Cooking for a toddler

Like most toddlers, Joel absolutely loves finger foods. If I'd let him, he'd eat Cheerios all day. The only food he'll eat spoon-fed is yogurt. I'm so thankful for The Baby & Toddler Cookbook. It really is a book that the entire family can use.


Yesterday I made Lasagna Roll-ups and Tomato-Veggie Sauce. I've never seen Joel eat so many! I had to cut them into small pieces for him. Warning: eating them can be a little messy! (or a lot messy!)

Tomato Veggie sauce
1 small carrot (chopped)
1 small zucchini (finely chopped)
1/2 small red bell pepper (seeded and finely chopped)
1/2 yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup of Veggie Stock (or Chicken Stock)

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a small roast pan combine carrot, zucchini and bell pepper. Drizzle with 1/2 table spoon of Olive Oil Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until tender 20-25 minutes

while vegetables are roasting, in a large saucepan over medium heat, warm 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Saute until onion softens, about 5 minutes. add tomatoes and broth, stir to mix well and simmer gently uncovered until the sauce thickens slightly 15-20 minutes. Add roasted veggies to the sauce.

Let the sauce cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor or blender. Process to a smooth or coarse puree (depending on your toddler)

Lasagna Roll-ups
6 dried whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 cups tightly packed baby spinach
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Olive Oil for greasing
1 cup Tomato-Veggie sauce, warmed
MAKES 12 roll-ups

preheat broiler. Bring a large pot 3/4 of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente (8 minutes) Transfer to a colander and rinse under cool water. Lay flat on kitchen towel to drain and cool
add the spinach to the boiling water and cook until wilted. Drain in the colander and then squeeze spinach to remove as much water. chop coarsely. in a large bowl combine spinach ricotta and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
lightly oil an 8 inch flame-proof baking dish. cut lasagna in half crosswise. Place 1 lasagna noodle half on a clean work space. Spread thin layer of spinach-ricotta mixture evenly over the noodle. Roll up noodle to enclose the filling, then place, seam side in the prepared baking dish. repeat with remaining noodles, placing the roll-ups snugly together.
Sprinkle remainder of mozzarella cheese onto the roll-ups. Broil until cheese on top is melted and the filling and noodles are heated through (3-5 minutes).

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for a Weight Watcher's version