So the pumpkin "whatnot" (ravioli) was delicious - dried cranberries, sage and walnuts in the sauce... and I'm the only one that ate it. Will picked out the cranberries to eat and then just ate a bunch of vegetables instead (booger) and Craig ate leftovers of something else. He said I'd compiled every disgusting food he could think of into one dish. Niiiiice honey. Maybe I'll invent a dish that includes lima beans, brussel sprouts, liver and all his other least favorites.
Good news! Meijer had butternut squash this week. So the winter squash soup was a go tonight. Here's the link to the recipe from Cooking Light:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1696601
Even Craig liked this one. I've made it before and it's good with a warm, crusty bread. It has potatoes and leeks (an onion-like vegetable) so it tastes much like a potato soup and is loaded with vitamin A. Will took a few bites and dipped a bunch of crackers and raw veggies into it and that's about it. He's on a raw vegetable kick lately - broccoli, carrots, red peppers, grape tomatoes, etc. Loves them.
This weekend I made another batch of that apple pie "dip" with baked, cinnamon, tortilla chips for Craig and I to munch on. So yummy - and light too! And another recipe I forgot to share is a kid-friendly snack mix that's good for adults too. It's called "sticks and stones" (pretzel sticks, cereal, dried cranberries and whole almonds) and it's baked with a juice and brown sugar "glaze". I made it last weekend to take with us to the circus and Will devoured it. I also packed it for snacks at work last week. High protein and iron. Casey, you asked for the recipe - here it is: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/sticks-and-stones-784813/
This week is Thanksgiving so I really only needed two meals for our family and then a couple items to take with us to parties. So the soup above was one meal and the other will be a big salad with veggies and chicken strips, topped with a dijon and balsamic vinegar dressing. One of my faves, it has asiago cheese shavings on top and makes eating your veggies a treat.
For the holiday parties I'm taking 2 dishes to each and they are the same for both events. That's a huge time saver: just double/triple whatever you're making and take to multiple parties. So I'm planning the obligatory green bean casserole (a.k.a. super simple crowd pleaser) and pumpkin walnut biscuits for a little pizzazz. I LOVE these - they're sweet and delicious - especially with a little butter and a drizzle of honey. http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/pumpkin-walnut-biscuits-688405/
You'll notice two of the above recipes are from Family Fun magazine. I LOVE that publication - it is the uncreative mother's dream! (That's ME, by the way: totally uncreative but with a huge desire to be fun with my kids.) It's perfect! Loaded with simple activites, recipes, holiday stuff, projects, vacation ideas, etc. I highly recommend it if you have kids, whether or not you have that creative gene. As an aside, another new favorite publication of mine is Wonder Time - very well written with a humorous, free-spirited tone. It's not your same-old, same-old parenting articles and it just has a unique edge to it. Sort of looks like Real Simple, but much less dull. My boss shared several issues with me and I'm planning to start a subscription.
Still didn't get around to that baking this weekend but I was busy making those meals for friends. I even took some soup over to my friend Julie, who very kindly told me she wanted to be part of my family so she could eat with us! (After reading my posts.) LOL So I've been a regular meals-on-wheels lately!
Looking forward to introducing Sophie to turkey on Wednesday night. And MY personal goal for Thanksgiving is to give real, whole cranberries another shot. They're not so bad right? I just never cared for them before and maybe I should try to be more open-minded. I want my kids to try new things, don't I? So I'm going to try to model good behavior. ;)
Food is family, food is celebration, food is love. Hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving with lots of wonderful food.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sophia is 7 months old!
Friday was Sophie's 7 month birthday. It's getting much more difficult to get her to "pose" for her monthly picture. She doesn't want to sit still! Can you blame her? So probably for awhile, the pictures will have to be candid. But here's one I snapped before she moved to her belly.
And here's her favorite position - in control and on the move.
