Saturday, December 24, 2011
Eggnog French Toast
Eggnog French Toast
adapted from 1 cup awesome
Ingredients
6 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1 large loaf fresh bakery bread, such as french, challah or pugliese
Mix all ingredients except bread. Dip bread and fully coat with eggy/milk mixture. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve with maple syrup.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Cranberry Sauce with ginger and clove
In a medium saucepan, bring 1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries, 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1 cup water, 1 T finely grated peeled fresh ginger, and 1/8 t ground cloves to a boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until cranberries have burst and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Makes 2 cups.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Pastitsio
This is a once a year recipe. You know, the ones that you really like, but they are time consuming and not the healthiest so you only make them once a year. This fits into that category. Pastitsio is a Greek/Mediterranean pasta dish. I don't recall having this when we were in Greece, but the flavor reminds me of the food we did enjoy while there on vacation. This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook "America's Hometown Favorites".
Monday, November 14, 2011
What we ate this week!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
What we ate this week!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
What we ate this week!
Tuesday-Thai fried quinoa. This was really good. I made the quinoa and prepped all the ingredients earlier in the day so this came together in less than 10 minutes.
Wednesday-Roasted autumn salad, mixed greens, garlic bread.
Thursday-Noodles with mmmm sauce.
Friday- Autumn mac and cheese. This had all of the same roasted vegetables as Wednesdays dinner. I roasted everything for both meals on Wednesday and made this on Thursday. It was all ready to go in the oven after work on Friday. We really liked this and I would definitely make it again!
Saturday-Gingerbread waffles for brunch. Date night at the Copa Room with Todd.
Sunday- Homemade pizza at my parents! YUM!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
What we ate this week!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
What we ate this week!
(From my freezer stash. I made my full recipe a few weeks ago and put it is 2 8x8 pans vs a 9x12.) It was a great idea and I will definitely do it this way next fall.
Friday-Veggie Stir-fry using the sauce from here. I stir-fried with broccoli, asparagus, snap peas and edamame(or as Todd asked, "eda what?")
Sunday, October 9, 2011
What we ate this week!
Tuesday-Root Vegetable Lasagna and salad
Wednesday- Chickpea pasta with root vegetable "candy". We really liked both of these. I think kale or spinach would be a nice addition to the chickpea pasta.
Thursday-leftovers
Friday- Company arrived! Appetizers- Carrots/ranch and 3/1 dip with crackers
Dinner- Cheeseburger soup and roasted garlic bread(costco)
Dessert- Apple pie and pumpkin pie bars
Movie munchies- Monster munch for the kids
Saturday-Sandwiches for lunch
Chicken florentine artichoke bake for dinner with mixed green salad
Sunday-Brunch at First Watch. Dinner-Tilapia(Costco), roasted broccoli and spinach salad.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
What we ate this week!
Tuesday- Dinner at the park. Carrots, hummus, apples. PB & J when we got home!
Wednesday-Lentil soup with toasted sourdough
Thursday-Turkey meatloaf with twice baked potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts
Friday- Todd out with friends, leftovers for me and the boys
Saturday-I went to Blue Grotto with Abby and the boys had leftovers
Sunday- Cleaned out the fridge!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Peanut butter banana muffins
Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
4 ripe bananas
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c honey
2 T melted butter
2 eggs
1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 T creamy peanut butter
{optional: +2 tb to use as small dollops of pb on top of each muffin}
1. Mash bananas and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together honey and melted butter until smooth.
3. Add applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract and peanut butter. Whisk together until smooth.
4. Add flour, baking soda, salt & stir together until not lumpy.
5. Add bananas and mix until just combined.
6. Spoon mixture into lined muffin tin.
7. Add a small (1/4 ts?) dollop of peanut butter to the top of each muffin, and sort of press it in until it's almost covered by the muffin batter.
8. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I stuck the toothpick in at an angle and went towards the center to avoid sticking it through the dollop of peanut butter.
