Easy Mommy Win - Carrots!

You may perhaps recall that Mini Muffin is a bit of a picky eater.  In addition to continuing to offer her healthy, whole foods including a variety of vegetables (which are usually declined), I'm always on the lookout for ways to sneak the nutrients she needs into foods she'll enjoy.

Carrots have always been a tough one.  Despite being sweet and delicious, Mini Muffin is determined to avoid them.  And, their bright colour can make them tricky to disguise.  Not long ago she tried Motts fruit and veggie sauce, which is essentially applesauce with some peach and what I can only assume is a token amount of carrot (based on its place in the ingredient list).  She loved it, and it soon became known as "orange applesauce".

The other day, Mini Muffin was requesting orange applesauce and we were all out.  She and I decided that mommy should try to make some.  And so, a healthier version of orange applesauce was born.

Orange Applesauce

3 apples (any sweet variety)
1/2 large carrot

1.  Cook carrot by desired method (boiling, steaming, etc).  This is also a great opportunity to use up left over carrot - which is exactly what I did! 

2.  Place peeled, cored and chopped apple, along with carrot in a medium saucepan. 

3.  Add water until apples and carrots are almost covered.  Ensure all carrots are under water.

4.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple is fall-apart cooked and carrot is very soft.  Almost all water will have boiled off.  If water is boiled off before carrot and apple are thoroughly cooked, add boiling water.

5.  Put apple-carrot mixture through blender until very smooth.  Add warm water if consistency is too thick for your taste.  If you want a chunkier sauce you could mash it, however the carrots will not be hidden in this case.  I used my Magic Bullet, and made sure every last chunk was gone - it came out to be almost exactly like store bought texture, maybe even a little bit smoother.

The final result, was a brilliant orange and sweet applesauce, with no added sweetener required and no preservatives.  The test came when I gave it to Mini Muffin for dessert.  Three servings later, we had to convince her to wait for breakfast to enjoy more!  It's official, mommy's orange applesauce is more popular than the store bought variety.  Even better, it's also completely baby appropriate!

And that, is my easy mommy win for carrots.  Next on the agenda... figuring out which greens I can hide in applesauce!