Subscribeveda veggies
I have really come to love cooking over the last few years. I find it soothing — a way to stop everything else and just focus on the task at hand. It’s so simple… from getting everything out onto the counter to prepping and chopping, and smelling the flavors start mixing… It’s a good way to be in the moment. And since going veggie a few years ago it’s even more fun. (I always hated touching meat and love that there are so many ways to pair basic fruits, veggies and grains. It’s never boring.)
This has extended to cooking for Veda. She started eating solids a while back now and moved quickly from basic cereals and smooth textures to more variety and hardy textures. At first I was buying baby food in jars, but I found that I hated the consistency. It was always too runny and hard to feed her. So I started making her babyfood myself. It’s way more economical and I know exactly what she’s getting, nutrient-wise.
So once or twice a week I do a big cook-off for her. Baking sweet potatoes, acorn squash with raisins and cinnamon and nutmeg, zucchini, yellow squash, lots of yummy apples and pears. And pairing it all with lentils, avacado, yogurt, and whole grains. Some things I put through the grinder to cut up seeds further (yellow squash definitely), but most things I just cut or mash up into small pieces, and she loves it. She’s a great eater. Even loves olives, pickles and spicy foods. And I love that I can start now to instill healthy eating habits for her.
I was wondering if you have any fabulous babyfood recipes that your wee ones love? If so, please share it in the comments if you’d like. :)
bon appetit!
I was just saying how my lunch of leftover butternut squash soup looked like baby food. Yum!
It figures a post about food would get me to delurk finally. I’m a big fan:)
I totally agree – I started with homemade sweet potatoes but then introduced jarred food afterwards. What got me is the color difference of homemade.
I wanted to love the cookbook Super Baby Food but it was so dense and complicated. A friend turned me onto the baby cookbook from Williams Sonoma and I love it! It’s easy and beautiful and simple and by age. I also got the Cuisinart Blender Stick – makes pureeing and blending so easy! Bon appetite Veda.
Hi,
My “babies” are now grown up (8 and 5), but I remember I frequently mixed apples and pears in their soup. They added a sweet touch which they loved. Cauliflower also added a somewhat sweet and creamy texture. I tried to use organic veggies typical of each season whenever possible, to make sure the food was healthy and fresh. And I started giving them the whole fruits as soon as I saw they were able to grab and chew it. They loved to see and smell and help a tangerine or orange being peeled – so much more interesting than having it all previously prepared and served in a dish. I’m glad to say that they still love eating soups and fruit.
I think you made a great decision to cook yourself for your baby.
When Sora started eating solids at 6 months, I started making all of her food from scratch. There is something very rewarding and therapeutic about spending hours in the kitchen creating yummy things for her (many, at first, from the products of our garden). I second the Cooking for Baby cookbook from Williams Sonoma. A lot of the recipes in there are not rocket-science, but I like having some direction. There is a recipe for Split-Pea Stew that our little one loves (I added a little brown rice to it for more texture…) We are raising Sora veggie, too!
Love your blog!! Just had a baby two months ago and being a veggie myself, I’m not sure what to do when she starts eating solids. Is it okay to (nutritionally speaking) to raise your kids on a vegetarian diet? Or do they need animal protein? Any advice?
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! It’s nice to see other veggie moms out there! :)
Anne: Yes! Raising a veggie baby is super healthy nutritionally. You just have to make sure they get protein from other sources beside meat. Easy thing would be tofu. Silken tofu is soft and easy to digest and can be mixed into smoothies or mashed up with bananas. Or even stir-fries. I make a great tofu stirfry and just grind it up for Veda. Really easy to work with. Veda loves it! Beans (all varieties) are another good source of protein and mash up easily for baby food. For instance: Veda loves lentil soup which has good protein (in the lentils) and iron (in the spinach).
I just try to make sure to get a variety of different foods on her plate. Lots of colors: orange sweet potatoes, carrots, etc. Green broccoli, peas, green beans. Yellow squashes, pears, chick peas etc. A variety of color usually equals a varied balanced diet.
Hope that helps! :)
When my guy was that age I started making all kinds of patties — squash/potato/tofu/spinach patties, potato-zucchini patties, bean/rice/kale patties, etc. I would just grind chop, shred or grind the ingredients, mix in a an egg and a little flour (rice flour or wheat or whatever) and fry in olive oil or butter. They’re nice because you can take them along as a snack and that get a much better range of nutrients than they would from bread sticks or crackers or even straight-up fruit. It’s also a great way to use up jars of veggies — just mix into the batter with everything else.
I also put a little salt, pepper and spice in most everything — so many baby recipes are really bland, but my guy seems to like flavorful foods better, and I want to encourage his adventurous palate.
Thanks!! Maybe You can write/illustrate a veggie cook book for babies :)
I loved Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. I especially appreciated learning how to prepare and freeze foods so I could harvest and purchase in season foods for later use.
It feels great to have given my baby such a healthy start in life and I think she has really benefited from the effort.
I am sipping a caramel machiatto from Starbucks and I’m 99.9% convinced it’s your cute illustration on the cup jacket. Coincidentally, I’m also wearing my “Make a Wish” necklace from BellaWish. I’m closing my eyes and wishing right now.
I’ve read your blog for awhile and have often been inspired but seldom take a moment to comment. So, today, I am saying Thank You for all that you share with us. As a fellow new mom and creative soul, it’s good to know there’s such a wonderful online community of artist mommas!
I don’t have recipes to share, but I just want to let you know I enjoy A LOT reading your blog :) You are so inspiring!
Another shout out for Super Baby Food! :) We love that book and I’ve adapted some of the recipes into things we still eat today.
My kids love to try new foods and eat tons of fruits and veggies. I think it comes from exposing them many flavors, colors, and textures of foods from the beginning.
Our favorite easy new baby food was avocado. So nutritious, tasty, and a great color too!
Sweet potato and red lentils cooked in stock, with onion finely diced. Then mashed. I used to freeze it in little containers. Ethan loves ricotta or avocado sandwiches on whole grain bread. For breakfast , porridge or baby weetbix with mashed banana and plain yoghurt. Sometimes substitute applesauce or saltanas instead of banana. French toast.