Cooking for one has never been easier, with the “one” referring to my seven month old daughter. [Ok, so now you know why I have not posted anything since last April. Does it count if I have drafts of posts swirling around in my head?] Back to the post. Although nursing and now feeding Kiran formula has been a wonderful and nurturing bonding experience, it’s not that much fun. I eagerly anticipated Kiran reaching five months so we could begin feeding her solids. And I hoped and prayed that she would be nothing like me at that age. To my parents: I truly am sorry I was a challenging baby who didn’t sleep much or eat well. It’s a good thing the brother came along to prove to you that not all babies are difficult.
Next decision was what to feed Kiran. We eschewed rice cereal, a traditional first food for babies. I read a few things about babies’ digestive systems not being ready for grains until eight months or so, and also read a lot about fruits and vegetables as first foods. Pediatrician blessed us (not always the case, at least not at first, as with the formula we chose) so we got ready. We started with a teaspoon of banana and tried it once a day for two days. Score! Then came the butternut squash (from our CSA at Sport Hill Farm), then carrot and so on.
Everything, but the papaya (because I cannot find organic papaya), is organic. For root vegetables and anything that requires steaming, I use a small pressure cooker (thanks Mom!). Pears and apples are cored and cubed and cooked for one minute with a bit of water in the microwave. Prunes are soaked in hot water for fifteen minutes. I puree everything using my trusty OXO food mill (gift from the brother!). I like the food mill because it has a ton of uses (tomato sauce, soups, etc.) beyond this stage. And it’s super easy and quick to use.
Why is it so easy feeding one? Because I make food in advance in batches, except for bananas, and freeze it. And I usually throw something in the pressure cooker for Kiran while I am making something for myself or doing something else. I didn’t bother buying a baby food ice cube tray; I just use an ice cube tray set inside a Rubbermaid container and then transfer the cubes of food to containers. I did buy a set of the little baby food cubes that have covers for some of the more liquid foods.
Oh yeah, and it helps if the beneficiary of said food is very accepting and eager. We are blessed to have a good eater (so far!). Kiran is great. It’s really fun and funny to watch. She starts shaking her little head and kicking one foot in excitement when it is mealtime. She has liked everything except carrots, parsnips and peas, but when each is mixed with pear, she loves it. We test a food separately and then monitor her for 24 hours to ensure she is not allergic. No allergies to date. We also started her on some spices after six months. “They” recommend mixing fruits and vegetables with formula for the first feed, but we didn’t, unless the food was very thick.
Here is a list of the fruits and vegetables (and combos) Kiran has experienced to date:
Banana (sometimes with cinnamon or nutmeg, every other day with pureed prunes)
Carrot and pear
Pea and pear
Parsnip and pear (sometimes with cinnamon or nutmeg, parsnip by itself was mixed with formula)
Butternut squash (sometimes with roasted cumin, cinnamon or sweet curry powder)
Sweet potato (always mixed with some formula since it is very thick, sometimes with cinnamon or ginger)
Macintosh apple (sometimes with cinnamon)
Macintosh apple and red beet
Avocado and pear
Apple and pea
Papaya
Zucchini (sometimes with cinnamon)
Some of the combos sound strange but they are actually quite tasty. I have tasted mostly everything Kiran has eaten, including the formula (tastes like sweet milk; it’s Nature’s One Baby’s Only Dairy and it has been terrific for Kiran).
So that’s it. Cooking for one. Healthy. Easy. Quick. And that “one” is a special, delightful little girl who makes everything possible again.