Watermelon

"When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat"

~Mark Twain

To say that Conor loves watermelon is an injustice.  There are no words strong enough to describe his affection for it.  His first taste was last weekend at his friend Griffin's house.  He enjoyed it, so we tried it again last night.  He was able to hold his own slice and eat it well enough, and we could tell he was enjoying it by his little "mmmmmm" noises.  

What we didn't count on was that he'd try to eat the rind, too.  When we took that away from him, he was beside himself.  He cried.  Hard.  I'm not talking pouty, whiney cries - these were full on sobs with HUGE tears streaming down his face.  He could see the leftover rinds on the table and just pointed and cried.  (Of course we gave him a little more then quickly removed all traces of the leftovers from sight.) 

Today at lunch, he enjoyed a presliced serving with no leftovers anywhere in sight:

Baby Foodie - Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

An easy "from scratch" meal that can be whipped up in no time. Burgers can also be made ahead and frozen.

Black Bean Burgers
(very loosely) Adapted from Broke Ass Gourmet

1.5 c (or 1-15 oz. can) black beans, soaked overnight (for dry beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 clove garlic
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (or 1 tsp dried)

In a large bowl, mash 3/4 of the beans well. Combine with egg, garlic, bread crumbs, cilantro and cumin. Stir in remaining beans. Form into patties (makes about 2). Cook in an oiled pan until well done, about 5-10 minutes each side. Serve on toasted buns with Sriracha aioli (1 tsp Sriracha + 2 tbsp mayo) and fixins for mama and dada; cut into bite sized pieces for baby.

The flavor is not too intense and great for baby.


Sweet Potato "Fries"

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin strips (somewhere between McDonald's and Red Robin size, maybe a nice Wendy's? I do love fries...)
1 tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl, toss sweet potato fries in olive oil until coated. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Cook 10 minutes, flip, continue cooking until desired doneness is achieved (eyeball it.)

Playing with leftovers (photo documentation FAIL)

Baby Foodie

Conor has been eating more and more “real” food. He does very well with a variety of tastes and textures. He is increasingly self feeding so I'm starting to plan our meals with him in mind. Knowing he will be eating what I prepare makes me more conscientious of the ingredients I use. Though I am known to serve him a Wagon Wheel or 10 from time to time, I feel guilty giving him a lot of crap food. It’s great motivation to cook the way I want to, but often do not.

As a result, Conor is going to be quite the Baby Foodie – experiencing a variety of foods, developing an appreciation for flavors and textures and enjoying good food made from quality ingredients. I am going to document the different things he tries and share the recipes I use, which hopefully will be made with a reasonable amount of good ingredients and not be too cumbersome.

Conor sources ingredients at Plum Market.

It is also my hope that he will eventually learn to appreciate where his food comes from – I envision backyard vegetable gardens, trips to pick strawberries and apples, tours of Guernsey Farms dairy, visits to the farmer’s market, and classes at Zingerman’s Bakehouse (maybe even summer Farm camp???).

Stay tuned for Conor's adventures as a Baby Foodie!

Stage 1 Foods Report Card

Guest blogger Conor rates the stage 1 fruits and veggies*.

Bananas -Yuck, gross, I hate these. Fresh or jarred, both stink. F.
Sweet Potatoes - Love these, mom's homemade are so yummy. A+.
Pears - Okay, funny texture but taste decent. Like the jarred better than mom's. C+.
Squash - Pretty good, gimme some. B+.
Apples - Not too sure about these but they'll do. B-.
Peas - This is what I'm talkin' about. Sorry Uncle Jason but they're good. A.
Peaches - My favortite of the fruits. A.
Carrots - These are yummy and messy but sometimes they make me cry. B.
Prunes - Like these a lot and they make me go, bonus. B+.
Green Beans - Not quite as good as peas but I think they're alright. B.
Avocado - Acceptable. Those little pieces were fun to smash in my fingers. What's that? I was supposed to put it in my mouth myself? Isn't that what you're for? B+

*all grades subject to change without notice

First Solids

We started solids today with VERY runny rice cereal. He was interested for sure - opened his mouth wide, grabbed the spoon and tried to shove it in, then sucked the cereal off his fingers. He got a bit frustrated - I think I waited too long past his last feeding and he was hungry and couldn't get it all in fast enough!

We'll continue to practice with rice cereal until 6 months before adding fruits and veggies.