Enjoy the Pursuit and the Victory!

If I didn’t already realize the exorbitant number of hours I spend at work each week, I understand now.  Imagine having 8 luxurious hours a day, or 40 indulgent hours a week to work on my baby food cook book??  Prior to embarking on my new adventure I didn’t think twice about my time spent at work.  9-5 seemed standard and comfortable…until Friday afternoon at around 3pm. of course.  Now I see how useful each and every minute of the day is as I try to cram in my new venture in fleeting weeknight minutes and the “already chalked full of other stuff” hours of the weekend.

Still, it’s exciting to imagine a day when my new 9-5 could be my Baby Food Evolution.  I’ve been hearing a lot lately about the theory that people get more enjoyment out of the pursuit of something they are passionate about, rather than the achievement of it…I have a feeling I’ll be just as happy in victory as I am in pursuit!

Carrying on with my pursuit, I would get lots of enjoyment out of highlighting some tips on how to prep baby food ingredients with a little help from your family.

Cleaning, peeling and chopping veggies and fruit seems like a daunting task at the best of times but is especially so for time crunched parents.  I have a secret…you can ask for help without diminishing your “Supermom” or “Superdad” status.  Even though we all know that peeling and chopping is the most labour intensive part of the work, the one who creates, cooks, purees and stores seems to get all the glory!

It reminds me of those cooking shows when you see the stress free chef adding ingredients to their recipes that are perfectly chopped, measured and resting in immaculate vessels leading us to believe how simple it is to create a culinary masterpiece from scratch.  In reality, if you start cooking before you have done all your chopping and peeling you could endure unnecessary physical and mental pressure as you strive to get the rest of your ingredients ready to add in before something starts to burn.

If you simply ask your spouse to help prep some food when they have a few spare minutes, you can have peeled and chopped veggies waiting for you in the fridge to steam when you’re ready.  I find they even get enjoyment out of playing a part in creating baby’s menu.

So start asking for help, and enjoy the pursuit of joint ingredient prep, and the victory of providing delicious meals for your baby!

An Ounce of Prevention

You know that saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of”...something?  Well if you take a few miniscule organizational measures in your kitchen, it will prevent a baby food preparation meltdown.

In my kitchen, perfect intentions often turned into perfect frustrations.  I would be all set to try out a new recipe, had all the food ready to employ and the vision of the finished dish in my mind.  I would then just have to grab the step stool from the garage to climb up on my counter to get the food processor down that was tidily put away in the big high cupboard where I could easily grab it whenever I needed it.  Then I would go into the abyss of the utensil drawer to get my measuring spoons and spatula only to find it wouldn’t open because after further investigation I found that the head of the potato masher was stuck.  Add baby inspired sleep deprivation into the mix, and opening that exploding cupboard of food storage containers was the final nail in the “I’m making baby food today” coffin.

If you make sure all the tools you need are easily accessible and reasonably within arm’s reach, the likelihood of sticking with your culinary intentions and even enjoying them are very good.

I now hang my measuring spoons on a little hook on the wall right by the stove rather than in the bottomless pit utensil drawer.  You can even get them in all sorts of décor inspired colours so that their placement on the wall seems deliberate.  All stirring spoons and ladles etc. are in a jar on the counter and mixing bowls and the hand blender are front and center in a nearby cupboard.  I prefer using a hand blender to puree food, but if you would rather use a food processor or blender try to find a space on the counter for it to live rather than in that big high cupboard.

 These little organizational feats in the kitchen really are key to the enjoyment of cooking for baby.  The analyst in me always insists that I back up my “gut feelings” with data and facts so here is a great article from Real Simple on some smart kitchen organizing ideas.

I remember that saying now.  It’s a moral from Aesop’s Fables.  “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  Or translated into Baby Food Evolution language,  “put your kitchen tools in handy places to avoid baby food preparation meltdowns”.