I was caught off guard the other day with the excruciating fact that my youngest is becoming self-sufficient.  What is my purpose if not to draw his bath every evening?  Before I could say “get upstairs and I’ll get your bath going”, water was on, right temperature was applied, plug was in, bubble bath was in and he was in?!  Wow…I guess I just scored myself an extra 20 minutes in the evening.  Oh what shall I do with the eternity of extra time I’ve been granted?  Paint my nails, put some laundry away, read a chapter of the book I’ve had on the go for the past 18 months?  Exciting times.

We all know that babies don’t stay babies forever so we need to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves along with the little ones in our lives.  When the realization of having a bit more time for yourself occurs, wouldn’t it be great to have the energy to enjoy it?  Staying fit and eating well will help fuel your goal of keeping up with your toddler, and add the skip in your step when enjoying your own free time.  If you’re the mom or dad of a newborn, the end of sleep deprivation may seem like a very…VERY distant goal, but trust me it will end and you will want to be ready to enjoy it when it does!

I’ve received some great advice over the years from holistic nutritionist Leanne Weaver concerning food choices to help increase energy, improve digestion and stay focused, present and motivated to live my best life.  Radiant Health Revolution is her website and a great resource to check out.

Today’s homemade baby food recipe is a really easy, no cook porridge.  It has all the comfort of a nice rich oatmeal or porridge without the added sugar or time commitment.

It is inspired by a recipe that Leanne had given me as part of a 2 week detox cleanse regimen.  For adults you can use a multitude of healthy grains, seeds and nuts in the dry portion of the mix but for the Solid Food Professionals out there of 12 months plus, I’ve simplified to make it a nice smooth, comforting porridge like consistency which they will love almost as much as the one who made it for them.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Oat & Chia Petite Porridge

Ingredients

• ¼ cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp. spelt flakes (or other grain of choice)
• 1 tsp. chia seeds
• 1/3 cup almond milk or whole milk
• 1 tbsp. unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tbsp. raisins
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tsp. maple syrup

Baby Steps

1. The night before you want to serve this porridge, combine oats, spelt flakes (or other grain of choice) and chia seeds in a small food storage container.
2. Add almond milk or whole milk to dry ingredients, stir and put on lid and refrigerate overnight.
3. When ready to serve in the morning, remove from fridge and stir in apple sauce.
4. Warm up in microwave for approx. 35 seconds then stir in cinnamon and raisins and drizzle with maple syrup.
5. Bon Appétit!

Makes – Enough for 1 meal for baby plus left overs for you.  And unlike other kid left overs that you end up eating just because they’re there even after filling up on your own rich feast, these ones won’t supplement your guilt or waistline.

Note: You can triple or quadruple etc. the dry mix portion of this recipe and keep in a tightly sealed glass jar.  Then when you want to make a meal for the next morning just scoop out a little more than ¼ cup of the dry mix and add in your liquid and put into the fridge overnight.  This will save even more time on something that doesn’t take a lot of time in the first place.  Oh ya!

Now back to thinking about what to do with my extra 20 minutes.  Too late...they're gone.