Not-so-baby food

Now that Samuel is almost ten months old I’m facing the challenge of what to feed him.  Previously he was pretty happy with solely nursing, but recently he’s been more and more eager to try what we’re eating, and seems to need more food than I can provide him with on my own.   I’ve been experimenting with new ways to offer different foods, and healthier alternatives to family staples, like this one:

Home made ‘Jello’

2 cups of juice

1 package (1 Tbsp) unflavoured gelatin

It’s very easy.  You can buy juice if you like but I tend to make my own with whatever fruit I have lying around.  In fact it’s even better to use slightly overripe fruit that you wouldn’t reach for as a snack.  If you don’t intend to use that fruit right away just juice it (or for those of us without a juicer you can pulse it in the blender and strain, or you can simmer it on the stove with a bit of water and then strain) and then freeze it for later.  Measure out your juice and warm it up.  Add the gelatin, stir till dissolved and refrigerate in a container of your choice until set, usually overnight.  Once you’ve tried it with one juice you can mix juices for new flavours, double or triple the recipe, even invest in some shaped ice-cube trays to make your own ‘jigglers’.  Anyone else remember Jello Jigglers?

Vegetable Soup Ice snacks

Once I realized that my days of spoon-feeding Samuel were drawing to a close (he’s just way too interested in doing it himself) I came up with the idea of ice snacks.  I started by using liquids, like breastmilk, but now the favourite is vegetable soup.

I tend to prefer root vegetables, and if you do too then peel and section them, toss with a bit of oil and roast them in a low oven until fork-tender.  Otherwise steam or bake your vegetables however you like and when everything is done add enough broth to make them pulse easily in the food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  David and I can then eat our vegetable soup for lunch and Samuel can eat his with a little self-feeding bag that I picked up.  It’s a small mesh bag with a handle attached that fits a cube of frozen food.  Voila, independence!