Trick Your Baby

The real question in the nest these days is: how smart is my pasta-freak daughter really.

Last weekend she picked out the broccolini I squirreled away in her grilled cheese sandwich. Bubbe is a little horrified by my attempts to feed BB secret vegetables, but I can't help myself. And let's face it, green stuff is going to be important for this girl. She has my genes-- exercise might not be in the cards.

Tonight I embraced a new tactic-- bury the vegetables deeper into the dish. After BB went to sleep, I pureed broccoli with tofu, cottage cheese, nutmeg, and a little milk to make a healthy whole wheat mac and cheese.

Because while some kiddos could take food or leave it, my kid takes it. And takes it. I pretend like I'm shocked, but secretly I'm totally proud of my culinary aficionado. Nothing demonstrates a lust for life like a robust appetite. Now I just have to make sure that that healthy appetite gets filled with healthy cuisine!

Usually I freeze BB's food in ice-cube trays, but for someone who likes "Pata, patat" as much as BB, I'm giving cupcake tins a whirl.

Trick Your Baby Mac & Cheese

(I didn't measure, so amounts are approximate, but you get the gist)

16-oz broccoli florets, steamed

8 oz firm tofu

6 oz low-fat cottage cheese

1/4- 1/3 cup milk

grated nutmeg

salt

pepper

2 cups cheddar, divided

1 pound whole wheat elbow pasta, cooked al dente

Puree steamed broccoli with tofu, cottage cheese, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add more milk to thin if necessary. Stir in 1 cup cheddar. Mix broccoli puree with cooked macaroni. Portion out, sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Freeze or bake till bubbly.

September 14th update: HUGE hit!! BB has officially (and happily) been duped by my tofu broccoli sauce: "Moh? Moh?" Oh, and she also told me I should drink some wine: "Wine, mama. Wine." Do I love this kid or what.