When I first started feeding Brooks solid foods, I was very nervous. Breastfeeding was always so easy. I never had to measure anything or prepare anything. I just had it ready to go all the time. I wanted to make sure that I had a lot of information for the journey. I found this website: www.wholesomebabyfood.com. It's an awesome website that gives you a timeline when to introduce new foods, recipe suggestions, what causes allergies, what foods go well with other foods, nutritional information, etc. I got some great tips and great ideas for feeding my son. The one thing that has really stuck in my head is to make sure and introduce spices to your child from a young age. So, from very young, Brooks has had basil, garlic, pepper, oregano, season salt, cinnamon, cumin, thyme, ginger, and more spices sprinkled on his foods. I mix them in his eggs, I "sprinkle" them on his veggies to make them more exciting, I mix them into meatballs, I season his sweet potatoes with them - I use them as much as possible. This way he'll be more willing to try new things that have spicy tastes. I don't know if it's helped or not, but Brooks sure does seem to be a good eater at home, at friend's houses and out at restaurants. This was key for me because I didn't want to be dragging around food for him everywhere I go. I carry around some favorites, but I also want him to learn to eat what's in front of him or don't eat at all. Mommy doesn't have time to run around making lots of extra food. When possible I just feed him whatever we happen to be eating.
My favorite recipe from the website is for the Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Nuggets (I refer to them as Broccoli Pancakes). They are listed under finger foods. You can make a bunch at a time and put them in the freezer and then pop them out and heat them up as needed. They are delicious!
Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Nuggets
Ingredients:
1 16-oz Package frozen broccoli, cooked, drained, and chopped
1 cup Seasoned bread crumbs (you could try using baby cereal if you want, we know it works well with "baby meatballs")
1 ½ cups Shredded cheddar cheese (please use real cheese and not a "processed cheese food" product. Try tomato & basil cheddar.)
3 Large eggs or 5 egg yolks - Most pediatricians say it's ok to use whole egg in a baked good when baby is over 8-9 months old without allergies. We would recommend that you substitute 5 egg yolks for the whole eggs if serving this to those under 1 yr. Ask YOUR pediatrician.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375
1. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients and mix well.
*Add seasonings if you like - garlic powder, pepper, extra basil & oregano for example. Add a fruit or veggie puree to substitute for the eggs if desired.
3. Shape mixture into nuggets or fun shapes such as squares or squigglies etc..and place on baking tray. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turn nuggets over after 15 minutes. Serve warm. Be sure to crumble these if your baby needs.
Another quick veggie idea is to cut up sweet potatoes into small cubes and saute in a pan with cumin and oil or butter. It might sound like it won't be good...but it is. It's yummy for parents and kids!
For a fun breakfast idea: I just found out about this new product called "Batter Blaster". It's organic pancake spray. In the news clip they talked about spraying fun shapes and how easy it is to use and it's good for you. My mom's coming down this week and we have plans to go to Whole Foods and pick some up (in the aisle with whipped cream in a can). I'll report later to let you know how it went.
For protein I do the usual chicken nuggets, turkey meat, fish sticks...blah, blah, blah. There's a great recipe for homemade meatballs on www.wholesomebabyfood.com, but I also like making protein balls. These are only good for kids old enough to eat peanut butter and honey. They are totally delicious for adults, and Brooks loves them too. I like them because they are easy to make and very portable for snacks and traveling in the car.
Protein Balls (I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Jill)
Combine 1 cup each of peanut butter, oatmeal, crushed cornflakes, and honey. I usually go lighter on the honey so that they aren't so sticky. Roll them up into any shape of balls. I do smaller ones for Brooks since he tends to stick the whole thing in his mouth. Put them in the fridge for an hour or so and then they are ready to enjoy!
For dessert I try to do fruit or yogurt. I mix blueberries in with yogurt or cottage cheese. And sometimes I mix cottage cheese with yogurt. Again...it sounds a little gross, but it's pretty good. Sometimes I mix yogurt with applesauce and throw in some cinnamon for a special treat. Yummy!
I don't think any of that is too exciting, but maybe it's something new for someone out there.
I can't imagine posting all of this without including a picture of Brooks enjoying some food. Here's an oldie, but goodie:
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