Nourishing Menu Plan for Baby

After recently posting on the importance of a whole-foods diet for babies and children, I thought I would share with you a typical week in my 10-month-old son Henry's diet. There is certainly a LOT of conflicting information available on how a mother should go about feeding her baby...I find a traditional, whole-foods approach the best and would love to share with you how I implement this in my home:

Breakfasts

Eggs, scrambled in butter with a bit of cream and salt

Soaked oatmeal with fruit, cinnamon, maple syrup, butter and cream

Scrapple, a cornmeal mush that is fried in coconut oil and topped with maple syrup-yum!

Waffles or pancakes, sometimes french toast, again with butter and maple syrup

These are typical breakfasts served in my home. I don't fix special breakfasts for the baby; he just eats what we eat in small pieces. I don't puree anything. Typical sides are potatoes fried in coconut oil w/onion and garlic, sausage, bacon, fresh fruits and toast.

Lunches

Chunks of cheese

Fresh fruits

Yogurt or smoothies

Peanut butter or grilled cheese sandwiches

Soup

I keep lunches pretty simple for Henry, as he usually eats a large breakfast and is not very hungy at lunch time. He drinks fresh fruit juice, water or milk with his lunch.

Dinner

Like breakfast, I do not prepare a seperate dinner for the baby, he just eats whatever we are having. Here are some of his favorites:

Avacado slices with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt

Chilli and cornbread with honey butter (yes, I give him honey, and no, it's never been a problem)

Spaghetti with meatballs

Garlic mashed potatoes

Garlic bread

Acorn Squash with maple syrup and butter

Soft beef, like roast or my braised short ribs

Chicken livers with pan gravy

The list could go on and on! My little guy is definitely not picky. I do not shy away from giving him spices...for example, he loves chilli and it does have cayenne pepper in it. We just adjust the amount of spice for his tastes. He really loves the taste of fresh garlic and onion, as he has been eating it since he turned 6 months old. We also add plenty of fresh steamed/sauteed veggies and fresh fruit to his diet, as well as the occasional sweet treat (he loves cheesecake and tirimasu!) I also ensure that Henry gets plenty of good fats in his daily diet (olive oil, coconut oil, avacado,butter), and he takes a daily dose of Cod Liver Oil as well.

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays at http://www.foodrenegade.com/

Super-Simple Handmade Hand Soaps

This is my third contribution to "A Handmade Christmas" over at Abbi's blog, Proverbs 31 Living http://www.proverbs31living.blogspot.com/. Today I am sharing a very simple scented handsoap recipe. Besides the fact that it is so easy to make, I like this soap because it uses gentle, natural ingredients and is easily customized to suit the personality of the recipient--color or shape of the bottle, scent, etc...

Here is a list of things you will need to make this soap:

8 oz. soap dispensing bottle ( I have found some really nice ones at Bed Bath and Beyond)

7 oz. liquid castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Formula, since it's not scented)

4-5 drops essential oil of your choice, depending on how strong you want the scent

decoratives of your choice--find them in craft stores. Examples are small plastic flowers, sports balls, snowflakes, etc... This is a great way to really personalize the soaps!

Fill soap dispensers with decoratives first; add soap and then the essential oils. Replace cap and shake well to mix. It's that easy!!

Here are some ideas I have used in the past:

For my oldest son and nephew, both 5 years old: Tinted the soap blue with 1 drop of blue food coloring (any more would probably make for blue hands!), added assorted sports balls mini-decoratives, and didn't add any scent.

For the guest bathroom: Made a Christmas soap to put out during the holidays using plastic snowflake mini-decoratives, a pinch of white glitter and cinnamon and vanilla essential oils.

For my niece, 3 years old: Tinted water pink with a bit of red food coloring, added a pinch of gold glitter and heart-shaped mini-decoratives. Used a clear plastic soap dispenser and afixed a Barbie princess cling to the outside of the bottle.

I hope you will join me in having a handmade Christmas this year! Aren't these personalized gifts so much more fun to create?

