Ok, I apologize for the delay in posting. Our computer had to be mailed off due to a problem with the memory. Last weekend I got the computer back and typed up a huge post and then lost the darn thing. So, needless to say, I was annoyed and just now decided to type it all over again. So here goes....

Many new foods have been tried and several new combinations!

I will just start it out with the new foods I have tried with each meal. So here is Breakfast:

homemade blueberry pancakes-topped with a tiny amount of smart balance butter. I am not teaching my child to eat syrup. I don't even like it myself. When he is old enough and he requests it on his own then sure, he may have some, but until then, no syrup! The pancakes were a big hit with Sam. However, one of our major problems now is that he has realized that he can feed the dogs (who sit around his highchair at every meal). He just grabs those bites of food and throws them on the floor as fast as he can and laughs while the dogs eat it up! My dogs are the clean up crew after a meal as well......

Homemade toasted whole wheat bread with different toppings such as: homemade apple butter (thanks mom), homemade pumpkin butter, smart balance butter, almond butter, muenster cheese, baby swiss cheese. He likes them all! The homemade bread is a little bit stickier when he chews it up so I have to be careful to give very small bites at a time. If he has ever gotten too much in his mouth though he usually just spits out the big mushy wad of bread! If you are interested in making your own bread or need an easy recipe. Just send me a message and I will be happy to share the recipe.

Scrambled egg, which I scramble into a sort of patty that I am able to cut up into small bites for him. I do not add any butter, salt, or pepper, just plain, and he likes it just as it is.

I have bought some waffles from the store. I got them in the organic freezer section at Kroger. Van's natural foods, 8 whole grains. They have a lot of nutrition packed into them. I also eat them sometimes (with apple or pumpkin butter) and they are delicious. Due to the high fiber content of these Sam usually eats only about a half of a waffle. I normally give him his waffle plain, with banana pieces or steam apple slices, and some Yobaby yogurt.

Going back to the steamed apple slices. These are great. I just peel the apples (organic) and slices them up and place them in the baby food cooker to steam. You could also use the steamfresh bags that you can buy.





Ok, on to lunch and dinner foods.

Beets-these are a great food for baby to try because they cook up very soft and easy to chew but yet hold their shape very well when cut into chunks for baby to feed himself. Only one word of caution, make sure your child has on old clothes or no clothes at all because after eating beets he/she will be pink! Beets have a strong flavor but Sam picked them right up and started eating, so maybe your baby will as well.

Avocado-this is a HUGE hit! I just cut it up into chunks and he eats normally about a half of an avocado among other items for lunch or dinner. This is also an ideal food for baby because there is no cooking involved, it is soft enough for them to chew, and is full of healthy fats!

Black, Great northern, pinto beans- all of these are well accepted. They are so easy to either open up a can or cook from dried. If I use canned beans I choose the kroger brand organic because they actually have less sodium than the regular low sodium beans and are also cheaper. If you are looking to have complete control over the sodium content and have an even cheaper option, try buying the dried varieties. I realize they seem like more trouble because you have to soak them overnight, but if you are like me and forget to soak them all of the time it is possible to soak and eat them in the same evening. If you take your pressure cooker (which I highly recommend if you don't have one) and put the dried and rinsed beans in, then let them come to a boil, put the lid on and turn off the heat. Let them stand there for an hour and then just turn on your pressure cooker and it takes maybe 15 minutes after that! Voila! Inexpensive, sodium controlled, without and preservatives. It really is a great option. And don't be afraid of the pressure cooker, it is essential, especially in the winter time. That is when I use mine the most.

Quinoa, brown rice, lentils-i no longer have to puree these up for him. Sometimes I mix them with other steamed veggies and put them in the baby food blender to just chop them roughly, but he is able to eat them on his own. I have tried some indian spices, just a small amount, to introduce some new flavors to Sam. These starches really are a blank palette and will take on any flavor you want to introduce. So, if you have some spices or herbs you want to try but don't know how to introduce them, put them on one of these.


Well, that is all I can remember off the top of my head. It has been so long I'm afraid I may have forgotten one of the new foods! I will do another post soon and add any new foods I may have forgotten. Please email me with questions or for recipe ideas. Happy cooking :)