Introducing Real Food to Real Babies

My 9.5 month old son is easy going. He did like to eat 2-3 times a night for the first six months, but when he wasn't eating he slept. A lot. This kid was maybe awake 4 hours a day for the first six months of his life. The point I'm getting at is that he has been neglected as second children sometimes are, and he has been generally great with that. But now things are changing. We're working on self feeding and I'm excited to get into what this little guy is going to wolf down. I had a couple friends asking me what babies eat and when and how, then another question today about feeding a one year old. So I thought we could get into what William eats and what he plans to eat in the future.

First off, we don't do baby led weaning. I always wanted to look into it further, but here's why I didn't: I already had one child go through the typical food eating steps and it seemed fine to me. Also, I don't even have time to read books for pleasure right now, so reading a book about changing feeding tactics just wasn't going to happen. From what I  have heard it seems very interesting and something I would probably like, it just wasn't the route we took. 

So what should you feed your baby? The simple answer is "whatever you are eating."  Here is what we did.

Months 0-5.5 our kids only had breast milk. Landon's first food was rice cereal, and William's was pureed avocado both at 5 and a half months. Someone asked me why people use rice cereal and there are a few reasons. When you are first introducing foods to your child you don't know what they may be sensitive or allergic to. Rice cereal is easy on their tummies and there is a very low likelihood that they will have an allergic reaction to it. It also tastes like nothing and can be mixed to be thin or thick depending on the abilities of your baby. The truth is, there are a decent amount of fruits or vegetables that have similar qualities and more benefits. That is why we used avocado with William. Mashed and thinned out with breast milk (or formula) and we usually had one around anyway. 

Months 6-9 we go through the list of all of the fruits and vegetables that we can think of. You try one and wait a few days before trying something new to make sure there aren't any allergies or reactions. It's really annoying. During this time you might feed your baby some of the following: sweet potatoes, mangoes, squash, tomato, carrots, apples, bananas, corn, peas, more avocados, pears, peaches, regular potatoes, green beans, broccoli, braising greens, kale, spinach, etc. Basically anything that isn't naturally soft (carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, etc) you can steam, roast, or boil then throw in a blender or food processor and make it as thin as it needs to be for your baby by adding in breast milk or formula. Or buy the jars or pouches at the store. They have an amazing selection even since Landon was a baby with lots of different veggie combos with spices added in. Check the ingredient list to make sure there aren't weird additive or preservatives. You should be able to understand every ingredient. Those are great to throw in the diaper bag or take on weekends away. 

Babies develop at different rates and during this time your baby might be ready for some chunks of food or finger foods. Both of ours weren't ready until after 9 months. We worked on it with them, but it really didn't click until they hit that magic 9 month mark. 

Side note: when your baby is learning to eat, they have to also learn to swallow and learn to not choke. Food will get stuck in the baby's throat and it is scary. And then they cough it out and with it sometimes comes half of the bottle you just gave them. So when you are trying new chunks or working on self feeding, make sure it's two hours after a bottle so you don't run the risk of wasting and cleaning up 6-8 oz of milk.

Months 9-12 is when we bring the baby to our table. Figuratively because clearly the baby is there already, this is just when we are working toward the baby eating what we are all eating at dinner. So with William at 9.5 months, we are still working on perfecting his self feeding skills. I found a great brand of organic toasted Os that I love & shredded cheese. He has mastered those. We cut up avocado, sweet potato and banana and he works really hard, but they are still a little too slippery for him. Once he gets those going, we'll move on to mashed rice and beans, chopped up pastas and sauces, and then onto chopped up versions of whatever we are eating. At his age and beyond we start by chopping things into about pea sized pieces and limiting the amount on the tray so that he doesn't shove it all in at once. 

Another tip that worked great for us was to serve the food separately. So if you are giving your baby dinner of sweet potatoes, broccoli and shrimp and you know that he will eat all of the sweet potato and then might not eat the broccoli, you hide the sweet potato and the shrimp and start with the broc. Once he has had a decent amount, add in some shrimp, and then when he has had some shrimp bring out the sweet potato. This maneuver kept Landon eating foods that weren't necessarily her favorite, because she had them when she was hungry and didn't know there was another option.

From 12 months on we continue introducing more of what we are eating. What we have learned with Landon is that kids often love things you wouldn't expect. She would much rather have salmon or shrimp instead of chicken. She will eat spinach raw. And the rule in our house is that you don't have to like everything, but you have to try everything once. We also have a new rule that you CANNOT say anything is spicy. It's Landon's magic food turnoff word. If she doesn't like the taste of something she'll say "oh, mommy. Well that's spicy." 

Don't let how many teeth your baby has determine what you are feeding them. Most one year olds will not have their chewing teeth (one year molars) yet and will be chewing food with their gums. Your baby will progress with the food regardless of how many teefies are in there.

