Baby Corner

[Nessa 23]

I'm still afraid to feed Ben real food. I cook for him separate. Like I was making ''carne moida'' for Charles and I and it had ground beef, onions, garlic, celery, scallions, lots of spices, cumin, curry, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, salt, and I was just afraid to give it to him. Can he eat that? Won't he choke? Or the other day, I made sweet, sour and spicy chicken vegetable stir fry, could he possibly eat that? I still haven't fed him with any kind of meal I prepare for us. I make things like i pressure cooked dried black beans with collard green and beef, like a stew and then i blend it with very mild spices and that's what he eats, it's a full meal, carbs, protein, veggies.

Edited February 23, 2010 by Nessa

[Susita 175]

I'm still afraid to feed Ben real food. I cook for him separate. Like I was making ''carne moida'' for Charles and I and it had ground beef, onions, garlic, celery, scallions, lots of spices, cumin, curry, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, salt, and I was just afraid to give it to him. Can he eat that? Won't he choke? Or the other day, I made sweet, sour and spicy chicken vegetable stir fry, could he possibly eat that? I still haven't fed him with any kind of meal I prepare for us. I make things like i pressure cooked dried black beans with collard green and beef, like a stew and then i blend it with very mild spices and that's what he eats, it's a full meal, carbs, protein, veggies.

I would try it Nessa... cut up everything really small so he can chew it. As long as it's not too spicy I don't see why not. If you are worried about a reaction, don't give him too many new things at once, just one at a time to see if he has any bad reactions.

The boys were eating arroz con pollo y frijoles at his age They used to really like fried plantain too but now they won't eat it.

[tnh9479 1]

I'm still afraid to feed Ben real food. I cook for him separate. Like I was making ''carne moida'' for Charles and I and it had ground beef, onions, garlic, celery, scallions, lots of spices, cumin, curry, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, salt, and I was just afraid to give it to him. Can he eat that? Won't he choke? Or the other day, I made sweet, sour and spicy chicken vegetable stir fry, could he possibly eat that? I still haven't fed him with any kind of meal I prepare for us. I make things like i pressure cooked dried black beans with collard green and beef, like a stew and then i blend it with very mild spices and that's what he eats, it's a full meal, carbs, protein, veggies.

Nessa - It really was trial and error for us. It started by them begging for everything we were eating. So, as long as it is not a choking hazard (like tough or hard) we have given them a chance. You just have to make sure it is cut up into small pieces. But...each kid is different. It took my two a while to get used to Cheerios. They were eating chicken and other items but would have issues with cheerios until about a month and half ago.

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

Zaid was the same way. He can sit and eat the skin of an apple, zuchinni, or plum as well as the entire piece of fruit without choking but he gags on cereal pieces occasionally. Im VERY careful and paranoid about what I give him when it comes to meat. I literally almost shred the meat or cook it until it is so tender it melts. Other than that he does good.

Nessa, we dont give Zaid spices like that. He gets hives from anything peppery so we cook him exactly what were having, just wihtout the spice. If its something that is too much work, he has yesterdays leftovers

[Nessa 23]

well the thing is our eating habit is not, how can i put this, normal. I was raised properly, sitting in the table in the morning to have breakfast, which if my parents weren't there to prepare the maid would do it. Then again, sit to have lunch and then to have dinner (sometimes they'd let me eat on front of the tv, tv dinner or pizza). So I got the whole deal, real meals, and all. But as i grew up and got busy with classes, trainings, work, etc, i started to skip breakfast and stopped having lunch for like a decade because I just didn't have time. I'd snack while on the run and eat at night or out.

I got so used to it that I can't possibly imagine making breakfast and cooking dinner every day.

On week days I skip breakfast or i grab a cheese string on the go, have a frozen meal at work and then at night I make myself something quick or eat leftover or something i've frozen previously. Charles does the same, skip breakfast, take sandwich to work and at night he either eat leftover from the prior weekend or cereal, something like that.

Then on Friday nights is pizza.

Then on weekends (sat/sun/holidays) i cook a real meal. I make breakfast and then dinner (which is at lunch time, in brazil we have our main meal at lunch time).

Now with the baby everything changes. I have to feed him breakfast. i feed him dinner, but at least on weekdays it can't be what we eat because well, we don't eat.

Edited February 24, 2010 by Nessa

[Staashi 371]

Nessa, I think you're going to have to begin to make an exception for Ben. He's going to need that meal time with you all. Try to do it maybe 2 weeknights like Tuesday, Thursday and still have pizza night on Friday.

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

Nessa, what about cooking a few things on Saturday or Sunday and then freezing them??

[chnst 6]

I used to eat on the go a lot ( I still do) and I completely changed that when Ben was starting to eat solids. I was shocked how much more time it takes to cook now that he eats table food, but I got used to eat scheduled meals now and we all eat healthier stuff. I think if you plan ahead you can safe some money too. We still end up ordering food about once a week because we're too exhausted to cook or we forgot to go shopping, but most of the time I can do the cooking thing now.

