Adventures in Baby Food

We've officially moved

2009-07-27T12:59:00.001-07:00

Don't forget to check out our new blog at http://www.adventuresinbabyfood.com/

Thanks for looking!

Sabrina

Wean Machine Giveaway

2009-07-21T07:40:00.001-07:00

Wean Machine Giveaway at the new blog; check it out.

Two New Post on the New Blog

2009-07-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast

Slow Cooker Broccoli Chicken

First of Two Giveaways: Free 16x20" Rolled Canvas Print from OnlinePosterPrinting.com

2009-07-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

I recently got Drew's 1 year pictures and plan on getting this picture enlarged myself.

About Online Poster Printing
Online Poster Printing specializes in printing high-quality posters using premium materials. We offer a money back guarantee on all our products, such as photo canvas prints, vinyl banners, wall stickers, and rolled or mounted poster prints.

Do you have an awesome summer pic you’d love to have enlarged?? Now’s your chance!! OnlinePosterPrinting.com is offering a free 16×20 Gallery or Museum Wrapped Canvas Print for one of my readers to win.

It’s super easy to enter:

MAIN ENTRY:
Leave me a comment telling me what picture you’d love to have made into a 16 x 20 print. Make sure that I have a way to contact you in case you are the winner! Yes, it is that easy! I will number your entry in the order it is received and use random.org to pick the winner!Comments from this link will be combined with comments from the other blog at http://adventuresinbabyfood.com/(Just one prize for both blog comments).
This giveaway ends July 31.

Disclaimers: Giveaway is open to US/CAN residents. Shipping of prizes is not included and must be paid by winner. Online Poster Printing reserves the right not to print obscene or offensive materials. All designs submitted in the form of a giveaway may be used by Online Poster Printing for online marketing and promotional uses. The designs will be used solely as examples and will not be printed or commercially distributed. Prize will be a coupon via email.

Second giveaway coming soon to start of the new blog with a bang. Hint, it involves a recent gadget I just blogged about!

How to Start Your 1-Year-Old on Cow's Milk | eHow.com

2009-07-16T09:19:00.001-07:00

It is that time; and I must say I am a little worried. Drew is about to be introduced to milk over the next day or so. I found a short but sweet article about how to start your toddler on it on eHow. I posted a link below. I'll let you guys know how it goes with Drew in a few days.

How to Start Your 1-Year-Old on Cow's Milk eHow.com

Shared via AddThis

New Blog Site Coming soon!!!

2009-07-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't had a recent post. I've been working on a new blog that is almost ready to use. Please take a look at the new site. It is http://www.adventuresinbabyfood.com/. I'll be having new giveaway soon to kick off the new site.

Thank you,

Sabrina

Buckwheat Crepes

2009-07-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from my beloved "Cooking for Baby" cookbook. The above picture came straight from the book and is what they are supposed to look like. Below, you'll see my not so pretty, but still tasty version. First I'll give you the actual recipe from the book and than I'll tell you what I did.

2/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
unsalted butter for pan
(Makes 9 or 10 crepes)

In a medium bowl, combine flours, eggs, milk, honey and salt and beat until combined. Batter will be thin and runny.

Heat a lightly greased crepe or frying pan over medium heat. Pour in 1/4 cup of batter and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly with a thin layer. Cook crepe until top is set and bottom is lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Using a heatproof rubber spatula and your fingers, loosen crepe around edges and flip. Cook until second side is brown, about 30 seconds. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with butter before cooking each crepe. Crepes can be filled and spread with any ingredient you like.

I used cream cheese mixed with mashed bananas and strawberry jam. You could use applesauce, blueberry sauce, yogurt, Parmesan or cheddar cheese, etc.

Now, I like things easy, so I just used buckwheat pancake mix, made a little runnier than normal for my crepes, which is probably why mine are not as pretty; but they still taste good and are Drew approved!
Barnes, Lisa. Cooking for Baby. Gold Street Press, page 96.

Lemon Chicken and Vegetables

2009-06-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

(The above picture is from weelicious.com)

This recipe came from weelicious.com. This stuff is yummy, make a batch for you dinner as well!

Lemon Chicken and Vegetables (10 Baby/Toddler Servings)

1 Chicken Breast
1 Cup Broccoli Florets
1/2 Cup Yellow Squash, chopped
1Tsp Lemon Juice
1Tsp Vegit (I used a vegatized seasoning salt)

1. Cook the chicken breast in a steamer pot over boiling water for 4 minutes.

2. Add the broccoli and yellow squash and steam 4 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are fork tender.

3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse.*

4. Cool and serve.

*It’s nice to keep this dish a little chunky if you’re serving it to a little one with a few teeth.

New Gadget Alert: The Wean Machine

2009-06-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of the Wean Machine? I don't even remember how I came across this (surfing the net I am sure!), but it seems really cool.

From the Juvenile Solutions website:

Introducing The Wean Machine™

Fill, squeeze and feed!
The Wean Machine makes nutritious and healthy food with
no noise, no mess, and no fuss!
Helps through each stage of weaning
Easy to use – fill, squeeze and feed
Saves time, no need to cook separate meals
Portable, compact and self contained
Easily sterilized and dishwasher safe
Contains no BPA’s, Phthalates or PVC
Not suitable for use in microwave
Never leave baby unattended when feeding
Always check temperature of food

Egg Casserole

2009-06-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from the Wholesome Baby Food Blog.

We’re sharing a “casserole” from our favorite egg recipes site, the American Egg Board. This is called the Good Morning Casserole. You can use all egg yolks (12 of them) if your baby has not yet started whole eggs. Remember, many pediatricians still recommend whole eggs at 12 months of age so please be sure to consult with your pediatrician about eggs. Click to read all about eggs and egg allergies, and find more egg recipes too.

This recipe would be great for the 10 month+ baby who is enjoying lumps and bumps in food; a really great textured meal for the active “pincher”. I also suggest using this recipe to help baby learn self-feeding with a spoon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
• 4 slices bread, crust trimmed (try a hearty multi-grain bread!)
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups skim or low-fat milk
• 4 slices cooked turkey bacon, crumbled
• 1/4 cup (1 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup (1 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt, optional
• 1/2 cup frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

Directions:
Across bottom of lightly greased 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish, arrange bread slices, slightly overlapping. Set aside. In large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, bacon, 2 tablespoons each of Swiss and Cheddar cheeses, mushrooms and salt, if desired. Pour mixture over bread slices. Sprinkle potatoes and remaining cheeses over egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake, uncovered, in preheated 350ºF oven until lightly browned and knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes

I cut this into baby size portions and froze them for later.

Avocados: A quick update

2009-06-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update for those that may have had a similar issue. We tried avocados a long time ago and Drew broke out in a pretty good rash. Click here and here for the original posts. We tried it again while on vacation and had zero issues. I am excited to buy some more and try some new recipes with it!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day everyone, I hope you all had a fantastic day. We've been on vacation so we haven't made any recent post. I will have some new post soon, but for now, here is a great video of Drew playing hide and seek with his Daddy.

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

2009-06-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

Nothing special here, just some angel hair pasta with jarred spaghetti sauce and some of the organic frozen turkey meatballs I bought earlier chopped up. It is a huge mess, but ever baby has to do at least once.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

2009-06-07T07:15:00.001-07:00

Drew is not a big fan of fruits or vegetables right now, so I am having a difficult time trying to find ways to prepare them so he will actually eat them. I figured I'd try some beef stew. I could cook several veggies & meat at one time with loads of flavor infused in them. No way he could resist that, right? Well, turns out he actually does eat his vegetables; just when they are loaded with flavor. I just made my normal slow cooker beef stew recipe (Stew meat, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, garlic and a season packet for stews). I actually froze several servings for later too!

Gerber's Toddler Nutrition Guide

2009-06-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

If you are like me; you are confused about what exactly constitutes a serving size for a toddler is. By toddler, I mean a child that is walking (or tyring to walk) and eating finger foods. I recently received Gerber's "Start Healthy Stay Healthy" guide in the mail and found the chart below to be extremely helpful; so I thought I'd share. Click here for the original PDF file
Update: Thanks Sharee, she just let me know that Wholesome Toddler Food has some great information about this too. Click here to read their site.

