From Milk to Muffins

Many friends have inquired about my baby food making process, so here it is!

loving a bowl of oatmeal

Many recipes found here: wholesome baby food

As far as recipes go, I found I didn’t need many in the beginning (6 months)…you simply steam or bake vegetables and fruits until they are soft, let them cool and then blend them with your baby’s milk, water, or broth.  I used a blender to make purees, but many methods work (immersion blender, baby bullet, food processor). When we first introduced solids to Baby Roo I used the ice cube tray method; freezing individual portions of vegetable and fruit purees in ice cube trays.  You can defrost in the refrigerator or serve frozen in a mesh feeder (which, I imagine, feels great on teething gums!) You can experiment with spices if your baby seems to like more flavor…add a little cinnamon to baked apples, for example.  Avoid salt and sugar…babies get excited by the newness of eating…the natural colors, flavors, and textures are enough of an adventure!.

mesh feeder with peas

As Roo began to grow so did her appetite (9-12 months)…it was when she started asking for 3 or 4 cubes (by signing “more”) that I decided to look for a different way to make batches of food and still be able to freeze.  I found 4 oz glass jars (mini-canning jars) that were perfect for a serving.  At the same time, she began to eat a wider variety of food, was able to handle chunkier textures, and I wanted to introduce some vegetarian proteins.  Our basic method was: steamed chunks of vegetables/fruits + protein + whole grain (optional) or whole dairy (optional).  For proteins we started with beans, lentils, quinoa…adding a few minutes to the cooking time so they were very soft and mashable.  These little glass jars are great for freezing and I typically popped the next day’s meals into the fridge the night before to allow time to defrost…but, they can be microwaved, if necessary.   Most of the time I served her food straight from the jar.

asking for more broccoli and brown rice...her first sign!

At this point (18months) we still use the small canning jars and follow the same formula for meals: vegetables/fruits + protein + whole grain (optional) or whole dairy (optional).   She now has her favorite foods and not-so-favorite foods and can eat crunchy foods and will often try what her dad and I are eating.  I often serve her meals in a three-compartment plastic container.  Roo loves each food to have its own spot and one for her cup (in fact, if I want to give her three choices, she’ll smush the extra choice with her cup so it can go in its proper location.)

sweet potatoes in a small canning jar

When we will be out for a meal or traveling for the day I have used the “Laptop Lunch” box.  We love the little containers for each food, but it is bigger and has more room for options than I giver her on a daily basis.

An absolute favorite among Little Roo and her friends is muffins.  I find that you can add almost any fruit of veggie to them with great results!! In fact, her first birthday treat was an apple spice muffin. I have adapted a muffin recipe, which works very well as a base and is dairy-free and has an adaptation to make it egg-free!  Here it is:

on her birthday, enjoying her "cupcake" 

Baby Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup shredded zucchini

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, mixed with 6 tablespoons water (or 2 eggs, beaten)

Preheat oven to 375 and grease or line muffin tin.  Mix ground flaxseed with water in a small bowl, set aside and allow to become gelatinous.  Sift the flour and spices into a large bowl.  Mix the applesauce and zucchini with the flaxseed and water.  Fold the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Spoon by into mini-muffin tin ( I find one tablespoon of batter is the perfect amount).  Bake about 10 minutes. Zucchini can be substituted with other fruits or veggies.

We continue adventures with food, allowing Little Roo to feed herself with utensils and sometimes let her try drinking from a “real” cup!   When she really loves a food she will exclaim, "yummy, yummy, yummy!!"  Her favorites include oatmeal, bananas, sweet potatoes, grapes, black beans, and eggs with spinach. We are looking forward to going to farmer’s markets this summer (maybe one day we will even grow our own fruits and veggies!)  She is very interested in helping in the kitchen, loves feeding her baby doll, and cooking in her own kitchen!  What are your favorite foods to serve your little ones??

cooking in her kitchen on Christmas morning 

Please follow food safety guidelines as well as introduction to foods at the rate and appropriateness you decide, with help from your child’s doctor.

It's all about the PROCESS!

I first learned about “process art” when I was in college, that is art that allows children to explore colors, textures, tools, mixed media with no intended outcome (more info can be found here: http://www.brightring.com/FAQ.html).  Even as a child I was a big fan of collage art as I never quite developed drawing skills. That is not to say I never liked crafts—I did and I still do, but I now value that self-expression and discovery can come from enabling children to take part of a process and let go of the idea of an end product.  We took the idea even further when I worked at a preschool that embodied “process not product,” not only the art was open-ended—any project be it science, drama, cooking, or sensory was more about the process than a desired outcome.  I had to remind my self of these ideals over the weekend.  I had seen some great ideas for using natural dyes for Easter eggs on Pinterest…sounds right up my alley.  I didn’t want to have to purchase too many extra ingredients or items that I wouldn’t use.  I thought to myself that since Roo is still so young, she may not even enjoy it this year and because of that I decided to choose one color and assumed that since when you cook beets just about everything turns red/pink, that is what we would use.  We love beet and goat cheese salads, so I knew nothing would go to waste.  I did have to buy white eggs, since the eggs we normally buy are brown.  I boiled the beets in the morning and reserved the cooking liquid.

 Little Roo was interested in placing the eggs into the water and occasionally taking a peek at them. 

Sadly, the nice rosy hue I had dreamed up never happened. 

Instead, we got the lovely shade of brown that the eggs I normally buy are! 

The good news is that, we had fun experimenting with natural dyes and enjoyed a great salad for lunch.  I am sure many more times in my parenting adventures projects will not go the way I had planned, but as long as we can learn something in the process, I will not consider them failures!