Baby (food) post coming ‘atcha. If you have no interest, just close the browser.
Here are a few new tricks and trials I have to share…
-I’ve discovered a way to make apples (and hard/unripe pears) the perfect consistency for P to eat without the work of cooking them. I just chop the fruit and freeze it (raw). Once it’s been frozen for at least a day, I thaw it and voila! It’s soft and semi-mushy and I can feed it to him straight away. I have frozen fruit for two months and it still works, but I tried it with only one night of freezing and it wasn’t quite soft enough so I think anything longer than 24 hours is ideal. I first discovered this because I was trying to save a bunch of apples I got for cheap before they went bad. Turns out, it was one of the most useful mistakes I ever stumbled upon. Apples are now a huge fave – almost as much as bananas!
-I got the nerve to try hemp and it was totally fine. After the success with chia seeds, I was pretty sure hemp would be fine as well. The more I read up and learn about sesame, the more I’m convinced they are in their own category when it comes to allergens and we shouldn’t punish all the seeds, if that is in fact the case. I have yet to test sunflower, pumpkin, or flax yet. Baby steps. For now, I’m just happy that we have another vegetarian protein source that he tolerates! It also makes the breastfeeding weaning process a little less anxiety-filled since I now have a milk alternative that I feel good about offering him (since dairy, soy, and nut milks are all allergens). He’s fine with water, but ideally something with protein would be good too. He hasn’t tried it as milk yet [update: yes he has] , so we will see how (if?) he takes to it [success]. Pretty much the only way he’s had hemp so far is in his oatmeal (hulled with fruit and cinnamon).
-I’m dipping into my freezer stash of breast milk and making purees and such with it. I was waiting until he showed some interest in smooth textures since he wasn’t a fan of it at all before. But the pouches that we used on our trip may have turned the tide in our favor. Fortunately I had some reusable pouches to fill with my own creations. The first thing I tried was a breastmilk, prune, apricot, pear, cinnamon concoction. I let the dried fruit soak overnight in my pumped milk (that had been frozen then thawed). I used just enough milk to cover the dried fruit so it got all soft. Then I pulsed it in the bullet until it was fairly uniform in consistency. Then I spooned it into the pouch and refrigerated it until we needed it. The next day I had to run out around noon and figured it would be the perfect thing to give P – enough oomph to hold him over for a while. He loved it and it worked like a charm. I had extra that I added to oatmeal, which he also lapped up with enthusiasm. I’ve since done a number of dried fruit mixes and they’ve all been winners.
The bigger bags of milk get divided…half to the bottle, half to the bullet…
If it doesn’t all fit in the pouch I just stir the extra into oats or quinoa or something.
If anyone has tips for making broccoli and beans enjoyable, please share! I can sometimes sneak a bit of broccoli into avocado bites, but he’s pretty savvy at separating the foods he doesn’t like from the ones he does in his mouth and then spitting only the “yucky” portion out. Sneaky guy!
My little guy hates beans right now too! I’m hoping that changes since we’re vegetarians. Maybe a tahini-free hummus would be yummy? I tried roasting chickpeas, and he liked them that way, but the skins were a little too firm for him yet (he’s 9 months).
love this! Thanks for the ideas 🙂 I need to try the apple thing, he loves applesauce but still has a hard time with the regular apple. Drake is the same way with spitting out what he doesn’t like!
Hooray for chia and hemp 🙂 Glad to hear that he can have them and it opens up more options.
I’m reading the Super Baby Food book ( Ruth Yaron) and she suggests grinding dried beans and cooking with a grain, maybe that could sneak them in? Thanks for sharing the dried fruit idea, can’t wait to try it. Glad to read the hemp milk/seeds are working out:)
First time commenting but love the blog and especially love the baby posts as a first time mom of a 13 month old boy myself :). Apples are a big favorite of ours(his) too and my mom showed me this great way of preparing it quickly and without cooking so wanted to share. We cut the apple in half lengthwise (cutting from top to bottom) and with a spoon scrape out the insides obviously avoiding the seeds. I’ll sometimes spoon feed or just put it in little piles for him to do himself. Also, Ps adorable.
Can he have tahini? Maybe he can have hummus after all!
No. He’s allergic to sesame
I used to make bean-balls for my son when he was this age. Basically how you would make a meatball, but I would use white beans. Now (at 2 and 1/2), he won’t touch beans, but for a while he loved the bean-balls!
I ran out of kale for fruit/protein smoothies last week and used broccoli instead. I thought it would be awful, but it was so good that I keep repeating it! It’s hard to believe, but you really can’t even taste the broccoli. I use the NutriBullet, too, and the puree is so smooth that the only way you know that there’s broccoli is from a slight change in color. It might be a good way to sneak broccoli into the purees that you’re making for P. Good luck!
I’VE ADDED GROUND SPLIT PEAS AND LENTILS TO MY OATMEAL. I ENJOY THEM BOTH. THE LENTILS I FIND BLEND IN MORE AND ARE LESS NOTICEABLE. I LIKE THE PEAS BUT ONLY USE WHEN I MAKE THE OATMEAL SAVORY. I JUST PULSE THEM IN A COFFEE GRINDER. I PULSE A BUNCH AND STORE IN FREEZER.
Thank you so much for posting about the hemp milk! I work with breastfeeding moms who are looking for a non-dairy breastmilk alternative after weaning and now I can refer them to hemp! I would have never thought of that. So awesome!
My LO is a big 9 mo and still in an eat anything put in front of him stage – not sure how long it’ll last – but when we were first starting out making purees I had success mixing steamed smashed or pureed broccoli into pureed or mashed sweet potatoes with cinnamon. For him, broccoli was a weird texture at first, so mixing it in to a favorite helped a lot.
He’ll also eat beans, regular or “refried” as long as they are seasoned. He turns his nose up at plain beans though. He’s a pretty adventurous eater, so I’ll sprinkle a little tiny bit of cumin and chilli powder on them, but you could use anything. If P likes pasta or any sort of bread, you could try making a bean spread or sauce to mix or spread on.
How about a bean burger? You could make tiny ones and freeze. Emily at daily garnish has a good one, but I leave the cinnamon out.
awesome karen! happy to help 🙂
i like it! thanks for the idea 🙂
cinnamon used to be my go to as well – hed eat anything with cinnamon! i havent tried other spices yet but i should give cumin and paprika (etc) a shot! hes meh on GF pasta, so its really hit and miss. i havent given him bread yet because he is allergic to wheat and almost all the gf breads have either seeds, soy, or dairy in them. i make my own quick breads though which are on and off successes. maybe i should try baking it into the quick breads!!
i LOVE this idea. im gonna try it in a smoothie for sure now. thanks!!!
thanks for the idea stephanie (and for commenting!). 🙂
ooooo, this is an interesting idea! thanks jessica.
More unsolicited ideas here 🙂 Did you check Udi’s? I thought it was free of most allergens, but I could be mistaken. It’s kind of $$, but I keep some in my freezer for “emergencies” and make breadcrumbs when I get broken or thin end pieces. Does he have a corn allergy? If not, corn tortillas are great. My husband and lo both like tinkyada pasta better than wheat pasta now. Have you tried sorghum flour for baking? We use a lot of sorghum, buckwheat and millet for whole grain baking. I like Gluten Free goddess for new ideas, she does a lot of dairy free now too.
no corn allergy – so good idea with the tortillas. i appreciate all your ideas so dont worry about your advice seeming “unsolicited”. believe me, im SO open to hearing what others have been successful with. sometimes i just have total road blocks and i love giving him different things so thank you!