Chicken Fingers- Baby Style

2009-05-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

So once again, in an attempt to introduce more protein into Olivia's diet, I went on a quest for a chicken recipe. She has not been a chicken fan thus far, and I think it may be because it is sort of hard to "chew" for her.

I found a recipe on a new site I happened upon, that I now love. Here is the recipe I followed:

¾ - 1 lb. package organic chicken tenderloins 1 cup vegetable puree, thinned out with water 2 cups baby cereal (rice, oatmeal or other whole grain) Cooking spray Pinch kosher salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice chicken tenderloins into 1-2 inch long strips and set aside. Fill a wide, shallow bowl with the cereal mixture and another bowl with the vegetable puree. Dredge chicken in baby cereal, then in vegetable puree and go for a second dredge in the cereal mixture. Place chicken fingers on greased cookie sheet (lightly coated with cooking spray).

Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve immediately or freeze in freezer bags to re-heat for another time.

And with this, Olivia still remains NOT a chicken fan. Dinner was changed last minute to cottage cheese, banana,broccoli pieces, and a few Puffs. I'll try again tomorrow :)

Turkey Meatloaf- Trial and Error

2009-05-31T17:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems both Sabrina and I now have independent eaters. I completely agree in that it is hard to find ways to incorporate the necessary nutrients when you have to make it in a form that they can pick up with their little fingers!

I scoured my favorite websites and books, and decided to try wholesomebabyfood.com's recipe for Apple Turkey Meatloaf. Olivia has loved sauteed ground turkey so I thought this wasn't a far stretch.

Apple Turkey Loaf/Sticks

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 whole egg or 2 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup pureed carrots
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup unprocessed natural wheat or oat bran (I used baby oatmeal)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
pinch of basil (I didn't use*)
pinch of garlic powder (I didn't use*)

*but maybe should have, since it was so bland

Directions:

Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.
Add the egg/yolk, carrots, applesauce, spices, bread crumbs and bran.
Mix well - If this mixture appears too dry, add more carrots or applesauce. If this mixture appears too wet, add more bran and/or bread crumbs

Place mix into a lightly oiled (olive oil) loaf pan and bake at 350F for approx. 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. **You may wish to cover with foil to prevent the top from burning

When finished baking and cooled, remove loaf from pan and slice as you would for bread. Break into small bits for finger feeding or Mash or chop gently

This recipe may also be made into "Turkey Sticks" for Toddlers and older babies who are able to handle more textured/chunky finger foods.

Ok, first things first, I do not recommend adding any more veggies or fruit even if it does seem dry, because then it is too moist. I ended up dumping out about a 1/2 cup of water halfway through the baking. And even then, it was still really squishy and thus not great for little fingers.

I tried feeding it to her on a fork and letting her eat it herself. Every bite came right back out with a shake of the head. (Shaking 'no' is her new thing!) So then I tried adding cheese to it, as that usually gets her to eat just about anything. She didn't buy it. So I'm all sad since I made this big meatloaf and no one is going to eat it. Yes, I tried it, and it is really bland..... so I'm not eating it either!

I cut it up and froze it, and thought we would try again another time.

So I reproached it today at lunch. I made her some macaroni noodles and shredded cheese, and mushed up some of the meatloaf into it. She bought it! She ate quite a good helping and didn't spit any out!

Needless to say, it was an experiment and I will keep trying different ways to hide it from her!

Finger Food Grocery Shopping

2009-05-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

So Drew is quickly getting over his beloved purees. As you may be experiencing, finding "healthy" finger foods that babies will eat is becoming tricky. There is a great grocery store near my work called Newflower Farmers Market. They are a small, non-fancy organic grocery store with great prices. Besides some great fruit and veggies I got some "packaged" foods for Drew to try. This is what I bought (some of which is not that healthy, but it will do):

All natural nitrate free turkey dogs (One of Drew's new favorite foods)
Organic whole wheat small bunny crackers
Hummus (I spread some on the crackers above and Drew ate it just fine, thought it might be too much for him but it was all good)
Italian style turkey meatballs (a hit)
Organic brown rice cakes (a hit)
Buckwheat pancake mix (a hit, I add apple sauce or winter squash puree)
Organic apple-cinnamon cereal bars (a hit, just a few bites at at time)
Frozen organic butternut squash filled raviolis (LOVES them)
Organic apple & turkey sausage (Haven't tried yet)
A can of organic beef ravioli (Haven't tried yet)
Organic boxed macaroni & cheese (Haven't tried yet)
Frozen organic salmon patties (Haven't tried yet)
Not shown, but have to mention: Canned tuna (packed in water) I didn't give a lot of it, just a few bites. Drew LOVES this.
Also not shown: Gerber dried fruit. I was afraid these would be hard like regular dried fruit but these are freeze dried and very soft. Much like the yogurt bites; which Drew also likes.

I would love to hear any ideas for finger foods that you have that have not been mentioned yet.

*Drew is 10 1/2 months old now

Cheesy Sweet Potato Quesadillas

2009-05-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is a great, easy finger food to prepare. I used whole wheat tortillas; put some thawed sweet potato puree on half of it. Next I spread shredded chicken and cheddar on top the sweet potato. Fold it in half and microwave for 10-15 seconds; just enough to have the cheese melt. Cool and cut in to bite size squares. Drew can't get enough of these.

Not so good baby food review

2009-05-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Plum organics frozen baby food is not worth the money, in my opinion. I almost bought this once before but didn't because it was almost four dollars for two servings. The next time I saw it I thought what the heck; maybe it is really good stuff. As you can tell, it looks nothing like the picture on the box. It smells as bad as it looks. Drew will not have anything to do with the stuff. So, if you see it in the frozen section at your local store, don't be tempted.

French Toast

2009-05-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

We made French toast for breakfast the other day and it went over well. I used three egg yolks with a dash of cinnamon and vanilla. I added a touch of water to help lighten the egg mixture. I soaked two pieces of bread and than cooked (without oil or butter) on a nonstick pan. I than cut it into small pieces so they were easy for Drew to eat.

Lunch/Dinner foods

2009-05-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

Since they are essentially the same!

We are trying chicken, but not liking it yet, pureed or in pieces. I'll keep trying!

Pasta

Pieces of bread

green beans

peas

potatoes

sweet potatoes

steamed apples (have also been adding cinnamon, she loves this!)

steamed squash of all kinds

bananas- this is my go to food if she doesn't eat anything else. She will always put away a good 3/4 of a banana!

broccoli

asparagus

tofu

need to try:

Cauliflower

edamame

That's all I can think of right now, although I think there's more!

Our Breakfast Foods

2009-05-11T09:35:00.001-07:00

Here's a list of the things I give Olivia for breakfast now, and I would love to have any input from others as to things that I am missing, or could add.

This is still a work in progress as she is still trying new foods. Breakfast and lunch are my favorite times to add them, to prevent overnight waking in case they don't agree with her.

Pancakes

Waffles

Bananas

Yo-Baby Yogurt

Steamed and chopped apples or pears

Biscuits

Avocado sometimes

Cheerios

We tried strawberries today, with the ok of the pedi, and she hated them! I've tried grown up oatmeal, both the "real" kind, and the packaged Quaker Oats kind, and those were a no go. Maybe a weird texture?

I am sort of coming up blank when it comes to more things to give her here, so feel free to help!

Is she over it??

2009-05-11T09:32:00.001-07:00

I feel like I haven't been able to contribute much lately. Olivia is over purees for sure, and it really over anything that I feed her! She wants to feed herself everything for the most part. This has led me to try and become more and more creative!

There are not many "recipes" out there for finger food! I will post our "normal" foods for each meal over the next couple days, so that those of you who may have kids like mine may get some ideas.

I feel sad because I was so wanting to make her food (which I still am technically) and she just doesn't want it anymore. I think I have an independent child when it comes to eating!