In the last month, Sophia has added a number of new foods to her repertoire (already mentioned them I believe), improved her ability to eat from a spoon considerably, gotten much better at sitting up and moving to her belly from a sitting position, tried to pull up on lots of things including mommy and the couch, laughed out loud (the happiest noise in the universe) when I kiss her belly on the changing table, and started saying "ba, ba, ba" in a very staccato manner like we do when we sing Uncle Wes's phonics dance song to her. She almost never takes a pacifier any more and has started consolidating naps a lot more often to where she sometimes naps for 1.5 - 2 hours twice a day and then a catnap in the evening and 11-12 hours at night. So our schedule goal that I mentioned in the baby food post is falling very nicely into place: 4-5 nursings, 2-3 solid food meals, 2 1/2 naps. She loves to crawl over and through things like pillows, Will's tunnel, the dining room table and chairs, and the coffee table. We had fun creating an obstacle course for Will and Sophie this weekend. Sophie crawled over the pillows while Will jumped from pillow to pillow. Our little girl is SO very active. She can hardly keep herself still. She moves when she nurses; she moves when we burp her; she moves when we change her diaper (major distraction is needed here - whatever she can hold to keep her attention and keep her body still); she moves in the bath (again, a toy is needed to keep her from trying to crawl out of the tub); etc. etc. She's going to be my little, athletic tomboy. In fact, I think she may be more into playing sports than her brother.
Sophie is so happy and so much fun. She rarely cries unless she's getting sleepy and she smiles a TON - even to strangers. Love, love, love my little girl!
And here's her favorite position - in control and on the move.
In the last month, Sophia has added a number of new foods to her repertoire (already mentioned them I believe), improved her ability to eat from a spoon considerably, gotten much better at sitting up and moving to her belly from a sitting position, tried to pull up on lots of things including mommy and the couch, laughed out loud (the happiest noise in the universe) when I kiss her belly on the changing table, and started saying "ba, ba, ba" in a very staccato manner like we do when we sing Uncle Wes's phonics dance song to her. She almost never takes a pacifier any more and has started consolidating naps a lot more often to where she sometimes naps for 1.5 - 2 hours twice a day and then a catnap in the evening and 11-12 hours at night. So our schedule goal that I mentioned in the baby food post is falling very nicely into place: 4-5 nursings, 2-3 solid food meals, 2 1/2 naps. She loves to crawl over and through things like pillows, Will's tunnel, the dining room table and chairs, and the coffee table. We had fun creating an obstacle course for Will and Sophie this weekend. Sophie crawled over the pillows while Will jumped from pillow to pillow. Our little girl is SO very active. She can hardly keep herself still. She moves when she nurses; she moves when we burp her; she moves when we change her diaper (major distraction is needed here - whatever she can hold to keep her attention and keep her body still); she moves in the bath (again, a toy is needed to keep her from trying to crawl out of the tub); etc. etc. She's going to be my little, athletic tomboy. In fact, I think she may be more into playing sports than her brother.
Sophie is so happy and so much fun. She rarely cries unless she's getting sleepy and she smiles a TON - even to strangers. Love, love, love my little girl!
Babysitting
Right now my house is blissfully silent (I love nap time) and I'm doing what Craig likes to call "babysitting". (I try to explain to him that it's not babysitting when it's your own kids, but I digress.) Craig got up with Will & Soph this morning so I could sleep in (we takes turns on weekends) and then left shortly before lunch time to go help work on Kelly's house. So I had to get lunches made and fed, and get both kids to bed on my own. Sophie is always a breeze with sleeping now - she goes down so easily - and, thankfully, Will was pretty good too. So far during nap time I've emptied and loaded the dishwasher, cleaned bibs and placemats, bagged up all the recycling to drop off later, put sweet potatoes in the oven and cooked some ground turkey to portion out for Sophia's meals this week. My daughter has graduated from a full pureed diet to a partly "mechanical soft" now! LOL
Babysitting tip of the day: don't immediately go into baby's room when she whines after an hour and a half. She may go back to sleep for another half hour or so and allow you just enough time to change bed sheets, throw a load of laundry in, and clean the kitchen and bathroom floors.
