Toddler Treat: Cauliflower Soup

Source: Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers

Soup is a terrific meal for toddlers. Smooth soups or broths are the best starters soups, because their textures are easily managed in the mouth. Soup also offers a great opportunity to develop "spoon" skills. For those less patient or more hungry, serve soup in a cup and sip away. Never serve soup hot, always room temperature or slightly warm.

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, cored, and chopped into florets
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
1/2 tsp. herbs de provence (or a pinch of each rosemary, parsley, oregano, and thyme)

Instructions:
Place all ingredients in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour in batches into a blender, being careful not overfill the blender. Puree until smooth. You can also use a hand blender to puree the soup right in the pot. Serve.

Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are sisters, the mothers of five children and founders of Fresh Baby, creators or products such as homemade baby food kits, baby food cookbooks, baby food and breast milk storage trays, breastfeeding reminders, and child development diaries (www.FreshBaby.com). Raised by parents who love fresh foods and entertaining, their mom, a gourmet cook, ensured that they were well-equipped with extraordinary skills in the kitchen. Both with long track records of business success, they decided to combine their skills in the kitchen with their knowledge of healthy foods and children to create Fresh Baby. Cheryl and Joan put a modern twist on the conventional wisdom that when you make it yourself, you know it’s better. Their goal at Fresh Baby is to make the task of raising a healthy eater a little bit easier for all parents. Visit them online at www.FreshBaby.com and subscribe to their Fresh Ideas newsletter to get monthly ideas, tips and activities for developing your family’s healthy eating habits!