What Sawyer's Eating: Pancakes 5 ways (grain, dairy, & gluten free)

We try to stay as close to gluten and grain free as possible. Sawyer isn't allergic, but it's much healthier for him (and us)! That's not to say that he never gets oats or rice, but if there's a way to make something without a bunch of gluten then I usually do it.

These pancakes are so simple and there are so many different combinations that you can do. I'm going to show you the few that I have been alternating here for Sawyer's breakfast. Most of them start with the same base (egg and banana) and then I change up what I add to it.

Here are the ingredients that I choose from (again, sorry for the crappy phone pic):

*almond butter
*peanut butter
*egg
*banana
*sweet potato
*canned pumpkin

Combination 1:
Pumpkin Spice

1 egg
1 banana, mashed
2 tbsp canned pumpkin
pinch of pumpkin pie spice

Combination 2:
Sweet Potato & Nut Butter

1/2 a small baked sweet potato
1 tbsp almond or peanut butter
1 egg
pinch cinnamon

Combination #3:
Banana

1 banana, mashed
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
* you can add blueberries to this one as well!

Combination #4:
Peanut Butter Banana

1 banana, mashed
1 egg
1 tbsp peanut butter

Combination 5:
Almond Butter & Banana

1 banana, mashed
1 egg
1 tbsp almond butter

For all combinations, simply mix the ingredients and cook. I prefer to cook mine in coconut oil. Again, the possibilities for combinations are pretty endless. You could also substitute applesauce for the eggs and avocado for the bananas, but I haven't tried those yet.

Sawyer loves these topped with plain greek yogurt. I have another recipe I will share in a day or two for Apple Pumpkin dip- he loves to have it on top of these pancakes as well!

Potato, Bacon, and Caramelized Onion Pizza

I love pizza. It was one of the foods I missed most while on my crazy elimination diet. We rarely order pizza because it's expensive and homemade tastes better! A while back I stumbled upon a recipe for homemade pizza dough on Annie's Eats and I haven't looked back! It's easy to make and tastes so good! It's versatile- You can add whatever spices to the dough that you like. You can use it for calzones, too. This recipe makes enough for 2 pizzas, so I always wrap the extra in plastic wrap, put it in a Ziplock and stick it in the freezer.

Our favorite pizza at the moment is this potato, bacon, and onion one. I love that it isn't like traditional pizzas with a ton of tomato sauce. Don't get me wrong- those are good, too. But there's something about the caramelized onions and potatoes that takes the pizza to the next level.

Ingredients:

For the pizza dough:

½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups bread flour
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine the warm water and yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix bread flour and salt. Add the room temperature water and olive oil to the warm water and yeast mixture. With the mixer on low, add the yeast mixture. After the dough is just combined, switch to the dough hook. Mix until a smooth dough is formed- about 5 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl, coated with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 1.5-2 hours.

**Probably the most important pizza crust tip: Preheat your pizza stone! Set the oven to 500* and let the stone warm up for at least 20 minutes! It makes the bottom crispy!

For the Pizza:

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, sliced thin
3/4 cup thinly sliced potatoes (I used my mandolin)
5 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1-1 1/2 cups of mozzarella, shredded (always buy fresh cheese, if possible, and shred it yourself!)
2-3 green onions
sour cream, for drizzling
olive oil
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400*.

Place thinly sliced potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are almost all the way done. Once the potatoes are done, up the temperature to 500*.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in a pan (or use your bacon grease!). Add onions and a pinch of sugar. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are a golden brown.

Roll pizza dough out (cornmeal helps the dough not to slide!). Place an even layer of the cheese on the crust, then add a layer of potatoes, onions, and bacon. Add another layer of cheese to the top, if desired.

Bake at 500* for 10-15 minutes. Once out of the oven, drizzle with sour cream and top with chopped green onions.

What Sawyer's Eating: Plum, Blueberry, & Spinach Pureé

This pureé is one of Sawyer's favorites. He'll eat it on its own or mixed into yogurt for breakfast. I've also given him a frozen cube in a mesh feeder to help with teething. It was a super messy hit! I love it because I can hide spinach in it-- always a success in my book.

My two favorite things about pureés are that they are completely customizable and really low maintenance. If you don't have spinach, you could sub out another leafy green. I've also used peaches in place of the plums and he loved it just as much. If you think you don't have time to make pureéd baby food, just give it a try. You literally chop the fruits/veggies, go play with your kiddo while they're steaming/cooking, and then dump them in the blender/food processor.

Ingredients:

4 plums, peeled, pitted, and chopped

1 cup of blueberries (I used frozen)

1 handful of spinach

In a small saucepan, heat plums on medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Add in blueberries and spinach, cover, and cook for 10 more minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the food processor. Pulse until combined. If needed, add some of the reserved cooking liquid until desired consistency is reached.

Let cool, then transfer to ice cube trays and freeze.

What Sawyer's Eating- Grain Free Banana Muffins

I love to cook and bake. When we found out we were having a baby, one of the things I was most excited about was making him baby food. Healthy, organic food and saving money are really important to me. Making Sawyer's food is so much cheaper than buying prepared food (especially organic baby food!) and I love that I know exactly what is in it. There is nothing wrong with store-bought food at all. These are simply the reasons why I've chosen to make our own.

We didn't introduce solids until he was 6 months old and have chosen to stay away from grains until he's a year old. We also suspect that he may have a slight dairy and gluten intolerance, so we are avoiding those things as well.

I've had a few people ask me for recipes/suggestions for homemade baby food, so I think I'm going to start documenting them here every week or so. Especially because we're almost finished with monthly updates (HOW do I have an almost one year old??).

You don't need fancy equipment or a ton of time to make your own food. I use a colander and pot to steam the veggies, then I puree them in my food processor or with my immersion blender. I typically take an hour on the weekends to make Sawyer's food for the week. It doesn't have to take that long, either. You can take some of whatever you are making yourself for dinner and puree it, too! One of the best pieces of advice I have is to plan your meals and your baby's meals at the same time. I try to use the same ingredients for both, to keep the grocery bill down.

Because I have a photo, I'm going to share a recipe for grain-free banana mini muffins. I found the recipe at Detoxinista. Normally, I like to play around with recipes and add my own touches, but since I'm pretty new to gluten free baking, I stuck completely to the recipe. Now that I've seen how it works, I'm going to try it next time with zucchini, carrots, and applesauce instead of banana.

Ingredients:
2 large bananas (the more ripe they are, the sweeter the muffin!)
1 egg
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350*

In a small bowl, mash bananas with fork until relatively smooth. Mix in the egg, followed by the rest of the ingredients.
Since I made these for Sawyer, I used a mini muffin pan. Be sure to use cupcake liners, as these muffins stick. Spoon the batter into the liners (I filled them to the top) and bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Sawyer loves these! I wrapped them in plastic wrap, put them in a Ziplock, and stuck them in the freezer. I thaw one or microwave it for a few seconds and give it to him for his morning snack. I love that it's grain free and there are no added sugars!

Next up- Baby beef stew and Blueberry & Spinach puree!