Spice it Up

WHY
Baby food does not have to be bland. Spices are a great way to make food more interesting and flavorful. Consider that early introduction of spices also help you avoid using salt or sugar in any of your kid(s)’ foods. This is something I’m working on for myself and am learning lots about yummy spices in my family’s foods.

WHEN
As always, you should ask your pediatrician, but it seems that most don’t recommend adding spices until at least 8 months old. Some of this may be due to allergic reactions, but most often it is to avoid stomach upsets. However, parents in other countries often introduce spices much earlier. As with new foods, follow the 3-5 day wait period to watch for any reactions.

WHAT

• anise 
• cinnamon
• curry powder (but watch Baby carefully, as some babies have reactions) 
• basil
• dill
• garlic powder 
• ginger
• lemon zest
• mint 
• nutmeg
• orange zest
• oregano 
• pepper
• rosemary
• vanilla (alcohol-free) 
• Remember that you should not add salt to your baby’s food.

SOME COMBINATION OPTIONS

• apples and cinnamon
• pears and nutmeg
• carrots and nutmeg
• sweet potatoes and nutmeg and/or cinamon
• peas and garlic powder
• green beans and pepper
• brown rice or other whole grains and basil and/or rosemary

Please share your thoughts and ideas.
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Tags: spices

Crock Pot Basic Recipes

Since my recent discovery and first batch of apples with my crock pot, I decided to make a few more things. These are basics and could be prepared and pureed for younger babies or left in pieces like i did for older babies and toddlers. I have also included my recipe for apples here for easy reference.

Crock Pot Apples
Mix together the following ingredients. Slow cook the following on high for 2-2.5 hours.

• 7 organic gala apples, peeled, cored, and cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla.

Crock Pot Carrots
Mix together the following ingredients. Slow cook the following on high for 2.5-3 hours.

• 2 cups water
• 3 lb organic peeled carrots, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Crock Pot Pears
Mix together the following ingredients. Slow cook the following on high for 2-2.5 hours.

• 5 organic pears, peeled, cored, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp all spice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

TIPS

• Make large batches and freeze extras in single serving containers. Thaw as you need them. I use glass containers with lids and put them in labeled freezer bags.
• I buy the bagged carrots that are already trimmed and peeled to save time.
• Only include spices for age-appropriate babies, but be creative and change it up as you go.
• Keep your pieces age-appropriate and consistent for even cooking.
• Use the high setting on your crock pot for faster batches, but keep an eye on it for over cooking. Note that the amounts and times above worked in my large 6.5-quart slow cooker.
• Need a crock pot?

Please share your thoughts and ideas.
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Tags: Crock pot, recipe, spices

WEEK 03: Popeye the Sailor Man

spicesWe added spinach this week and various spices. Spices make food preparation fun and I can see the boys getting closer to eating the foods we do. I have added cinnamon to cereal and apples for a while now, but just this week included nutmeg and garlic powder.

FOOD DESCRIPTION
I made a batch of bulk foods this week. The only new food was spinach, but I also made carrots and white potatoes. I made all of my food one night after the boys went to bed and was able to complete about 2 weeks worth of food in only a few hours.

PROCESS

• Carrots I bought these already peeled in a bag. Then, rinsed and cut into small pieces. I had quite a few this time, so I used my large stock pot with steamer insert to steam them for about 20-30 minutes. I cooked them a little longer than usual (avoid overcooking vegetables to retain as many vitamins and minerals as possible) because I wanted to save a few small pieces to try for finger foods. Once fully cooked, I added fresh water (don’t use the cooked water from carrots to avoid nitrites) and pureed in the blender with a few dashes of nutmeg. I froze these in a few 4oz. and 8oz. bowls which I then placed inside freezer bags.
• White Potatoes I bought a bag of organic russet potatoes. Preparation only involved rinsing and cubing all potatoes. Then, I boiled them (as you would to make mashed potatoes). Instead of using the blender (this tends to make potatoes rubbery, but I did do this earlier on to get a smoother consistency), I mashed them by hand with whole milk and froze in bowls.
• Spinach I bought frozen organic chopped spinach in a bag. Since there was only a small amount, I used my Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker. I mentioned this in my post about getting started and my suggested tools. We do not own a food processor, so I felt I needed this additional tool before I started making babyfood. I compared and debated on buying a small food processor or this baby food maker and ultimately decide on the Beaba. I’m not much of a kitchen gadget person and had a hard time making this decision. I have an old blender from my mom’s work lost-and-found bin, an old hand mixer from college and don’t have a stand mixer or food processor. If you do have a food processor, then I wouldn’t suggest buying any other tools. But, if you don’t, then I think the Beaba Babycook is a great buy! My only negative is that it doesn’t make much food at a time. But, it is super easy to operate and a cinch to clean, which is a plus! Since there was no preparation necessary, I just put the spinach in the basket with the appropriate amount of water in the reservoir, turned on the machine and let it cook. Once it finished cooking, I transferred the cooked spinach from the basket to the cup and pureed it quickly. I then added some garlic powder and mixed together with a spoon. I stored in a bowl in the refrigerator for immediate use.

WHAT I LEARNED
There are a few things to note with this week’s preparation.

1. I am starting to freeze more in individual containers because of the quantity of food the boys are eating now. The food cubes from ice cube trays are great to start with, but they are only 1 oz. Since, you have to fill them all and freeze overnight, then release and store in bags, this is a longer process than just filling a bowl to freeze immediately. The boys are eating 3-4 oz. of vegetables at lunch and dinner so these bowls work perfectly to thaw overnight for the next day.
2. As I mentioned in WEEK 01, I’m making the boys food chunkier and they’re doing great with it. However, my potatoes were way too much for them to handle. I thought leaving the skins on the potatoes would be a nice addition as the skins are nutritive and I enjoy this type of mashed potato. But, the skins were just too big and didn’t mash small enough. So, every time I feed from these bowls, I’m having to pick through the skins. Don’t make this mistake.

REACTION
The boys liked the addition of the nutmeg to the carrots and LOVED the spinach with garlic powder. My husband did mention that night that they did have bad breath. I admit that I may have overdone it a little on the garlic.

SUMMARY
This week was another success, even with the learning experience from the white potatoes. My husband did mention the night the boys had the spinach that they did have bad breath. I admit that I may have overdone it a little on the garlic, but I’m a garlic lover. This is where I would say to make sure you are feeding your baby what you like. You want them to learn the tastes that you enjoy and will be preparing for family meals in the future.

With the addition of spinach, I have to admit that I just can’t the theme song to “Popeye” out of my head. Where is that cartoon anyway. It seems like so many of the old good ones have come back, but I haven’t seen this sailor pop back up.

Please share your thoughts or ideas.
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Tags: bowls, spices, tools, vegetable, weekly