Real Food for Mom and Baby

I have just finished up reading a great new book, Real Food for Mother and Baby by Nina Planck. This book explains the benefits of feeding our children a traditonal, whole-foods diet from the time of conception and on through adulthood. Unfortunately, many children today exist on poor diets full of processed, sugar-laden and nutrient-void foods. By the age of 1, many children have already eaten a Happy Meal and are even able to identify the "golden arches" as the symbol of McDonald's!

So, what does the author suggest that children eat? Instead of that Happy Meal, how about a meal of scrambled egg with sea salt and avacado drizzled with olive oil? Your children like to snack on crackers? Replace them with good-quality cheese and fruit! The point is to replace all the over-processed, refined foods with fresh, high-quality ingredients that are as close to their natural state as possible, for example a piece of fresh fruit instead of sugar-laden fruit juices, or butter instead of man-made margarine.

The author refutes several mainstream practices for feeding babies and children, including introducing meats/proteins as on of the first foods for baby, not pureeing foods for baby (let them try small bites of what you are eating), seasoning baby's food with salt and allowing so-called "no no" foods such as fish, shellfish, citrus and honey before baby's first birthday.

She encourages moms to feed their babies lots of high-quality fats, meats, fruits and vegetables, cheeses and cultured dairy, organ meats (especially iron-rich liver!), even fish roe! She also reccomends raw milk rather than pasturized.

The book also has sections on eating a whole-foods diet to increase fertillity, eating well during pregnancy and the importance of mom's diet while breastfeeding.

This is pretty much how I am feeding Henry, and how I will feed the new baby as well. (Unfortunately, I wasn't so informed about the benefits of whole-foods nutrition when Brett was a baby!) I allow Henry to feed himself small pieces of meat, cheese, fruit, bread, etc... If he is eating something very messy or that requires utensils to eat, then I help him: for example, soup or mashed potatoes. I like that when he is self-feeding, he simply stops when he is full. A baby will often eat way more than they want or need when being spoon-fed, just opening their mouth automatically to accept the spoon! I have no reservations about feeding him a high-fat diet, because his developing brain and body need the fat, and I also know the fat he is consuming is high-quality (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, butter, etc..) We don't use refined sugars, but instead sweeten with maple syrup, honey or rapadura. We try to avoid artificial flavorings and colorings.

I will definitely be following the author's suggestions for the breastfeeding mom with my new baby! As a first-time nursing mom, I want to make sure that my little one recieves optimum nutrition from the start.

I highly reccomend this book for any mom, be it her first baby or her fifth!

Mommy Mix

I just wanted to share with you the recipe I use for trail mix. I especially like to snack on this trail mix while pregnant and in the postpartum period, when the body desperately needs to replinish it's vitamins/mineral stores. I hope to be nursing this time, so I will be incorporating more healthy snacks into my diet due to increased calorie needs. I like this mix because it is high in healthy fats, has a bit of salt and sugar to increase electrolyte balance, is high in vitamins and minerals, and just plain tastes great! I hope you will enjoy it too:

Mommy Mix

2 c. whole almonds

1 c. dried cranberries

1 c. raisins (high in iron, crucial for pregnant mamas and recovering mamas!)

1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds(stay away from the roasted ones--use bad fats!)

1 c. dark chocolate or carob chips

dash of sea salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Store in container of your choice. I usually store it in Mason jars, and have one ready to go in my bag for the hospital--makes for great post-labor snacking, especially if the cafeteria is closed!

Preparing for Labor/Delivery--Naturally! Part 3

In this third installment of my preparing for a natural labor/delivery series, I will be sharing with you a recipe I have created for "Labor-Aid", an all-natural Gatorade, if you will.

Staying well-hydrated and energized during labor is critical! Sports drinks, such as Gatorade or Powerade, will do the job, but I prefer not to use them as they are full of artificial flavors, dyes and too much sugar. So, I have created my own concoction to sip on during these final days of pregnancy and while in labor. I find the taste of this labor-aid more refreshing than any of the conventional sports drinks. It provides lots of electrolytes, potassium and a bit of glucose from the honey.

