Let's talk kitchen equipment.  You've been cruising along in life with the basics needed to keep everyone alive--a set of pots with questionable finish, some mismatched measuring cups you bought at a garage sale during college, that plastic spoon someone left at your house after a potluck.  Suddenly you find yourself spending half your life in the kitchen, becoming the professional chef you never wanted to be.  This is definitely a case for when some small investments in good equipment will make your life a whole lot better. 

Don't go crazy though--figure out what you really need and are going to use frequently and get that.  I don't have a lot of storage space so I'm not interested in buying and storing a gadget that I'm going to pull out once a year.  Since Alafair came along, I have invested in a couple things that I never would have considered otherwise.  The juicer comes out once a month and is otherwise stored in a box in the basement.  This situation isn't ideal, but I tried living without that juicer and life was M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E.  "Just blend then strain," the internet said, "it's easy."  LIES.  Hours of my life I'll never get back.  That's what you get for trusting the internet.

This should be the case for everyone, but it's particularly so with these kids who are especially environmentally sensitive: where possible, avoid plastics.  They are known endocrine disruptors.  Plastics become dangerous when heated (microwaves, dishwashers).  The problem with running plastic through the dishwasher is that it breaks down during the high heat wash cycle and coats everything else in there in toxic plastic particles which then transfer into the food you are eating.  Silicone doesn't do this, but be aware of that silicone spatula with...a plastic handle.  We hand wash that stuff.

Another place you'll find toxins are coated cookware.  Avoid nonstick pots/pans.  A good set of stainless steel is great to have in your arsenal and even better for its ability to get tossed in the dishwasher.  If you have to use nonstick (a lot of bake ware doesn't give you a choice), line it with paper when possible.

Here's a list of things I've acquired over the last year that I can't live without:

Slow Juicer We make a ton of juice for various applications.  This has a quiet motor that doesn't scare my kids so they can even help.

Strainer Set This set gets a ton of use.  From rinsing berries to straining milks and other purees.

Mini Muffin Pan It's nonstick--line with paper baking cups.

Cuisinart Cookware Set The perfect stainless steel set.  The handles aren't hollow so they don't start filling with water when you run them through the dishwasher.  It also comes with a built in steamer, which you'll use all the time.  There are no plastic parts anywhere on this (a lot of lids have plastic knobs).  It's held up well to heavy use and harsh washings.

Ninja Blender Set  This set of 3 is perfect for all the applications you'll be using it for.  The small top-mounted motor is quiet and easy to store so you don't have a big blender base sitting around your countertop.  My only drawback is that it's plastic and has to be hand washed.

I also bought a set of cheap wooden spoons that I don't mind sending through the dishwasher (gasp!), a set of quality stainless steel whisks, and a good set of silicone spatulas.

Tell me what you can't live without in the kitchen!  I'm inherently lazy and on the constant quest to make my time in the kitchen shorter.

So, you've finally reached a point in food trials where you can start combining ingredients.  The muffin is a definite LEVEL UP.  There's almost nothing I can't hide in a muffin.  Part of the challenge of doing food trials with a toddler is that she's a toddler.  Getting them to try new things can be tricky under the best of circumstances.  There's nothing more satisfying than proving that I'm smarter than my toddler when it comes to outwitting her picky eating habits.  The other day she informed me she didn't like the grass in her muffin and then refused to eat the rest of the batch.  Hint: peel the zucchini before shredding and they can no longer find the "grass".

Vegetables are surprisingly easy to get into muffins.  If you can shred them or puree them, you can bake them in.  Sneaky food trials, here we come.

Add things in as you are able.  I have a list below the recipe of possible recipe variations.  We started egg trials by just giving her the yolk.  You can separate the white, gently run the yolk under cold water to rinse off the remaining white, and then add to the batter.  Eventually we moved to adding the full egg.

This is a pretty forgiving recipe that only gets better the more you are able to add as food trials progress.  Let's be honest though.  In it's most basic form it's not the light fluffy muffin of your dreams.  It's a gluten free, dairy free, egg free, slightly grainy version of what we think a muffin should be.  The great news is that your kid doesn't know the difference.  Once you start adding eggs and milks, it starts getting better.

Depending on the amount of sugar you add, this recipe acts as a muffin and a cake base.  Adjust accordingly.  The amount of sugar listed is for a muffin.  You can add more sugar for cake, but I don't bother because again, she doesn't know the difference.  Additionally, adjust the amounts of flour and milk based on the other things you are adding.  If your batter is looking dry, add a little more milk (or water).  If it's too wet, sprinkle in some more flour. 

The recipe is good for 6 muffins, a couple of small cake ramekins, or around 20-24 mini muffins (how much batter you end up with depends on what you are adding).  I like to make mini muffins since they are the perfect toddler size--more muffin in the mouth and less smashed in the hair.

1/2 C rice flour (or your flour of choice)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder*
1/8 tsp salt
3 Tbs white sugar (honey, maple syrup, or monk fruit sweetener okay)
2 Tbs extra light olive oil (or oil of choice)
1/4 C rice milk (or milk of choice, or water)
1/2 tsp vanilla (can leave this out)
1 egg (or just the yolk, or leave it out)

In a small bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium bowl mix sugar, oil, milk, vanilla, and egg.
Add the dry ingredients to the medium bowl and mix.

