Apple Milk

Shortly after the little man switched over to cow's milk, it seemed like he wasn't 100% sure of the taste. He did drink it pretty well, but then I saw some kids drinking strawberry milk (the Nesquik kind), and I thought maybe he would like milk better if it were a little sweeter. Not really wanting to start a Nesquik habit in the house, I invented Apple Milk instead. All you do is put a splash of apple juice into regular milk. Maybe 10-20%. The little man loves it! He'll still drink regular milk, but often he'll ask for some apple juice, too. It works well, but you definitely get some weird looks from people when you mix juice into milk!

Dessert to Go, Please

Last night, we took the little man out to a special meal at our favorite restaurant. Our favorite restaurant is a fancy but cozy modern American place where it takes weeks to get a reservation. We had never considered taking the little man, but the last time we ate there the sommelier told us we should definitely bring him next time. He was very adamant - he just said, "make a 5:30 reservation... we've had other kids here." We were a little dubious, but excited, and decided that the weekend after Thanksgiving would be the perfect time to celebrate as a family.

If you couldn't tell already, we really love food. And we really want the little man to love food too. Our plan is to expose him constantly to cooking and eating, and not just any food, but good food. I try to never feed him food that I don't like myself (even if it is all mashed up, the flavor has to be good). We take him out to eat a lot. We give him a spoon and a bowl and a colander to "cook" on the kitchen floor while we cook up above. We set him on the counter when appropriate to watch what we're doing. And we figured this was the ultimate - take him out to a really nice dinner.

While he did have a side of Mott's that we brought as a delay tactic, he tried several yummy things from the restaurant: fresh house-made apple cider, delicious warm crusty french bread, and risotto with leeks and mushrooms and a veal jus. When he got too sick of sitting at the table (after an hour and a half which I think is amazing patience for one so little), I got up with him to go watch the kitchen. When I got tired of holding him, I traded off with the big man, and sat back down to finish my wine (a wonderful pinot noir from Sineann). I requested the bill, and looked longingly at the desserts being served to the table next to us. That was when genius struck. Order dessert to go!!

While our desserts were being packaged up and I was sipping my wine, my two men were invited INTO the kitchen, to watch the action and chat with the chef. They were both in heaven. And the chef invited the little man back "anytime." It was a wonderful night. We plan to do it again... next year!

Stokke High Chair

When it came time to get the little man a high chair, we decided to go with a less traditional choice. We bought him a Stokke Tripp Trapp (shown above), and we've been really happy with it. He sits right at the table like everyone else, and is not off in a corner with his own tray. It's adjustable so that he'll use it for many years (eco-friendly!), and then we can pass it on because it is so well made. With the removeable rail, he was able to start using it before he could really even sit up. And in addition to eating, it's great for art projects and other activities at the table.

We were a little worried about the mess, but even that hasn't been a problem. Yes, he does make a mess, but not anymore than I think he would if he were in a traditional high chair. We also got a couple of these silicone place mats, which really help keep his stuff in one place and are easy to clean up in the sink.

Pasta a la Popeye

Orzo is a great first pasta - the little man loves it. I made him this simple pasta dish with it the other night.

Pasta a la Popeye

2 cubes frozen spinach, defrosted/warmed
3 TBS ricotta
1/4 C cooked orzo

Mix together and serve! It was so good I finished what the little man didn't eat! All it really needed to be perfect was garlic...

Apricot Porridge

One more recipe that's all my own. The other day when I was pureeing some brown rice for the little man, I realized it reminded me of the porridge I'd seen at Whole Foods earlier in the day. Hmm... porridge... what would make this more porridge-y? Dried apricots! Cinnamon! So here's the recipe.

Cook brown rice as usual
Chop a handful of dried apricots
Place brown rice, apricots, and some cinnamon in food processor
Process until smooth enough for your baby

You could also puree the rice a bit, and then just add small chunks of apricot without pureeing, if your baby is into that sort of thing. The little man LOVES this. It is pretty sweet.

Plum and Berry "Crisp"

I was making crisp one night, and realized that it would be super easy to make a "crisp" for the little man. Here's my recipe:

Fruit: Whatever is good at the farmer's market / grocery store, including plums, nectarines, blueberries, peaches, whatever. You need enough to pretty much fill the pan you're going to bake them in.