Congratulations to our Giveaway Winners

2009-05-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Carol D. & Julie G.; you two are the winners of our Happy Baby Food Giveaway. Check your email for details.

Thank you to everyone that entered.

Sabrina

Last Day for Giveaway!

2009-05-08T06:48:00.001-07:00

Don't forget to sign up for the Happy Baby food giveaway! Click here for details.

Barley & Mushrooms

2009-05-06T18:36:00.001-07:00

Barley & Mushrooms from the Cooking for Baby book.

I made barley & mushrooms with hopes that Drew would not like it so that I could eat all the leftovers! This is a very adult flavor and would go great as a side dish steak or chicken. But alas, he gobbled up every last bite!

1/2 cup pearl barley

1 Tbsp butter

1 clove of garlic, minced

6 oz cremini mushrooms, finely chopped (about two cups)

1 cup low sodium broth (I used chicken)

1/3 cup of water

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp thyme (I used dried)

In a dry saucepan, over medium heat, toast the barley. Make sure to stir it often. Cook until brown, about three minutes. Transfer it to a bowl. In the same saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until it is aromatic, about one minute. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until tender, about three minutes. Stir in the toasted barley, stock, water, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until barley is tender; about 30-35 minutes.

*Make sure to watch this. I didn't pay that much attention and it ran out of liquid, making much of the barley stick and burn. Luckily I was able to salvage enough of it. Just add more water if need be.

Depending on your child's age and ability, serve it as is or puree it (adding water) for a coarse puree. It will refrigerate (in an airtight container) for up to 3 days.

Barnes, Lisa. Cooking for Baby. Gold Street Press, page 65.

Edamame, Carrots & Cauliflower

2009-05-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

I wanted to introduce edamame, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. I didn’t want to just give it to him plain just yet, so I thought some carrots would accompany it well. I used frozen, shelled edamame that I thawed in the microwave and fresh steamed carrots. I hand chopped them into fine pieces. I gave Drew one bite; hmmm, no. Tried a second bite; hmmm, still no. So, I thawed out one of my dressed up cauliflower cubes and mixed it in. That did it; Drew was good to go after that! Just goes to show that cooking for your baby is mostly trial & error and experimentation.

Giveaway: Happy Baby Baby Food & Yobaby Yogurt

2009-05-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

If you have read the blog before, than I am sure you have seen my post about Happy Baby frozen baby food and Yobaby yogurt. These are awesome, organic, tasty prepared baby foods that are extremely convenient when mom (or dad) needs a break from making their child's food. What I did not blog about was their other line of organic foods for baby, such as Organic Puffs, Healthy Kids Meals, and Organic Cereals. The good people of Happy Baby Food and their partners at Stonyfield Farm were kind enough to provide coupons for free products. Two lucky winners will each receive the following coupons good for:

One Free cup or drinkable multipack of Stonyfield Farm Yobaby Organic Yogurt
One Free box of any flavor of Happy Baby's Fresh Frozen Organic Baby Meals
One Free Canister of any flavor of Happy Baby's Puffs healthy finger foods for babies
One Free canister of any Happy Bellies Flavor; the only baby cereal with DHA & Probiotics
Also included is one buy one get one free box of Happy Bites healthy kids meals coupon

This giveaway is open until May 8, 2009 at 11:59 pm CST.

1. Leave your name and email address in the form below.

2. For extra entries:

If you have a blog, share this giveaway with your readers then come back and make a second entry by leaving us the direct link to the post in the field "URL."
Twitter and/or Facebook about the giveaway. Be sure to include the link to the giveaway so that we know you twittered. Come back and make another entry letting us know you twittered.

3. Winners will be chosen by Random.org's integer generator. Your information is confidential and used for this giveaway only. One entry per person please with the exceptions listed above. You will not receive an extra entry for being a "subscriber". Multiple entries other than the ones listed above will be deleted. Feel free to leave us a comment but comments will not be counted as an entry- Please use the form.

4. Winners will be contacted by email where I will request an address to mail the coupons. Again, your information is confidential and used for this giveaway only. If I do not get a response back from a winner within 4 days of notification and address request, I will select a new winner by random.

Thank you and good luck!

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Applesauce Pancakes

2009-05-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

So, I've got all this leftover applesauce (Drew does not like anything apple) and I am trying to be creative about using it up without Drew noticing it. I decided to make pancakes with it and they turned out really well; and of course very easy. I had Hungry Jack pancake mix on hand (the kind you just add water to), so I used that. For 6-8 pancakes it normally calls for 1 cup of mix and 3/4 cup of water. Instead, I took one package of applesauce, which turned out to be a 1/2 cup. I used a 1/2 cup of water with that, because if I used any less the mixture would have been too thick. I slightly oiled my nonstick pan and made several small pancakes. I cut one pancake up into small squares for breakfast and froze the leftovers.

...

If you have a creative way to disguise applesauce in baby food I would love to hear about it!

Yobaby Yogurt

2009-04-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

One of Drew's favorite new food items is Yobaby yogurt from Stoneyfield. Their websites states:

YoBaby...

Helps promote healthy brain development YoBaby is made with the whole milk pediatricians recommend for healthy brain development for children up to age two.

Helps little bodies grow naturally YoBaby is naturally high in calcium and protein, essential tools for baby's growth.

Contains no yucky stuff! YoBaby is all natural and certified organic. It's made with milk from cows that were fed organic feed and have not been treated with antibiotics or artificial growth hormones. And, all of the fruits and grains in our products were grown without the use of toxic and persistent chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Helps aid digestion YoBaby contains six live active cultures. In addition to the two cultures needed to make yogurt L. bulgaricusand S. thermophilus we add four types of beneficial bacteria, known as probiotic cultures: L. acidophilus, Bifidus, L. casei, and L. rhamnosus. Our exclusive blend of probiotic cultures aid in nutrient absorption and enhance digestion.

I like how some of the yogurts contain cereal; I usually add mashed bananas, pureed pears, or blueberries for added texture, flavor and nutrition. For the flavors that do not have cereal added I’ll often mix oatmeal to them for added nutrition and to help thicken them up.

Baby’s Cheesy Cheese Logs

2009-04-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

I just saw this recipe yesterday on the wholesomebabyfood blog. It seemed easy enough, I had all the ingredients on hand, so what the heck. Here is the recipe copied directly from their website:

Cheese Logs - a great finger food for babies 10 months and older. Babies 8 months + might be able to handle the texture, you decide Mom.

1/2 cup all purpose flour (using wheat flour makes this more nutritious but may yield a more gummy texture)

1/4 cup of butter1/2 cup of shredded Cheddar - preferably the small thin shreds

1 egg (or 2 egg yolks)

dash of pepper

dash of garlic powder

...
Mix the butter and flour together and then add the cheese & egg (spices are optional). You will then have a “dough”. Roll this dough into thin logs and & bake for about 10 mins @ 375 F. You may wish to bake these for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of your logs. If you notice browning on the bottoms, turn the logs over 1/2 way through the cooking time!
You can change this recipe as you see fit - instead of butter, use applesauce for example!

Note: I used 2 egg yolks and butter. I baked them for 10 minutes and they still were a little brown on the bottom. Do not grease your pan, there is enough grease from the butter and cheese. I wasn't sure what to expect from these. I thought maybe they'd be like cheese straws, but it has more of a biscuit consistancy than anything. Drew wasn't quit ready for the entire stick yet, so I broke them down for him. I am not sure if you can freeze these or not, but I am going to try.

Bagel with Cream Cheese

2009-04-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

Finger food breakfast idea: Bagel with Cream Cheese.
...
This is an easy one, I take about 1/4 of a bagel and cover it with plain cream cheese. I cut it up into small, baby bite size squares. Drew really liked this; after the initial shock of course! I am thinking of mashing up some bananas and mixing it up with the cream cheese next time.

Scrambled Egg Yolk with Cheese

2009-04-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

Finger food Breakfast idea: Scrambled Egg Yolk with Cheese.

...

