Finger Food

Evy chews on a cleaned chicken bone

Evelyn is now old enough to want to eat all her meals by herself. Thanks but I will take that spoon mom. Problem is she does not get all the food from her tray into her mouth. A lot ends up on the bib, chair and floor (the floor for only a few seconds as the wienie dog cleans it up prompt!). So we compromise. She gets what we eat, chopped into bits on her tray with her own spoon, and I get to feed her from a jar. It is all good.

The secret to feeding a babe without teeth a "grown-up meal" is to overcook it so everything is mushy; meat, veggies, everything. As I hate mushy I usually cook the adult food to al dente, and then microwave Evy's portion for a minute or so. Another way to get mushy is to make it into a casserole, these are by nature mushy. For example, Cook pasta and brown meat. Mix in casserole dish with favorite pasta sauce, garlic and other spices to taste. Cook at 400 degrees for 30 mins. If not mushy enough, microwave for a minute or so.

I also cook just for her. Here are two of her favorite recipes:

Babies Tuna Casserole

Cook 1/8 cup macaroni until soft. Drain. Mix with

1 tbs tuna
1/2 stick of string cheese cut into small pieces
dab of butter or splash of olive oil
sminch of lemon pepper

Serve with 1 jar peas baby food and two spoons

Babies Broccoli Beef

Cook 1/8 cup rice until soft.

Steam broccoli and carrots until soft. Cut into small pieces.

Mix rice and veggies with a splash of olive oil and a sminch of lemon pepper.

Serve with a jar of beef baby food and two spoons