What's For Dinner? Week 2

First a glimpse of last week:

We went ahead with the blueberries (steamed and smooshed up with yogurt):



And then her 2nd new food last week ended up being cantaloupe, just diced and then ground a little bit in the food processor.

Here's Will helping me make the pesto pasta for dinner. He stirred the bowtie noodles and peas while they cooked together. Then we did an assembly line "chop and drop". I chopped. He dropped. Chicken, roasted red pepper, mushrooms, basil and the sundried-tomato pesto. I think helping in the kitchen makes such a difference in a kid's desire to try something new. Will's been offerred this before, but he ate it MUCH better last week after helping me prepare it.

Okay, onto this week:

I prepared a bunch of food for Sophie to restock the freezer: chicken, green beans, and "turkey apple loaf" (ground turkey, carrot puree, applesauce, bread crumbs and wheat germ - baked in a loaf pan and then scooped into portions for her food cubes).

NEW foods for her this week: we're going to try tofu! A great source if iron, protein and calcium, it works as a great finger food for older babies and is good blended with any fruit to create a sort of sticky "fluff" that makes good practice for little ones practicing with a spoon because it "sticks" to the spoon well. I bought firm tofu and I'm going to blend it with frozen blueberries, banana and wheat germ. This could also be frozen as a sort of "ice cream" as well.

And secondly, we're going to do mango. Depending on how firm the mango is on the day I cut it, it may or may not be steamed, and then smooshed/ground. Probably mixed with banana and/or pear.

Oh! And just today, Sophie has made great strides with her pincer grasp and is now able to pick up a Cheerio and put it in her mouth! Hooray!

Food for us:
1) Tonight was spaghetti and meatballs (Grandma Verna's recipe) - another good Sunday supper to simmer in the crock pot all afternoon. It's a family favorite for us because we ALL eat it and like it. I know I never mention side dishes on here, but we ALWAYS have a vegetable and/or fruit on the side along with some other side like bread or cheese - whatever I need to balance out the meal.
2) I'm doing that big salad again this week with chicken, white beans, tomatoes, Asiago, and a homemade balsamic and dijon dressing. Again, a family favorite that we all eat well.
3) On Christmas Day, my mom roasted a pork loin with a simple, bottled glaze called Charred Pineapple Bourbon Sauce. It was awesome! And even Will chowed down. So I'm trying that myself this week. Probably on Tuesday when Craig and I will be home after his surgery since it takes more time to cook. (More on the surgery topic later.)
4) And, darn it! I was all psyched to make some of Aunt Cathy's chocolate chip cookies tonight, but didn't have everything I needed, so maybe my dear husband will run out on his lunch break tomorrow to pick up a few things and then we can have the smell of cookies baking along with our roast for Craig's recovery.

Happy eating this week friends!