Yield: 12 muffins
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Lentil soup
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 bag lentils
11 cups stock/broth of choice (maybe a little less if not adding rice or pasta)
1/2-1 cup small pasta or brown rice(tonight I used ditalini which is the cutest little pasta ever!)
Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in large soup pot. Saute onion, carrots, and celery until tender. Add garlic and salt/pepper to taste. Cook 1-2 more minutes. Add tomatoes, lentils and stock/broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add small pasta or rice. Cook until done. Rice will take much longer than pasta to cook.
To serve ladle into bowls, add a little olive oil and parmesan cheese. Yum!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
What we ate this week!
Tuesday- Noodle salad with peanut sauce. This was mmm mmm good! I would definitely make this again!
Wednesday- Chicken tortilla soup at Jami's house
Thursday-Poached eggs in tomato sauce with parmesan roasted broccoli. Both of these recipes were really really good! Definitely keepers!
Friday-Penne with marinara, carb loading for 15k Saturday morning
Saturday- Brunch at The Farmhouse after our 15k. Sesame Chicken, rice/quinoa blend, and roasted cauliflower for dinner.
Sunday- Eggplant Lasagna with steamed green beans
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Balsamic glazed carrots
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds(12 medium) carrots, halved lengthwise then halved crosswise. I halved then just halved the chunky top half crosswise. This made 3 segments from each carrot.
2 T olive oil
2 T water
1/2 t cumin
2 T balsamic vinegar
parsley for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Roast carrots 35-40 minutes until tender. Remove carrots and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Shake the pan to distribute vinegar.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
1-2 chicken breasts , boneless and skinless
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can rotel
1 can beef broth
1 can chicken broth
1 can tomato soup
1 cup corn (I use frozen)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drains or 1-2 cups mexican black beans
1-2 cans water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp tabasco sauce
salt and pepper to taste
fresh tortillas/tortilla chips and cheese for topping
Directions
Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add all ingredients except for tortillas and cheese. Simmer for 50 minutes. Remove chicken from soup and shred. Return chicken to soup and serve with toppings. This is SOOOOO good and you can make it in a crockpot too!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Toasted Quinoa with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas and feta
Ingredients
2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked), prepared according to pkg
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bunch green onions, divided
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes and feta
Heat 2 T olive oil in skillet until hot. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Remove garlic and dispose. Add half green onions and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add cooked quinoa and saute for 10-15 minutes until brown and crispy. Add toppings of choice.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
What we ate this week!
Tuesday-Picnic at the park with hummus, carrots, pita chips and fruit
Wednesday- Chili
Thursday- Black bean burgers with pineapple rice/steamed broccoli. The burgers were just OK. Not our favorite..
Friday- Leftovers and pumpkin bread
Saturday-Spaghetti and roasted asparagus
Sunday- Oatmeal pancakes for breakfast
Toasted quinoa with sundried tomatoes, chickpeas, and feta for dinner
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Semi-homemade hot fudge sauce
What we ate this week!
Oven roasted almonds
Sunday, September 4, 2011
What we ate this week!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Mozzarella stuffed bruschetta turkey burgers
Burger:
- 1 lb 99% fat-free ground turkey breast
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided into 4
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
Bruschetta mixture:
- 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Simmer balsamic vinegar in a saucepan over medium heat until it is the consistency of
thin maple syrup – about 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, salt, pepper, dried basil and parmesan cheese. Divide
turkey mixture into four, equal portions.
3. Wrap an old peanut butter jar lid with foil, then lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top.
Divide one portion of the turkey mixture in half, then press one half into the bottom of
the lid. Heap 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese into the middle, then top with the other turkey
half. Press together, then invert the patty by pulling up on the plastic wrap. Seal the edges
with your hands, then place on the grill. Continue with other turkey portions until you
have 4 patties total. Grill burgers for 4 minutes a side over medium-high heat.