So, maybe scrambled egg yolks was not the best idea I've had; but it worked out for the most part. I took three egg yolks, about a tablespoon of water, a dash of pepper, and a dash of garlic powder. Egg yolks are very thick, so the water helps to thin them out a bit. Beat the mixture with a whisk or fork and cook over medium heat "scrambling" the eggs while they cook. Add some shredded mild cheddar right before you take them out of the pan. Now, egg yolks cook quit differently than whole eggs or egg whites. They are very thick and pasty; almost with a dough like consistency. I was a little worried about them, but Drew seemed to really like them. This makes a good weekend breakfast alternative.

Sweet potato & pineapple

2009-04-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

Drew is not fond of pineapple by itself so far, so I decided to chop some up and mix it with sweet potato and cinnamon. I am convinced he will eat anything if it is mixed with sweet potato.

Alternative uses for baby food...

2009-04-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

So before I knew about the nitrates or whatever in carrots, I had made a big batch and used the reserved cooking water in them. Once I read that was a no-no, I decided to figure out a way to use them in our food (not Olivia's) so as not to waste it.

My husband is not a huge veggie eater, so I thought I would try to sneak it in some of his food! Here was tonight's spaghetti sauce right after I threw 6 cubes of carrots in it! He never even knew, and I'm not telling!

Pasta with Cauliflower & Cheese

2009-04-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Drew had an interesting week. I got a little food happy and introduced him to Cheerios, cheese, pineapple, and the frozen baby dinners; which have several new and different ingredients. What happens? Of course he breaks out in a rash. This was similar the one he had with avocado. So, we stopped with all the new foods and I thought it would be gone the next day; but no it got worse of the next two days. It is finally gone and I am re-introducing the new foods one a time. First Cheerios, which of course I don't believe was the culprit, but just in case. Second, cheese.

...

Today for lunch Drew had Ditalini pasta mixed with our dressed up cauliflower and shredded cheddar cheese. No real recipe to follow, just a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I did add a pinch of garlic too, his first time for this. I got the idea from wholesomebabyfood.com that did the same thing, but with carrots. Seeing how we are out of carrots I thought I'd try it with the cauliflower. This smelled so good that I had to try it for myself. Both Drew and I give it two thumbs up!

More finger food!

2009-04-16T15:30:00.001-07:00

Carrots

Tofu

Biscuits on Easter

Pancakes!

So Olivia is not always loving her purees lately. She likes anything that is super smooth, and then she likes finger food. Nothing in between! So my homemade peas and green beans are out for right now.

So I have tried pancakes, biscuits, carrots and tofu and she LOVED them all! I am nervous about many finger foods, as she has no teeth yet, but these were all perfect for her.

She especially loved the tofu, so I am going to try some recipes with it, and see what happens! I love that there is an option with a lot of protein for her.

Another Freezer Find: Happy Baby Food

2009-04-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

I was in the freezer section of my local Target and found frozen organic baby foods. The brand is Happy Baby Food and they had several different flavors to choose from. Most where fruit purees, which I couldn't see spending the money on when I make them already. But, I did buy two different varieties of meat entrees for 9 month olds and up; Chick Chick and Gobble Gobble w/ Paradise Puree.

CHICK CHICK INGREDIENTS :

organic peas, organic spinach, organic butternut squash,
organic chicken, water, organic sweet potato, organic zucchini, organic brown rice

and

GOBBLE GOBBLE INGREDIENTS:

water for cooking, organic potato, organic sweet potato, organic turkey, organic butternut squash, organic apple, organic millet, organic prune, organic oregano, organic garlic powder

PARADISE PUREE INGREDIENTS:
organic bananas, organic mango, organic peaches, water for cooking, organic amaranth

They have salmon too, but I didn't see it at this location. These are great for those afraid to try making meats on their own, or for those short on time. They are expensive though. They were 3.99 a box. The box of Chick Chick has four servings (3 cubes equal a serving) and the Gobble Gobble had two servings of turkey and two servings of fruit puree. We've only tried the turkey and puree so far. When I thawed them out in the microwave I was surprised how watery the turkey was. It smelled good though. I mixed the fruit with the turkey and it was still too thin, so I added some cereal to thicken it up. Despite the looks, Drew really enjoyed it and ate it very quickly. I will buy this again in the future.

Egg Yolk Mashed with Bananas

2009-04-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that correctly. Drew had egg yolks mixed with bananas, and he likes it! I wanted to try egg yolks but wasn't sure what to mix it with. My book has a recipe mixing it with avocado and yogurt, but Drew can't have avocados right now and all I have is vanilla yogurt. Wholesomebabyfood.com has a list of items to mix eggs with, which is where I got the idea for bananas. Both my book and wholesomebaby food say it is OK to introduce egg yolks at 8 months, but to hold off with egg whites until one year of age. I used 2 1/2 hard boiled egg yolks and 1/2 a banana and mashed them together. I don't believe you should freeze this; it has a shelf life of 1 to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

To hard boil the eggs, put them in a pot of water (leaving one inch of water over the eggs) over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil, remove them from the heat, cover the pot and let sit for about 14 minutes. If the egg yolks are grey, they are over cooked.

Baked Chicken & Cauliflower Dressed Up

2009-04-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

Last week Drew tried something old & something new. Drew loves cauliflower, so for added flavor I boiled the cauliflower in chicken broth (low sodium) and than pureed it with a little bit of the left over broth & a bit of butter. I believe Drew likes it just as much, if not more than the plain cauliflower.

According to my Cooking for Baby book, they recommend starting Chicken between 9 and 11 months. Drew was about 8 1/2 decided to try it. We did so because he had been eating solids since 4 months and doing well on them. He also did well with the ground turkey. We took boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used four, but I think I'll just do two next time), put them on an oiled cooking rack over a foil lined pan. We cooked them for about 24 minutes, flipping them half way through. We have a digital cooking thermometer that helps us cook chicken thoroughly. I highly recommend one. I pureed half of this and chopped the rest for finger foods. Drew is not fond of this in either form. I tried mixing it with sweet potatoes too, which helped a little. I might try white meat next time to see if he likes it better and I plan on making a pasta too.

Earth's Best Teething Biscuits

2009-03-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

I decided to try out some Earth's Best Teething Biscuits the other day. They are recommended for babies 9 months and up. Drew is 8 1/2 months, but has been eating food since he was four months and was doing all the things recommended on the box (crawling, eating thicker foods, using fingers to pick up foods, etc.). These are hard, very very hard. Drew only has two front teeth. These became more of sucking biscuits than teething biscuits. And you all know what happens when you suck on a hard cookie for a long period of time don't you? A huge, sticky mess. We are talking all over my shirt and pants, Drew's clothes, face, hair, etc. We both had a bath after this snack. Drew liked it, but not worth the mess in my opinion.

Ditalini Rigati Pasta

2009-03-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

Ditalini Rigati is the perfect size and texture for finger foods. I made 1/3 a cup of uncooked pasta and it was more than enough for three days worth of servings. Below are some storage tips from a website called Mrs. Weiss:

Can I cook pasta ahead of time or reheat leftover pasta?

You can, however best quality comes from cooking pasta right before it's served. To cook ahead, prepare as directed on package, tossing with vegetable oil. Store, tightly sealed in plastic bags 3 to 4 days. When ready to serve, boil water; remove pasta from plastic bag. Immerse pasta in boiling water 1 minute or until heated through. Drain in colander and serve.

Can I freeze pasta?

Combination dishes with red sauce (like lasagna) freeze best. Cooked pasta without sauce does not freeze particularly well.

I cooked the pasta according to the directions, about 9-10 minutes in boiling water (no added salt), stirring occasionally. I added a dash of olive oil to the pasta to keep it from sticking while being stored in the refrigerator. Drew likes the pasta plain. I plain on trying out some new recipes later using the pasta.

Finger foods already!!?

2009-03-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, kind of anyways. It's hard to say "finger" foods when the baby can't figure out how to get the food from her clenched fists into her mouth. There is a lot of frustration there when trying to shove the whole fist into the mouth in hopes of getting some food!