Mom tip of the day: wear sweatpants and a t-shirt to bed. Then you can roll out of bed, stay in the same outfit all day, and not be accused of wearing pj's at 2 in the afternoon. :)
It's been a peaceful weekend. No real agenda, no place we HAD to be. But we got quite a bit accomplished and a good amount of socializing too! Saturday morning, Will went with Craig to the farm while Sophie and I deliverd some meals to friends. One friend just had a baby girl and another has a young daughter who had an unfortunate experience with a dog bite last weekend. It was nice to see both little girls and both are very beautiful. Also, our dog Brutus got a much-needed haircut at noon. The Buckeyes beat the Wolverines! Go Bucks! And later we had friends over for pizza and UFC in the evening.
Also this weekend, we made some great strides with potty training, Will practiced somersaults, Sophie tried carrots, we got out for a couple walks in the beautiful 50's temperatures, and the kids took good naps. I'm not sure how my kids have managed to dodge all the illness that has surrounded them (including flu and pink eye among other kids at the sitters) but I'm thanking my lucky stars and doing my best to keep their immune systems strong. That means good naps, good food and some fresh air. Oh, and still saying prayers every night to keep us healthy.
Well, baby girl is waking now so that means my time here is up. Off to go feed her and hopefully get some girl time - just the two of us - before Will wakes up. Also looking forward to a short work week for the holiday!
Babysitting tip of the day: don't immediately go into baby's room when she whines after an hour and a half. She may go back to sleep for another half hour or so and allow you just enough time to change bed sheets, throw a load of laundry in, and clean the kitchen and bathroom floors.
Mom tip of the day: wear sweatpants and a t-shirt to bed. Then you can roll out of bed, stay in the same outfit all day, and not be accused of wearing pj's at 2 in the afternoon. :)
It's been a peaceful weekend. No real agenda, no place we HAD to be. But we got quite a bit accomplished and a good amount of socializing too! Saturday morning, Will went with Craig to the farm while Sophie and I deliverd some meals to friends. One friend just had a baby girl and another has a young daughter who had an unfortunate experience with a dog bite last weekend. It was nice to see both little girls and both are very beautiful. Also, our dog Brutus got a much-needed haircut at noon. The Buckeyes beat the Wolverines! Go Bucks! And later we had friends over for pizza and UFC in the evening.
Also this weekend, we made some great strides with potty training, Will practiced somersaults, Sophie tried carrots, we got out for a couple walks in the beautiful 50's temperatures, and the kids took good naps. I'm not sure how my kids have managed to dodge all the illness that has surrounded them (including flu and pink eye among other kids at the sitters) but I'm thanking my lucky stars and doing my best to keep their immune systems strong. That means good naps, good food and some fresh air. Oh, and still saying prayers every night to keep us healthy.
Well, baby girl is waking now so that means my time here is up. Off to go feed her and hopefully get some girl time - just the two of us - before Will wakes up. Also looking forward to a short work week for the holiday!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Play with your food!
Ever heard the saying "you eat with your eyes first"? I love coming up with fun ways to make food look more enticing. But having kids puts a whole new spin on playing with your food.
Will's at the age where dunking food into some form of sauce or dip makes it more appealing. He's also been a little lacking in meat and protein foods on occasion. But I'm not a fan of putting ketchup and ranch on everything. So I decided to try out my favorite bean dip with him - white beans, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper. All into a mini food chopper and give it a whirl. Will liked getting to press the button to puree the whole thing. Then I bake pita chips with oregano and slice up a bunch of bell peppers and cucumbers. He's never struggled with eating his fruits and veggies... actually, this was an effort to use the veggies to help him get more protein... from the beans! Often times his lunch plate is a smorgasbord of many different foods - a colorful variety.