4. For Bruschetta mixture: combine all ingredients, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Top grilled burgers with Bruschetta mixture and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Chicken Nacho Bake
This is an oldy, but a goody. I think I remember first making this in our old house, but I don't think I've made it in atleast 5 years. I usually have all of the ingredients on hand except for the chips. I had a stale bag of chips(crumbs) in the pantry that I was about to toss, but them remembered this recipe. Easy and good! Kraft is a good go to site for simple recipes!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
What we ate this week!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
What I made this week!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Greek Nachos
I saw this on Our Everyday dinners blog. What a great idea! I love all the flavors of Greece. This made Todd and I feel like we were back on the islands for a short moment. I adjusted the seasonings from the original recipe because it looked like too much seasoning for 1/2 lbs of beef. My measurements are just approximate!
For the sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 ounces feta cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1 lemon, juice and zest
about 1/4 cup cubed seedless cucumber, more or less
salt and pepper
In a blender or mini food processor combine feta, yogurt, olive oil, mint, and zest and juice of lemon; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. The liquid in the cucumber thins the sauce, so add the cucumber little by little until sauce is at a pourable consistency.
For the beef:
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 T fresh oregano, chopped
salt and pepper
4 pita pockets. We used Naan from Trader Joe's
chopped tomatoes and cucumbers
olives
extra crumbled feta for the top
Preheat oven to 400.
Cut pitas into wedges, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.
Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of oil to a skillet, and cook onion and garlic until transparent. Add ground beef, cumin, dried oregano, cinnamon, a big pinch of salt and pepper, and paprika. Cook until brown. If it starts to dry out, add a little water to the pan. Before serving, toss in the fresh oregano and stir well.
To assemble nachos, put chips on a serving plate and top with beef, sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, a little extra feta, and olives (if you like olives, I do not so I left them out.)
Monday, August 15, 2011
Quinoa Spinach Bake
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Special K Bars
Special K Bars
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups rice krispies
1/4 cup butter
Chocolate frosting
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T peanut butter
Combine corn syrup and sugar in a large microwave bowl. Microwave until sugar is dissolved and starts bubbling. Add peanut butter and butter and stir until smooth. Add the rice krispies until combined. Press into a 9 x 13 pan. To make frosting melt chocolate chips and peanut butter until smooth. Frost bars and enjoy!
What I made this week!
Tuesday-Leftover turkey burgers and green beans
Wednesday-Black beans with rice/quinoa(1/3quinoa ratio to 2/3 brown rice. I love quinoa, but Todd isn't completely sold so I sneak it in things sometimes.) We topped ours with cheese, cilantro and salsa. Todd said this was much better than he expected. I really enjoyed it and it makes a TON! We also had steamed broccoli and grapes to round out our meal.
Thursday- Leftover soup from Monday and cheesy toasts
Friday- Chicken pesto panini's and spinach salad
Saturday- Carrot cake pancakes
I baked a double batch of banana muffins
Sunday- We went to a company picnic. I brought southwestern pasta salad and special k bars.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
What I made this week!
Tuesday- Sesame Chicken with steamed broccoli
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Sesame Chicken
Flour mixture:
1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
Sesame sauce:
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/8 cup sesame seeds
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
What I made this week!
Monday-Sausage zucchini bake with sweet corn. I made this with Trader Joe's garden vegetable chicken sausage. Everyone in the family liked this a lot.
Tuesday- Trader Joe's sun-dried tomato and goat cheese ravioli served with sweet corn(I got 12 for $3 so you'll see a trend here). The ravioli was just ok. I probably won't buy it again.
Wednesday- Leftovers from Monday with more sweet corn.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
What I made this week!
What I made for Dinner?
Monday: Pita Pizzas with sundried-tomatoes and artichokes
Tuesday: Vegetable Lasagna
Wednesday:Chicken Gyros
Thursday: beef tacos
Friday/Sat- Protein pancakes with pineapple sauce for breakfast and leftovers
Sunday- dinner at the parents
What I baked? Pineapple zucchini muffins and Chocolate zucchini bread
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Protein Pancakes
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup oats
4 eggs or 8 egg whites
Butter or spray oil for pan
Combine cottage cheese, oats, and eggs to blender. Blend until smooth. Cook like normal pancakes.
