If at first you don't succeed...

With certain foods that I have introduced to Madeline, I have done a lot of research before they end up on her spoon. Recently I decided she was ready to try eggs. I had read that she could have them as part of her new 8-10 month expanded list of food offerings but was really nervous about it because they are one of the primary causes of food allergies. And, though I have yet to see Madeline display any true allergic symptoms to a food or anything else, I did not want this to be the one to make her go into anaphylactic shock. So I did my due diligence.

I learned that babies under one can eat egg yolks but not the whites - that allergic reactions to the yolk are actually very rare. Also, I learned that you should rinse off the outside of an egg before you crack it because it probably has all kind of bacteria on it, but not until you are actually ready to crack it because it has something called the "bloom" on the outside of the egg. (To summarize from Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron, the bloom is a natural coating that seals the pores of the egg and keeps bacteria from getting inside. Who knew!) To take it one step further, various websites and books advised me not to use the shell to separate the egg from the white but rather an egg separator lest there be some remaining bacteria on the outside of the egg post rinsing.

Now that I had gathered all of my information I was ready to make Madeline her first omelet. I carefully rinsed the egg - need I even mention at this point it was free range, organic and enhanced with DHA. I decided the rinsing was probably sufficient (and I do not own an egg separator), so I divided yolk from white by the trusty back and forth shell method I have always used, careful to remove any traces of white, and beat the yolk with a fork. I poured a little olive oil into my 8" frying pan, which is the smallest one I own but suddenly seemed ginormous, and gently heated it over a medium low flame. I added the one little yolk and watched as it solidified into a tiny omelet. I sprinkled it with just the scantest trace of salt and felt very proud looking at what I had made for my daughter. Next I chopped it up into baby bite-sized pieces and arranged it in a small ceramic dish.

Madeline was already in her high chair, happily mouthing the wrong end of her sippy cup as water dripped out the tip onto her onesie. With some resistance I got the sippy cup away from her and said "Madeline, look! I have something new for you to try!" She gave the eggs the once over and waited as I got a little piece on the spoon. "Okey dokey, here we go!" I gave her a tiny bite. She looked puzzled but seemed to swallow it. I gave her another. Things seemed to be going alright. As I went to give her a third bite I noticed that she still had the first two pieces in her mouth. I decided I should give her a second to process and hopefully to eat them. I waited and the pieces of egg dribbled out. I tried to shove them back in thinking this must be a misunderstanding. How could she not adore this new offering that I had carefully and lovingly prepared for her? But her little jaw was clenched tight. I have read that one might have to offer a new food to a baby on up to 15 separate occasions before she likes it but Madeline has seemed to always fall in love at first bite (OK, maybe second or third). This had never happened before with a food that I had made for her and I wasn't really prepared for it. I cleared away the remaining egg and mixed up some blueberry, cherry, applesauce with cereal, which has become a recent favorite. Happily, Madeline leaned forward awaiting the spoon.

Blueberry, Cherry, Applesauce

1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries
1/2 cup frozen cherries - they did not have organic at TJ's
1 cup organic applesauce

puree in food processor adding a little water if needed to achieve desired texture

makes 4 - 2 oz baby cubes

I can't believe Madeline likes it!?!

I had done some research on how to prepare eggplant for Madeline but I did not realize this was going to be my biggest challenge so far. Wholesome Baby Food recommended steaming it but I had a feeling that wouldn't turn out well. I imagined the results to be mucousy and unappetizing. So, I decided I would bake the eggplant the way I remembered my dad doing it when he prepares baba ganouj. You take the eggplant, poke it all over with a knife and bake it in the oven at 425 until it is cooked through and collapses, about 35 minutes. Then, let the eggplant cool down for a bit so that you can handle it.

I got to this point, cut it and half, and was faced with A LOT of seeds. They were small enough that they probably weren't going to hurt her but I decided not to chance it. So, I got out my mesh colander and pressed the flesh through trying to keep out as many seeds as possible. It was kind of a pain in the ass but there was no way Madeline was not going to try this new food.

Texturally this was turning out much as I had imagined the steamed eggplant would - slimy looking mush. I pureed it in my mini-chopper with a tablespoon of olive oil, and a scant sprinkling of sea salt, and tasted it. Yup, texturally akin to snot. But it tasted like delicious, roasted eggplant. I was conflicted. Should I serve this to my child?

A few minutes later I had Madeline in her high chair. I figured I would give her a tiny taste and if she hated it I would not hold it against her. She took a bite and made a face. I said to her "Oh, you don't like this do you? Do you want something else?" But she was not giving up as quickly as I was. When Madeline really likes something she leans in to get closer to the spoon. And there she was, leaning in ready for the next bite. I was impressed. Within a couple minutes she had happily polished off her first serving of eggplant.

Roasted Eggplant

2 whole globe eggplants
1 tbsp of olive oil
a tiny pinch of salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 425
Poke eggplants all over with a knife
lay on a baking sheet and roast until soft and collapsed, about 35 minutes
let cool until able to handle and then cut in half and scoop out flesh
If there are a lot seed of run flesh through a food mill or press through a mesh colander to remove them
puree in food processor or blender with olive oil and salt, if desired

Trip to the farmer's market

Despite everyone in our household coming down with colds, Madeline and I dragged ourselves to the Farmer's Market on Sunday because it's our one opportunity to get really good produce all week. I had been planning to take lots of pictures of the fruits and veggies of the season and of Madeline and me cruising the market scene. But by the time we got there, due to my post-nasal fog, I just wanted to get my goods and be done with it.

