Chocolate

Not their favorite:

No good pictures of Avy sadly, but they both bit, grimaced, shivered, and spat. Oh well, more for me!

For those worried: these were healthy brownies, avocado, eggs, almond flour, cocoa powder, flax seeds and maple syrup. Not enough maple syrup though apparently ;)

Update: Avy apparently likes them when she can find them on the floor - she beat me to Ellie's brownie on the floor and greatly enjoyed it. I'm not sure it proves anything tho, since she ate floor-broccoli with equal gusto.

"New" stroller

Picked up a secondhand jogging stroller this weekend, much lighter than our other! The girls seem to approve too:

Babies' messes

...have nothing on ones of my own making. I accidentally chucked a full glass of milk at them. 

Babies gone swimming

Avy had fallen asleep on the way to the pool, so mostly her reaction was "this is not sleep!" She would get distracted by splashing though! Ellie loved it - she swam until she passed out on Daddy's shoulder. Good naps for both that day!

Quinoa Patties

Quinoa is healthy healthy healthy! So they tell me. But have you tried to eat it without utensils? It's crumbly and for babies, practically impossible to eat. With extra cooked quinoa in the fridge I went looking for a more finger-friendly solution...like this! Babies approve, as do I, so these get a solid 4 stars. They probably rate higher, but I was leaving them on the bland side for the young tastebuds. Needs cayenne though! And tabasco! And lots and lots of salt.

Quinoa Patties (via Stovetop Story)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup cooked quinoa (cooled down)
2 large eggs
1/2 yellow onion (chopped in food processor)
1/6 cup grated Romano cheese (you can also use Gruyère or Parmesan)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs or almond flour
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/6 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
salt, pepper to taste
1 tsp olive oil
Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the cooked quinoa with the eggs and salt. Next, add the grated cheese, onion, parsley, garlic, and breadcrumbs. Mix well and let the batter sit while it absorbs the liquid. It should be moist, but it should easily hold.

Next, form patties and heat olive oil in a pan. Cook the patties for about 7 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip them over and cook for about another 7 minutes.

Top with a mashed avocado, good olive oil, fresh mozzarella or chopped tomatoes.  Salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with tabasco.

Carrot-Prune Chewables

Doesn't that sound delicious? Mmmm, prunes. When your babies are a little, er, stopped up though, and they refuse fiber in its original form, it's time to get creative! These are easy to whack together, and although they took a little gnawing the girls gulped them down in a flash. I'd give these 3.5 stars (of 5) - they're extremely chewy, and while I like the ingredients I didn't feel safe letting the girls to eat without me watching them like a hawk.

Carrot-Prune Chewables (via Leila Dishes)

Ingredients (36 bars)

2 cups carrots
2 cups steel cut oats (can sub old fashioned oats)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup prunes (can sub dates)
1 TBS cinnamon
2 TBS chia seeds
1 flax egg (1 TBS ground flax, mixed with 1 TBS water)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Boil carrots for 20 minutes, set aside. Grind oats into a fine flour like consistency, pour into a bowl and combine with cinnamon, coconut, and chia seeds. In food processor, pulse prunes (or dates) until smooth. Add carrots and pulse until well combined. Add oat mixture, vanilla, and flax egg. Pulse until smooth.

Put a little coconut oil on your hands to avoid sticking, and pat out the dough onto the cookie sheet. Cut into 36 pieces. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping half-way through.

Cool on a cooling rack and store in the fridge. (I originally stored them on the counter, but they dried out pretty quickly)