With Thanksgiving coming up, I'm turning everything into turkeys!
A fruit plate with a Bosc pear, clementine and apple slices, raisin eyes, cheese and red pepper for beak and snood, and dried apricots for the feet. I kind of think the raisins look like shades. :) Will ate the whole plate.
Or how about a "pizza panini" with sliced tomato, marinara and mozzarella. Tuck in a few pepper slices and use peas for eyes. Presto!
And tomorrow Will & Sophie are taking a Thanksgiving treat to the sitters for the kids and her family. Rice krispy treat bodies balled onto Oreos with candy corn tail and head. Yum!
We also love the sandwich press from Casey that turns Will's grilled cheese into dinosaurs. Remember this one?
Here's a few other favorites from the past. These were all treats we've taken to the sitters.
Not a very good picture - peanut butter cracker "spiders" for Halloween using pretzel legs.
Peanut butter "Rudolph" cookies for Christmas.
Mini Easter "basket" cookies with licorice handles.
It certainly shouldn't all be treats. Those just happen to be what I took pictures of in the past. I have lots more ideas to try out now that Will can appreciate what I'm doing. Any sort of cookie cutter can make food more fun!
It runs in the family. These were my mom's Christmas day brunch plates last year.
And mom always had cool sandwich presses for our lunch box that said "I love you" or for our breakfast toast that said "Good Morning".
I love food! And I love making it fun.
Will's at the age where dunking food into some form of sauce or dip makes it more appealing. He's also been a little lacking in meat and protein foods on occasion. But I'm not a fan of putting ketchup and ranch on everything. So I decided to try out my favorite bean dip with him - white beans, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper. All into a mini food chopper and give it a whirl. Will liked getting to press the button to puree the whole thing. Then I bake pita chips with oregano and slice up a bunch of bell peppers and cucumbers. He's never struggled with eating his fruits and veggies... actually, this was an effort to use the veggies to help him get more protein... from the beans! Often times his lunch plate is a smorgasbord of many different foods - a colorful variety.
With Thanksgiving coming up, I'm turning everything into turkeys!
A fruit plate with a Bosc pear, clementine and apple slices, raisin eyes, cheese and red pepper for beak and snood, and dried apricots for the feet. I kind of think the raisins look like shades. :) Will ate the whole plate.
Or how about a "pizza panini" with sliced tomato, marinara and mozzarella. Tuck in a few pepper slices and use peas for eyes. Presto!
And tomorrow Will & Sophie are taking a Thanksgiving treat to the sitters for the kids and her family. Rice krispy treat bodies balled onto Oreos with candy corn tail and head. Yum!
We also love the sandwich press from Casey that turns Will's grilled cheese into dinosaurs. Remember this one?
Here's a few other favorites from the past. These were all treats we've taken to the sitters.
Not a very good picture - peanut butter cracker "spiders" for Halloween using pretzel legs.
Peanut butter "Rudolph" cookies for Christmas.
Mini Easter "basket" cookies with licorice handles.
It certainly shouldn't all be treats. Those just happen to be what I took pictures of in the past. I have lots more ideas to try out now that Will can appreciate what I'm doing. Any sort of cookie cutter can make food more fun!
It runs in the family. These were my mom's Christmas day brunch plates last year.
And mom always had cool sandwich presses for our lunch box that said "I love you" or for our breakfast toast that said "Good Morning".
I love food! And I love making it fun.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
What's For Dinner? Week 3
I had my heart set on winter squash soup this week... but the grocery store was out of butternut squash! How's that possible this time of year? Anyway, never fear... before my disappointment faded, I discovered a new stuffed pasta in the freezer aisle. A year or two ago I got a delicious squash ravioli from the freezer aisle and fell in love. Well, shortly after, it disappeared. Not a high demand item I guess. But Meijer brand just brought out a pumpkin ravioli with crushed amaretti cookie in the filling! Yum! So I swung back through the produce section to pick up some fresh sage - perfect pairing for a brown butter sauce to top the pasta - and presto! New dinner plan! (P.S. - Craig might have himself a corn dog night after reading this - he's gotten so picky in his middle age - LOL.)