Zucchini pineapple muffins ** new and improved**
FIrst posted 9/13/09
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 -3 T agave nectar
2-3 T molasses
2-3 T honey
1/2 Cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 whole Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Cups Grated (unpeeled) Zucchini (I usually just use 1)
1 (20 Oz.) Can Crushed Pineapple In Juice, Drained
Preheat oven to 350°.To prepare muffins combine flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Combine butter, eggs, vanilla, agave, honey, and molasses; stir well. Stir egg mixture, grated zucchini, and pineapple into flour mixture. Add to muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients:
9 cooked lasagna noodles
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, Diced
1 eggplant, Chopped
3 squash (yellow Or zucchini), Diced
1 can (28 Ounce) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup White Wine
1/4 cup Fresh basil, chopped
1 t fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 cups mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Extra Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a minute. Add diced red peppers and saute for another minute or so. Add squash and eggplant and cook for a few minutes. Pour in wine, add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir.
Pour in tomatoes. Stir to combine and let simmer for 20 minutes or so. Stir in chopped basil and oregano.
In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, egg, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
To assemble, spread a little of the vegetable/tomato sauce in a lasagna pan. Layer three cooked noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping them if necessary. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the noodles. Top the ricotta mixture with mozzarella. Spoon a little less than 1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture over the mozzarella.
Repeat the layering two more times, ending with a large helping of vegetable sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
Bake at 350 degrees, covered in foil, for 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal
I found this recipe on $5 dollar dinners when I googled strawberry rhubarb baked oatmeal. I made this twice in Michigan since we have fresh rhubarb in the yard. I also used our hand-picked strawberries which made it extra special! It was delicious. Definitely not your typical oatmeal!
Ingredients:
about 2 cups diced rhubarb
about 3 cups diced strawberries
2 large eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 – 1/2 cup brown sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9×13 baking dish.
Toss the rhubarb and strawberries in the baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, except the brown sugar. Pour the batter over top of the fruit and stir gently to combine the fruit.
Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean in the middle.
Serve Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal with milk, cream, yogurt (or even with ice cream as a dessert!).
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Baby's First Foods
I was first introduced to the idea of Baby Led Weaning from my friend Ashlee who fed her baby Corinne "real food". I was very intrigued by the idea and after researching it myself I decided to practice BLW with James. I get asked very often why we don't give our babies cereal/purees. The following article from http://ecochildsplay.com/ explains exactly how I feel about baby's first food. I plan to send this to anyone that seems interested in BLW.
"By saying you don’t need baby food, I’m not merely saying that you don’t need commercial processed jarred baby foods and cereals. I’m not just saying you can make your own healthy, organic purees and even grind your own rice. I’m saying you don’t need it at all.
No purees, no rice, no pablum. No mashing, no whizzing, no pulverizing. In short, no spoonfeeding.
It’s. Just. Not. Necessary.
But wait, you say… babies need to learn to eat, right? Of course you need to feed the baby, don’t you?
Well… no, actually. Your baby will feed himself. (Or herself, as the case may be.)
The Case for Baby-Led Solids
Baby-led solids is a simple, practical, logical and natural method of beginning solid foods whereby your baby simply eats real food, by himself, from the beginning. It is also called “baby-led weaning” or BLW, a term popularized by British health visitor Gill Rapley, whose pioneering work in this area has become the manifesto for parents seeking a more sensible approach to starting solids with their babies. Note that the term “baby-led weaning” uses the British meaning of the term ‘weaning’ — applying to the entire process of weaning from milk to solid food, instead of the North American usage which generally only applies to the very end of this process.
Rapley has recently published the ultimate guidebook, Baby-led Weaning: Helping Your Baby To Love Good Food. It challenges existing assumptions about spoonfeeding and guides parents to a more developmentally appropriate approach to solids.
