Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Yummiest Pouch Pumpkin Pie

Moms of babies and toddlers, are your children hooked on the baby food pouches? If you don't know what I'm talking about, you must be living under that one rock. You know the rock, the one where your children don't need puréed foods or where you can sleep in or go to the bathroom without little eyes examining every movement you make. I miss that rock sometimes! But I'm not there with you anymore. I am under the Toddlerland rock. That place where once sane people disappear once their babies are past the larvae stage and not yet to the 8am "Go get yourself some cereal while mommy sleeps for 30 more minutes" stage.

We were spending at minimum $1.00 for around 4 ounces of organic, puréed fruits and vegetables! That $4.00 a pound for "exotic" flavor filled treats!! That's crazy expensive for produce I can get from my grocery store, Bountiful Baskets or farmers markets.

So my search began for a refillable food pouch. I won't bore you with all of the pouches I looked into because we decided to support a Washington business, Yummi Pouch! We were lucky enough to be a tester family, have our review shared on the Yummi Pouch website and shared a yummi recipe for a classic dessert with a healthy toddler twist!

For this recipe I used local pumpkins purchased at the summer farmers market. Farmer Nick turned us on to a specialty pumpkin that was more butternut squash shaped than classic pumpkin. The oblong vegetable had few seeds, thin skin and sweet meat! If you have access to fresh pumpkin, that's the best bet for sweet nutrition! If you are down to only store bought, canned pumpkin, make sure it's just pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie mix.


RECIPE

2 cups pumpkin purée (or butternut squash if pumpkin is unavailable)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Honey (if needed for sweetness or to taste--not for younger babies!!! Check with your dr about the appropriate age to feed your baby honey)

The first thing to do is to bake your pumpkin. If you have never baked a pumpkin, it's super easy! Cut your pumpkin in half, remove the stringy flesh and seeds with a spoon or ice cream scoop and brush cut edge with a little olive oil.

Put your pumpkin cut side down on a cookie sheet. A jelly roll plan is best, just in case your pumpkin is extra watery. If you choose a sugar pumpkin or amber cup, you should have little to no water on the pan after cooking.

Roast the pumpkin, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. A fork should easily penetrate the pumpkin meat. If it is still a bit stiff, give it another 5 minutes until it is soft.

Let your pumpkin cool, then scoop out the cooked pumpkin with a spoon or ice cream scoop. Mash pumpkin with a fork to your desired consistency. You can purée in a blender or food processor for younger babes.

Combine 2 cups cooled pumpkin, 1 cup of Greek yogurt (I prefer plain Fage yogurt), 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract and any honey to taste! Fill up your Yummi Pouch or other container and then refrigerate or freeze!

Looking forward to hearing how your little (or big) loves like their pumpkin pie purée to go!






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