Here are some of Ben's favorites that are easy to make:

Baked Potato with sour cream

cooked carrots (sliced) with Parsley and Butter

Mashed Potatoes

Pasta Salad

Annie's Mac&Cheese (if I really dont have much time)

scrambled egges

Peas ( I use frozen)

broccoli-- if I cook it nice and soft with butter and garlic

Just Pasta& Marinara Sauce

Homemade Chicken soup

Lentil Soup

Asparagus Soup

Lasagna

Meats:

Fish Fillet (I always have Tilapia or Salmon Fillet frozen)

I cook it in the oven with butter, garlic, lemon juice, parsley and thyme

and throw some of those tiny yellow potatoes right in there to cook along with the fish)

Meat Balls (ground beef)

chicken (I boil chicken, then fry the shreds in a pan with butter until really soft and light brown)

Beef cubes (its called Goulash in german), I cook it with paprika spices, for 2 hours, then shred it and mix the sauce and the meat with rice or pasta

and chicken any way you can imagine

so I basically mix and match all of the above so we get a pretty healthy combo. I always sneak in tons of veggies like zucchini or cauliflower in the mashed potaotoes. I stopped cooking separate for Ben. I have a friend with 5 kids and they make 7 different dinners EVERY single night, because Dad is on a diet and everyone else wants their own dinner. That is so weird. She spends all day planning and cooking.

I sometimes cheat and make him Tater Tots, tuna salad sandwiches, or Mac&Cheese if there is no time or I take him to subway and he gets a kids meal.

I think the only really important thing is to remember to cut it all up small enough (the size of your pinkie finger nail) and introduce 1 thing at a time.

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

I wish i could take Zaid to subway. its my favorite place but Zaid doesnt love bread at all. He will eat cheese and pickles like their going out of style but it just doesnt seem sufficient enough lol.

We do alot of the same like Stef, Zaid LOVES any kind of meatball, baked chicken, or pasta. The other night i made chicken parmesan with fresh zuchini and spinach in the sauce over pasta and he ate that for 3 days.

Zaid is OBSESSED with pickles. He opens the refrigerator and gets them himself now. He calls them "keckles" (lol) and begs for them. He is driving me nuts about it. I have to make a compromise like Ill tell him first you have to eat a banana then you can have a pickle...so far that works, im just hoping the pickle thing is over soon

I think we are gonna transition to almost all organic and fresh foods this weekend. No more processed, packaged, boxed ####### at all. I just havent had time to shop. The more Ive become conscience of the things im eating (due to wanting to get pregnant) the more I really am focused on providing Zaid with the healthiest lifestyle possible. We almost always do fresh foods (not organic) but I will be honest and say we do have hamburger helper and frozen pizza every once in a while. Shame that eating healthy in america has to be a lifestyle change, not just a given. Everything my husband ate in Jordan was fresh and local, I just wish it was easier to have it that way here too!!

[chnst 6]

better pickles than "ladypops" (lollipops) or popsickles. Ben is constantly begging me for those. And he is obsessed with his vitamin gummy bears.

Wow Kel, you are making lots of changes, way to go!! I don't like the processed stuff either, but sometimes you just can't help it. When you go out to eat you never know how they make the food and we eat pizza every now or then or those pillsbury biscuits, I love those!!

[Susita 175]

better pickles than "ladypops" (lollipops) or popsickles. Ben is constantly begging me for those. And he is obsessed with his vitamin gummy bears.

Wow Kel, you are making lots of changes, way to go!! I don't like the processed stuff either, but sometimes you just can't help it. When you go out to eat you never know how they make the food and we eat pizza every now or then or those pillsbury biscuits, I love those!!

I love pillsbury biscuits The boys go nuts when I make them, and they're gone in 5 min.

I make popsicles out of orange juice, apple juice and grape juice and pureed fruit. The boys love them and they're so healthy. I eat them too I bought the molds for the freezer when they were babies and they've been eating them ever since.

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

Funny, but Zaid doesnt love popsicles right now. He hates "code" as he tells me for "cold" I bought Welchs fruit bars but he wasnt interested.

Maybe when summer rolls around Ill consider making him homemade popsicles for when he is playing in his pool or taking a bath, otherwise, I hate the mess. The only time Zaid gets suckers is in the bathtub lol

Zaids room is officially Toy Story and no more Baby Jungle theme. Like the toddler bed wasnt depressing enough. He has a toy story recliner, curtains, lamp, and bedset. I will definitly be saving the jungle stuff for baby #2....unless its a girl, i will DEFINITLY do pink and purple or something

Cant wait til late next week to find out if we were successful this month Im on vacation until March 8th so that would just make my vaca so much better

[Ban Hammer 13,342]

Nessa, what about cooking a few things on Saturday or Sunday and then freezing them??

she does that. there's stuff in the freezer i can't identify

[Autumnchik 6]

Since Declan, I have definitely been doing a lot more cooking. Before him, hubby and I used to eat on the fly a lot and really didn't sit down together for dinner. It can be crazy during the week to get meals together, especially after I've been at work all day and hubby is at his night classes, so I have a wild toddler running around the kitchen.

I try to make big meals on the weekend and then freeze some to be used during the week. Whole wheat pasta with diced zucchini and mushrooms in a tomato sauce is always a quick meal, and Declan loves it.

I'm laughing about the "keckles" and "ladypops".

Declan loves "dips". He saw hubby and I put salad dressing on our salads (Declan doesn't like lettuce, so he was eating sliced tomatoes) and he wanted some. Now he is obsessed with dipping food in sauces.

[Vi Mazzella 4]

Sofia loves pickels too, not my thing, daddy loves them but mami doesn't like them so much...

I tried to cook lke for two days it helps alot and try to cook while Sof is napping