Pieces of Me



 

Where was the serenity of my tulips this past Thursday at 2:32pm. when my wisdom tooth was being yanked out?  I hadn’t so much as ever even had a cavity filled in my life when this was thrown at me.  Since it was only one that needed excavating and the word around town was, “it’s quick and easy these days”, I thought I could just go for the freezing and be done with it.

I survived the freezing with relative ease, “there you go, that’s the worst part over” said Dr. Nightingale.  Oh, this is not so bad…easy street…I thought.  They let me linger with the freezing for a few minutes for it to take effect.  As soon as a fork could be stuck into my right cheek with me none the wiser we were ready.  “Now you’re going to feel a tremendous amount of pressure” said Dr. Death as his assistant kept me comfortable by stroking my head and telling me to breath.  I didn’t realize I needed to fire up the old VCR before this appointment to watch “So You’re Having a Baby” to brush up on my labour survival skills.  A tremendous amount of pressure there was, but he neglected to mention the tremendous amount of aggression that goes along with removing someone’s tooth with a tool, brute force and your own two hands.  I’d sooner have someone tie one end of a string around my tooth and the other on a door knob and slam that baby shut!

Don’t worry…I survived.  There was just the swelling to deal with and relearning how to chew and keep food away from the canyon in the back of my mouth.  Tricky.  At least I’m well versed at making food for people who gum their food into oblivion or I would have felt pretty deprived these past couple of days…maybe I’ll eat today’s baby food recipe for dinner tonight.  Mmmm.

It was just a little wisdom tooth.  I’m now a ¼ less wise, so says my husband.  Lucky for him. 

It’s just another little piece of me gone like my favourite mug I had to throw out last week.  I was in ceramic chip denial for a few weeks until I had no choice but to give in.  So sad.

In other news…

 

This maple syrup has been in my fridge for a while.  When my husband asked me how long today, I thought for moment and remembered picking it up at the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto while away with my friend for her birthday…maybe last year.  Then I thought about what we did for my friend’s birthday last year, and it wasn’t this.  REALLY…it was 2 years ago and I still have the maple syrup in my fridge??  How do 2 years pass by so fast?  Clearly we don’t eat enough pancakes.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

 

Cheesy Veggie Risotto

Age – 8 months +

Ingredients

·         1 cup broccoli florets chopped

·         1 cup of carrots chopped

·         ½ cup of frozen peas

·         ½ cup of rice

Cheese Sauce

·         1 ½ tbsps. butter

·         1 ½ tbsps. flour

·         1 ½ cups of milk

·         ¾ cup of grated cheddar cheese

Baby Steps

1.      Cook rice according to package directions leaving out the salt and set aside.

2.      Peel and chop carrots into small pieces and place in steamer set over boiling water.  Cover and cook for 10 mins.

3.      Clean and chop broccoli and then add to carrots once the first 10 mins of cooking is complete and continue to cook for another 8 mins.

4.      Add peas to steamer and cook for 5 more mins.

5.      To make cheese sauce, melt butter in large sauce pan over medium heat.

6.      Add flour and stir with a spatula until it makes a smooth paste, approx. 1 min.

7.      Add milk to paste, increase heat to medium/high and stir and cook until lumps are gone and milk begins to thicken, approx. 3 mins.

8.      Add grated cheese and continue to stir until melted and well combined.

9.      Remove steamed veggies from pot and transfer to a bowl to use hand held blender to pulse a few times breaking veggies into tiny pieces.

10.  Add rice to veggies and pour in cheese sauce and stir together until well combined.

11.  Let cool for a few minutes then transfer some into freezing trays to be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months, and some to a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes – Approx. 12 servings

I wonder if the pain of a tooth forcing itself in is as bad as someone forcing one out?  Just another reason why I wish babies could talk.

First Glance

It takes time to get to know someone long enough to almost forget how you had them pegged at first, second or third glance.  Like the new quiet and sad eyed co-worker who turns out to be your greatest confidant…or the new seemingly polar opposite from you kid in school who turns out to be your best friend…or the new little mysterious human you bring home from the hospital who turns out to be the love of your life.
First encounters are such a universal mystery.  If you think back to when you first met all the special people in your life, and what your perceptions of them were at the time, I bet 9 times out of 10 you were way off and 10 times out of 10 you will laugh at your inaccuracy.

