I Have a Problem

  The first part of solving a problem is admitting you have a problem.  As much as I don't want to tell the world this, I have to get it out.  

 I threw away a pineapple today.  

 My husband would be so mad, and rightly so!  He works hard to put food on our table.  Not to put food on top of the microwave that ends up in the garbage.  We love pineapple, too, I just never got around to cutting it.  *sigh*  I expected to feel better by admitting this problem, but I don't.  I feel ashamed.  Perhaps that is the point of admitting it.  I don't want to feel like this ever again!  I'd better go cut that cantaloupe I told you I was going to cut last weekend.  It is still on top of the microwave.  I'd also better go make banana bread before I have to throw those bananas away.  They've just about had it.  I bought 7 avocados when they were on sale and J started eating them.  I know there are two left in the basket that are past ripe.

My name is Jadie, and I throw food away.

To ensure that I change this little habit of mine, I have come up with a plan of action.

1.  Clean out the fridge.  We are pretty good about eating leftovers, but I know I have a few containers that need to be discarded. 

2.  Clean OFF the fridge.  My husband and I had come up with a plan to make sure we eat what we have and not throw stuff away by writing it on the fridge, and for a while it worked.  Then J was born.  Six months later, here I am throwing away a pineapple. Time to start this again.

3.  Start menu planning.  My best friend is an incredibly awesome woman, wife and mother, and I learn so much from her that makes me a better - all of those things.  She also writes an incredible blog called Dirt and Boogers - you must check it out.  Anyway, she sent me some suggestions for menu planning, and I know if it works for them, it's good stuff.  Thank you Amanda!

4.  And the toughest part:  when I do fall off the wagon and throw something away, I have to tell you.  Write it here.  Call myself out. Ouch.

My husband is, in a sense, an efficiency expert by trade.  I know that I have his full support, and all I have to do is suggest that I'd like to do something better, and he will have 4 ideas immediately to improve the process.  The problem has been admitting I need improvement.  Here you go honey, have at it!

J's Progress - Week 2

  This week has progressed a little more slowly than I anticipated, but thank goodness 'food before one is just for fun!'  I did start putting a little bit of cream cheese on J's toast.  It made the toast stick to her fingers, so when she was done with a piece and opened her hand to grab another, she would fling it off the tray, making things a bit comical!

  J ate lots of bananas this week, and I think we can safely say she likes her bananas like her daddy.  To combat the effects of so many bananas, we decided to go ahead on the peaches ('P' fruits help with pooping).  While she kept putting them in her mouth, there were definitely times when she seemed not quite sure about the taste.  To me they were a little tart, so maybe that is what caused all the hilarious faces!

We did not try carrots or broccoli, but we have been eating leftover sweet potato.  There have also been several meals this week that we skipped for her because either she was asleep, or needed to be asleep quickly. Even though she seems to eat a lot (most of what we give her!), when we miss a meal it never seems to bother her.  She still sleeps 12 hours at night without a problem.  Thank goodness!

If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail

  It has been two weeks since I started blogging our BLW experience.  It is time to think about the overall goal of this endeavor.  I wrote in my first post that I wanted to write in depth about our nutrition and keep a recipe index so I could refer back to my notes later.  What I had not done was consider the end result I want to achieve.  I have been thinking this over the last few days, as I haven't written and really haven't progressed with J's eating, either.  I have come up with one main objective:

To offer my family great tasting, nutritious, fun meals that not only nourish our bodies, but our relationships as well.

Our relationships with each other, but also our relationships with food.

  I just want my kids to grow up with a love for nutritious food, and the knowledge to continue eating for health when they leave the house.  When I introspectively look at what this job requires of me, I've got a lot of work to do.  But just look at this sweet face.  I owe it to my children to do the best I can!

This Week's Buys and Tries

  Today was grocery day, I bought new stuff for J to try, and I can't even remember what I got.  That is why I desperately need this documentation.  I know I bought cream cheese for something else to put on her toast. 

  I should mention that she had avocado and sweet potato tonight for dinner, and she ate just about all of it.  After months of finding M's food either in his scoop bib or next to him in the high chair, I am still amazed at how much J actually consumes. 

  Ah, here's my grocery list.  Peaches were on sale, although they are still a little hard.  Maybe later next week we can start those.  Despite the fallout of cantaloupe last summer, we bought one.  I expect I will cut it up this weekend and let it get softer before I give it to J.  We will be trying carrots this week, and broccoli.  I have not decided whether I will roast these or boil them, but I will let you know!

In Practice - Larger Wedges

  What a steep learning curve there is when you've never had any culinary instruction!  Fortunately, I am determined to stick through and get better at this for the health of my family.  In the past I would have given up by now and made a quesadilla. 

