She was born on Saturday, August 29, weighing in at 6 pounds 15 ounces and 21 1/4" long. We are completely smitten.
So today I'm not cooking, just snuggling. In that spirit, let's order some pizza!
Erin
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Friday, September 4, 2015
Meet Elaine
For the past nine months I've been cooking up something besides hot dinner. Today I'm thrilled to introduce you to the newest addition to our happy home, my daughter Elaine.
She was born on Saturday, August 29, weighing in at 6 pounds 15 ounces and 21 1/4" long. We are completely smitten.
So today I'm not cooking, just snuggling. In that spirit, let's order some pizza!
Erin
She was born on Saturday, August 29, weighing in at 6 pounds 15 ounces and 21 1/4" long. We are completely smitten.
So today I'm not cooking, just snuggling. In that spirit, let's order some pizza!
Erin
Monday, May 13, 2013
Sweet Potato & Chicken Baby Food
My son, Danny, is 7 months old, and he eats food. Let me tell you, there's not much more adorable than a baby schmeared with his dinner. Melt my heart.
Some of the time, I make Danny's baby food. And before I go on, pay very careful attention to this next statement: If you choose to feed your baby food from a jar, don't feel guilty about it. Hear me? This is an order: DO NOT FEEL GUILTY. There are ridiculous standards for moms and dads these days...Make your baby's food from vegetables you grew in your all-organic backyard garden! Plan a $40,000 first birthday party with DIY balloon banners! Paint a storybook mural in baby's nursery! Sew your baby's clothes and matching hair accessories! I make Danny's food because I enjoy being in the kitchen; it's fun for me. If it's not fun for you, then don't do it. End of story.
If you do want to give baby food a whirl, start with something simple. Like a banana. Here's how you make it: 1.) Buy a ripe banana. 2.) Peel banana. 3.) Mash banana with a fork. Done. Same with avocado. Just moosh it up and feed it to your kid. Get more adventurous with sweet potatoes. This one is slightly more complicated because it requires actual cooking. Pierce a sweet potato with a fork so it doesn't explode, then microwave it for 10ish minutes until it's soft. Peel the sweet potato then mash it with a fork.
When it was time to introduce Danny to meat, it wasn't quite as simple. The idea of pureeing meat in the blender grossed me out. I figured I'd disguise the blended meat with another vegetable that Danny already liked to trick both of us into thinking pureed chicken wasn't weird. And it worked! If your kid doesn't like sweet potatoes, try it with carrots or parsnips or squash. I bet it would be just as delicious.
Also, I should mention that I don't have a super-power blender. So at our house, Sweet Potato & Chicken Baby Food has very, very tiny bits of chicken in it. This bit of texture doesn't bother Danny at all, but keep your eyes peeled for that when you make it. We don't want anyone to choke.
Let's make baby food!
--Erin
Sweet Potato & Chicken Baby Food
2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2" chunks
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
2 cups water
Place chicken and sweet potato in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Once the chicken and sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, place them in a blender. (You don't want to over-fill the blender, so you might need to do this in batches.) Add some of the cooking liquid so you can easily blend into a smooth mixture. Turn on the blender and whiz everything together. You may need to stop and stir a couple times or add more cooking liquid until it's smooth. (I ended up using all the cooking liquid.)
Allow baby food to cool completely in the fridge. Spoon it into ice cube trays and then freeze until solid. Place the baby food ice cubes in a plastic freezer bag that you've labeled with the date and type of food. Defrost baby food as needed for meals.
Some of the time, I make Danny's baby food. And before I go on, pay very careful attention to this next statement: If you choose to feed your baby food from a jar, don't feel guilty about it. Hear me? This is an order: DO NOT FEEL GUILTY. There are ridiculous standards for moms and dads these days...Make your baby's food from vegetables you grew in your all-organic backyard garden! Plan a $40,000 first birthday party with DIY balloon banners! Paint a storybook mural in baby's nursery! Sew your baby's clothes and matching hair accessories! I make Danny's food because I enjoy being in the kitchen; it's fun for me. If it's not fun for you, then don't do it. End of story.
