Suprisingly Beloved....Magic Yogurt Bites

So my little guys, like most toddlers I'm told, get fussy about what they'll eat.  It is really important to me that they get a lot of variety and are introduced to lots of whole foods now and learn to like them.  There is probably no other time they will be more open minded about what they'll taste right?  (I mean seriously, they put everything in their mouths).  It is also especially important to me that they get a good amount of veggies every day.  So we start the day with some.  We snack with some.  We eat them for lunch.  We eat them for dinner.   Do I have amazingly good kiddos?  Do I have magical powers to make them crave spinach and kale?  Nope.  But I have yogurt bites.  When they hit about 8 months I concocted these little gems to ensure I get protein, green veggies,  good antioxidants and vitamins into the little buggers.  And they are fool proof.  And for 5 months now they have NEVER been turned down, fed to the dog or thrown on the floor.  NEVER.  They are magic.  And because of them my little ones get good nutrition.

While simplistic, I still take full credit for these little magic treats.  I have no imagination for cooking, I struggle to follow recipes and though I want to learn to cook well, I have no real talent.  So I'm going to take this opportunity to brag on probably my best parenting creation thus far and defiantly the most creative I've ever gotten in the kitchen (when you read the recipe you're going to realize just how remedial I really am if this is the most creative I get).

A few years ago I found reasons to justify spending $500 on a blender.  I love to mix up a morning smoothie to start the day ahead on the "get your veggies in" game.  I rationalized that with it I could make all our baby food someday and thereby save us lots of $$ and feed our kiddos better.  And I was right.  I've made 90% of their baby food and while they were living on purees it was an amazing tool to have.  These are pictures from the pureeing for twins days.  That Vitamix, a pantry full of mason jars & my freezer were my go to.

So when the boys started refusing spoon-feeding and wanted only finger foods I hit a wall because I could no longer sneak things like kale into a fruit puree.  Enter the Yogurt bites.  

Disclaimer:  to the adult palette these are not the best tasting thing you've ever eaten.  I think the cold adds to the attraction for the little guys but teething or not they love them.

One more note:  I find it annoying that all yogurt marketed for babies is fat free.  They are not on a diet.  They need the fat.  So I discovered Nancy's Organic Greek Full Fat Yogurt and use it all the time.  The bonus?  It's surprisingly affordable.

So without further ado I give you......Yogurt Bites.
  

This may be the only time I post a full recipe here.

YOGURT BITES

Ingredients / Equipment

1 large container of Nancy's Organic Greek Full Fat Yogurt

I bag of frozen fruit (organic if you can get it)

I bag of frozen veggie (again, organic if you can get it)
a glass of water or juice
honey (optional)

• In a high power blender of some sort pour entire container of yogurt.  
• Add water or juice to thin it to a milkshake consistency.  
• Slowly add frozen veggies and fruit adding fluid to keep it from becoming too thick.  
• Add honey if you wish (I rarely use the honey or juice and they still love them)
• Pour out onto a large, rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to about a 1/2 inch thickness.  
• Freeze overnight.
• Pop it out and carve it up (don't go too small because at only 24 hours in the freezer it's still not as hard as you need, you can cut it into appropriate bite sizes when serving)
• Store it in your freezer.
• I like these small mason jars with the plastic lids for storing.
• Note, serve one or 2 at a time because as they melt they become really fun to play with instead of eat.

*** as I was just reminded, please do not use honey if your kiddo is under a year!

More later.

Thanks for visiting!


Arlene