Garlic Bread -1 whole wheat baguette, fresh or day-old -1 small handful of parsley, chopped -Around 3 tablespoons of butter-like spread or softened unsalted butter (I like Brummel & Brown yogurt spread) -Shredded Parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste Heat the oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix the butter garlic powder, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Mix in the parsley and ⅓ of the Parmesan. Slice open the baguette lengthwise. Spread the butter mixture over both sides of the bread. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the bread. Lay the bread, face up,
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Originally, I made this soup for Eliana when she was around 7 months old and froze some of it for later. Now at 10 months old, Eliana prefers to feed herself rather than allow me to spoon-feed her. And you know I’ve barely let her hold the spoon to practice using one! (I’m absolutely getting better at reforming my crazy Helicopter Mommy tendencies. But, there is only so much progress I can make at this point.) So, since she prefers finger foods, I’ve been working on ways to make soups and purees into something she can handle. Today I was
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Here are some current recipes: White Bean Hummus with Spinach -1 can white beans, drained and rinsed -1 handful organic baby spinach -Chopped garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne pepper to taste -Juice of one lemon Put beans, spinach, garlic, olive oil and half of lemon juice in blender and blend until smooth. If needed, add more olive oil or lemon juice to make it creamier. Add salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne. Blend again. Adjust seasonings and olive oil/ lemon juice as needed. Serve alone or on wheat toast. I tried dipping a
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teeny tiny foodie’s Top Ten Favorites (so far) Now that Eliana has been tasting and eating a variety of solids for a little while now, a few favorites have emerged. Her “favorite” is hard to determine because she will taste something and then do her “Happy Flappy” move of arms flapping, heavy panting and butt-bouncing for a bunch of foods. Sometimes a food warrants that reaction one day, and not another. But, here is the list of foods that she has definitely been excited to eat. In no particular order, here are teeny tiny foodie’s Top Ten Favorites: Guacamole Holy
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Here are the recipes for some of the new foods Eliana has been eating lately. I’m still mashing food (as opposed to pureeing it) by putting it in the food processor, so there are still small chunks for her to pick up. Roasted Beet Sticks – Medium beets with skin on Cover beets individually with tin foil. Place in roasting pan and roast at 400 for around 30 minutes depending on their size. Let beets cool before touching them. Unwrap them and peel. The peel will come off easily in your hands. Then cut into 1/2 inch thick sticks. Can
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The Good Along the way on our food adventures, there have been a lot of fun and many funny times to account for “The Good.” Especially after I revised my outlook the other night. (See: The Bad-Revisited.) What has made this adventure fun is: creating recipes for her to eat, the ways in which she reacts to eating, and watching her get excited about food. It is also especially gratifying to see her like something now that she didn’t like before. Steamed carrots were not a huge hit the first time she had them a month or two ago. Last
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We went to see the pediatrician on Tuesday for Eliana’s 9-month check-up. (9 months!!) We talked a lot about food again at this appointment. As I knew, Eliana is now supposed to eat 3 meals per day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner along with bottles around bedtime and naps. Mash rather than puree her food. Give her things like “sticks” of roasted vegetables, soft cheeses and fruit as “finger food” too. If I thought I was feeding her all day long before, I truly am now! That night, I spent a little bit of time feeling guilty and bad that
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I’ve been thinking a lot about this whole experience of giving Eliana solid foods. It is humbling because it is such a huge responsibility. Not that the pregnancy or earlier Mommy-hood was easy or care-free, but teaching her to eat well and to like healthier foods can overwhelm me sometimes. I totally buy into the idea that the foods I ate while pregnant will be foods that she will like and want to eat. So, great! She will like a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and tofu. (As well as some pizza, peanut M&Ms and organic strawberry milk–strictly Organic
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Lately, I’ve begun leaving even more small chunks in Eliana’s food- but I’m still calling them purees for lack of a better description. (If you have any ideas for what to call this, please leave a comment after this post.) At this point, Eliana just assumes she should eat whatever Matt and I are eating. Organic, seasonal and pureed, or not! She will look at our food and make a sort of demanding and questioning, “Eh!?” sound as if to say, “And where’s mine?” For that reason, we’ve been letting her lick more of different types of foods even if
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Here are some more of the recipes I’ve made for Eliana in the last few weeks: Zucchini Puree – 1 organic zucchini sliced or chopped – Olive oil, chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add zucchini and a pinch of salt and stir. Add garlic and pinch of pepper. Stir and let cook around 4 or 5 minutes till tender but not mushy. Blend. Let cool slightly before serving to baby. Potato and Kale Puree – ½ small organic potato- chopped (any kind except sweet potato- leave skin
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While Eliana napped I did some research and reminded myself how important and helpful it is for her little booty to be exposed. So, I tried letting her little butt air out. A few times now. And here’s how it went down: I put down some disposable diaper pads and kept a bunch of toys on hand to give to her or make noise with in order to distract her. It probably helped that I hovered over her and let her pull and yank on my hair as much as she wanted. Anything to help the baby, huh? Oh, yeah,
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Some might think of poop as a bit of a departure from the typical content of the blog, but I figure it is related because what goes in, must come out… Eliana had an appointment at the pediatrician yesterday morning for a rash that keeps showing up on her cheek. Maybe it’s just me, but when I’m going to see her doctor, I’m armed with a bunch of questions other than whatever the appointment was booked for. So, I planned to ask about the mark on her ankle that I thought might be a burn (F****ing baseboard heater!!), as well
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