The Attack of Beige Food

Oh hey, remember this post - Baby Food Recipes - the one with all the fancy baby food recipes? Those were the days...the ones when B would eat anything off a spoon and trusted mom and dad to feed him. As of a few weeks ago, those are gone.

He now refuses to eat off of any utensil and prefers beige food, mainly chicken. This has led me to extreme frustration and, honestly, some hurt feelings. Not the proudest of mommy-moments.

Waffles are beige...
B will have that, hold the eggs and oranges.

Something beige in hand...
get that pouch out of here.

I tried for about two weeks to basically force feed him. Pinning him to the high chair and putting food in his mouth when we would open it to cry. This sounds terrible, but most of the time he would stop crying and gobble it up. Then one day he didn't stop crying and it felt like I was torturing him. So I had to stop, or dad begged me to stop...that's besides the point.

In the meantime, I got creative researching recipes with hidden vegetables and strategically placed fruits. Some attempts worked (for a day or two), others failed immediately. I am still finalizing my plan of attack and luckily some of his hesitations have diminished. He got over a little case of hand, foot and mouth and has two new teeth. I have some recipes and tips that I will stick with and even more left to try.

He has decided he will eat out of a pouch, but only when he decides he is ready. He likes to feed other people, and will maybe take food out of your hand after close inspection. Then some times, he will gobble up anything on his tray regardless of color or texture. I am at a loss but will not give up.

So far we have tested... 
Vegeta-balls: Savory and packed with lentils, celery, sweet potatoes and mushrooms. BIG HIT and easy to make.

Banana-Apple-Carrot Muffins: Recipe calls for dates, but I used some apple chunks instead. B likes these about half the time, but would prefer other things given the option.

Sweet potato sticks: Cut sweet potatoes into french fry shape, toss in olive oil, and roast in the oven on 450 for about 15-20 minutes. Sometimes B will chew on these, depends on the day.

Chicken: The favorite...chicken any way he can get it so I just give him whatever we are having. BBQ, Asian, grilled with our favorite seasoning, rotisserie, etc.

Waffles: No Eggo's here. B likes Van's Ancient Grains (I swear they taste like carrot cake, Dad disagrees) and we are trying Nature's Path Buckwheat Wildberry next.

Multi-Grain bread: He likes it plain or with peanut butter, love the fresh stuff at Publix made with peanuts only! I recently topped the peanut butter with some wheat germ for added nutrients and he didn't mind.

Grilled Cheese: I pureed chicken and broccoli together with some fresh shredded cheddar, slathered that on multi-grain bread then topped it with another thin layer of cheddar. Toasted it up and tore in to pieces. He liked this a few times, but wised up quickly...much to my dismay.

The chicken/broccoli grilled cheese.
He liked this the first two times, not so much the third.

Cheesy Eggy Triangles: I made these twice, first time he loved it, second time not so much. I will try again though because it was easy and eggs are super nutritious!

Fruit Shredz: He loves these, the shape and texture are perfect for him. I like them because they seem healthier than the puffs. 

Veggie Burgers/Patties: I got the Publix brand veggie burgers and B seemed to enjoy those. Next we are trying the Boca Burgers to see what he thinks.

"Pizza, where have you been all my life?!" - B

So those are just a few things I have tried to get him through the teething and beige food stages. He seems to have moved on, although his preference for bread and chicken has not gone away...he is just more willing to select other things as well. This will do for now. And he has decided to sample some of my homemade concoctions from the pouches I make with the Kiinde system. This has been great! He actually prefers these to the store bought ones, so that makes me a happy mom!

Banana/Apple/Carrot Muffin and a homemade pouch
with blueberry, apple, banana, oats and spinach.

B's lunch on Wednesday.
Top: Vegeta-ball, roasted red pepper, chicken
Bottom: Strawberries and watermelon pieces

Tidbit Tuesday: Baby Food Recipes

B was two months old when he breastfed for the last time. I will tell you that I quit because my supply couldn't meet his demand or that anything I ate seemed to upset his stomach. But the truth is, I didn't like breastfeeding. This was tough for me to admit because I thought I would breastfeed until he was at least a year old. Realizing that not everything works the way you want it to is frustrating, especially when it comes to your baby. 

What Dad and I realized was that we were all happier with formula. It smells terrible, is a pain to mix, but it makes B's stomach happy, lets Dad connect with B during feedings and gives mom a break. We consider this a win/win/win. 

So I told myself after switching to formula, that when it came to baby food, it would only be the good stuff. So far so good! He has had some minimally processed foods, only the occasional food from a pouch and no french fries. Of course as he gets older and experiences new foods he will inevitably come across preservatives and highly processed snacks. But for now, I am going to keep him healthy with some of the following concoctions: 

• Sweet potatoes - steamed with cinnamon and ginger, or roasted with savory spices
• Peas - steamed and blended with olive oil, or served whole as finger food (which B hasn't quite mastered)
• Corn - sauteed with cumin and/or garlic powder, blended with olive oil
• Brussels Sprouts - steamed and blended with olive oil
• Zucchini - steamed and blended with olive oil and garlic powder
• Yellow Squash - steamed and blended with infused olive oil
• Green beans - steamed and blended with olive oil and garlic powder
• Lima beans - steamed and blended with olive oil
• Spinach - steamed and blended with infused olive oil
• Asparagus - roasted in the oven and mashed
• Apples and Blueberries - 3 small green apples (peeled) with one cup frozen blueberries, steamed and blended
• Peaches - fresh or frozen, blended and served with oats
• Bananas - blended or mashed with cinnamon and/or ginger
• Strawberries - chopped and blended, served with oats
• Cantaloupe - cut and blended, served with oats
• Mango - cut and mashed
• Barley - cooked according to package directions and served with veggies
• Bulgur wheat - cooked according to package directions and served with veggies or fruit
• Steel cut oats - cooked according to package directions (plus about a tablespoon of coconut oil when making 4 servings) and add to fruit 
• Chicken - grilled or baked with a variety of spices (Asian, Italian and Mexican, to name a few)
• B first ate chicken at about 8 months old. I can't bring myself to blend meat, so he gets small bites. 
• Chia Seeds - I started adding these to thicken some of the fruit. Great nutrients and they absorb liquid to help with digestion. I add these to my own greek yogurt and oatmeal. 

I use a Cuisinart food processor to blend and ice cube trays to freeze the food. I like to make baby food on a weekly basis, but usually only get to it every other week. Each night I get together his breakfast and lunch for the day to go to school. At first I blended the food so it was very smooth. Now, as he is exploring new textures, I like to leave it a little chunkier. He typically gets fruit and oats for breakfast and veggies for lunch and dinner. Sometimes he gets more fruit as dessert.

Ready to freeze - Blueberry/Apple, Banana and Spinach

So far he has been incredibly receptive to all types of food and spices! He definitely has weeks when he prefers fruits to veggies, but we try to mix it up so he doesn't get bored. And he has an extremely fickle appetite. I also like to be sure we eat meals together so at night we sit at the dinner table, turn off the TV and enjoy our dinner as a family.

B enjoying his first taste of rice cereal at 4.5 months.

Enjoying some sweet potatoes on the go!