From Sprout Foods’ Table to Yours – Happy, Healthy Holiday Meals

So you are getting ready for Christmas with the family.  Planning a menu?  Do you make a special menu for kids, toddlers, or babies?  

Everyone can enjoy delicious, home-cooked meals with these holiday recipes and tips from Sprout Foods, the leading provider of organic and delicious baby and toddler foods.

DULUTH, GA, Nov. 5, 2012 –Sprout Foods offers chef-created, healthy and organic baby and toddler foods, believes everyone – including infants and toddlers – want to savor holiday home-cooked eats.

With the help of renowned chef Tyler Florence, a 15-year Food Network veteran, author and father of three and one of Sprout Food’s founders, Sprout Foods offers up these two delicious holiday dishes: Roast Turkey with Sweet Potato, Apples & Brown Rice and Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese. These recipes feature whole foods and fresh ingredients that echo Sprout Foods’ long-standing mission to deliver culinary inspired, organic foods for babies and toddlers, served up in eco-friendly, easy-to-use packages.

Roast Turkey with Sweet Potato, Apples & Brown Rice

Here’s a straightforward, easy-to-prepare meal the whole family can enjoy!

1/2 pound boneless turkey breast

1/2 large sweet potato, scrubbed and halved

1 Gala, golden delicious (or any fresh in-season apple)

1/2 small yellow onion, halved with layers separated

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup cooked brown rice (or wild rice), warm or at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Arrange the turkey, sweet potato, apple, and onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil.

Roast uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the turkey has reached an internal temperature of 155°F when tested at its thickest point with an instant-read thermometer. Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the meal into adult and child-friendly portions. For the kid portions, shred the turkey into small pieces and scoop the sweet potato flesh and apple from the skin. Place in a food processor along with some of the onion. Add a few tablespoons of brown rice. Drizzle in the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons of oil and pulse on and off until coarsely chopped. Serve warm.

Makes 3 to 4 adult servings or 6 kid servings

Note: You can use additional ingredients or swap out others to create variety and add nutrients, such as cranberries, brussel sprouts, cinnamon, rosemary, ground pepper and salt (for flavor if preferred).

Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese

Nothing like sneaking some healthy, vitamin-packed vegetables into a classic kid-friendly dish!

1 medium (1 to 11⁄2 pounds) butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeds removed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

12 ounces small pasta shells

1⁄2 cup whole milk

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the squash, cut-side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender when pierced with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the squash from the oven and allow to cool for 5 or 10 minutes. Leave the oven on and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions, or until just al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl.

When the squash is cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a food processor. Add the milk and puree until smooth. Add the squash puree to the pasta and fold together with a rubber spatula until combined. Grease a 9-inch square or round baking dish. Spread the pasta mixture evenly in the dish and top with the cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the top is golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 adult servings or 8 kid servings

For more recipes (how about Banana, Pineapple & Avacado Pudding, a sweet and savory dish for the wee ones at your Thanksgiving table?) and ideas to promote happy, healthy eating, please visit: http://www.sproutbabyfood.com/index.php.

About Sprout Foods

Sprout Baby Food’s mission is simple: provide babies and toddlers, and the parents who feed them, with fresh and delicious whole foods that encourage happy and healthy eating. Founded in 2009, the entire product line is organic and features dishes and recipes created by renowned chef Tyler Florence, a 15-year Food Network veteran, author and father of three and one of Sprout Food’s founders. Using unique cooking methods and seasoning the recipes with gentle, beneficial herbs and spices, Florence has created tasty, unique, nutritious combinations that babies and toddlers – and their parents – love.

For more information, and to see the complete Sprout Food product line, please visit: http://www.sproutbabyfood.com/index.php. 

***Disclosure-No compensation was received.  Informational post only.