When we got the ok to start Oswin on solids at 4 months, we were so excited. Doc and I love food and love cooking, so we've been anxiously awaiting the time when we could begin to share our love for food with our daughter. Food for us isn't just about satiating a basic need, it's an event. We plan what we're making for dinner while eating lunch, test out recipes and tweek them to make them perfect. We love even more to share the results with friends and family. Our favorite dishes are the ones that take hours to make, which gives ample time to hang out in the kitchen, drink coffee, and catch up.
Now, being so wee, it's obvious that we couldn't start Oswin out with tartiflette, or anything with Doc's beloved hotter than hell peppers, but the amount of joy I took in baking that first solid meal for Oswin was as much as I have when making deviled truffle eggs. It was the start to a lifelong affair with food, with sharing meals as a family, with treating the body as a temple with the best quality ingredients, with hours spent with friends and discussing the merits of unpasteurized cheese vs. pasteurized cheese...
...but first, sweet potato.
Our pediatrician gave the ok for solids after her 4 month appointment, and recommended vegetables at lunch (potatos, carrots, pumpkin), and fruit (apple sauce, bananas) in the afternoon for "dinner." It was slow going at first, a few spoonfuls here, no spoonfuls there, I anxiously awaited for when we could be a little more imaginative with her meals...
At five months, we were given the ok to introduce meats into her diet. We started with basic chicken and carrot mixes, some pork and sweet potato, steak and pumpkin...she loved it. At six months we were able to introduce eggs and fish. Hallelujah!
Now here we are at 7 months. Things are getting fun, because we have a cornucopia of foods that we can mix together to give her palate an adventure. She now eats carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, avocado, celery, spinach, apples, bananas, mango, blueberries, peaches, kiwi, pears, plums, chicken, beef, pork, eggs and as of the last few days, salmon. We've also introduced some spices in the form of cinnamon, thyme and sage.
Making baby food has been hugely satisfying for me. Not only is it cheaper than buying baby food at the store, I also feel better knowing exactly what is in it. I know the quality of the vegetables and fruits, as we picked them out ourselves. And seeing how much of it she gobbles up definitely boosts my cooking confidence. Afterall, babies are the toughest critics for everything, am I right?
So what is on the menu this week for little miss Oswin? Well, we're just finishing up introducing her to salmon and peaches, and will be moving onto tomatoes and cherries next. Her lunch the last few days has consisted of salmon with a sprinkling of dried sage, raw spinach, and steamed carrots, all pureed together. (It's a really tasty combination!) In the afternoon she has been eating pureed peaches, though today I mixed some bananas and kiwi into the blender because peaches get really watery when pureed. I've never seen her gobble up anything as voraciously as she has the salmon dish, and the peaches went down pretty fast as well.
Do you make your own baby food for your little? I'd love to hear your recipes!
A la prochaine friends...
Honey
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