Very Merry Muffins!

Thanks to Baby B for the great recipe: babybeesfpiestestkitchen.  I have been able to make a muffin from Little Man's safe ingredients: millet, safflower oil, arrowroot, and peaches, add in baking soda and we have VERY Merry Muffins!  The first batch, was the other day- I made according to the recipe, with only the changes in ingredients.   The batch I made today, I made a few additional modifications.  I took the recipe down to 1/3 so that I would get just 12 mini-muffins so he will have fresh ones every few days.  I could also simply freeze some and thaw as needed but this recipe is so super easy, and he has so few foods right now- I'm ok with just making a smaller batch and making it every few days. 

I was making peach dots....

Peaches were a pass a few months ago....just in time for them to be leaving the stores as their season closed out!!!  So, I had some in the freezer (cooked, purred and portioned out in ice cube trays and piped out in "dots").   Little Man used to look forward to his "dots"; but we have run out.  The only way he will eat the ice cube trays is in a mesh feeder but he has lost some interest in that now too.   I found a baby food brand that does their peaches with no other additives. No citric acid, no ascorbic acid -- so no corn.   Plum Organics, ordered online and received the shipment this weekend.  Little Man squealed with delight when the box came in the door- as if he knew it was ALL for him!   I immediately let him open one of the pouches and play with it...he didn't like it.   I piped it out and froze it- hoping he would accept his familiar dots.  He was excited when he saw them but one taste brought on gagging.  I tried it a few more times, same results.   I think since I had to add water to cook and puree the peaches I had done, they weren't as strong tasting as this was and since he is not accustomed to strong tastes (his formula is bland) and 4 weeks of no new tastes; we're going to have to build back up to that one.   So, tonight- I thought I would cook the Plum Organics Peaches with some water and pipe them out for his "dots".  This made soup, so I had the idea to add my ever trusty Arrowroot (I heart Arrowroot!) and this worked very well.   As I was making this, I was mixing up his new batch of Merry Muffins and thought this peach blend might work well in the muffins- arrowroot will act as a binder, and thickener.  And having it cooked first might help.  Well, my experiment worked!  They are lighter and softer (taste and texture). 

I imagine I will continue to work with this base recipe- variations as we add in safe ingredients.  The BEST part of all is that he EATS it!!  ASKS for his snack, sits with his brothers and proudly eats his safe snack, sits by himself and eats his snack, licks up the crumbs....he has been eating at least 3 a day.  I calculated out the calories in the batch and then in each muffin and I have made him a 100calorie snack!   Each muffin is 100calories!! And he's licking it up to the crumbs!!   This gives me such hope for future food trials, for future recipes, for adding foods-- adding nutrients to his tiny menu that he will actually eat!