Don't be afraid to let your baby try ANYTHING when they get to the right age. I was shocked that Landy liked chopped spinach. But she also loved raw salmon spring rolls and kale salad. Try it all! Let your child determine what s/he does or doesn't like. Don't let preconceived notions about what babies and children "like to eat" cause you to put your child's meal offerings in a one size fits all box.

So for the one year old question, we are taking a trip down memory lane. Here is what Landon was eating  from about 10 months to 14 months: 

Starting small with Os and cubed cheddar cheese.

Finely chopped broccoli and salmon

Chopped banana

The remnants of chopped broccoli and chicken tikka masala

Clockwise from top left: Salmon, chopped spinach, fresh mozzarella, and sweet potatoes

She has this for breakfast for a year. Fried eggs... you guessed it: Chopped

Black eyed peas, pineapple, strawberries and zucchini before they were chopped

 

Os, chicken breast, sweet potato, broccoli, and peas

She was able to handle the larger chunks of salmon about 13 - 14 months.
With avocado, mashed potato and raspberries.

Chicken breast with bbq sauce, chopped spinach, avocado, carrots & broccoli.

Normal snacks or meal additions

 Here is what made this easier on us: When we made dinner we would make sure it was something we could put aside a little of for Landon the following day. For added veggies (which she ate much more of than we did) we would buy bags of organic frozen broccoli, chopped spinach, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, peas, and corn. Then I would pour out a portion for her meal and pop it in the microwave for 1:15 and let it cool. Fresh veggies for the kids. Minimal effort from mom. Other things not pictured above that were very popular: Meatloaf, Lasagna, & Spaghetti Squash.

I'm happy to answer any more questions about our approach and how things worked for us. One thing we tried REALLY hard to do is to keep snack type food to a minimum. You need it, because it is a life saver at least once a day, but kids get hooked on snack foods and it's a slippery slope. We stick mainly with regular bland flavor organic Os because eventually the taste of real food beats out the taste of cheerios. 

Apologies, once again, to my sweet neglected boy. A post about what he is eating turned into a post about what his sister used to eat. Second child. At least he can't read yet, so he can't be too offended. 

#NotSoSweetMay starts in almost 24 hours..... Maybe you'll see me eating cookies at Brown Bag Deli tomorrow... all. day. long. 

- RT

The Kids are Alright.... But How are You?

My kids are alright. They are probably better than that, but for the sake of sticking with a theme, they are completely fine. At their current very needy age, their needs are met unless they are capable of meeting their own needs. In that instance, we work together on accomplishing new skills. They are fed, they sleep soundly (eventually) and they are happy little people. 

I'm sure a lot of people saw the "world's toughest job" viral video that was rolling around last week. It was close to the truth without mentioning that the ways you get paid for the toughest job in the world are really immeasurable. Sometimes you really don't sit down ALL DAY. You know the number one reason I would like the have the house all to myself? TO CLEAN IT without being interrupted. I turned on Frozen for an hour yesterday and ironed. IRONED. and I was like "YES! Finally... the ironing." This is glamorous stuff. And when the day comes to a close and I am cleaning up little clothes and little closets and making sure little rooms are straight, I walk into my room and it's like the dirty side of a hurricane. Too many piles of clean clothes that are now wrinkled because they have been sitting in the dryer continuously being tossed as I continuously forget to fold them when they are done tossing. 

 

Every day I feel like a maid, a mediator, a teacher, a therapist, a chef, a personal assistant, a nurse, a magician, a clown, a singer, an actress, an architect, a trash man, a gardener, a handyman, a tea party guest, a janitor, and a chauffeur. I also feel loved beyond measure by these two little people because I am able to be all of that for them. My kids are alright... but how am I?

As people we constantly change and evolve, we learn and we grow. As I handle how having two children has changed my life, I have been looking inward to see how I can overcome certain obstacles. The end result of all of this thought is that if I REALLY want to take care of my children I need to take care of myself. If I am teaching a three year old how to do the things for herself that she is able to, I should probably be modeling that behavior. This doesn't have to just do with parents though. Taking good enough care of yourself is an issue with many people.

Here is a nice confession... I am a sugar addict. When you see my daughter having local, pasture raised eggs with organic butter and organic strawberries for breakfast, what you don't see is the bowl of organic chocolate krispies that I am having. Just because it's organic, doesn't mean it's not sugar and junk. When I'm not eating organic junk chocolate sugar, I'm grabbing a Kind Bar to eat in the car. No, not the fruit, nut and protein Kind Bar, the dark chocolate and peanut butter Kind Bar. More sugar. And while my lunch and dinner meals are usually very healthy and veggie filled, about ten minutes after dinner I go for the chocolate ice cream... This, and the possible cookies, lunch desserts, or chewy candy, that you don't see is my real life.