When you bring that new born baby home and look into their eyes, (or at their closed eyes because unless you have x-ray vision you can’t look into their eyes until they are able to open them) a million thoughts stream through of what type of person you imagine they are going to be when they grow up.  It’s exciting and daunting at the same time to admit you have a hand in, if not ultimate control of, moulding this person into one of the greatest ever made.  You might as well aim high at the start then alter your target with every “D” average report card that comes home. J

As you ponder the super human your little one will transform in to, you can start them off on the right healthy track with some fresh homemade baby food purees.  Today’s is a sweet fruit puree for those Solid Food Intermediates out there of 8 months+.  This recipe includes apples, mangoes and strawberries.  Although apples and mangoes are safe to offer baby at 6 months, you should hold off on strawberries until 8 months.  Strawberries have a higher potential of causing an allergic reaction and babies are better equipped to handle such reactions at 8 months.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

 Apple-Berry-Mango Puree

Age – 8 months +

 

Ingredients

·         2 ripe mangoes

·         1 apple (a sweet variety like Golden Delicious or Gala rather than tart like Granny Smith or baby’s face will turn inside out…may be entertaining for you, but not fun for baby)

·         1 cup of chopped strawberries

·         Yes, that’s it

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and chop apple into small chunks and set aside.

2.      Peel and chop mango into small chunks and set aside.  If you’re not familiar with the anatomy of a mango, check my earlier post, “Sunny Side of Grey” for tips on how to peel and chop them.

3.      Rinse and take green stems off of strawberries and chop into small chunks and set aside.

4.      Add all fruit and 3 tbsps. of water to a medium saucepan, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until fruit is tender, approx. 12 minutes.

5.      Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

6.      Transfer to a food processor, blender or bowl to use a hand held blender to puree to a smooth consistency.

7.      Let cool for a few minutes then transfer to freezing trays in the freezer to be used within 3 months, and some to a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes – Approx. 11 Servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

 No matter what you imagine your little one will be like when they grow up, you can be sure the constant love and care you offer them along the way will come back to you when they are old enough to realise how awful they were to you in their teenage years.

Window Seat

Life is getting in the way.  I’m feeling hard pressed to find balance between blog, book, work, home and fun so I’m afraid I’ve been neglecting my blog duties.  Although I want to get back to this, I find I’m stuck for content today.  Stuck like a full bladdered airline passenger sitting in the window seat with the aisles seat owner fast asleep with tray down beholding a full glass of complementary airline soda.  Stuck.  I think I’ve been travelling too much.  I need that aisles seat…on the plane and in life in general.

I’m going to give myself a blog content break today and give you a sneak peak of an excerpt from the baby food cook book I’m writing.  Let me know if you think I’m on the right track, wrong track or window seat.

Here goes…

Let’s Eat!!

What’s on the Menu Mama?

It’s intimidating to bring a baby into the world, nurture and take care of them to make sure they don’t break.  At first we have only one form of sustenance to consider, breast milk or baby formula.  Once you wrap your head around that and get into a feeding rhythm guided by your baby’s non-verbal, yet fairly obvious pleas, you start to feel a bit more comfortable.  Then just as all the feeding stars align, it’s time to introduce solid foods and you start to worry about how much is too much, how much of each type of food should be offered, and when will I have time to visit the spa?
Rest easy, because at introduction, solid foods simply serve as a teeny appetizer to baby’s main meal of breast milk or formula.  Then they gradually get upgraded to side dish status, and finally the main event after baby turns around 12 months old.  So lucky for us there’s time to hone in on our baby food making skills along this long and winding feeding road.

I used to arduously consult baby “daily recommended” food charts when I was first introducing solids to my baby if only to gain confidence that I could follow instructions…and feed baby the appropriate amount of food I suppose.  I trusted the authors actually had babies, but if they didn’t, it would have been odd of them to recommend how much they should be eating.  If I was a baby and someone was recommending how much I should be eating, I would want to make sure they had someone just my size in their lives to use as a consultant. 