I tried zucchini and mango as finger food, or small squishy bites anyways, and it went pretty well. She is not totally over purees, but loved her puffs so much I thought I would see what happened with these.

I steamed the zucchini way too much though, and it was too squishy. She still liked it though. The mango was just frozen, organic pieces and I microwaved them to thaw and cut them up smaller. She liked this ok, but I think it may have been sweeter than she likes. I tasted it and to me it tastes like straight sugar!

Just when I think it can't be any easier...

2009-03-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

I find this in the freezer section of my local grocery store...

It is organic, frozen winter quash with no added ingredients and already pureed. Just thought I'd share my latest fine.

Mangos as Finger Food

2009-03-22T11:26:00.001-07:00

It doesn't get much easier than this. I thawed out frozen mango I bought from Target (no sugar added). I used the microwave, it just takes a few seconds. Make sure you check the temperature before feeding. I cut the cubes up into pretty small little pieces. Drew really liked these.

Potato & Butternut Squash Stew

2009-03-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

This week's new foods for Drew consisted of white potatoes and butternut squash. Potato & Butternut Squash Stew is yet another recipe from the Cooking for Baby cook book. If you couldn't already figure it out, I am a big fan of the cook book. The recipe is as follows...

Cut squash (1/2 small, peeled and seeded butternut squash), potato (6 small yellow, peeled), and apple (1 medium Fuji, peeled, cored and seeded) into 1 inch chunks. You should have about one cup of each. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add potato, squash and apple and cook, stirring occasionally (about 8-10 minutes). Apples will begin to turn golden. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are soft, 30-35 minutes. Mash or blend to desired consistency.

I made a few minor changes based on what I had in the kitchen and Drew's taste. I only had frozen butternut squash and just used a half of a bag and one large white potato. Drew hates apples, but I wanted to try this to find other ways to sneak them into his diet. I only used one quarter of an apple. I also made this very thick and chunky because I am trying to get Drew used to more finger foods now.

Before I gave this to Drew I tried out just the butternut squash. I simply microwaved a half a bag of frozen butternut squash and blended it, no need for extra liquid. Butternut squash is possibly Drew's new favorite food. As for the stew, the first time Drew ate this he wasn't thrilled about it, but he gobbled it up the second go around. I've also Drew plain potatoes diced in small cubes as finger food and he loves it as well.

Barnes, Lisa. Cooking for Baby. Gold Street Press, page 46.

Happy Birthday Corinne!

2009-03-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

Green Beans for Olivia!

2009-03-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

Well, as usual, she loved them. There is nothing she doesn't like, she just doesn't want to eat a lot. Maybe she will be petite....

All I did was get a bag of frozen organic greens beans, and steam them in the Beaba. Then I pureed them with water, and they got pretty smooth. Not Gerber smooth, but pretty smooth. I froze the rest and they are good for 3 months.

Turkey with Pear Puree

2009-03-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

So I decided to start Drew on some meat this past week and turkey is said to be easy digest. Not to mention we had turkey spaghetti and just decided to save half the cook turkey for Drew to make it easy on us. I went ahead and followed the directions for cooking the turkey that are in my cooking for baby book. It states:

Combine 1/2 pound of ground turkey and 1 cup of water and cook over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan. Stir it constantly and break up the turkey as it is cooking. Heat until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink (about 3-5 minutes). Let it cool and drain the meat, saving the liquid. Transfer the turkey to your food processor and puree for a minute. With the machine running, add the reserved cooking fluid a little at a time until the texture is paste like. This can be stored for 1-2 days in the fridge or be frozen for up to 1 month.

The turkey looks and smells strange by itself. The book suggest that blending meat purees with fruit will make the easier on the taste buds. Personally, I'd have to disagree but I thought for Drew it would be better than the turkey by itself. The book states that pears go well with turkey.

The results: I was very worried that Drew would not eat this. My babysitter actually fed this to him for 3 days and said at first he had a funny look on his face, but she thinks it was more from the texture than the flavor. She said after the first few bites, he loved it. I took Drew this weekend to a restaurant and wanted to see for myself, so I pulled out the turkey and pears, mixed the two together, and he was not having it. It could be because we were in a restaurant and he was distracted and/or tired, or maybe he was tired of having turkey for so many days in a row. The good thing is he has eaten it in the past with no issues and no allergic reactions.

Note: Drew was 7 months and 3 weeks old for his first meat

Barnes, Lisa. Cooking for Baby. Gold Street Press, page 35.

More refined taste

2009-03-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

On the gourmet menu this week: Green beans with mint & olive oil, white asparagus puree and sweet potatoes with a touch of cinnamon (Recipes from the cooking for baby book).

Drew loves sweet potatoes. We can pretty much mix anything he doesn't like with them so he will eat it. We decided to take it a step further and add a touch of cinnamon for some added flavor. Drew loves this.

Asparagus: When my husband was at the store this past week he was looking for regular green asparagus, but they only had white. So, we went ahead and made that. He doesn't seem to love them, but doesn't dislike them either. They have a pretty mild taste. We took a bunch of white asparagus and removed the woody ends. We than steamed them until tender (about 7-9 minutes) and rinsed them in cold water to stop the cooking. Finally, we pureed them in a food processor until smooth. The cookbook notes that if baby is reluctant to eat this, stir in apple or pear puree. Store in airtight container in fridge for up to three days or freeze for up to three months.

Green Beans with Mint & Olive Oil: Boil a half pound of fresh green beans until tender and bright green (about 7-9 minutes). Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Puree beans with 2 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of fresh mint. After it is pureed, stir in 2 tbsp of olive oil (optional). Store in airtight container for up to three days (Note: I went ahead and froze some). I am not sure if it is because we used fresh green beans, and/or because they were boiled instead of steamed, but these pureed much better than the last batch. Drew also enjoys this much better than plain green beans.

Barnes, Lisa. Cooking for Baby. Gold Street Press, page 33.

New fave spoons!

2009-03-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

I have had trouble finding spoons that really "work" well for Olivia. We have tried a couple different kinds, and they all seem to have some sort of flaw.

I finally found some I love! (Also, the site I linked has them on sale!). They are natural bamboo, which is just a plus for my eco-loving self. They are super smooth and the bowl of the spoon is perfect!

Just thought I would share!

2009-03-01T17:29:00.001-08:00

So this week our new foods were cauliflower and peaches. Cauliflower may just be Drew's new favorite food for now. For the cauliflower, we just took a half a head of cauliflower and steamed it until tender (about 10 minutes). We than used the food processor and blended it with a little bit of formula. I just give it to Drew straight up, I haven't mixed it with any other foods yet.

As for peaches, I bought a frozen bag a peach slices. This way, I get two uses out of them. First, I can put a frozen peach in Drew's mesh feeder to help with his teething. Second, I can thaw out a slice or two at a time (about 50 seconds in defrost mode in the microwave) and chop them into pieces for Drew to eat as regular. The are a little difficult for him to pick up with his hand yet, so most the time I use a spoon to feed it to him or stir in the pieces with his oatmeal for breakfast. He was not a fan of the peaches at first; in fact, he gagged a little than spit up his first try. But now he really enjoys them.

(Drew is 7 1/2 months now)

Butternut Squash! Pass!

2009-02-24T17:59:00.000-08:00

So she loved another food! So far...she loves everything...I guess that's a good thing! Especially since I made about 48 servings of it!

Here is the "recipe"

Halve butternut squash, scoop out seeds and strings.

Place in baking dish upside down with 1/3 inch of water.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, or until you can easily pierce it with a fork.

Scrape out insides and puree to desired consistency.

I froze the leftovers, and they are good for 3 months.

I had to break out the big guns, the 9 cup food processor, since it was so much. It worked just great!

I added a tiny bit of water, but that was all it took. Olivia likes her food a bit "chunky" so whatever I make I have to add cereal to anyways.

Happy Birthday!!

2009-02-24T15:41:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Sabrina!!!

- Your Baby Food friends

Banana-cado

2009-02-23T18:36:00.000-08:00

I decided yesterday that banana and avocado may be a winning combination. She likes both of those fruits, so I thought, hey, why not put them together!? She loves it!

