Lunchmeat

Most people I've talked to have serious problems with pureed meat. Even the staunchest baby food fan will tell you there is something about pureed meat that is just weird and creepy. Well, I'm here to say that babies are quite capable of eating meat. Real meat. Non-mushy meat. In fact, Buttercup had straight up chicken in her second week of baby-led solids. 


I picked up some nice, healthy, nitrate-free lunchmeat for easy family lunches. While making sandwiches for Hubby and myself I took two slices and cut them into one-inch pieces for Buttercup. She quite obviously liked them, and scarfed both pieces. 


Lunchmeat makes for a really easy "on the go" meal (ie: church nursery, daytrips, lunch dates). And, since I found a healthier alternative to the usual crapola found in lunchmeat I am happy to give it to my baby.


PROS: easy, portable protein option
CONS: none

Mostaccioli

It was a happy day when Buttercup's grandma showed up on our doorstep with a pan of mostaccioli! I was very prepared to not have to cook dinner, but I was unprepared for Buttercup's response to this new food combo. I have never seen her eat so much in one sitting, consuming about a half cup of mostaccioli. It was a sight to behold!

I'm not sure of the exact recipe, but the dish contained ground turkey meat, penne noodles, tomatoes and portobella mushrooms. We weren't sure if Buttercup would like it, considering her response the first time she tried tomato and mushroom, but after her first little taste she devoured every little scrap she could find on her tray... and then had seconds. Ironically, this was one of her cleanest meals, since no little pieces of food ended up on the floor or in her high chair. Yep, she was that intense!

This meal provided Buttercup with lots of protein and nutrition along with the multiple flavors, and it provided me with the mandatory "baby covered in pasta sauce" photo. I think she will be enjoying this meal again soon.

PROS: yummy yummy

CONS: staining

Fish

I made pan-fried tilapia fillets (with a corn meal/flour coating), smashed potatoes and green beans (from my garden!). I was thinking about what to give Buttercup for dinner when I thought, "What the heck! I'll just give her what we're having!" That's one of the main advantages to BLS, right? So, Buttercup had her first taste of fish, and her first multi-food meal.

She loved it all. This kid must have been adopted. I didn't have tilapia for the first time until I was 21. In fact, I think my only experience of fish until college was canned tuna and frozen fish sticks. I'm so happy that Buttercup is getting to try so many different things and is developing a love of healthy food. It warms the cockles of my heart. And I'm SOOO relieved that she isn't picky...

I digress. Buttercup enjoyed the green beans more than her last try of them. I steamed them a bit longer and I think that made the difference. I cut the smallest tilapia fillet into four long strips. She managed the pieces pretty easily. The only challenge for her was the little end bits that were cooked a bit crispier than the rest. I should have cut those off first. Challenges aside, she probably swallowed a third of the fish I gave her. The potatoes were a bit more of a challenge, as I anticipated they would be. I tried giving her a pre-loaded spoon of them, but she wasn't interested. She did managed to pick up a few fistfuls and squish it into her gob. I was proud.

PROS: Omega-3 = brain food

CONS: Watch out for the tough end bits, which are harder for baby to "chew"

Chicken, dark meat

I decided after the last time I offered Buttercup chicken that I would try dark meat next. Well, we never have dark meat in the house, since I usually buy chicken breasts. However, Hubby bought a rotisserie chicken as a special Sunday treat, so I set some dark meat aside for experimentation purposes. Basically I just pulled out some 2 inch strips that looked manageable for little hands, making sure there were no bones, gristle or fat.

I was right - dark meat was much easier! The white meat from our first chicken experiment seemed a bit dry and difficult to swallow. Buttercup seemed to enjoy the taste of the dark meat a lot more, too. Who wouldn't enjoy the extra greasy yumminess of dark meat? A lot more of the meat went down her throat than last time, though that could be owed to the mad eating skills she's developed in the last few weeks.

PROS: easier to chew than white mean, loads of absorbable iron

CONS: a bit slippier than white mean, beware of gristle and fat chunks on meat.

Chicken

Although American pediatricians recommend introducing meats last, it is actually one of the best first foods. Did you know that in Africa meat is the FIRST food introduced to babies? Also, the iron found in meat is the most easily digestible (which makes one wonder why pediatricians want you feed your kid synthetically iron fortified baby cereal and not meat). I am not a red meat eater, so I decided chicken would be Buttercup's first meat. I pan fried chicken breasts in a bit of olive oil (no salt) and let Buttercup's cool. I cut it into strips lengthwise before giving them to her.

She liked it a lot, and kept squawking whenever she'd accidentally drop a piece. She was working hard to get bits off, though she didn't seem to mind. She did manage to soften the pieces up impressively well with her gums.

Hubby suggested that next time I cut the chicken width-wise ("against the grain") so that it comes apart in Buttercup's mouth easier. Also, I'm wondering if dark meat would be a better option for babies. It is higher in iron, and the fat would probably make for easier munching.

PROS: a good source of nutrients and iron, not too messy

CONS: a bit difficult to chew and swallow