Bye-Bye Boring Baby Food

Too often baby food is, to put it plainly, plain and repetetive. Unseasoned green beans, rice cereal, banana puree, rice cereal, mashed carrots... and did I mention rice cereal?

The foods arent unhealthy, but contrary to what many parents believe, babies do enjoy a much wider food range! I have heard that exposure to different foods now may guard against later fixations on "kids foods"- pasta, crackers and juice- that are not the healthiest thing for them.

So to EsCaPe the rice cereal rut Liam and I have been in lately I have been trying to come up with some tasty ideas for him. I have not tried any of them yet, but I thought I would post about it because maybe someone might have other suggestions, or maybe your baby was not a fan (vise versa). I am trying VERY hard to not let my own tastes get in the way of what I serve my son.

SOUR STUFF- I have noticed that Liam like sour stuff. So I thought about serving him sour cherries (with the pits removed, of course). Mashing them up or cutting them in small chunks will do the trick. Plums might be the sour treat he needs also!

STEWED MEAT- Its easy, and it tastes even better when it is a day old, and it can be cooked a million different ways. I have thought about making a mexican beef stew and seeing how his taste buds like it. Stewed pork (because he is not a fan of the baby food beef) I thought would be neat to try also. Maybe making a pork shoulder with a little lime juice or orange juice until the liquid is gone and the meat is soft. Donovan and I could eat tacos and Liam could have stewed pork.

CRUCIFEROUS VEGGIES- (I can hear you now "what the heck is cruciferous veggies?") cruciferous veggies are a certain type of vegetables that come from on "family". These include cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips and radish. Green beans and sweat potatoes are considered ideal baby foods, but turnips and cauliflower? Not so much. Thats a shame, because cruciferous vegetables are packed with important nutrients. And just because they arent your typical baby food doesnt mean babys dont smack their lips over them. So... I was thinking- mashed turnips.

FISH- I aboslutely hate fish. But that doesnt mean my baby does. Fish used to be considered off-limits for babies because of the risk of allergies, but the thinking on this has changed. So this is what I have in mind- combining fresh or dried dill and cilantro with a 1/2 cup of broth, boil and add salmon. Chop finely and serve.

In doing research on freeing my son from boring baby food I came across a list of the Ten Best Foods for Baby on babycenter.com. They are:

1.Squash

2. Lentils

3. Dark green leafy veggies

4. Brocolli

5. Blueberries

6. Avocados

7. Meat

8. Prunes

9. Garbanzo beans

10. Mandarin oranges

Along with this list came serving suggestions... So, now I am off to test my 9 months old taste buds! Happy Eating!