Baby Food...mmm chicken casserole

I fixed Ian up with a yummy chicken dish yesterday. He really seemed to enjoy his first taste of meat. It's so simple and very customizable.

Saute 2 carrots and a little sliced leek in some vegetable oil until it just begins to soften. Toss in some chopped chicken and cook until the chicken becomes opaque. Next you add some more veggies; potatoes, parsnips, peas, green beans, lima beans, etc. Add in just enough water to cover then simmer, covered, for about 15 min or until all veggies are soft and the chicken is cooked through. Process, thinning with more water if necessary.

Now, I've never had my poultry come out as smooth as the jarred variety, but my baby doesn't mind. If yours has real texture issues, be patient as you introduce this.

By the way, I love these new bibs I have introduced into my Etsy shop. They are bigger and more trim than my previous line.

More Baby Food and other stuff...

I've been in a funk lately, do you know what I mean? It's been a real creative funk. I have tons of ideas floating around in this noggin of mine, but I seem to have no motivation to get it out. I haven't finished a sewing project in ages, let alone put anything new in the shop. I can't seem to shake it. I also can't seem to shake this "cleaning-house funk", or the "cooking funk", the "lose the baby weight funk", "yard work funk", and on and on and on. Sounds pretty bad, doesn't it !? Well, they aren't that bad. Those things are getting done to a degree, just not very well. I just have to get myself out of this rut, and it'll have to happen today.

1. My hubby is coming home after being on business in Maine. He HAS to come home to a clean house. If he comes home now, he'll probably turn right back around and board that plane! I have a theory about clean homes. It's an "anchor room" theory. It's not much unlike the Fly Lady's clean sink routine. My theory goes, if I get the one "anchor room" clean the whole seems cleaner. If the whole house is clean, yet that one room is still messy, then the house feels dirty. My "anchor room" is the living room. Even though it's not the first room you see when you come in the house, if my living room is dirty, I can't seem to clean the rest of the house. If I clean that room, the others seem to follow. And that is the "anchor room theory"!

2. I'm going to pull myself out of this creative funk, by sewing one thing today. No matter how small and simple it is, it will have to be done. I think creativity begets more creativity. You just have to take the first step.

3. The only thing that has been done around here is the baby food. He has to have something to eat! Oh, and laundry, because we are not a nudist family.

To finish out the baby food lessons, here goes. Basically, for most fruits and veggies you just need to remove the seeds, stem them, and puree them. Really that's all there is to it. For my pears and apples, I leave the flesh on because my food processor really smooths them out. Try your baby out on peaches, apples, pears, plum, green beans, peas, yellow squash, zucchini, and carrots. You can also try bananas and avocados, but these don't freeze well. I don't cook these either, I just mash up nicely. Next time, I'll post some yummy recipes and not just single foods.

Baby Food...mmm sweet potatoes

Next, for little Ian to try is sweet potatoes. My mom had received a bunch of sweet potatoes and I was lucky enough to snag a bunch. So I cooked them up for the babe and he LOVES them! Again, these are so simple to make and much more delicious than store bought.

Simply, roast your sweet potatoes until tender (the time, of course, depends on how big your potatoes are). All you have to do next is peel, add water, and blend until smooth. I will tell you that they are sticky little things to get out of the ice cube trays. Just have patience. Sweet potatoes, and other winter squash, mix great with white potatoes, apples, and chicken.

Baby food

Let me warn you, I'm about to get on my soap box for a minute. I make my own baby food. I do not like store bought baby food. Mine is far superior in test, quality, freshness and cleanliness.

Back when I was a little girl, I over heard a conversation between my parents. Apparently, a church member who worked in a Gerber factory said he would never feed his child Gerber food because of how dirty the place was. I immediately decided that I would fix my own food. Have you ever tasted that stuff? It's nasty. Yes, I have resorted to using the jarred food in emergencies, but trust me, I did it with objections! :)

Making your own baby food is so simple and easy. You do not need crazy equipment or baby food cookbooks with exotic recipes. Since my little guy is beginning to eat solid foods, I plan on adding posts to my blog about the adventure. If you have a baby I hope you'll consider joining me as I feed my baby. And please, if you have any questions, please ask me!

First up on the menu for Ian, was potatoes. I like to start with potatoes because they are bland, they look cereal, and are easy to digest. All you have to do is clean, peel, and slice you potatoes. Boil in water until tender. The time varies depending on how big your chunks of potatoes are. I like to reserve the cooking water which is so full of vitamins, to thin out my potato puree. Once, your potatoes are tender, just process them with either a mixer or a food mill. Do NOT use a blender, unless you want wall paper paste! I then pass the mixture through a sieve or a colander to remove any large pieces. Then thin the puree using reserved potato water, breastmilk, or water. I freeze my purees in ice cube trays. The fancy trays they sell in catalogs are nice, but not at all necessary.

As your baby gets older, potatoes are great to mix it in with all types of vegetables like peas, beans, broccoli, and zucchini. You cal also mix them with meats and apple purees.