Healthy Banana Pancakes

My little guy is 4 months old today; I can't believe it! The first few weeks were so hard, but the whole thing has gone by really fast. Some people assume that because it goes fast, that it isn't hard. But it has been really, really challenging to have these two home alone with me for the past few months. They are such great kids, but oh my, it has stretched me to the very edge of my physical and emotional limits.

With Alex, my doctor recommended that he start eating rice cereal at 4 months because he was having trouble gaining weight, and it was such a great experience. I know that the advice is to exclusively breastfeed or bottle feed for the first 6 months now, but since my first was eating at this stage, I can't help thinking about making baby food for this little one.

Baby food is so fun to make because it is so easy! And you can really play with a lot of flavors and spices. It's so fun to see your baby's reactions to all the different tastes. I can't imagine how exciting it must be to go from exclusive milk to all these tasty options.

One of my favorite breakfasts to make Alex when he was about a year old was banana pancakes. We were very careful not to give Alex any added sugar for the longest time, we even stayed away from juice 98% of the time. These pancakes are fun because they are sweet and cinnamon-y and they are healthy.

Plus, Alex just gobbles them up like no one's business.

It is one of the rare moments when he is completely quiet.

Healthy Banana Pancakes
1 mashed banana
2 Tbl flour (you can use whole wheat flour to be healthier or baby oatmeal)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg

Stir it all together and pour onto a greased skillet. Flip when lightly browned on the underside and serve. Makes about 3 medium sized pancakes.

Fall Sauce

Right now I am re-reading Anne of Green Gables for probably my fifth time. Whenever I read this book, I seem to enjoy the seasons so much more. This time around my appreciation for nature and the changing seasons seems to be amplified. Maybe it's because I'm a new mom and I am constantly aware that I'm in the presence of a human that is experiencing everything for the first time. Or maybe it's because I am reading this book during the season where the mountains surrounding my house seem to be on fire with the changing leaves.

Whatever it is, autumn has hit me hard this year and I feel like I may never recover.

I am constantly dreaming of new concoctions that I could make with apples or pumpkin. Nutmeg and cloves call out to me from their shelf tucked away. So when I acquired an assortment of apples, pears, and peaches from my mom and grandma, I mentally drooled over the possibilities.

I was originally going to try to make homemade cider, but I didn't have any cheesecloth, and since the day was an I-may-never-get-out-of-my-sweats kind of a day, I decided to stay homebound and find something else equally blog-worthy.

With some prodding from my mom, I decided to make fall sauce. I can't exactly call it applesauce since it was an assortment of fruit, but it's the same basic idea. This was the best idea ever, because not only do I have a husband who loves applesauce, but I have a growing baby who will be able to eat this starter food soon. Who wouldn't want to save the money that they would have spent on baby food?


This recipe was pretty dang easy and it made my house smell magical.

Fall-Sauce

10 medium apples (an assortment will add more layers to your sauce, but I just used Gala)
6 medium pears
2 large peaches
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
dash of cloves
dash of nutmeg

Wash, peel, and core all the fruit. Cut it into slices and place in a deep crock pot. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the fruit to keep it from browning. Mix regularly while cutting the fruit. Add the sugar and spices and set the crock pot on low for 6 hours. Stir every hour. After it's done, blend the fruit mixture with an emersion blender until desired consistency. This made a little more that 2 quart sized bottles.

You can continue on to can your sauce in a canner, but I just decided to freeze my extra bottle. Your refrigerated bottles will last up to 3 weeks.

This sauce turned out to be pretty yummy, if I say so myself. The mixture of fruit and spices really added depth to the sauce. It combined all the sweet, tart, and spicy tastes really well. It's mild enough to give to a baby, but not bland at all so an adult would enjoy it too.

This is a great way to take advantage of the fall apples and end of summer peaches!

Enjoy!

Lisa