Spoon into muffin tin lined with papers or cake ramekins.

Bake 400 degrees until toothpick comes out clean.  15-20 minutes muffins,  5-9 minutes for mini muffins.

*We prefer aluminum free baking powder.  Be aware that this is activated when it gets wet (versus regular baking powder that is heat activated).  This means you need to move relatively quickly once you combine your wet and dry ingredients.  If you mix the bowl, walk away for 30 minutes and then put it in the oven, they will be dense and flat.  Who walks away in the middle of a baking project?  Definitely not me...

Blueberry:
1/2 C blueberries, zest from half a lemon, squeeze of lemon juice

Lemon Poppy Seed:
Zest of half a lemon, squeeze of lemon juice, 1 tsp poppy seeds, 1/8 tsp almond extract

Pumpkin (or Sweet Potato)
1/4 C pumpkin puree, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of all spice, pinch of nutmeg

Chocolate
3 Tbs cocoa, 1/4 C mini chocolate chips (we use these)

Add to any of the above:
1 scoop of collagen (quality matters!  We use this.  You can read more about collagen here.)
1/4-1/2 C of finely shredded zucchini, carrot, beet, or anything else you can think of...rutabaga?
2 Tbs ground chia (this soaks up the liquid, add some extra milk or water to compensate.  Also, it's visible in the lighter colored batters so keep that in mind if you don't want to be accused of baking ants into the muffins.)

Purees to experiment with:
Pumpkin, sweet potato, beet, carrot, rutabaga, applesauce.  What else can you come up with?  Let me know what works for you!

Welcome to the world of alternative, homemade milks.  We wasted 2 precious months of food trials because Alafair seemed to reacting to everything we gave her.  I FINALLY figured out it was the store bought rice milk we had been giving her--it was made with brown rice, which she can't tolerate right now.  Milks from the store also contain a lot of additives which could cause reactions.  Cool--more things we get to make at home from scratch!  Next up, growing the actual rice?

The internet is full of blog posts about how "easy", "delicious", and "healthy" this is.  My first attempt at this had me squeezing cooked rice through a fabric bag into a jar.  About half of it (maybe?) went into the jar.  The rest squirted out in all directions and ended up all over me, the counter, the walls, the floor.  My forearms were sore for daaaaaaays.  And then we were left with what seemed to basically be rice-ish water.  Yum.

My sister in law and I tried about 4 other variations and landed on this sort of weird amalgamation of recipes.  It results in a much thicker, almost pulpy milk. You can thin as desired.  It does separate quickly, so needs to be shaken well before pouring.  My kids like to eat the pulpy part with a spoon.  It works well in our baked goods when it's on the slightly thicker side.

While this is indeed much easier than the other methods we tried, it's still a process in my opinion and not my favorite thing to spend time on.  I prefer to make it in large batches, separate into jars and freeze.  Full disclosure, my absolute preference is to just have my sister in law make this for me.  If you don't have a Mandy angel in your life, you can still manage--just sacrifice a bit of time for larger batches and then don't think about it for a month.

To save space, I fill a jar halfway with un-thinned milk and then freeze.  To defrost, place in the fridge overnight.  (When you inevitably forget to do that, microwave slowly on half power until you can get it out of the jar.  Heating it too quickly can break the jar.  Ask me how I know that.)  You will be left with a bizarre gelatinous blob.  Toss it into a blender and add the rest of the water to thin (about half a jar).  Blend until smooth, return to jar, and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Rice (we use basmati)
Pinch of salt
White Sugar or Monk Fruit Sweetener (up to 1 Tbs sugar depending on how much rice you make)
Water

Boil rice as directed.  You can add extra water in this step--doesn't really matter.

Once the rice is fully cooked, pour it all into a blender (sometimes multiple batches depending on how much you're making).

Add a pinch of salt now and up to 1 Tbs sugar per blender batch.

If it's super thick, add some water.  If you are going to use immediately, add enough water for desired consistency now.  If you are going to freeze, leave it thick.

Now the fun part...pour blended milk through a strainer into a bowl.  Use a bowl larger than your strainer to contain the mess.  Help it along by pressing the pulp through with a rubber spatula.  Dump the leftover pulp into the sink between batches to keep your strainer from clogging.

Divide into jars and chill.  Follow instructions above if freezing.

This is an easy sauce that is great to use in place of frostings (when you can't have them), syrup for pancakes, muffin/cake dip, or just a sweet topping for other dishes.  It's so good that the whole family uses it on pancake morning.  It can be a single fruit such as blueberries ("bloobs" as Alafair says), or mixed berries as tolerated.  I typically use whatever I have around.  It also works well for berries that are on the verge of being sad and therefore rejected by picky toddlers for being less than perfect.  Make this in a large batch to freeze in ice cube trays for smaller, single-serve portions, or in jars for family portions. 

2 Cups blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, or mix
1 1/2 Tbs white sugar (honey or maple syrup also work)
OR 27 Drops of Monk Fruit Sweetener (don't use both sugar and monk fruit!)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Add everything to a small saucepan.  Bring to a low boil, reduce to low heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Set aside and cool completely.

Blend into a puree (about 1 minute).  Pour through a strainer (use a bowl larger than your strainer to contain the mess).  May need to smash it through with a rubber spatula.

Serve immediately, keep refrigerated up to 5 days, or freeze.