  Not that I don't still make quesadillas - we actually had them for dinner tonight.  But now instead of just tortilla and cheese, they usually contain some source of protein and a vegetable, tonight ground beef and corn.  But I did roast some larger vegetables for J today.  My 'note to self' about larger wedges was right on for the yellow squash and zucchini!  I am pretty shocked at the amount they shrank, actually.  I cut pieces a little larger than my fingers and now I know not to cut them any smaller than that!  I also cut a sweet potato into larger chunks, but those didn't shrink as much.  They were actually harder for her to grab, and slipped out of her hand more easily.  I could go smaller on those, but not much.

I cut most of the skins off of the zucchini and squash, but left them on the sweet potato.  This worked pretty well; the little bit of skin held the mushy zucchini and squash together.  The skins of the sweet potato are really easy to peel off when cooked.  After cutting, I tossed all the wedges in some vegetable oil and baked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping them every 10 minutes to avoid any one side getting too browned.  The squash and zucchini could have used less time.  They were VERY squishy.  But J liked them!



To try and help with the avocado, I mashed some and put it on toast.  This backfired, making the whole thing harder to grab, slipping out of her hand very easily.  She was also very tired tonight, so this may have contributed to her difficulties. She still enjoyed sitting at the dinner table with us and participating!

Tip - Cut Bigger Chunks

  I have a confession to make:  I have been a convenience eater most of my life.  When I lived alone, I lived off of pasta, pizza, and quesadillas.  I got away with this until my responsibilities expanded to include other mouths to feed.  I am slowly learning; so when I say things like "I just found out you can eat yellow squash and zucchini raw!" you understand why.  (My husband used to be a vegetarian, so when I exclaimed this revelation at dinner last night, it was met with a 'what rock have you been under?' expression.  Uh, the pizza stone, evidently.)  I realize not much is more convenient than raw fruit like yellow squash,  but I never knew I could eat it that way. 

  It is nice to learn that eating healthier doesn't necessarily mean cooking more complex dishes.  Feeding a 6 month old, however, is a little different.  I am learning how to cook vegetables (and fruits!) so they are tasty, healthy and, so far, mushy.  After a few days, and a somewhat disastrous batch of yellow squash and zucchini, I have the following note to myself for the future:  Cut larger wedges.  I have to remember that fruits and veggies are full of water and therefore dehydrate during cooking.  In other words, they shrink.  When I am cutting the raw food, I am concerned that I cut pieces that are large enough for J to grab, but not so large that she bites off too much and chokes.  The result has been pieces that are harder for her to grab, and fall apart too easily.  I hope to have better luck cutting pieces even double the size I have been.

Something to learn:

  I have also noticed that the skins of both the sweet potatoes and the squashes are very thin, not easily removed when raw, but too tough for J to chew when cooked.  I can somewhat peel them once they are cooked; can anyone share with me the easiest way to 'peel' these foods, or how to cook and serve them with the skins to a 6 month old?

Sweet (Potato) Success!

  It is clear to me now that my children are polar opposites when it comes to eating.  It is still too early to tell J's overall disposition on food (picky eater vs. eats anything is sight) but so far she is doing better than I could have imagined.  The sweet potatoes are a hit!  As planned I cooked both sweet and white potatoes to satisfy the whole family; I was pleased that M enjoyed both!  J had Avocado with her potatoes, which were more difficult to maneuver.  The first night the avocado was not quite as ripe so it was easier to grip.  The next night she made guacamole. She seemed to enjoy the taste of both the potatoes and avocado.  She certainly had fun getting them into her mouth!

   We are still having toast for breakfast, and yesterday we added banana!  I am not sure that J was able to eat any of the banana, I think I cut it too small.  This morning I cut much bigger chunks, and she had better luck with those.  She didn't spit it out or gag on it like M does, so maybe J likes her banana like her Daddy.

  We are all getting more comfortable with the newest addition at our dinner table.

Moving Beyond Toast

  So, it's grocery day.  I have been thinking of what I want to offer J - avocado tops the list.  We LOVE avocado, and it seems like the perfect starter food.  Next I thought I would try sweet potato wedges.  When M was less than a year I tried to make these.  I didn't know what I was doing.  They came out alright.  Daddy liked them.  M was a little too young and uninterested, I think.  I don't like sweet potatoes.  Since then, however, I have started making my own fries, with regular potatoes, so I know how to cook them.  I think it will be super easy to cook a mix - that way we can all have fries we like, and J can try both! 