Oatmeal: Rolled whole oats

Put a layer of oats across the whole bottom of the pan. Cut up and place fruit (skin on) over the oats. If the fruit isn't too juicy, either add some water or cover with foil. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until fruit is cooked and oats have soaked up the fruit juice. Transfer to blender or food processor, add some cinnamon (and/or some nutmeg or cloves) and puree to desired consistency. This makes a great breakfast or "dessert"!

Homemade Baby Food

When it came time to start feeding the little man solid food, we started with Earth's Best Rice Cereal, like basically every other baby I know. After that, it was time to start veggies and fruit. Since we cook pretty much everything from scratch for ourselves, we decided we should treat the little man just the same, and make his food, too. It's actually quite easy (if you are used to cooking).

Our favorite baby cook book, and the one that gave us the basics in a helpful and well-organized manner is Le Petit Apetit by Lisa Barnes. We're still using it, since it has recipes for babies AND toddlers.

In addition to a good cook book, there are a few other essential tools to make your own baby food. You need a blender and/or a food processor, and you need at least two ice cube trays. A steamer is helpful, too, as steaming the veggies and fruit is a great way to cook them. And yes, you should cook more tart fruit such as apples and peaches too make them a little sweeter. I figured that one out the hard way!

When you make the food initially, you process it until it is all the way smooth. As your baby gets older and starts being able to have a little texture, you can leave it more lumpy. Once you've cooked and pureed/smashed to desired texture, you put the food in the ice cube trays and freeze it. The frozen cubes keep in freezer bags for quite a while, and you can put a few cubes in a bowl and microwave them when it's time for baby to eat. You can even mix and match cubes for more interesting meals.

To get the little man used to lots of flavors, we try to give him a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains, as well as a little meat. We also use spices in his food (we've been gradually increasing the additional flavors as he gets older).

Here's a (not comprehensive) list of the foods he eats regularly:

• Bananas (no need to cook - just mash with a fork; they freeze great)
• Peaches / nectarines (with skin included)
• Plums (skin included - good for digestion!)
• Mangoes
• Pears
• Apples (no skin - with cinnamon!)
  
• Zucchini (with curry and/or chili powder)
• Broccoli
• Green beans
• Sweet potatoes
• Carrots
• Green peas (with butter and curry)
  
• Spinach (with nutmeg)
  
• Brown rice (sometimes I throw a bay leaf in with the rice)
• Black beans
  
• Poached chicken

I also have a couple of my own "recipes" that I'll post soon.

Finger Foods - A Partial List

Finger foods that work:

• Cheerios
• Gerber Graduates Fruit and Veggie Puffs
• Homemade mini ciabatta rolls (hard crust, soft crumb - good for teething, as long as baby chews up the chunks he bites off)
  
• Baby Mum Mums
• Shredded cheese (he likes mozzarella)
  
• Smallish pieces of sliced bread
• Teething biscuits (until he started biting off huge chunks and nearly choking)
• Fruity Booty (the smaller pieces)
  

Great ideas that my little man thinks are gross:

• Black beans*
• Blueberries*
• Carrots*
• Avocado*
  
• Peas*
• Shreds of poached chicken
• Bits of fried egg
• Any small bits of vegetable from my plate

*He likes these items just fine when they're pureed.

Things I plan to try:

• Bits of toast with spreads (hummus, avacado, etc)
• Chunks of watermelon and other fruits
• Torn up pancakes, muffins, etc
  
• Bits of cooked fish
• Bits of cooked pasta
• Macaroni and cheese - put it in the fridge, and when it solidifies, cut it into bite-size pieces
• Little balls of mashed up beans and rice
  
• All of the above "gross" items again - I heard it sometimes takes up to seven tries to get a baby to like a new food

The Excitement of Finger Foods

So do all babies choke when they eat their first non-pureed solid food? When my little man first started with his Little Puffs (rice puffs that dissolve easier than cheerios), there was a decent amount of choking and gagging involved. He'd get a piece of something stuck on the back of his tongue and gag until the item (and probably some other stuff in his stomach) came out. He's getting much better at mashing stuff up with his gums and front teeth now, and I haven't seen him gag in quite a while. However, I am still pretty nervous about finger foods, even though he seems to have a real interest in them.

So did your baby choke and gag when he/she first started finger foods?