Tortelloni and Veggies with Bacon

This recipe is for babies who already have some teeth and are doing pretty well with finger foods. I made sure that Munchkins veggies were very well done and in bite sized pieces. I pulled everyone's asparagus and tortelloni out and let his keep cooking till it was soft. It was an extra step but not too much extra effort.

Tortelloni and Veggies with Bacon

1 (9 oz)  package fresh 3 cheese Tortelloni
2 cups Asparagus, chopped
2 tsp Olive Oil
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 (10 oz) package of fresh Baby Spinach
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 tsp fresh Lemon Juice
3 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
3 Tbsp Pine Nuts (optional)
4 slices of Bacon

1. Prepare bacon in oven according to directions and crumble.
2. Bring 3 cups of water to boil. Add Tortelloni and cook for 5 minutes. Add Asparagus and cook 3 more minutes. Drain pasta and asparagus. (Here is where I put some of the pasta and asparagus back in water and let it boil until it was nice and soft.This is all I served Munchkin though I bet he could have handled some of the spinach cut up.)
3. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and pine nuts; saute 1 minute.
4. Combine pasta and pine nuts in a large bowl with fresh spinach. Add lemon juice and toss. Split into servings and top with cheese.

Corn Chowder and BLT

This would be a great first step when going from puree'd baby food to finger foods. It gives them a new texture with lots of familiarity. It also introduces foods like onions and peppers. I had let Munchkin suck on bell pepper strips before so I knew he wasn't allergic to those. Onions were new to him though.

I served this Corn Chowder recipe with BLTs for the adults and children. Munchkin can feed himself thick soups like this chowder but I also feed him if I don't want a mess. So tonight I just made a bowl and fed him myself. However he did get slices of tomato and little bits of bread on his tray and Dad let him suck on a piece of Bacon. Munchkin loved the chowder! It gave him a new texture, as there are whole kernels of corn, but it was still very similar to the puree'd corn I used to make for him.

Corn Chowder

1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 clove of Garlic, minced
1 (16 oz) package frozen Baby Gold Corn, thawed
1 (16 oz) package frozen White Corn, thawed
2 cups Milk
1/4 tsp Salt (You can leave this out if you are trying not to feed your baby salt. I didn't really see a
                     difference.)
1/4 tsp Pepper
3/4 cup Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp Oil or Bacon Grease from BLTs

1. Saute onion, garlic, green and red peppers, and baby gold corn in oil (or bacon grease for added flavor) for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Place white corn and 1 cup of milk in blender. Puree until smooth. Add this mixture to your pan and stir in remaining cup of milk, salt, pepper, and cheese. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts.

Yields 6- 1 cup servings