby?

Happy Halloween from a peacock!

Pom Pom Vines for a little lady

Margaux's Fall has been busy between having her dedication, travelling to see Family and her First birthday. To celebrate those big moments in her life I decided to decorate the trees in our front yard with Pom Pom garlands. Her nursery's colors are white, light pink and silver so I followed this theme for her garlands. After searching the Internet for some inspiration I stumbled upon those cute Pom Pom Vines - slightly different than your usual pom pom garlands and more versatile.

If you want to recreate them here's my source.

Fall Dinner: Risotto with butternut squash

Fall is upon us and butternut squash feels just right. I made this for Margaux who was a big fan: looks like another Annabel Karmel's favorite!

From Annabel Karmel's Top 100 Baby Purees
Who is it for?: Babies 9-12 months
Ideal for: a Fall dinner
Makes 4 portions
Suitable for freezing

Risotto with butternut squash

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup basmati rice
2 cups boiling water
1/2 medium butternut squash (6 oz) peeled and chopped
2 medium tomatoes (8 oz), peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Sauté the onion in half the butter until softened. Stir in the rice until well coated. Pour in the boiling water, cover the pan, and cook for 8 minutes over high heat. Stir in the butternut squash, reduce the heat, and cook, covered, for about 12 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan, add the tomatoes, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted, then stir the tomato and cheese mixture into the cooked rice.

Orzo for dinner

I've been reading a lot from French books that the first 6-12 months are crucial for a baby's palate: this is the time during which you have to introduce as much as possible (without giving any risky foods obviously) in order to have a baby who loves diverse, healthy food and not a picky eater who eats nothing outside of starch and junk food (which I could not deal with). I've been searching what Margaux has not tried yet, which is actually a challenge as she has had about everything possible. Then I found two things: orzo and oatmeal.
She's very active and at 10 months is taking lots of steps, everywhere she can hold on to. She is also very tall and wears 2 years old size in clothing (despite quite a bit of room in the midsection!). The combination of being very active and tall means she needs food which is a bit more filling. Orzo was a great idea for that and she loved this dinner. It's definitely going to be a staple of her evenings.

This is a recipe from a book offered to me by Margaux's godmother when we just arrived in Mahattan, having moved from Paris and I was introducing more solids to Margaux. I must say, she seems very pleased with the recipes I've tried from it. It is also very quick to make without much kitchen mess. A breeze!

Pasta Risotto from Annabel Karmel's " Top 100 Baby Purees".

Who is it for?: Babies 9-12 months
Ideal for: a healthy dinner which holds baby through the night
Makes 4 portions
Suitable for freezing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orzo
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 cup chopped broccoli florets
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Put the pasta in a saucepan together with the carrot, cover generously with boiling water, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and broccoli and continue to cook for about 7 minutes. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in drained pasta and vegetables, and toss with the butter and Cheddar until the cheese has melted.

If you make more, it really is perfect for the whole family, which saves you precious time to unwind. What's not to love?

Discovery Bottles

Margaux  is obsessed with water bottles so this was a much-loved sensory activity. I filled some empty water bottles with a few different things I had around the house which would catch the light or make different sounds. She's been playing with those with delight so I had to share.
- I used thoroughly dried 1 liter sized water bottles
- Fill them up and tie a ribbon around for added fun
- Safety tip: if your baby/young child knows how to open the bottle, use a hot glue gen to seal the cap

Content:

• a collection of buttons all different shapes, sizes and colors
• water with some cinnamon
• pieces of aluminium foil 
• packing foam 

The buttons are great for the colors and sound, the aluminium foil catches the light, the water is great for movement and seeing the cinnamon mix in, packing foam gives a subtle sound and light movement.

The Magic Tissue Box

A fellow Mama gave me the idea of this one. She said her daughter loved it so I had to try. It was a big hit!
Take an empty tissue box and fill it with scraps of fabrics. Use pinking shears to hem the edges so they won't fray. You will need a lot of fabric scraps for this. If you don't have any/enough around the house, you can get some on Etsy for a few dollars.
Simple fun in a box!

Egg carton, baby style

Who knew an empty egg carton could be this much fun? Just ask Margaux.
Following our first sensory activity with water, we continued with the discovery of an egg carton, baby style.
This is one oh-so-cheap and fast toy to make which is a winner in my book:
- Takes 1 minute to make
- All the supplies are already in your home
- The best of all: Margaux loved it and played morning and afternoon with it

If it passes the Margaux's seal of approval, it had to go on my blog!
Just take an empty egg carton and fill it with eggs made out of kitchen paper or toilet paper rolls.
Watch with delight as your baby has fun :)

Sensory activity: Water fun!

Today was a perfect late summer weather and I thought a good opportunity to play with Margaux outside.
I'm trying to do more sensory activities with her and this is the first of a few. You don't need to over think it with a baby: once they are mobile, crawling, standing up and walking, their favorite activity is exploring the world around them. Simple water can be just the trick. Take it outside too if you have the opportunity and watch your baby enjoy playing in the water, birds singing in the background - just taking it all in. Pure pleasure.

Margaux's First Garden Party Cake

Cake decoration in the U.S. is a big deal it seems. Shops are filled with amazing looking cakes. For little ones, they have all sorts of shapes and colors, fulfilling the dreams and creative minds of those little ones. After checking it out though, it seemed there were two concerns with those cakes: 1) Their price sounds like you're off to marry your baby with a wedding cake price tag. 2) Their taste is not the best.
So I decided to try my hands at it and make her a two-tier cake. I must say, I was a little anxious: the idea of putting one on top of the other without everything falling apart, writing her name on it without messing up everything...I had "butterflies in my stomach".
It took two days, but I must say in the end it was a lot of fun doing it, and the best is that you can unleash your creative spirit in the best way: for your little one :)

Top tier: Hazelnut cake with an apricot glaze, covered with rolled fondant
Bottom cake: Chocolate-almond cake with buttercream icing, rolled fondant
Daisies bought from Wilton's and glued with a dot of icing (water and icing sugar mix)
Her letter was written using an "icing writer". I tried my hand at it on a cutting board first and just free-hand wrote it.

What I learned:
- I followed a friend's recommendation and chilled each tier in the fridge as I was preparing the other, this helped work with each cake as they hold better
- I used a cardboard to place the top tier on top of the bottom cake: this is a must. It enabled me to simply lift the top cake without destroying each tier, making it easy to cut pieces of each depending on guest's preference.
- Buttercream icing holds fondant better but is quite heavy
- The thinner the fondant, the better
- Writing a full name, when quite long, is hard and messy, best to stick with a pretty single letter
- The satisfaction of doing something for yourself rather than buying it is not only cost effective - most of all, it is a great feeling.