But wait — if BLW is so simple and natural, why should we need an entire book to explain to us how and why to do it? The fact is, we have become so conditioned to believe that the usual method of beginning our infants with runny rice cereal, gradually progressing through smooth then lumpier purees, in defined quantities and on a defined schedule, keeping flavours bland and simple — is the right and indeed the only way to do things, that we don’t even think about even questioning why this is the way we do it. It takes an entire book to clear away our mental blockages and reveal our hidden, faulty assumptions.
If you do nothing else, if you don’t have the time to read this entire article, at least read this book.And if you do read this entire article and want to learn more, read this book. If you read this article and are still not convinced, then — you guessed it — read this book. . It will answer any questions you might have that aren’t covered within the limited scope of this article.
A Brief History of Infant Feeding
To understand the logic of completely ditching cereals and purees, we first have to realize why the current schedule and method for infant feeding is the way it is. The reasons are manifold and complicated, but suffice it to say that current feeding practices were developed in the early twentieth century, in response to nutritional deficits in commercial infant formula, and the transfer of authority from the mother to the physician – who would prescribe rigidly scheduled feedings, compromising breastfeeding and leading to undernourished babies.
As such, it became the standard to start giving “solid” supplemental foods to babies 3 months old, or 2 months old… or even younger, as a nutritional necessity.
Babies that young are not able to “eat”. They do not have the muscular coordination to chew, they cannot sit upright, and they have the “tongue thrust reflex”, whereby anything unexpected in their mouth is just pushed right back out again. In order to “feed” very young babies, they must in fact be tricked. The food must be liquefied because they cannot chew. They must be spoonfed to get past the tongue reflex, circumventing an important safety mechanism (though in most cases, you still have to push the same spoonful back in several times before it stays). And it must be bland, tasteless, indistinguishable from their accustomed milk, or else they will reject it.
It was also expected that babies would be completely weaned onto solid foods by their first birthday, at the latest. And so a strict schedule of how many meals per day was implemented, gradually, deliberately replacing milk feedings, and changing in texture and consistency as the baby grew older.
What We Now Know About Infant Nutrition
Of course, we now know that breastfeeding on demand provides all the nutrition that a baby needs for at least the first 6 months or even the first full year. Modern formulas, while not nearly as complete as breastmilk, are still quite adequate for nourishing the baby whose mother is unable to breastfeed and no additional supplements are necessary. In fact, not only do babies notneed any supplemental nutrition for the first 6 months, it is in fact potentially harmful for them to ingest anything other than milk, as their digestive systems are not yet mature enough to handle anything else. Too-early introduction of solid foods has been associated with increased allergies, digestive problems in later life, and possibly even obesity.
The 6-month-old baby is a very different creature from the 3-month-old. At 6 months of age, most babies:
- are keen to imitate everything they see their parents doing, including eating
- are curious about new experiences, including tastes and textures
- can hold objects and manipulate them, including finger foods
- can sit upright
- have lost the tongue thrust reflex
- can chew
So all of the reasons that spoonfeeding is necessary for the 3-month-old simply do not apply to the older baby. It fact, it was not uncommon under the old guidelines to begin finger foods and some self-feeding at around 6 months old. Our babies have not changed, only the age at which we begin solid foods has changed. But paradoxically, we have not changed our method and schedule of introducing solids to match the vastly different developmental stage of the older baby!
As Rapley says in her book (pp. 33-34):
Of course, spoon-feeding seemed to be unavoidable when it was believed that babies of three or four months needed ‘solids’ since, at that age, they couldn’t chew or get food to their mouths themselves. This led to an assumption that spoon-feeding and purees were an essential part of introducing solids, no matter what the age of the baby.
So, although research now tells us that those babies who started solids at three or four months old (or even younger) shouldn’t have been having them at all, most people still assume that a baby’s first solid foods should be given by spoon. But there doesn’t appear to be any research to back this up.
