No More Baby Food!!

Food, to me, is the most important thing in life, we need it to live!  You are what you eat!  Americans need to consciously think about each and everything that we put into our bodies and of course your children’s.  I have a hard time understanding that people are too busy to make their children food to eat.  Do you make yourself food every day?  If so, why would you choose to let some mass manufacturer cook your children’s meals?  Not only is the prepackage food full of preservatives and sodium, but they simply lack taste and proper nutritional value.

When I first began cooking for my son at 6 months or so, I didn’t hesitate to cook the food the way I would want to eat it.  In fact more often than not I cooked one meal for the family and either pureed his or put it in the food mill.  I added spices, garlic, onion and all the things I love to cook with.  I had even cooked spicy mexican food that he loved!

Now at 16 months, I haven’t changed a thing, and I still cook for him what I cook for myself and my husband, although instead of pureeing it I cut it into smaller pieces.  I have yet to buy him any jarred baby-type food.  I think so many Americans are preprogrammed to think that this is what we should be feeding our babies that they don’t even think to feed them fresh food.

Some simple meals I try to cook for him are:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fresh apple and cinnamon, eggs with spinach and cheese, plain yogurt with banana, homemade granola cereal, homemade pumpkin pancakes

Lunch: Almond butter and banana sandwich, fresh fruit, organic string cheese,  beets and carrot steamed with honey and cinnamon, frozen peas/carrots/corn/green beans and eggs, applesauce

Snack: dried fruit including, apples, raisins, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, mango, etc…and cereal such as organic O’s, Carrot Juice (he loves carrot juice!)

Dinner: Chicken stir fry, sweet potato, fish, asparagus, rice, quinoa, bean chili, pasta salad pretty much anything we eat

I have found that my son wants what we are eating, so rather then make him a separate meal we share the same thing.  One morning I made myself a sandwich with egg, avocado, arugula and blue cheese and he wanted a bite.   Well, he surprised me because he ended up eating half of my sandwich.

Give it a try, I think you’ll be surprised by what your children will eat.  The food that you cook for them will actually have flavor!  You’ll also be saving money and if you need to save time cook ahead of time and freeze your meals.  Stay away from the frozen dinners, the gross baby foods and the junk snacks that are out there for children.  Just remember, the healthiest way to cook for yourself and your family it to use whole natural ingredients.  Take it one step further and buy all local and organic as well and you and your family will be on the way to a healthier lifestyle!

Tagged as: Baby food, cook whole meals, jarred baby food, no more baby food, organic local food, preservatives

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