If you do want to give baby food a whirl, start with something simple. Like a banana. Here's how you make it: 1.) Buy a ripe banana. 2.) Peel banana. 3.) Mash banana with a fork. Done. Same with avocado. Just moosh it up and feed it to your kid. Get more adventurous with sweet potatoes. This one is slightly more complicated because it requires actual cooking. Pierce a sweet potato with a fork so it doesn't explode, then microwave it for 10ish minutes until it's soft. Peel the sweet potato then mash it with a fork.
When it was time to introduce Danny to meat, it wasn't quite as simple. The idea of pureeing meat in the blender grossed me out. I figured I'd disguise the blended meat with another vegetable that Danny already liked to trick both of us into thinking pureed chicken wasn't weird. And it worked! If your kid doesn't like sweet potatoes, try it with carrots or parsnips or squash. I bet it would be just as delicious.
Also, I should mention that I don't have a super-power blender. So at our house, Sweet Potato & Chicken Baby Food has very, very tiny bits of chicken in it. This bit of texture doesn't bother Danny at all, but keep your eyes peeled for that when you make it. We don't want anyone to choke.
Let's make baby food!
--Erin
Sweet Potato & Chicken Baby Food
2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2" chunks
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
2 cups water
Place chicken and sweet potato in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Once the chicken and sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, place them in a blender. (You don't want to over-fill the blender, so you might need to do this in batches.) Add some of the cooking liquid so you can easily blend into a smooth mixture. Turn on the blender and whiz everything together. You may need to stop and stir a couple times or add more cooking liquid until it's smooth. (I ended up using all the cooking liquid.)
Allow baby food to cool completely in the fridge. Spoon it into ice cube trays and then freeze until solid. Place the baby food ice cubes in a plastic freezer bag that you've labeled with the date and type of food. Defrost baby food as needed for meals.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Meet Danny
Sorry you haven't heard from me in a few days; I've been a bit distracted by a new man in my life. His name is Danny, and he's my son.
Richard Daniel ("Danny") was born on September 10 at 11:11 p.m., weighing in at 6 pounds 12.6 ounces. The husband and I are over the moon with happiness.
P.S. Thanks for the onesie, Lucy!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Cold Fudge
I read recently that the foods you eat while pregnant can impact your baby's tastes once he or she is born. That means, of course, that I should be filling up on antioxidant-rich berries, fiber-filled zucchini, and salmon chock-full of omega-3 fats.
Do you want to know what I ate all weekend? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter and banana sandwiches (with honey, of course), and hot fudge sundaes. Heavy emphasis on the hot fudge sundaes because I made homemade hot fudge, which is life-changing.
In between sundae time, I did this:
I ate leftover hot fudge straight from the fridge with a spoon.
You can't see this, but I'm hanging my head in shame right now. And in that spirit, I offer up a note to my yet-unborn child:
Dear Baby,
When you refuse to eat pureed squash in 9 months or so, I promise to remember that it's my fault for not eating enough vegetables while you were still a bun in the oven. I will not have a hissy fit when you throw said squash onto the kitchen floor. I will only cry a few tears of frustration when you follow-up by flinging it at my face instead. And I apologize for that sweet tooth. Maybe you can try applesauce instead of chocolate chip cookies? Be better than me.
Love,
Your Mom
Do you want to know what I ate all weekend? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter and banana sandwiches (with honey, of course), and hot fudge sundaes. Heavy emphasis on the hot fudge sundaes because I made homemade hot fudge, which is life-changing.
In between sundae time, I did this:
I ate leftover hot fudge straight from the fridge with a spoon.
You can't see this, but I'm hanging my head in shame right now. And in that spirit, I offer up a note to my yet-unborn child:
Dear Baby,
When you refuse to eat pureed squash in 9 months or so, I promise to remember that it's my fault for not eating enough vegetables while you were still a bun in the oven. I will not have a hissy fit when you throw said squash onto the kitchen floor. I will only cry a few tears of frustration when you follow-up by flinging it at my face instead. And I apologize for that sweet tooth. Maybe you can try applesauce instead of chocolate chip cookies? Be better than me.
Love,
Your Mom
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