How It Works
Baby-led solids is simply about trusting your baby to feed herself, the way she has ever since birth (feeding on demand). It involves realizing that we do not need to trick or coerce our babies into eating, nor do we need to ‘teach’ them how to eat, nor is there any ‘window’ whereby if we do not make them eat by a certain age, then they never will. Eating is an essential survival mechanism, it only makes sense that a human child will instinctively begin eating when she is developmentally ready to do so, just as she will begin to sit up, walk, and communicate, all on her own with no specialized instruction or coercion from her parents. So long as they are given the opportunity, all healthy babies will do all these things by themselves, in their own time.
For many families, their first experience with baby-led solid begins when their baby swipes a bit of food off mom’s plate and starts gnawing away at it. At first, this is simple curiosity on the baby’s part. He does not yet understand that this will fill his tummy, he just wants to check it out, and do what mom is doing. BLW as a method is simply allowing your baby to continue this exploration of food on his own terms. Over the course of a few months, your baby progresses from exploration (with limited ingestion), to deliberate eating for hunger, until he is eating complete meals and beginning to reduce his milk feeds. And this all happens with no pressure or interference from the parent, who has simply allowed natural development to take place.
The Problem With Spoonfeeding
- Replaces healthier milk. Solid foods are less nutritionally dense than breastmilk or even formula. An infant’s primary source of nutrition should be milk for at least their first year, with solid foods being only a supplement and not a main source. Spoonfeeding tends to put more food in a baby’s tummy than they actually need, leaving less room for the essential, healthier milk.
- Interferes with long-term breastfeeding. Since the typical schedule for solid foods is designed with complete weaning from the breast by age one in mind, completely filling up baby’s tummy with solid foods, there is a risk that your baby will nurse less, depleting your milk supply, and leading to complete weaning much earlier than would have happened naturally.
- Power struggles over food. Since your baby has no control over what or how much she eats, she is more likely to resist, seeking to gain some power over her own body. The “airplane game” is really a manipulative attempt to win this power struggle, based on a faulty (and nonsensical, when you think about it) assumption that babies will resist eating solids and our job is to overcome this resistance and make them eat.
- Suppression of instinctive appetite control. When you are spoonfeeding according to a schedule, you are more likely to try to get baby to “finish the jar,” even if she is clearly communicating that she is finished. This overrides the natural connection between hunger, appetite, and portion control, leading to potential problems with overeating in the future.
- Bland food leads to a bland palate. Most children prefer white bread, basic pastas, hot dogs, and other simple “kids’ foods,” rather than a rich and healthy variety of ‘real’ or ‘grownup’ food.
- Cereal is not a healthy first food. Cereal only became the standard first food because it was easy to mix into a very young infant’s bottle. There are no nutritional advantages to it whatsoever. In fact, cereal is heavy in starch and carbohydrates, which are difficult for an infant to digest, and a diet heavy in carbs is not a balanced diet.
- It’s complicated! Measuring, pureeing, organizing, freezing, cleaning, scooping. Food mills, food processors, jars, spoons, ice cube trays and specialized storage kits. Recipe books just for babies. Counting, planning, fretting that they’re not ‘eating enough,’ scheduling, worrying when to progress to ‘stage two’…
Advantages of Baby-led Solids
- Optimum balance of milk and solids. By letting your baby control his portions, according to his own instincts, you will not unintentionally fill him up with the less-nutritious solid foods. He will gradually nurse less frequently, according to his own ideal balance of milk and solid foods, and wean on his own natural schedule.
- Confidence and independence. Since your baby is in complete control of their feeding, deciding what to eat and how much of it, there are no power struggles. Rather than being a passive recipient of food, she is a confident explorer, and as she matures she will be keen to try new things rather than suspicious of foods she hasn’t eaten before.
- Self-regulation of portions. Your baby maintains his connection with his appetite, leading to a healthy attitude to portion control. He simply stops eating when he is full.