As usual, I always try to fulfill a "Craig favorite" when planning the menu for the week. This week, he's getting two favorites: breakfast sandwiches and steak.
I pan fry sausage patties and eggs and serve on an English muffin with cheese - slightly healthier than McDonalds breakfast sandwiches... I'll call it a "Riede-muffin". As a side: clementines! They're back in the stores and juicier than ever! Will can eat 2 whole without ever taking a breath - LOL.
Steak... well, it's steak. Grilled on my panini grill that Craig got me for Christmas last year... so I would make him more steak. :) We'll have salad to go with and I'm really digging a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing lately. There's nothing comparable to homemade dressing.
And finally, I made a ham 'n noodle casserole to have that pop-in-the-oven-meal ready to go. Will loves ham! So this is an easy family favorite - probably for grocery shopping night.
I need to do some baking again soon. I've got some zucchini shredded and frozen to make bread and Craig wants more chocolate chip cookies... "without the oatmeal this time". I swear the man does everything possible to be UNhealthy!
As usual, I always try to fulfill a "Craig favorite" when planning the menu for the week. This week, he's getting two favorites: breakfast sandwiches and steak.
I pan fry sausage patties and eggs and serve on an English muffin with cheese - slightly healthier than McDonalds breakfast sandwiches... I'll call it a "Riede-muffin". As a side: clementines! They're back in the stores and juicier than ever! Will can eat 2 whole without ever taking a breath - LOL.
Steak... well, it's steak. Grilled on my panini grill that Craig got me for Christmas last year... so I would make him more steak. :) We'll have salad to go with and I'm really digging a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing lately. There's nothing comparable to homemade dressing.
And finally, I made a ham 'n noodle casserole to have that pop-in-the-oven-meal ready to go. Will loves ham! So this is an easy family favorite - probably for grocery shopping night.
I need to do some baking again soon. I've got some zucchini shredded and frozen to make bread and Craig wants more chocolate chip cookies... "without the oatmeal this time". I swear the man does everything possible to be UNhealthy!
Circus!
The Ringling Brothers came to Toledo in the new Lucas County Arena! As soon as the TV commercials came out, Casey immediately called and said we have to take Will. So the guys volunteered to stay home with the babies and Casey and I had a night out with the cutest little man in town:
For the most part, he had a great time. As expected, he LOVED the animals. It was during the "between-scenes" when they had a silly man filling time that Will got a little antsy. And I think he's a little young to really "get" that some of the stunts are dangerous and, therefore, impressive. Casey bought him a book that they were selling with pictures of the circus - a perfect souvenir. And we brought a snack and water on our own. Good thing because they wanted $9 for a lemonade! Sheesh!
This was so amazing - 7 motorcycles riding in different directions inside a spherical cage! Yikes!
Intermission. A small, stuffed tiger for $28... no, thank you! We let Will "pet the tiger" and moved on. LOL
Tigers
Trapeze
For the most part, he had a great time. As expected, he LOVED the animals. It was during the "between-scenes" when they had a silly man filling time that Will got a little antsy. And I think he's a little young to really "get" that some of the stunts are dangerous and, therefore, impressive. Casey bought him a book that they were selling with pictures of the circus - a perfect souvenir. And we brought a snack and water on our own. Good thing because they wanted $9 for a lemonade! Sheesh!
This was so amazing - 7 motorcycles riding in different directions inside a spherical cage! Yikes!
Intermission. A small, stuffed tiger for $28... no, thank you! We let Will "pet the tiger" and moved on. LOL
Tigers
Trapeze
Baby Food!
Sophia is doing so well with each new food we've introduced. She seems to like most everything and our freezer is fast filling up with prepared baby food cubes.