Regardless, the charts would always act as a nice guide to keep my heart palpitations in check at the thought of giving baby too much food too fast.  I recall reading simple charts, and charts incorporating enough information to map out a plan to launch baby to the moon.  I found the basic charts served us best.  Besides, baby will give you cues if they’ve had too much to eat so if you trust in your baby and use the guide as a starting point for introductions and suggested quantities, you will be well on your way to having a happy and healthy baby.  So a simple guide is what you shall receive…at the end of this chapter.

Mama, I’m Full!

Baby’s appetite is self-regulating.  If they seem to be eating a lot at one point in time, it’s probably because they need it at that time.  Reversely, if they don’t seem to be eating as much as you would like, don’t fret because they probably just don’t need it at that moment in time.  As long as you continue to offer your baby healthy, age appropriate foods, at regular intervals, you can use their cue of turning away as a hint that they are full and have had enough for that feeding session.  I know the “chart” we’re consulting may say that Billy needs to eat 2 tbsps. of green beans right now, but honestly, the chart would only work the same for every baby if every baby were the same…tiny little robot babies, all with the same appetite.

It’s not a great idea to force an uninterested baby to eat either.  If they turn away, essentially telling you they are full and done, respect their wishes.  If you continue to force them to eat that last bite in an effort to make sure they are getting enough, that could translate later in life to a tendency to always finish their plate no matter how much is on there or how full they are.  Maybe that’s why I force those last few bites of lasagne down even when I feel stuffed like a turkey? 

If baby repeatedly turns away from food and you are really concerned, keep a list of everything you are offering and how much they are taking in over a few days or weekly period and bring to your baby’s doctor to discuss.

There will always be certain foods that your baby doesn’t seem to like, but don’t throw them into the stratosphere never to be offered again.  Instead put the culprit away for a while and then re-introduce it a few days later.  Babies are fickle…some days they’re in love with a food and other days they seem to hate it.

Until baby is about 10 months old, they will probably be eating small portions throughout the day rather than living in a “3 meals a day” type scenario.  Once baby starts eating those larger 3 meals, try not to offer too many snacks or juice too close to meal time otherwise they may not feel hungry enough to eat their main meal which is the source of that proper nutrition you intended.

The Simple Baby Meal Plan Chart

So now that we’re well versed in knowing when baby is hungry, full or fickle, here is The Simple Baby Meal Plan Chart (“simple” as in the meal plan, not the baby) as promised.  This information is a compilation of details learned from baby food nutrition books and guides I’ve studied, all of which are outlined in the references section of this book, and what I’ve learned by having a real live baby myself.

 

There you have it.  Sorry, you will have to buy the book when it comes out in the next decade or two to get the chart. J

To Infinity and To Bed

Halloween is neither just around the corner, nor just passed.  It’s not even a blip on the radar and yet I have a boy who wants to wear his costume bought specifically for All Hallows’ Eve months ago, around the house now and even to bed.

I suppose it’s understandable that toddlers would want to transform into their favourite super hero or heroine whenever the mood strikes. How empowering to take on the super human powers that surface with the costume’s final fastening.  With it, holds the power to counter day to day crime like their parents making them use the potty, and combat threats against humanity like the same parents making them brush their teeth not once, but twice a day!?!

I’m willing to bet a lot of adults would love to morph into a super hero on a dime as well.  Too bad it would seem more deplorable than adorable if a grown man ran around their metropolis in red or blue spandex.  Quite the Marvel indeed.

O.K. tangent complete; let’s get back to some baby food recipes.  Today’s feature is a root veggie mash which is perfect for the Solid Food Apprentice of 6 months + who have already mastered the taste of the three ingredients on their own, and are now ready to try some interesting combinations.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Root Veggie Mash Up

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         2 cups chopped rutabaga

·         1 ½ cups chopped carrots

·         2 cups chopped potatoes

·         1 tbsp. butter

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and chop veggies.  Add carrots to a steamer set over boiling water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

2.      Add the rest of the veggies to steamer and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until tender.

3.      Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes then transfer to a blender, food processor or bowl to use hand held blender.

4.      Add butter and ¼ cup of the cooking water to the veggies and puree to a smooth consistency.  You can add more cooking water a tbsp. at a time if you want the puree to be thinner.

