Feeding Grace

Sometimes I feel like I'm a total granola mom. I cloth diaper. I breastfeed. I buy 90% of my girls' clothes at a consignment shop. I have even become a bit obsessive when it comes to recycling. I know I'm not truly granola, but I do what I can for my girls.

One of the things I did for my oldest and now plan on doing for my 7-month-old, Grace, is making baby food instead of buying it.  I feel bad, though. With Ginny, I started cooking her food a full month before she was ready to eat solids. I had several bags in the freezer filled with foods for her to eat once she got past cereals. Grace just turned seven months old, and I have barely even started. Heck, I've had a hard time remembering that she eats solids now and getting into a routine with it. How pitiful is that?

Part of the issue has been Grace herself. She has not seemed interested in solids in the least. We started with rice cereal a month ago, but she wouldn't eat it. Her little tongue just kept pushing the cereal out of her mouth. We discussed her behavior with her doctor. He said she might not be ready for solids and to try again in a week. Now, a few weeks later, she is still not very interested in solid foods. I try every day. Most of the time, the food is pushed out. The most she has ever eaten has been four small spoonfuls.

I'm not overly concerned. After all, Grace is most definitely well-fed. I know this is just a developmental issue and totally normal. Some babies aren't ready for solids until they are 8 months old. I know that some day soon, she will be developmentally ready to eat solids. I'm aware that she may be ready for solids soon, so I need to prepare. In the meantime, I keep feeding her every day.

Another thing holding me back on getting her foods ready is our food processor is not working. The handle broke and now it won't lock in place. We need to replace the bowl so that I can have my 7-cup food processor working, something I plan to do this week. Until then, I have a small food processor I can use. It doesn't work for getting a large amount of food prepped, but it works well enough.

Peas are ready to be frozen

Pureed peas in my small processor

Until yesterday, Grace had been introduced to rice cereal, bananas, and sweet potatoes. So, I got busy preparing two more options for her, peas and carrots. The peas are simple to make. You just microwave some frozen peas in a bit of water, for about 5 minutes. Once they are done, you put the peas in the food processor, add some of the water, then process it. I always check, and if needed add a bit more water until the texture is just right. Then I spread the pea mixture into ice trays that were then put in the freezer. Each ice cube is one serving.

Carrots are in the pan to cook.

The carrots take a bit more effort. I prefer to buy organic when it comes to carrots. I peel them, then cut them into chunks. I place the carrot pieces into a pan of water and bring it to a boil. I allow the water to simmer for 10 minutes. Once done, I drain out all of the water. You really don't want to use the boiled water because of the nitrates. Then, the carrots go into the food processor to get pureed. I add water, like I did with the peas, so that the carrots are the appropriate texture. Finally, I put the carrots in the ice tray then the freezer.

Carrots for the freezer

I do have a good start on her food, but I have a lot more food to make. Tomorrow I intend to make apples for her. In the next week, I hope to get a new bowl for the processor as well as pick up pears and acorn squash for her. I have a lot of work to do. It is well worth it in the end.