Six months is the earliest recommended age (per the American Academy of Pediatrics) for babies to start solid foods. And even then, they're pretty much considered an "extra" - not a substantial part of the diet until about 9 months. By 9 months, babies should ideally be taking 3 regular food meals per day in addition to nursing. Figuring out how to incorporate all these feedings around naps and with family meals is a bit of a challenge and we're sort of in transition with that now. Sophie typically nurses around 7, 10, 1, 4 and 7 through the day and currently takes 2 food meals per day, but not at regular times depending on naps. What we're working towards is nursing at 7, 11, 3, and 7, with food meals at 8:30, 12:30 and 5:30/6-ish. Then naps can fit in between 9 and 11 and between 1 and 3. I anticipate that being the routine in the next month or so. Obviously, it's not always exact, but it sure helps to have an idea so we can be consistent with the babysitter and know how to plan for outings.
In the meantime, we're working through one new food at a time - four days between each new food - to watch for allergic reactions. Reactions may include rashiness around the mouth or bottom, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. (None so far and I don't anticipate any as food allergies are not common in our families.) And of course we stay completely away from the common allergenic foods until after the first birthday: cow's milk, peanuts (pb), shellfish, egg whites, citrus & berry fruits (except blueberries are okay), honey, etc. Wheat is another common allergy, though I choose to introduce it carefully around 9/10 months.
Since there are so many foods to try and a four-day wait period between, my calendar is filled with post-it notes for the next few months of what I'd like to introduce and when. That way I keep track of when she started each new food and don't waste time with moving onto the next. The order of foods introduce is not an exact science. I prefer to start with a grain - rice or oatmeal is fine - and then work through basic fruits and veggies like sweet potatoes, squash, pears, apples, green beans/peas. At 7 months, I start with meats: turkey, chicken, legumes (i.e. lentils), egg yolk. (Sophie will get to eat turkey with us on Thanksgiving!) And then shortly after try dairy: yogurt, cream cheese, cottage cheese, melted/shredded mild cheeses. Finger foods follow and pretty soon we're doing lots of wonderful concoctions like turkey apple meatloaf, lentils with rice and veggies, scrambled egg yolk "omelet" with green pepper, mushroom and cheese, etc.
I love making my own baby food because, aside from the obvious (huge!) cost savings, it allows me to control the quality of ingredients, adjust the texture to my baby's needs, and play with lots of preservative free combinations. (Besides, meat in a jar grosses me out.) I even add spices for extra variety after about 8 months. How about apples with cinnamon, squash with nutmeg or chicken with basil? Sophie ate a whole avocado (mashed with banana) on her own the last 3 days! Loved it! And this way, the kids are eating like the rest of the family right off the bat and are more likely to transition into table foods easily.
Starting with grains, I buy a short-grain, brown rice or steel-cut, whole oats and grind them into a powder in the food processor. Then store in an airtight container and cook on the stove top as needed with 1 cup water to 1/4 cup powder for ~10mins. Fruits and veggies are pretty easy too. Just bake or steam any item and puree. Once you have a prepared food, it can be scooped into ice cube trays or specially designed food storage cubes (see onestepahead.com), labeled with food name and date and frozen for up to 3 months. Pop frozen ice cube trays into a labeled freezer bag. So we use the ice cube trays for food at home and lidded food cubes (1 or 2oz sizes) for the babysitter. Meat can be baked in whole pieces or use a ground meat. It's easiest to puree or grind cooked meat after it's fully cooled. Add milk or broth to thin and give an added boost of nutrition when pureeing meats or starches.
Sweet potatoes:
And here's what my freezer looks like now. I reserve a whole shelf for baby food 'cause it's only going to increase from here! This time around I have a deep freeze, though, so that will be a big help.
We start green beans tomorrow, carrots on Saturday and turkey next Wednesday just in time for turkey day!
For more info and ideas, visit: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ or check out Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron.