5.      Let cool then transfer to freezing trays in the freezer to be used within 3 months, and some to a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes – Approx. 13 Servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Note:  This is a great side dish for the whole family as well.  Just puree the family’s portion a little less and add a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

 Now if my dog was interested in dressing like a chicken on a regular basis I may start to worry, but for Carter, I think we can handle this cute phase.

 

Baby New Year

If you, like me, think time flies too fast when you have kids, thank your lucky stars your tot wasn’t this year’s Baby New Year.  If so, December 31 would find him elderly and decrepit like his associate Father Time, or so the most common “Baby New Year” myth goes.  From new born to old man in one year?  What age would that make his parents at December 31^st?  An archaeologist’s jackpot excavation find perhaps?

The new year babe is most commonly depicted as a baby boy wearing nothing but a diaper, top hat and sash noting the year of his reign.  Picture the Miss America talent competition but with baby boys and years instead of big hair and states.

The old December 31^st. baby then passes the torch to the brand new baby of the next year signifying the rebirth of a new year and the passing of the old and bored one.

 

It’s also a time when people make resolutions to better themselves and start anew.  Although I haven’t really asked my kids what their 2013 resolutions are yet, if I were to imagine, I think they would go something like this…

 

 

And my resolution for 2013 is to buckle down and get this baby food cook book written!

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Green Beans & Carrot Combo

 

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         2 large carrots chopped

·         1 ½ cups chopped green beans

·         1 tbsp. of butter

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and chop carrots and place in steamer set over boiling water.  Cook for 10 mins.

2.      Clean and trim stem ends off of green beans and chop into thirds.

3.      Add green beans to carrots in steamer pot and continue to cook another 8 minutes or until veggies are tender.

4.      Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

5.      Transfer veggies to a food processor, blender or bowl to use hand held blender to puree.  Add the butter and 3 tbsps. of the cooking water used to steam the veggies. Puree to a smooth consistency.

6.      Transfer puree to freezing trays and put in the freezer to be used within 3 months, along with some in a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes – Approx. 10 Servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Happy New Year to one and all and thanks for reading!!!  Maybe we can uncover a secret to keeping 2013’s Baby New Year younger for longer and in turn grant us some more luxurious time this year?  Let’s offer him up a Smartie every day that he doesn’t age.  That may do the trick.

I Made it Myself

 

Tis the season for…

Cutting an inch off the bottom of a hardy real Christmas tree to ensure the mighty green giant’s thirst is quenched with water, while our’s is quenched with eggnog.

 

Finding glitter in all the wrong places courtesy of glitter flocked greetings from loved ones, friends and co-workers.  Expect to find the fairy dust on the kitchen table, passenger car seat, bath tub, dog’s bed, and baby’s pacifier.

 

Receiving those cherished homemade ornaments from the kids and watching their excitement as they trim the tree with their precious craft.  We have 10 year old toddler do-it-yourself ornaments still making their way back onto the tree year after year courtesy of my older boy Eric.  How the popcorn garland continues to stay together through all the set up and take down ceremonies is a mystery to me.  It’s a Christmas miracle. 

I remember one year I made the most hideous grey corduroy heart shaped ornament for my parents using left over fabric that I had on hand from the equally hideous grey corduroy drawstring tote I made in home economics class.  I added a heartfelt sentiment in silver glitter, and a hanging string to ensure it’s annual placement on the lucky bough of our family Christmas tree.  I know they probably thought it was an eye sore, but somehow it continued to make it’s cameo on our tree year after year.  Thanks Mom and Dad.  Now I know why.

 

Tis always the season for making baby food.  Today’s recipe is an easy cottage cheese and berries concoction that your older baby of 8 months+ can enjoy once you know they don’t have any dairy sensitivities.  Cultured cheeses and cheeses made from pasteurized milk such as cottage cheese, ricotta, cream cheese and hard cheeses such as cheddar and parmesan are your safest choices when introducing your baby to cheese.  Stay away from other varieties that are made with raw milk such as brie, feta and blue cheese as these “soft” cheeses may carry bacteria called listeria.  For more info. about introducing cheese into your babies diet see the Wholesome Baby Food website.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Sweet Berry Dream

 

Age – 8 months +

Ingredients

·         1 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries (greens removed)

·         ½ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

·         1 tbsp. of cottage cheese at serving time

Baby Steps

1.      Add strawberries and blueberries to small sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat stirring often until tender and juicy, approx. 8 minutes if using frozen berries and 5 minutes if using fresh.