Labor-Aid

3 c. fresh-squeezed orange juice, or substitute with 1 can juice from concentrate

4-5 c. water

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tbsp. honey

powder from 3 calcium/magnesium capsules or 3 tablets, finely crushed

Place all ingredients in blender; blend on high one minute. Store in a pitcher in the refridgerator. Best served very cold.

I think you could probably make popsicles with this recipe as well, which would be great for a summertime birth!

Braised Beef Short Ribs and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

We had such a great, comfort-food dinner last night that I just couldn't wait to share it with you today! I had some beautiful grass-fed beef short ribs in the freezer, and was completely at a loss as to how to prepare them. I decided to just throw together some pantry staples, and ended up creating a new family favorite! I cooked the ribs in the crockpot all day, making them tender and juicy, and added some raw garlic mashed potatoes that we covered in the delicious beef drippings from the ribs! Even Henry, 10 months, ate his fair share, and will be eating more of the garlic mashed potatoes for lunch today! I am trying to incorporate both garlic and bone broths into our meals right now, as they are known to boost immunity. (lots of flu going around here in Southern Indiana!)

Braised Beef Short Ribs

2 lbs. beef short ribs, preferably grass-fed

1/4 c. organic apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. rapadura

1 tsp. ground mustard

1/4 c. worcstershire sauce

1 small tomato, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c. chopped onion

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in crockpot; cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until meat is tender. If you prefer a thicker sauce, remove about 1 c. of the drippings from crockpot and mix with enough cornstarch to make a slurry; add slurry to crockpot, stir, and cook about 20 min. more on high.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

8 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and quartered

8 cloves garlic, well-minced

1 c. butter

1/2 c. milk or cream

salt to taste

In a large stock pot, bring potatoes to a rapid boil; cook until tender. Drain the potatoes well, then add to a mixing bowl along with butter, salt, milk and raw garlic; use mixer to whip potatoes until smooth. Serve with short ribs and drippings.

I don't cook the garlic, but add it raw right before mixing--this ensures that we recieve the maximum health benefits of the garlic. Mincing it very fine keeps the potaoes smooth, not lumpy. I like that this meal contains lots of good quality fats, as well as garlic, very beneficial in the prevention of colds/flu.

This post is part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays http://www.foodrenegade.com/

Handmade Christmas Thursdays!--Week 2

Today I am sharing another recipe from our family's Christmas feast--empanadas, small, meat-filled pastries from Peru.

The combination of ingreedients in empanadas may sound a bit strange to our American pallete, but I assure you, these are delicious! I think I ate about one dozen of them myself last year at Christmas. To my defense, I was nine months pregnant with Henry!

Peruvian Christmas Empanadas

Dough:

5-6 c. flour (white works best--I tried with whole-wheat--BAD!)

2 sticks of butter, softened

About 1 1/2 c. hot water, enough to make a firm, pie-crust-like dough

1 tsp.salt

Pour flour onto a clean, dry working surface--I always use my table. Make a well in center of flour pile; add butter and one half of water into the well. Add salt, and began to hand-knead the dough, slowly incorporating in more water until the dough has the consistency of pie crust. Cover dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about an hour. Roll dough to about 1/4 in. thickness; use a drinking glass or a small biscuit cutter to cut out round discs of dough.

Filling:

1 lb. ground meat of your choice--we like beef, but have used chicken as well

1 anaheim chilli pepper, chopped

1 1/2 c. thinly-sliced green onion

pinch of cumin

1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1/2 c. raisins

Brown the ground meat in a large frying pan; add chilli and cumin, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add onion, egg and raisins.

Assemble:

Place about 1 tsp. filling in each dough disc; fold in half, turnover style, and seal edges with the tines of a fork. Place empanadas on a greased baking sheet; brush with beaten egg yolk. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, or until well-browned.

This post is part of "Having A Handmade Christmas" at Proverbs 31 Living, http://www.proverbs31living.blogspot.com/