These realizations came about as I began documenting our meals on the Raising Texas Instagram feed. I was seeing so many instances where my daughter was eating things I should be making for both of us. Instead I was making a poor decision for myself and the right decision for her. So why shouldn't I be making the right decisions for all of us. It sure would save me a lot of hiding cookie eating from my kids. 

I'm on a bit of a journey to take better care of myself, and by doing so, be a better wife, mother, daughter and friend. I clearly have an issue with sugar, so I made a T chart. You remember those, right? It wasn't pretty (literally and figuratively).

 

So here we are. Sugar, for me, is not really a positive thing. I think it has a place in my diet, but I clearly have an issue with eating way too much right now. For the month of May I am giving up non naturally occurring sugars. I'm still going to eat plenty of fruit to try and get through this, but I am not having ice cream, or candy, or cereal, or cookies, or chocolate, or margaritas (GASP!), but I'm going to have wine because I feel like I will sometimes really need a glass... especially when I can't have dessert on Mother's Day. Also, I've already given up wine for two extended periods of time called pregnancy. Wine and I are cool.

So here's where I wait for the crickets... Does anyone want to do this together? I have recruited my sister in law and my mom to join me, although they could have just been being nice. Frankly, I might need the support and misery loves company. Is that a joke? Hmmm... Let's just say that no one is excited about my withdrawal period, especially my husband. That's why we're calling it #notsosweetmay. Because my diet will not be so sweet, and for a period of time, neither will I. Fair warning.

The countdown begins... I bought a new blender and I'm going to replace my morning sugar surge with smoothies. I'm not sure what I'm going to replace chocolate ice cream with. I'm honestly nervous about this one. 

Here's to treating ourselves as well as we treat our kids. Guess it's time to clean my room.

RT

On the Side: Roasted Cabbage Rounds & Garlic Stuffed Roasted Artichoke

During our 30 day VegOut experience, I did a lot of roasting. Two things were absolutely new and so amazing. They generated a lot of interest and question on the instagram account, so I wanted to feature the full recipes here. Short and sweet. Here we go.

Roasted Cabbage Rounds

Every time we got a produce delivery this winter, there was a cabbage. We would sautee it, put it in soup, smother it, and then we were just kind of like.... what else can we do with all this stupid cabbage? I went to my trusty friend, the internet, and searched for a recipe. My gal Martha gave me this little gem. Her recipe called for caraway or fennel seeds. I had neither so I did the rounds simply with salt and pepper.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 more tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds (we used purple cabbage)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds (we did not have, so we did not use)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Place 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds, in a single layer on sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds. Roast until cabbage is tender and edges are golden, 40 to 45 minutes.

The end result.

 They looked SO amazing plated. You would think I could have gotten a pic of that, but nope.

Garlic Stuffed Roasted Artichoke

I was SO excited we got more artichokes in our last delivery because I am going to keep making this until there are no artichokes left on the earth. That is not an exaggeration. 

I found this recipe at Pinch My Salt. She goes through the entire process step by step with great photos and even a video. Clearly she is more more thorough than I am. Enjoy my rendition below. For the real thing, click here. 

Ingredients:

• Artichokes
• EVOO
• Salt
• Lemon, about a half per artichoke
• Garlic, 2-3 cloves per artichoke
• Heavy Duty Foil, one large square per artichoke

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Here are my amazing artichokes from Farmhouse Delivery:

First you want to slice off the top third of the artichoke. It's not wasteful, it's all rough stuff you wouldn't eat anyway. Don't tell that to my friend K though, who came to our house one time and was eating whole artichoke leaves, wondering why they were so chewy. We like to tell that story a lot. Then, cut off the stem at the base of the artichoke. After you have done these things they look happy and fancy, like this:

Next you are going to get out your foil and cut off a square large enough to wrap the artichoke in. Drizzle some EVOO on the foil and place your artichoke in there. Take 2-3 garlic cloves and SHOVE them into that artichoke. Next time I do this I am going to try opening it up a little more and seeing exactly how much garlic can fit in there. 

Squeeze the juice from half a lemon on top of the artichoke and into all the little nooks. Sprinkle with salt, drizzle a little more EVOO and you have this:

Repeat for each artichoke. Then wrap them up like little foil covered artichoke presents and put them on a baking sheet. Pop them into the oven like so:

Small artichokes (ours were) are done in an hour, medium in an hour and fifteen minutes, and supersize are done in an hour and a half. When your timer goes off you open up this little gift:

And how gorgeous is the side view?

While I was not so patiently waiting for the artichokes to cool I popped out the garlic and some Finn Crisps and this happened:

This was so amazing. Both of them were a hit with our 3 year old. Cabbage has a great sweet undertone when you roast it, and L loves the artichoke hearts. We had it as a side, but you could easily do this as an appetizer or all on it's own. My former go to artichoke recipe was steaming and then dipping in a butter garlic sauce. THIS is a whole new world. No sauce needed. 

Enjoy!!

RT

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