  We will let J play with these for a few days, then switch.  There is conflicting advice when it comes to offering new foods.  The most prevalent advice in the US I've found is to offer new foods one at a time, and wait three days or so to offer the next.  If any allergies present themselves in that time, you will know exactly what caused it.  The other school of thought, however, is this is unnecessary unless you are worried about an increased risk for allergies.  We have no food allergies in the immediate family, and M has had no problems.  Either way, I think we are going to start with two new foods at a time.  We will be using those two for a few days, just to give her a chance to really get to know those foods, and to make good use of leftovers.  And to watch for allergies.

  After trying those, I think we will move to squash.  I have cooked squash recently with good success, and even learned this week that it can be eaten raw, and is tasty that way!  Who knew?!  In addition to the squash, we will try bananas.  Bananas are interesting in our house.  I buy them every week; Daddy eats one for lunch every day.  I don't like them.  M doesn't like them.  But we will both eat banana bread for breakfast, so I make a loaf just about every week.  We'll see which way J prefers her banana - raw, like Daddy, or cooked in a loaf like the carb eaters in the family?

Gag Me

  Friday is grocery day, and because I was unprepared to start J on solids until next week, the poor girl has had toast for breakfast and dinner since Tuesday.  She is just as eager when being strapped into the chair, though.  Tonight was somewhat momentous because it is the first time she gagged.  Since Daddy has been out of town all week, Nana has come over every night to help with this kids, which has been a blessing.  However, Nana has not read about BLW and is not comfortable with the gag reflex.  When M started solids, I think Nana had about 18 mini heart attacks.  Tonight was her first in a while, then!  As if it is not unnerving enough for me, I have my poor mother freaking out!  Of course J was fine, and I watched her move the piece of toast back to the front of her mouth.  I can't wait to become more trusting of her reflexes!  I'm sure Nana can't wait, either.

Getting Started... Again

  At 6 months old, we started M (now 19 months) on rice cereal, because that is the only thing I read to do.  Plus the side of the cereal box said something like "Cereal is an important part of your child's diet until age 2."  He took to it really well, but all I gave him was cereal for several weeks.  This was mostly due to the fact that I had planned to make my own baby food, but we found out we were pregnant with J right about this time, and I was sick, and just generally lazy.  I read a few mom's discussing BLW in a forum I belong to, and when I finally figured out what BLW stood for, I got the book.  I purchased The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook, not because I was excited about new recipes (I'm not much of a cook) but because that is what I found at the bookstore.  It gives the basics of the program, and, of course, some recipes to try.  Although, because I am not much of a cook, most of the recipes, even as simple as they might be, are just too complex for me to try.

  So, we gave M toast.  Occasionally we gave him some fruit as well.  At the beginning, he just wasn't that into it.  He would play with some of the strips, sometimes try to eat it, but usually not.  So after his cereal, he had dry toast.  No wonder he didn't eat it!  *This is not BLW.   The purpose is to give your baby a variety of foods.  However, remember that I was lazy and sick, and he didn't care about it any way!

  Around 8 months old or so, M suddenly one morning started biting pieces off the toast and eating them.  I was so excited!  From then on, I started putting things on the toast, like a bit of butter, cinnamon, cream cheese, etc, and giving him more fruits and veggies.  He now has a very healthy appetite at times, and doesn't eat much at others.  But he has always been in charge of how much he eats, and he never goes hungry.  This no-pressure style of family eating suits us very well.  

  J is now 25 weeks old, and she has been showing signs of readiness for a while.  She can sit on her own for a bit, and she is fine if she has support.  If she is awake during meals, she sits in the high chair with us.  She has been gnawing her lips, watching us take food into our mouths, and trying to grab anything she can.  I planned to wait until next week to get her started, but yesterday she seemed so ready, so I gave her - you guessed it! - a piece of toast.  She just about ravaged that thing!  Every piece made it into her mouth.  Some several times.  If a piece was out of her reach, she banged on the tray until she either got it, or moved on to another piece.  It is clear to me that she will really enjoy BLW, and so will we.  But we'd better move on from toast quickly!

Why A Blog?

I decided to keep a separate blog of our baby led weaning experience this time for a couple of reasons:

1.  Readers of my personal blog, family and friends, probably just want to read the cute stuff about the growing kiddos, and I really want to write in depth about the nutrition in our home. For those who want to read it, they can!

2.  The blog makes it easy to write my thoughts in a free format, while retaining the ability to label and sort each post.  I could write in a journal or Word, but I wouldn't be able to find things easily.  I could use Excel, but it is harder to write what I want.

I plan to record our experiences with food, particularly while J is so young and just starting BLW.  I also plan to keep a recipe index of those I have tried with notes, so I can refer to them again later.   I am also excited to see what other things shape the direction of this blog!

So while this blog is mostly for me, I hope some of my family and friends enjoy our delights, and maybe even another mom or two who may want to share experiences.

Happy eating!