2.      Remove from heat and transfer to bowl to use hand held blender to puree.

3.      At serving time add 1 tbsp. of the berry mixture to 1 tbsp. of the cottage cheese.

4.      Stir together, serve, and watch baby’s face light up with glee.

Note:  Berry puree can be stored in the fridge for up to 48hrs.  It can also be frozen, so if you plan on freezing it then make double or triple this recipe and freeze in freezing trays to be used within 3 months.

Makes – Approx. 9 servings of berry puree

 

From my family to your’s, I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday season filled with family, friends and all of your favourite things.  Including the most hideous hand crafted ornament from your little one that is actually the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.  Kind of like E.T.

March Forward

I must say it’s challenging to stay on the ball and inspired on my journey of writing a baby food cook book in my spare time.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, “I don’t have any spare time”.  Yet somehow each week my second thoughts and negative energy are mercilessly defeated in the nick of time by a feeling of “you can/must do this”.  Sometimes it’s as simple as an episode of Survivor or an encouraging word from friends and family that set me back on track.  If they can sit on an island trying to get along with perfect strangers while being eaten alive by bugs, eating nothing but rice and the occasional reward feast, I think I can strive to write my book.  And the Survivor contestants have it rough too.

Last night my “nick of time” revelation came to me in the form of a cough drop.  A little unconventional perhaps, but soothing just the same.  I was coughing up a storm at around midnight while desperately trying to get to sleep.  I stumbled downstairs and dug through my purse in hopes of scoring a throat lozenge in the hidden depths of the pouch.  I found 2!  The overhead stove light in the kitchen grazed the wrapper just enough to reveal some cryptic messaging.  These words went above and beyond the typical branding of “Halls” one might expect…

 

There were inspirational messages all over these babies…”You’re tougher than you think”…yes, I am! “Bet on yourself”…you know it! “March Forward”…I will!  So I popped the drop and fell asleep with thoughts of taking on the world in the morning.  Whatever keeps me going I guess. 

Ready…Set…Evolve…

ABC’s and 1,2, Cheese (and Tomato)Sauce

Age – 8 months +

Ingredients

·         1 cup alphabet pasta

·         3 tomatoes

·         ½ tsp. dried basil, or 3 fresh basil leaves chopped

·         ½ cup of chopped onion

·         ¼ cup of homemade or low sodium store bought chicken broth

·         1 ½ tbsps. of butter

·         1 tbsp. flour

·         1 ½ cups of milk

·         ¾ cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Baby Steps

1.      Chop onion and set aside.

2.      Peel, seed and chop tomatoes using the boiling water method.

3.      Add ½ tbsp. of butter to medium sized pan over medium/high heat and allow to melt.  Add onions and cook until translucent, approx. 5 minutes.

4.      Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes and basil to onions and continue to cook for a couple of minutes until tender.

5.      Add chicken broth to tomato mixture, bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat.

6.      Boil water to cook pasta according to package directions but leave out the salt.  Cook, drain and set aside in large bowl.

7.      To make cheese sauce, melt 1 tbsp. of butter in medium sized pan over medium heat.

8.      Add flour to butter and stir with spatula until it forms a smooth paste.

9.      Add in milk, stir and raise the heat to medium high.  Continue to stir and cook until it has a thicker, smooth texture and is lump free, approx. 5 minutes.

10.  Add in cheddar cheese and stir until melted through.

11.  Remove tomato mixture from heat and transfer to a bowl and puree with hand held blender.

12.  Add tomato sauce to cheese sauce and combine well.

13.  Remove from heat and add tomato cheese sauce to pasta in bowl and stir together well.

14.  Let cool then transfer to freezing trays in the freezer to be used within 3 months and some to a food storage container in the fridge to be used within 48 hours.

Makes – Approx. 16 servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

 Feeling a little down on yourself?  Mentholyptus to the rescue!