First Birthday

It has already been over a month since our son's birthday! First birthdays are a big deal for parents; it marks one year of being parents and it is a year of transformation for all. Because of this, it is easy to go overboard on a party that the baby certainly won't remember.

We had a couple of mini-parties. At his school, I brought a "baby cake" with no sugar, eggs or dairy and covered it with puffs. Each child got a bib and then dug in. Another mom had done this a couple of weeks prior, and I thought it was such a great idea that I copied it. Why improve on something sweet and simple that already worked? Plus, the teachers said that my son had gone cookie-monster crazy over the other kid's cake. Second time around, and it was again a success!

The next day we had a close friends and family party with a decorate-your-own-muffin table. We had three types of muffins (vegan chocolate, blueberry, and zucchini banana), two frostings, and three toppings (mini chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, and puffs). People could decorate and eat their muffins whenever without having to wait for the birthday boy to blow out the candle and eat his. Because the guests--which included about 6 children under 5--didn't have to wait to eat the muffins, no one got impatient. It was a lovely day surrounded by people we love and our son was thrilled with it all.

Here is the recipe for the healthy first birthday cake, adapted from Homemade Baby Food Recipes. Note, this cake is not super tasty for adults except for when it's fresh out of the oven.

Applesauce Banana Cake, serves more than enough hungry babies

2 cups flour (wheat or all-purpose)
1 T wheat germ
1+ t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
6 ripe bananas, mashed
1 c applesauce
1/4-1/2 c soy milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Combine flour, wheat germ, baking soda and cinnamon in one bowl.
3. Combine bananas, applesauce, and 1/4 cup of soy milk in another bowl.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. If it is still dryish after mixing, add more soy milk. Batter will be very thick.
5. Pour batter into a 9x9 square or 9 inch round oiled pan and bake for 60-90 minutes. It will be finished when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

8 oz (2 cups) whole wheat flour
1 tbsp wheat germ
1 heaped tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
6 medium, ripe bananas - mashed
8 fl oz (1 cup) sugar-free applesauce
2-4 fl oz (1/4 to 1/2 cup) soy milk


Preheat the oven to 325 deg F (160 deg C).
In a bowl, combine the flour, wheat germ, baking soda and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce with the mashed bananas and 1/4 cup milk.
Pour the applesauce mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. If the mixture seems dry, you can add up to another 1/4 cup milk.
Pour into a greased 9" x 9" square or 9" round pan and bake for around 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The cake is ready when a sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Read more: http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/healthy-first-birthday-cake-recipes.html#ixzz2CXzD8PsU

Read more: http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/healthy-first-birthday-cake-recipes.html#ixzz2CXzD8PsU