- Your baby is part of the dinner table. Rather than needing to be fed a separate dinner on a separate schedule, she joins you at dinner. Your food doesn’t grow cold while you feed your baby first, and she isn’t bored while everyone else eats. She can participate in dinner conversation and learn table manners by observation and imitation. She learns about using cutlery and how different foods are eaten by example… and by eating the same foods as everyone else.
- Enjoyment of wide variety of flavours. ‘Grown-up foods’ are not something children need to ‘graduate’ or grow into. When they eat real foods from the beginning, with rich flavours and spices and a variety of textures, they will continue to eat real foods and not become dependent solely on “kid’s food”.
- The right balance at the right time. You can relax knowing that she is eating exactly what she needs to be healthy. A growing toddler is more likely to ‘binge’ on carbs at times, an older infant might focus on healthy fats or proteins, or go through periods of hardly eating at all but only breastfeeding, all according to what her body needs at this particular stage of growth. Studies have shown that when offered a variety of healthy foods, without adult influence or interference, babies will instinctively choose a balanced menu providing all the nutrients they require. So there’s no guesswork on your part.
- It’s so easy! Make a healthy meal for your family, put some on your baby’s plate. That’s about all there is to it. Really.
But What About Choking?
This is the inevitable question when people first learn about BLW. In fact, there is no greater concern about choking than with spoonfeeding, and it may even help protect against choking. Humans have an innate gag reflex, whereby anything that gets to the back of the mouth unexpectedly (or is too large to swallow) will be regurgitated with a retching action. In babies, this reflex is further forward in the mouth, and so gagging is fairly common while they are learning to handle food. Although this is commonly confused with choking, it is actually the normal protective mechanism, preventing choking while a baby learns to manipulate food in his mouth with his tongue, to chew and swallow. Spoonfeeding denies a baby the chance to practice this manipulation while the gag reflex is still extra-active. By the time a traditionally spoonfed baby is allowed to practice with finger foods, the gag reflex has receded somewhat, closer to the airway, and is thus less effective as a protective mechanism. Gill Rapley again (p. 63):
So babies who haven’t been allowed to explore food from the beginning may miss the opportunity to use it to help them learn how to keep food away from their airway. Anecdotal evidence suggests that babies who have been spoon-fed have more problems with gagging and ‘choking’ when they start to handle food… than those who have been allowed to experiment much earlier.
Final Food For Thought
Of course, many readers will now be saying “but I raised my babies by spoonfeeding purees and they loved it and turned out just fine.” And it’s true that many babies will develop into healthy eaters no matter how we approach their first foods. But this won’t be true for all babies. BLW decreases the risks of many eating problems and is just plain easier and more enjoyable for both parent and baby. While problems stemming from spoonfeeding may not always be extreme or applicable to all babies, the fact remains that it is completely unnecessary… so why go through the bother?
Let’s leave the last words to Gill Rapley (pp. 240-241):
Baby-led weaning can help to prevent the sorts of battles over food that are an all-too-common story amongst the parents of toddlers and young children and it can contribute to making family mealtimes fun for everyone. in a nutshell, it makes eating the pleasure it should be.
… There is a growing amount of evidence that the way children are fed when they are very young establishes the way they will feel about food throughout their childhood, and maybe even into adulthood. Obesity and eating disorders are in the news almost every week … Many of these problems have their roots in one (or both) of two key issues: appetite recognition and control. The healthy development of both of these things is at the heart of BLW.
So much of the advice parents are given about infant feeding is still based on the abilities of three- or four-month-old babies and the assumption that babies need to be spoon-fed. It rarely takes into account the natural abilities of six-month-old babies to take the lead with solids and feed themselves. Baby-led weaning brings together what we not know about when a baby should start solids with what we can see babies are able to do at this age."
My taste testers!
James' 1st annual apple pie day-Sept 08
Wilson bunny cake - Easter 2009
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12.20 Friday Faves2 days ago
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A Slow Cooker Thanksgiving4 weeks ago
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Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice5 years ago
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What’s For Dinner!6 years ago
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Brown Sugar Spiced Baked Chicken11 years ago