I read somewhere that a child can handle as many guests at the age they are. Ie; 1 year old/1 playmate over. Or just a family visit. 2 years old/2 friends, etc.
Toby, for one, was so shy around people and napped unreliably that I didn't want to invite anyone over to try to be somewhere at a certain time. So we just had a family dinner (consisting of me, my mom, my dad and my sister).
What to serve for food that the one-year-old will eat, and also keep the grown ups full??
Well, Rice Puffs wont keep everyone as entertained at Toby, so we went for a bunch of bite sized veggies and roast beef.
And then there's the cake dilemma.
I know people say "Oh it's their special day, let them live a little", but I just cringe at the thought of all the things in an average birthday cake that are not suitable for babies. Plus with the unknown rash and possible food allergies Toby had, I didn't want to risk anything.
Things in cake that I was advised to avoid until over age one, closer to age two at least: Dairy, Egg, Wheat, possible peanut products. And no baby needs chocolate (caffeine) or sugar.
A recipe for over-tiredness.
So, What to do for a cake that was baby-friendly??
I settled on applesauce muffins. The recipe I used at the time was not all that great because I wasn't familiar with gluten-free baking. Applesauce is hard to work with in a muffin because it's so runny so I had to fiddle a bit to get it to work.
What I will share with you though, is the Banana Muffin recipe I came up with because if I had had this at the time, I would have used it instead.
Banana Muffins
1/2 cup dairy-free margarine
1/3 cup honey (yes I know honey is a no-no for babies, but I believe that is only raw honey - as in dipping a soother in or spreading it on a cracker. This is a small amount, very much cooked. Same sweetness and less sugar content than a cup of brown sugar. Or to be truly vegan, use agave nectar, though I've never used it so I can't vouch for it's results)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs (or egg replacer, which I use)
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
Mash bananas in a separate bowl. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
In large bowl cream together margarine and honey. Add vanilla and egg replacer. Mix well. Add banana.
In separate bowl mix flour, flax meal, baking soda, baking powder and salt until blended.
Add dry ingredients to wet in two additions, mixing gently. Do not over-mix or muffins will be tough.
Spoon into 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until just brown on top and toothpick comes out clean.
'Ice' with Apple Butter (I used Filsinger's brand. So good.)
Happy Birthday Baby!
No comments:
Post a Comment