Six months is the earliest recommended age (per the American Academy of Pediatrics) for babies to start solid foods. And even then, they're pretty much considered an "extra" - not a substantial part of the diet until about 9 months. By 9 months, babies should ideally be taking 3 regular food meals per day in addition to nursing. Figuring out how to incorporate all these feedings around naps and with family meals is a bit of a challenge and we're sort of in transition with that now. Sophie typically nurses around 7, 10, 1, 4 and 7 through the day and currently takes 2 food meals per day, but not at regular times depending on naps. What we're working towards is nursing at 7, 11, 3, and 7, with food meals at 8:30, 12:30 and 5:30/6-ish. Then naps can fit in between 9 and 11 and between 1 and 3. I anticipate that being the routine in the next month or so. Obviously, it's not always exact, but it sure helps to have an idea so we can be consistent with the babysitter and know how to plan for outings.
In the meantime, we're working through one new food at a time - four days between each new food - to watch for allergic reactions. Reactions may include rashiness around the mouth or bottom, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. (None so far and I don't anticipate any as food allergies are not common in our families.) And of course we stay completely away from the common allergenic foods until after the first birthday: cow's milk, peanuts (pb), shellfish, egg whites, citrus & berry fruits (except blueberries are okay), honey, etc. Wheat is another common allergy, though I choose to introduce it carefully around 9/10 months.
Since there are so many foods to try and a four-day wait period between, my calendar is filled with post-it notes for the next few months of what I'd like to introduce and when. That way I keep track of when she started each new food and don't waste time with moving onto the next. The order of foods introduce is not an exact science. I prefer to start with a grain - rice or oatmeal is fine - and then work through basic fruits and veggies like sweet potatoes, squash, pears, apples, green beans/peas. At 7 months, I start with meats: turkey, chicken, legumes (i.e. lentils), egg yolk. (Sophie will get to eat turkey with us on Thanksgiving!) And then shortly after try dairy: yogurt, cream cheese, cottage cheese, melted/shredded mild cheeses. Finger foods follow and pretty soon we're doing lots of wonderful concoctions like turkey apple meatloaf, lentils with rice and veggies, scrambled egg yolk "omelet" with green pepper, mushroom and cheese, etc.
I love making my own baby food because, aside from the obvious (huge!) cost savings, it allows me to control the quality of ingredients, adjust the texture to my baby's needs, and play with lots of preservative free combinations. (Besides, meat in a jar grosses me out.) I even add spices for extra variety after about 8 months. How about apples with cinnamon, squash with nutmeg or chicken with basil? Sophie ate a whole avocado (mashed with banana) on her own the last 3 days! Loved it! And this way, the kids are eating like the rest of the family right off the bat and are more likely to transition into table foods easily.
Starting with grains, I buy a short-grain, brown rice or steel-cut, whole oats and grind them into a powder in the food processor. Then store in an airtight container and cook on the stove top as needed with 1 cup water to 1/4 cup powder for ~10mins. Fruits and veggies are pretty easy too. Just bake or steam any item and puree. Once you have a prepared food, it can be scooped into ice cube trays or specially designed food storage cubes (see onestepahead.com), labeled with food name and date and frozen for up to 3 months. Pop frozen ice cube trays into a labeled freezer bag. So we use the ice cube trays for food at home and lidded food cubes (1 or 2oz sizes) for the babysitter. Meat can be baked in whole pieces or use a ground meat. It's easiest to puree or grind cooked meat after it's fully cooled. Add milk or broth to thin and give an added boost of nutrition when pureeing meats or starches.
Sweet potatoes:
And here's what my freezer looks like now. I reserve a whole shelf for baby food 'cause it's only going to increase from here! This time around I have a deep freeze, though, so that will be a big help.
We start green beans tomorrow, carrots on Saturday and turkey next Wednesday just in time for turkey day!
For more info and ideas, visit: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ or check out Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron.
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