Want to understand cooking for infants?
Imagine you have no teeth, it's cold,
and you are hungry when your eyes are open
Children are like any other
"customer" in your restaurant; they have their own likes and desires. With
babies you are trying to provide the maximum amount of nutrition in the
easiest to swallow format; so this is simply a concentrated version of what
you or I may be eating.
They are partial to green, creamy, gruel-like mixtures that look pretty
disgusting but they find Mmmm... good.
Commercially prepared bottled infant food is expensive.
When you get right down to it; baby food is simply highly prepared food with
exacting standards of cleanliness in production. If you take a look at
the options on your supermarket isle you quickly realize that this is not
rocket science. Peas and Carrots. Carrots. Applesauce.
Spaghetti. Exciting stuff.
A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down....
As the song suggests adding a tablespoon of butter and some brown sugar to
almost any dinner will make the child eat it much faster. Sad but
true. It may contain sugar; but remember - they are eating - and that
dish; if made at home; would probably contain 1/2 of the amount of
sugar/salt used in commercial preparation. There's a reason kids like
McDonalds - even the bread is sweet
Preparing your own baby food is well worth the effort.
You are directly controlling the input of quality food to your infant and
will save alot of money! So, it's time to buy a blender. Nothing
special is required, this stage lasts only about 6 months or so.
Some easy and favorite children's dishes are:
Carrots and peas. Simply cook and puree in the blender. If using carrots
suggest adding some butter, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of
salt per blender load. Don't forget you are probably using "industrial"
carrots in the 5 or 10 lb bag; not very sweet or tasty to begin with; add
some butter and brown sugar after cooking to make it taste better.
Meat and Potatoes in the blender
1/3 any leftover meat chopped fine (ham, beef,
pork, chicken)
1/3 mashed potatoes (to make it quickly prepare in microwave, no peel)
1/3 leftover or thawed vegetables - Blend; adding water OR a light chicken
or beef stock until smooth.Remember to remove all spices, they just can't
tolerate garlic, pepper, and the like under 6 years old. If they see that they are eating the same food
you are (even if it is now mashed beyond recognition) they will be happy and may eat more.
Pasta with sauce
-
Meat is optional but suggested since it is a source
of protein.
-
Pasta dishes are easy to prepare and will puree,
but children soon prefer small pieces; suggest small grain pasta or at
about age 3 alphabets for a bit of fun.
-
Tomato can be very acidic and not all children can
tolerate it when young. Ketchup is a different story since it is
very sweet and children use it to cool the food before eating.
-
Don't get fancy; many children are happy with just
noodles and butter. If this is your situation try and serve a
portion of fruit or vegetables and perhaps some cheese or meat to create
a more balanced meal; otherwise it's just empty carbohydrates.
Fruit Oatmeal An easy dish to quickly prepare with a microwave or kettle.
Be patient and wait for the oatmeal to cool before serving baby.
Uncle Buck always prefers fresh to canned fruit; but a winner is always
canned fruit mixed with oatmeal and cooled with some milk. Apples, bananas, a can of pears, peaches, raisins,
coconut; whatever you have handy.. Note: Most children do not like
cinnamon but do like it sweeter than you would serve it yourself.
Don't be shy and add a dash of salt to remove the pasty flavor.
1/2 fruit, 1/2 cooked oatmeal; serve immediately or
puree, adding milk before serving. Oatmeal Very hearty. Very gruel-like. Great if you don't have teeth I guess...
Make your own applesauce in the microwave
Simply
chop and peel an apple or 2, a teaspoon of butter and some salt; microwave
for 2 minutes and mush, add sugar to taste. Try adding a touch of jam to make it sweeter and for a
nice color.
Corn-on-the-cob is great for kids who are teething
Kernel corn does not puree well; the husks (or hard outside membrane) of the
corn left an unpleasant, hard white residue.
Kids love the corn, suggest using the creamed variety; inexpensive and
easier to digest for infants than kernels.
When was the last time you had marshmallows, Jell-O or Cheerios?
Infants love them and they are inexpensive. Note: Jell-O and all
the foods you remember as a kid will come to haunt you. Some, live
liver and onions; we decided to leave behind. Others, like cans of
apple juice we use and remember well..
More than one choice When preparing food for infants try and keep in mind that they, like other
humans, like variety in what they eat. This usually entails having more
than one menu choice; or sometimes simply a side of applesauce or jello.
Use candy dishes For proper service Uncle Buck suggests bowls that have 3 separate trays;
the simpler and easier to clean, the better. Candy dishes are a good choice
since they are normally divided into 3 or 4 sections and can be purchased
for a few cents each as opposed to a branded; specially designed bowl that
cost's $10.00 or more.
How long before my kid will start eating solid
foods? On average babies start wanting
pureed foods at about 4-6 months. At 7-8 months you can move to a more
lumpy consistency and at 9-12 months small, soft pieces of food they can
start to handle themselves. Once they have teeth they will want to use
them; see "corn cobs", above...
Using
the blender to puree: (make very smooth)
Add your material. Use about 1 teaspoon of salt
per blender load and sugar to taste in sweet mixtures. Set to puree.
If works the first time and you have a nice, smooth
mixture within 30-45 seconds, perfect. If the machine seems to be
working hard or has any trouble reaching that consistency (smooth) simply
add some water. Continue to add water until the mixture is smooth.
This reduces strain on the equipment and produces a better quality puree.
Can I save it for later or put it in ice
cube containers?
Once you create your puree you are set to store it for
future use. You have a couple of options:
-
Store in the refrigerator in covered containers and
microwave later. This is the best; properly stored should last 2-3
days.
-
Portioning it into ice cube containers seems like a
good idea, but in our experience after freezing the food tastes terrible
and the kids won't eat it unless they are REALLY hungry.
Spend the money on the cool spoons Plastic spoons are a must in the beginning as children
are fascinated by the tools we use to eat. It seems crazy to you or
me, but the new Mickey Mouse spoon can make a world of difference.
Keep in mind that as the baby gets older use larger spoons; you will satisfy
them faster with less effort.