Healthy 1St Birthday Cake

if you don't have time to bake try whole foods they have some great options in their bakery. if you do try recipes from Deceptively Delicious.

Try homemade zuchinni or carrot cake, with whole wheat flour and applesauce and olive oil instead of sugar and butter. But I really have to agree with the person who said to just let them enjoy a treat now and then. We eat very healthy at our house, with most things made from scratch and whole grain, local eggs that are free range, etc, but I get a little concerned that if I'm too controlling regarding food then my kids will rebel and go the opposite way with their eating habits (studies have shown that children who weren't allowed to eat chips, etc, were much more likely to eat a whole bag even after getting full on lunch, whereas children who were allowed to eat chips at home passed them up or just ate a few) or worse yet, develop an eating disorder because it becomes a control issue. But mostly I completely applaud you for creating a healthy home for your daughter and wish more parents would put forth the same care and effort.

It was so hard for me at Halloween, but I let my son (2 1/2 at the time) go trick-or-treating. I even decided to let him eat till he decided to stop since he is usually only allowed candy here and there, and he ate so much that he threw up. Now, almost a year later, whenever we talk about Halloween he says he ate too much candy and it made him sick. We need to be careful not to control and shelter our children so much from making poor decisions that they never get to experience a mistake and learn from it.

Hi! I remember with my daughter's first birthday cake, we wanted to avoid any common allergens since food was so new to her. We went to Sprouts and bought an organic rice flour cake mix, and used an "eggless" egg replacer (also in the cake aisle). I remember it was egg, milk, wheat, soy and corn free. I think we even added a little organic brown rice cereal because the batter was a bit thin and it turned out great! It was chocolate and pretty tasty too! She LOVED it and all the guests loved it too! :) Have fun!!

My son just turned 1 in July- so exciting! We had a regular cake made (white cake with fresh strawberries) for the adults and I made a special one for him at home. I used a recipe that is in the book WHAT TO EXPECT THE FIRST YEAR. It uses applesauce instead of sugar, plus wheat germ and wheat flour- much healthier, and it tasted pretty good! I bought a Wilton cake pan of a teddy bear sitting up for his cake. It only uses a cup of batter so it comes out perfect size and super cute. Teddy bears weren't even our theme but it was so cute I didn't care. If you would like a look at the recipe or a picture of the cake let me know I will surely send them to you! Best of luck!!

little ones go crazy over cupcakes. They don't usually eat the actual cake so the frosting is the most important part. Whipped cream or creamcheese frosting will most likely taste great and clean up easier than the traditional buttercream. Save the sugar for the colorful decorations (sprinkles, m and m's...)Hard to get colored dye out of things so try to avoid coloring the frosting..

if you are making the cupcakes, banana-nut (minus the nut) muffins would work for easy on the tummy too.

I got my daughters 1st b-day cake from 'Sugar Lips Cakery' in Mesa. They are on the corner of Guadalupe and Dobson. They have a lot of options.. the web site is www.sugerlipscakery.com. Check it out when you get a chance! I love it! The owner is a sweet heat too!

My daughter loved chocolate zucchini bread at that age.
R.

Hi,
Let me preface by saying, I am not against a child eating healthy! My two kids eater healthier than I have my whole life.
With that said though, its your daughter's first birthday?! Let her go a little crazy for this special milestone!! With both my boys, after they were done smashing it, and rubbing it up their noses and in their hair....I don't think they actually "ate" more than a tiny little fistfull. Neither one got sick.
If you have a safeway card you should have gotten a coupon for a free 8" round cake specially for the first birthday. I think Bashas' does it too. They both will make a carrot cake.
But, for this one super-special night, I say strip her down to her diaper and let her go crazy!