This is the second combo food I have done. The first was peas and carrots. That was also a winner!

And also, my kid has gone from not really caring one way or another about food a couple weeks ago, to eating 2 oz a day happily, to now eating up to 3 cubes (oz) at lunch and dinner! With oatmeal mixed in also! She may be an eater yet....the question is, how will we afford to feed her!!?

Green Beans & Apricots

2009-02-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

So this past week Drew has tried Green Beans & Apricots. First, the green beans. I was a little worried about the green beans because for the life of me I could not get them to "puree". The texture is hard to explain, not really chunky, but definitely not blended. Drew is not a fan of them either. Not sure if this is because of the taste or the texture. If I blend them with sweet potatoes he likes them a little better. I opted for the easy way out to make green beans. I bought a frozen steam bag (no salt added) and just popped in the microwave for a few minutes. Than, I blended them up in my food processor and added a little breast milk to help "puree" them a little better. I don't think it helped so I might skip this next time. I froze the left overs, they should be good for up to 3 months.

Now for the apricots. I bought a package of dried Turkish apricots from the produce section of my grocery store. I put them in a pot with a about a cup of water and brought them to a boil. I than boiled them for 10 minutes until they were tender. I blended them in my food processor, adding the left over water that they were blended in to help puree them. The apricots also have a strange texture. They never quit "pureed" but they did better than the green beans. They are very thick and sticky. I did freeze them, but they never got rock hard. They should be good in the freezer for up to three months. Again, Drew was not a huge fan of these, probably because of the texture. He likes them better when I mix it with his oatmeal.

Puffs vs. Mum Mums

2009-02-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

First off, some of you may be asking what exactly are Puffs and Mum Mums?

Puffs are small finger foods made from grains by Gerber and come in a variety of different fruit and vegetable flavors. They dissolve fairly easily and are considered beginner snacks (for crawlers and toddlers).

Mum Mums are larger finger foods, like a biscuit, made of rice. They come in just a few different flavors and dissolve very easily.

Now for Drew's review. Let me first start off by saying that I was TERRIFIED of giving finger foods for the first time. Drew has had mostly purees and some chunkier versions of purees. Also, he doesn't have any teeth yet. He is such a good eater and has a good pincer reflex, that I thought I'd give it a try. We started puffs at 6 1/2 months. At first, because I was nervous, I'd break them apart. They are already small to begin with, but I thought just in case. Drew, with my help, ate them like this for a few days with no issues. I than began to give them to him whole.

This was great fun for both of us. He enjoys trying to pick them up and put them in his mouth. Right now he gets them in there about half the time. Drew seems to like the flavor (sweet potato) and gnaws on them pretty well. The only issue is that they are still difficult for him to eat and stick to him like crazy.

When I first pulled out the mum mum out of the wrapper I thought how in the world is Drew supposed to eat this. It is huge and thought for sure he'd have issues or choke on it. I was wrong. He immediately grabbed it from my hand and started chewing away. They dissolve very quickly and are easy for him to hold and eat. I think they are more flavorful than puffs too. They are much more messier than puffs. Because they dissolve so easily they are very sticky. Also, because hey dissolve so quickly they get everywhere; his face, hands, chin, legs, stomach, you name it. Mum mums are by far Drew's favorite food right now. I think he likes mum mums more than Sophie and that is saying a lot.

All in all, in Drew's eyes mum mums wins hands down. However, I believe that puffs makes great practice for picking up small food so I will continue to give him both for now.

Yay for Pears

2009-02-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

Drew gives pears two thumbs up. I had never had a fresh pear before, believe it or not. I thought I'd just peel them and mush them up, without having to cook them. I am not sure if was the type of pears we bought or if they were just not fully ripe, or what; but they were a bit harder than I had anticipated. I bought organic green pears. I ended up peeling them, removed the seeds, chopped them up and put them in a zip lock bag with a little bit of water. I microwaved (steamed) them for about 40 seconds and than again for 20 more seconds. They were still firm, but had softened up enough to make it easy to puree. I transferred them to the food processor and added some breast milk to help thin them up a bit. I froze the left overs.Drew really likes them. So far we have given it to him by itself and sometimes we mix it with oatmeal.

Babyfood savings comparison

2009-02-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

I wandered in our local Kroger last night for a few things. I realized it was CRAMMED with people and asked someone what was going on. She said "they are closing in an hour for good. The new one down the road is opening tomorrow. Everything is on sale!" Hmmm, sale....that is great. Too bad Olivia was tired already and I knew I only had limited time before a break down occurred. I was sad about that in the long run, because there were some great deals, but I had to get in and out.

So I hurry to the produce where I see that all organic produce is 50% off! So I grab everything I could possibly make baby food out of. I got sweet potatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, and carrots. Not to mention white potatoes for us!

I also went to the baby aisle, to find that the Gerber organics are $1.25 for Stage 1 (2 pack), and $1.45 (for 2) for Stage 2. Picked up a bunch of those too, for upcoming trips on planes.

So I thought I would break down the cost after I made the sweet potatoes, since I bought those fresh and "jarred".

So even though everything was on sale, I figure it's comparable since the fresh and jarred was on sale.

Here's the breakdown. A serving is described as 1 oz apparently.

Gerber Organics- .20 cents per serving

Homemade Organics- .06 cents per serving (Ummmm, and I ate some before I froze it, so it would have been less....)

Anyways, let's say your child eats a modest 6 oz of fruits or veggies (Mine eats way less than this now, but I know some kids eat more) a day, taken with this figure in mind, here is your monthly savings (4 week period).

Gerber Organics- $33.60 a month

Homemade organics- $10.08

That's over $20 a month in savings!! And I think it would be more if I weren't so anal about organic. So who knows how much it would be if you just got regular!

Anyways, just a reason why I am so gung ho about this homemade baby food thing, one reason of many!

Avocado!

2009-02-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

She loved it! I did puree it in the blender, because it was a bit harder than usual, and I added a bit of water. Olivia likes things a bit smoother, so that's why I did it. It worked out great.

Anyhow, she loved it and I am excited, because I do too!

A day in the life of Drew: Lunch

2009-02-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

For lunch, we went out to eat. I took one 2 oz thawed cube of sweet potatoes and one 1 oz cube of thawed peas. We served the to Drew at the restaurant while they were still cooled (we took them there with a freezer pack to keep them cool). I basically mixed the two before serving it to him, which he seemed to enjoy. He ate probably 2 ounces total. He also had a 5 oz bottle(compared to the normal 6 oz). Between Breakfast and lunch he was nursed one time

A day in the life of Drew: Breakfast

2009-02-08T05:58:00.000-08:00

Drew is about 6 1/2 months old right now. We are trying to get him on more of a real feeding schedule. This is what Drew had for breakfast this morning:

6:45 Nursed

7:30 Breakfast

1/4 banana mashed (a little on the chunky side) mixed with about 3 tablespoons (mixed) oatmeal. These are two of Drew's favorite foods and loves them just as much when mixed together. He ate all of this

1 sippy cup with 2 oz of water (not actually able to drink out of it, yet)

1 skinned, raw apple slice in his mesh food holder. This was mainly to re-introduce him to apples because he hated cooked apples before. He chewed on it for about a minute (not really eating anything) and didn't make any yuck-yuck faces, so I think he may like the taste of them raw. I also used a Fuji apple this time instead of a honey sweet.

Not so sweet potatoes

2009-02-07T15:39:00.000-08:00

So we've been trying sweet potatoes over the past few days. At first, Drew did not like them, at all. After a few days he is indifferent to them. I doesn't have the bad reaction he does with apples, but doesn't have the same good reaction he has with bananas. He truly enjoys eating, so I think he just puts up with them. Like Olivia's try with sweet potatoes, we baked ours instead of steaming or boiling.

Two sweet potatoes, unpeeled
Prick with a fork several times
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes
Puree to desired thickness, adding water, breast milk or formula to thin them down

I actually used a mashed potato masher and mashed them by hand. This left them a little on the thick/chunky side. I thinned down the first few cubes that Drew ate and than started giving him the more chunky ones as the days went by making them more of a stage 2 food.