Going into the market, I had big plans for Madeline's palate. As I wrote previously, the list of fruits and veggies that she can eat now that she has hit 8 months has greatly expanded. Two things that I was excited for her to try were eggplant and melon. Eggplant, because when you think of baby food who thinks of eggplant? And melon because I was sure she would love it. I was able to score both plus a lovely array stone fruits, some freshly picked carrots, and other more grown up fruits and veggies not yet for her consumption.

Here are some pictures of this weeks bounty:

What Madeline Likes These Days

Madeline, being kind of new to this whole food thing, is somewhat limited in what she can eat. And, as I have said, so far, making food for her has been pretty simple. I take a large batch of whatever fruit or veggie I am making, cook it or don't according to the directions on the wholesome baby food site and puree it to a smooth consistency. That's it. Voila! It is that easy. I probably sound like an infomercial but that is really all there is to it. When I want to get really fancy I take multiple fruits or vegetables and...puree them together.

Vying for the top spot for favorite veggies are peas and sweet potatoes. She is not such a fan of green beans but is affable toward all the other ones we have tried. She has yet to meet a fruit that she doesn't like. Her current favorites are a tie between a banana prune combo and blueberry mango applesauce puree. Both of them are pretty delicious. The former she likes mixed with oatmeal or on its own and the latter tastes like smoothie and I have a hard time not eating it.

Banana Prune Puree

1 banana
4 prunes

soak the prunes in hot water until they are soft, about 10 or 15 minutes
puree the prunes and banana together in the blender or food processor, adding a little soaking liquid from the prunes until you achieve the consistency you desire

makes about 8 oz of puree or 4 - 2 oz Baby Cubes


Blueberry Mango Applesauce Puree

2 cups frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened organic applesauce

puree all the ingredients in the blender adding a little water or diluted apple juice if needed to achieve a smooth consistency

makes about 8 oz of puree or 4 - 2 oz Baby Cubes

The adventure thus far...

Before Madeline was born I had several fantasies about what life was going to be like with a new baby. Most of them, for some reason, included me wearing her in a sling while she slept peacefully and I went about my day-to-day life much as it had been before plus a new, real-life accessory. These fantasies were quickly shattered when, as a newborn she barely tolerated said sling for a brief period, and then went to flat out hating it.

One of the few notions that has worked out is that of making my own baby food. As it turns out, making baby food, once you get the hang of it, is actually easier than it was in pre-motherhood fantasy land.

Before I started this project I was not sure what I was getting into. Did I need to buy special equipment? How was I going to know that I had achieved the right texture of puree so that I did not accidentally choke my baby? How was I going to know what to feed her if there was not a number on a jar telling me that this was what I was supposed to be giving her?

The day Madeline turned 6 months old was one that I had been waiting for in anticipation because it meant that I could actually start on the solid food journey. Being a good, Neo-Earth Mama or whatever you call my kind, I had done my damnedest not to let a drop of anything but pure mother's milk pass through her lips before this day. Now it was here and I could give her...rice cereal. Not as exciting as it sounds. Ignoring the advice of websites and baby books I did not wait the requisite three days between trying a new food lest my daughter have food allergies. I figured if she did not break out in hives or have facial swelling within the first few minutes of trying something she was probably going to be OK. Obviously, I am not a pediatrician, so do not take my advice on this. We tried bananas, sweet potatoes, and applesauce all in the course of a week. She loved all of these foods! It was so much fun to feed her and hear her "mmm" with pleasure as she experienced each new flavor for the first time. I had read that some babies took a little while to get used to the physical act of eating, not sure of what to make of the food being put in their mouths. But not Madeline. She has loved solid food from the get-go, her mouth grabbing each bite from her BPA free spoon with a decisive chomp.

Unfortunately, the combination of the bananas, rice and applesauce created a kind of a cement in her poor little intestines. I took drastic measures and majorly dialed back the solids and put her on a prune and prune juice diet. It took close to a week for her to get things back on track. But I hadn't choked her due to improperly textured puree and I had managed to prepare food for her using either my trusty Cuisinart or my Braun hand blender with mini-chopper attachment rather than the $150 Beaba Babycook sold exclusively at William-Sonoma that I was not sure how I was going to live without. Everything was going to be alright.

Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali discuss baby food

I love this short of Bourdain and Batali talking about what they feed their babies:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/01/chewing-the-fat-batali-and-bourdain-on-baby-food.html

Welcome to Madeline Likes It!

I am a new mom who is navigating the world of what to feed my baby. I have been making her food, mostly fresh, organic fruits and vegetables from our local farmer's market, since she started solids at 6 months. But because it is fast, cheap, easy and still tasty I have also used frozen fruits and veggies. I taste everything I make for her and if it doesn't taste good to me I don't serve it to her. She is only 8 months old and the variety of foods she can eat has just recently expanded to include many more interesting fruits and veggies but not yet meat, or dairy.
I have mostly been using this website http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
as a guide for what foods to introduce and when to introduce them. It has been a joy for me to see Madeline's excitement every time she eats a food that she likes. And she definitely lets you know when she likes something! Foods that she thinks are delicious are followed by a "mmmm, mmmm, mmmm" after every bite. Foods that she does not like get the "what is this crap you are serving me?" face. There have not been many foods that she has not liked so far. We are just beginning this whole eating adventure and it is my hypothesis that if I start her off now with good, healthy, fresh food it will translate to a life-long love.