Can I warm my baby's food in the microwave?

2009-02-05T04:28:00.001-08:00

As you know, with fresh baby food you have to store it either in the fridge or freezer after it is prepared. I am sure many wonder if it is OK to microwave baby food. I recently received a pamphlet in the mail from Gerber and it had this answer to the question....

Your baby may not have a preference for warmed foods, so it's not always necessary. But, you may want to warm refrigerated food to room temperature. Remove as much food as you think your baby will eat at that meal and place it in a microwave safe dish. Heat for only a few seconds at reduced power and warm to body temperature. Stir to eliminate any hot spots and always test before feeding your baby.

Gerber. (2009). Start Healthy Stay Healty [Brochure]. page 3:

Olivia eats!

2009-02-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

I gave it a couple days, and then started trying food with her again. In the past few days she has miraculously started staying up longer before bed, so I decided to try it then, as she may be hungrier. (Not to mention I was trying to keep her occupied until a reasonable bedtime!)

Last night and tonight she ate a tablespoon and a half of oatmeal, and one cube of peas. I went with the peas and oatmeal since they are ones she for sure likes. She ate it all up! She may have even eaten more, but I still wanted her to nurse well before bed, so I left it at that. She has never before eaten more than a few bites of anything, let alone two servings of something! Also, I have been trying "new" foods earlier in the day, just to see what she will like, and she has eaten one cube of sweet potatoes each day for the last 2 days.

I think she was having an off week anyways last week, and maybe she really just needed to get used to it. I didn't want to rush her, so I waited a couple days, and it was a good move!

Just wanted to share. I am happy she is liking my food again. Now I'm almost out of peas!

Not ready?

2009-01-27T17:42:00.000-08:00

Olivia has gone back and forth on the solid food thing. When we first introduced rice cereal, as per the pedi's recommendation for her reflux, she was pretty excited about it. She didn't eat a ton of it, but did seem to enjoy it. It took me a few days to figure out when she would want it, before or after nursing, when she was tired or wide awake, etc..... thought I had it figured out!

Anyhow, her interest waned quickly. I have since tried oatmeal, peas, carrots, and sweet potatoes. She liked the peas a lot, but still would only eat a few bites, then seem uninterested or would even fuss a bit. Otherwise, she has just tried a few bites of things and then was over it. She is currently 3 days shy of 6 months, so I don't know if that is what the deal is. I know tons of babies younger than her that love solids though, so I guess it is just her.

I suppose she is just not ready. I feel almost bad trying to force it. I don't actually force her to eat, but I mean even trying when she seems so uninterested. She is breast fed and I guess is perfectly content with that.

Maybe I will wait a week and see what she does then. Anyhow, just thought I would post this to see if anyone had thoughts, and to let people know that not all babies are ready just because they meet all the "criteria" for being "ready" for solids!

More bananas please!

2009-01-25T07:29:00.000-08:00

So after our unsuccessful attempt at apples, I figured I’d skip the next veggie and do over the fruit. I thought bananas would be a safe bet, and I was right. So far, he loves bananas. He ate them right up with zero issues. All I did was take about a piece of banana (about an 1 ½ long) and mashed it up with a fork. I didn’t add any liquid because I am trying out thicker foods with drew now. It was still pureed though, no chunks yet.

Teething Biscuits from Wondertime Magazine

2009-01-24T05:30:00.001-08:00

I saw this recipe in the latest addition of Wondertime magazine. Drew is not quit ready for teething biscuits yet, but I’d figure I would go ahead and post the recipe for others now. I’ll post about it again after Drew’s tried them.

1 ½ Cups unbleached flour
½ Cup whole wheat flour
½ Cup of maple syrup
3 Tablespoons applesauce

Heat oven to 300. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until dough begins to hold together. Dust counter with flour, then transfer contents of bowl to counter. Knead lightly until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. (If the dough is difficult to handle, dust with a little more flour.) Roll out with a rolling pin until 1/3 inch thick. Cut into biscuits using an inverted cup and a clean soda-bottle cap (or your thumb) for the hole, or use a doughnut cutter ($3 for 2.5 inch cutter, cooksdream.com ). Transfer biscuits to a greased cookie sheet. Bake until barely browned, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely on a cookie sheet. They’re ready to eat now (under supervision, of course) They’ll harden slightly more if you leave them out overnight. Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

(2009, February). Teething Biscuits. Wondertime, Retrieved January 23, 2009, page 50.

And here is a caution about feeding teething biscuits from wholesomebabyfood.com:

IMPORTANT CAUTION: When feeding your infant Teething Biscuits, baby finger foods, or any other food that may pose a choking hazard, it is VERY important to watch the child closely. Always ensure the child is in a totally upright sitting position as well! Some parents will tell you one brand or recipe is great while others will tell you the very same brand/recipe was horrible and their child choked due to crumbling or breaking. There is no brand or recipe for teething biscuits that is guaranteed not to crumble or break off into pieces!!

An Apple a Day Keeps the Baby Away

2009-01-21T18:33:00.001-08:00

So we was at the grocery store the other day and couldn’t remember what type of apples my book suggested to use so I wasn’t sure what to buy. I asked the produce worker what he thought would be sweet, taste good to a baby and cook well. He suggested honey sweet apples. I had never heard of them before so he let us try one. Tasted good, so that is what we got. These were not organic so I peeled them before I cooked them. Here is what we did…

2 Honey Sweet Apples (Peeled, cored, and sliced)
Steamed apple slices for 10 minutes
Pureed (No added liquids)

We froze the left overs to use over the next few days. As far as Drew liking or not liking apples, the video explains it all. (Until I can get it to post the video, here is a link)

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=2ijozlz&s=5

Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

Peas!

2009-01-19T17:55:00.000-08:00

Despite the terrified look on the child's face, Olivia LOVED the peas! She has now eaten them for three days, and can't get enough. Yesterday I took to feeding her in her diaper though, as that bright green is not so pretty on cute baby clothes! Some peas dropped on her tray, and let me tell you, she had the time of her life smearing it around! Straight to the bath after that.

I have to say, I tried them and they are soooo good. I don't know if it is because they are organic, or what, but I would eat it if I were her!

I blogged about making it a few days ago, so go back if you need to know those details.

Now that she has eaten a food she liked, I am excited to try more. It's fun!

Review: Cuisinart MiniPrep food processer

2009-01-19T10:56:00.001-08:00

I use the Cuisinart MiniPrep to blend up Drew’s baby food. I decided this after reading about a few nesties that had it. I figured I’d use it to also help chop food for our own meals, but this hasn’t been the case. I tried it out once for us, using it to “chop” onions. But, it beat them to a bloody pulp. Now, it may have been user error, but I haven’t tried again since. I figure I can just chop onions by hand just fine. So, it is solely used as a baby food processor. And for this, it works just fine. It has blended Drew’s food very well and with zero issues. However, I am not sure that it is any better than any other food processer.

From the Crate & Barrel Website:

The compact size and precision performance of this two-speed Cuisinart taskmaster made easy work of grinding and chopping foods.
· Contemporary brushed stainless steel housing
· 21-ounce capacity lexan work bowl
· Stainless steel reversible blade chops and grinds
· Grind control processes hard foods (nuts, seeds and spices)
· Chop control chops or minces softer foods (onions, garlic, herbs and cheese)
· Spatula and instruction-recipe book included
· Durable work bowl and cover are dishwasher-safe

Think Green: Fresh Organic Zucchini

2009-01-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

OK, I am not sure why I am stuck on green food right now. I guess it is a subconscious thing or something. But, I do know that Drew was pretty happy with this new found flavor. Zucchini has a very mild flavor, so it wasn't too much of a shock to his taste buds. And, like everything else thus far, it was super easy to make. I pulled this from my Williams & Sonoma Cooking for Baby book.

Steam fresh sliced zucchini until very tender (5-9 minutes, leave the skin on)
Blend in a food processor (To your desired consistency)

Notes: You should not have to add any fluids to this. If anything, you may want to thicken it with cereal if it is too thin. I didn't have to do that this time around. Also, because you leave the skin on, the book suggest that you buy an organic zucchini.

I put the left overs in my new Beaba Multi Portion from Williams & Sonoma. This is my first time using this, but so far it is good.

Avocados: Take Two

2009-01-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

Update: Drew's doctor said that from the description of the rash, it did not sound like a food allergy rash; but, to be sure he said to wait until Drew is a year old and re-introduce them again (Which was are plan!)

Well, it looks as though Drew may just be allergic to avocados after all. Later that same day, his rash went away. I was hoping that it was just a heat rash. We waited one full day with no fruits or veggies and Drew did not break out with a rash. We decided to go ahead and try the avocados again. We fed him the next morning and by the time I got home that night he had the same rash all over his legs and belly. I don’t want to entirely rule out avocados. I will probably wait 6 months to a year before trying them again. Of course, I plan on speaking with Drew’s doctor about my little game plan too, to get his take on it. Drew’s 6 month check up is on the 20th, I will let everyone know what the doctor has to say about it. Meanwhile, it looks like we are moving on to zucchini next; hopefully in the next day or two.

Possible Allergic Reaction to Avocados

2009-01-11T14:39:00.001-08:00

So this morning I got Drew out of his sleeper and noticed this rash all over his chest. It doesn't seem to bother him and he isn't itching either. He had avocados for the third day the night before. No new soaps, clothes, etc. I am hoping that the rash is not from the avocados though, because Drew really loves them. The rash stops at his diaper line, which also makes me think it is not a food allergy.

Game Plan:

I am going to stop giving him food, except for cereal for the next few days and until the rash goes away completely. Than, I am going to re-introduce avocados again for four days. If he breaks out in a rash again, it will be pretty safe to say that Drew is allergic to avocados. Cross your fingers for us.

We're Like Peas and Carrots

2009-01-10T18:47:00.001-08:00

Awww, reminds me of Forrest Gump!

DD and I made peas and carrots on Thursday. As always, I used organics, and the peas were frozen, and the carrots were fresh. Who wants to shell peas anyways! It was super easy with my steamer/blender (see below). All I did was steam, and blend. I did use the reserved cooking liquid to thin them down, and plan on using breastmilk or water to thin it further, if need be, when it's time for Olivia to eat them.

The most interesting thing about this time was the comparison I did. I had some "canned" baby food leftover from a game at my baby shower. Now I am not bashing prepared baby food. I am sure that is what I ate, and lots of other babies are perfectly fine with it. But when I made the peas and carrots this time, I dug out those jars and actually tasted them both. The difference is amazing. The taste is completly different and the color is sooooo much brighter with the fresh food.

I am using the Fresh Baby freezer trays. BPA free, and they come with lids. Sounds good to me. They have been easy to use. I just freeze things in them, and then transfer them to freezer bags later.

Oh yeah, and Olivia didn't try any of the food yet. I plan on introducing them in a couple more weeks. She is still on the cereal, and is only just starting to get more interested in it. Since the sweet potatoes were a big FAIL, I decided to wait a bit longer for other "food".

Williams Sonoma- Part 2

2009-01-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

Little did Sabrina know, I was just thinking about posting something like this!

I got the same cookbook for a baby shower, along with this Beaba Babycook from Williams-Sonoma. I tried it last night for the first time and LOVED it. I know, I know, what a waste of counter space, just use a blender/food processor you already have, etc, etc, as I have heard some of you comment before. Well whatever- I love it! It's a 2 cup size, and it steams and blends. Couldn't be easier! I am sure I will use my 9 cup food processor sometimes too, but I don't even know what food she likes yet, so why make so much?!

I am also excited about the cookbook. It's really pretty for one, and very easy to follow. i used it for my sweet potatoes the other day.

And Olivia helped! I'll post about what we made tomorrow.

Williams & Sonoma for Baby

2009-01-09T04:16:00.001-08:00

For Christmas, I received the book Cooking for Baby from Williams & Sonoma. It was a gift from my sister. It is very interesting and has some great gourmet type recipes that I can't wait to try out with Drew.

She also just got me a baby food freezer set from there as well. It is called Beaba Multi Portion and it is made of BPA free silicone. This makes it easy to pop out the 2 oz. portions of frozen food one section at a time. I will be testing this out with our next batch of homemade baby food.

Update: The silicone tray works really well. You can pop out just one section at a time and it comes out very easily. It is easier to work with than just an ice tray and holds more ounces per serving as well.

Avocados are a BIG hit

2009-01-08T06:17:00.000-08:00

Drew LOVED the avocado and it couldn’t be any easier to make. I took about a tablespoon size of avocado, mashed it up with breast milk (you can use water or formula also) and voila; instant baby food. I made it a little on the thin side for Drew since it was his first time to try it. I highly recommend this. Check out the section about avocados at wholesomebabyfood.com. It tells you how to find the perfect avocado, how to freeze them, and about all the health benefits they have. Note: An avocado is actually a fruit, not a vegetable.

Sweet Potatoes!

2009-01-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! I'm happy to join Sabrina on this blog, and hope everyone enjoys our adventures. I have been excited about making baby food since I was pregnant. I have a weird obsession if you will, about knowing exactly what goes into my children's bodies, and I thought, what better way to start out then by making healthy, organic baby food!

We did start with rice cereal, a few days before Olivia's 5 month "birthday". I wanted to EBF for 6 months, but she got a late diagnosis of reflux, and the doctor thought the cereal may help. She was pretty gung ho about it the first day, and really hasn't been too enthused ever since. We use Earth's Best Organic.

This summer, I planted a garden, as I have for the past 4 years that we have owned enough land to do so. Honestly, this year was awful. Um, what did I think, that at 9 months pregnant, I would be out there in the TN heat, weeding a garden? Not only that, but I really didn't think about the timing. My cutely pregnant, second trimester self got out there in the spring, planting away all these veggies I could make into baby food. Didn't think about the fact that you can only freeze it for so long, and baby Olivia wouldn't be eating baby food until at least 2009, so what was I to do with all these baby friendly veggies?

Let them die....or become overrun with weeds! What do you expect, I was huge, and it was over 100 degrees in July! The only one salvaged was the sweet potatoes, and since you can keep them in a cool dry place for a long time, they were ready for me when I decided to embark upon my first adventure in baby food making. There was something oddly satisfying about knowing that the first veggie my daughter ate came right from our own land! I knew it was organic, and I knew it would be great for her.

I didn't know how easy it would be to make though! And I didn't know that she would hate it....

So I tried...for three days in a row. Still no go. Oh well. I have plenty in the freezer to try again later! She will like them....!

Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes
liquid of your choosing- breastmilk, formula, or water

Pierce the skin of the potatoes, and bake on 350 for about 45 minutes, or until a fork inserted into the potato goes in easily.

Remove and let cool.

Cut potatoes in half and scoop out the "meat" with a spoon. Puree using food processor or blender with desired amount of liquid until you reach desired consistency.

Fill ice cube trays with food and freeze. Remove from tray and store in freezer bag, removing cubes as you need them.

Recommended freezer life is 3 months.

Pureed Sweet Peas

2009-01-02T09:32:00.001-08:00

This was Drew's first vegetable (He was 5 1/2 months old). So easy to make, and he actually liked right away. And for those that are unsure (like I was), sweet peas and green peas are the same thing.

Recipe: 2 cups of frozen peas (you can use fresh if you can find them). Steam until bright green and tender (about 5-7 minutes for fresh or hard frozen and 3 minutes for thawed frozen). Puree peas in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water, breast-milk or formula to thin puree to your desired consistency. I made mine a little on the thicker side. That way, when I thaw it out I can add warm water or breast milk. This warms it up a bit and thins it out at the same time.

I scooped up the puree into an ice tray, put in freezer until frozen, than took them out of the tray and put it in a zip lock bag. This makes it easier to thaw out one serving at a time. These keep in the freezer for up to three months.

Next veggie: Avocado