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Shrimp scampi – it’s really just an excuse to eat melted lemony butter according to my kiddos.  It’s a bit like lobster they say, it’s only good because of the butter.

image courtesy wpclipart.org

I have yet to introduce them to the wonderful oozy yum of baked shrimp scampi.  I am sure they will say it’s only good because of the buttery crumb topping!

Now this lovely image of shrimp scampi is not the image of our dinner from last night.  I forgot to snap a photo before we devoured the meal.  In the image you see that parsley is used, I like to use basil.  My recipe is also one that does not yield a ton of buttery-oily “sauce” as in this image; we don’t like our shrimp drowned afterall.

For Baby or Toddler: Now if you have a wee one in the house, I suggest chopping up 1/2 of a chicken breast into pieces that your baby/toddler will be able to easily mash or “chew” up.  Prior to sauteing the shrimp, toss in the chicken and cook it then, scoop it out and set aside.

Shellfish and crustaceans can pose deadly allergic reactions.  Anaphylaxis, closing or tightening of the throat and breathing problems are known to be just a few of the allergic reactions people may have to shellfish and crustaceans.  When it comes to these, I think it prudent to wait until a baby is able to at least signal that something is wrong should a reaction occur – around 18-24 months.  I know, you may find it odd that I am saying this considering the studies showing that waiting on foods that are potential allergens is not really recommended anymore.  You see, my niece had a horrific reaction to shrimp when she was just 8 years old.  She had been happily eating shrimp for ages and then suddenly, she reacted.  Luckily she was able to signal and say that something was terribly wrong.  So for shrimp and other shellfish and crustaceans, I think it’s worth the wait.  Of course you should always speak to your pediatrician about introducing foods that pose allergy concerns!  Now the recipe:

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We had mesclun salad, warm crusty bread and roasted asparagus.

Tags: Allergies, allergy, allergy recipes, baby food, baby food recipes, featured, finger food, Finger Foods, Fish, More Baby Food Recipes, scampi, shellfish, shrimp

Category: Baby Food from Dinner Food, Dangerous Food Items, featured, Finger Foods, Fish, Freezes Well, More Baby Food Recipes

Article source: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/shrimp-scampi-for-dinner-make-a-bit-of-chicken-baby-can-share-it-too/

It’s another “Baby Food from Dinner Food” post!  This awful looking meal is actually very tasty and it’s name is quite fitting.  It has endless opportunities for little fingers to dig in and chase grains of rice, meat and veggies all around the bowl or tray.  The family dog will be grateful for this meal too as the opportunities for spillage are endless as well.

This is a recipe that is found in my book The Wholesome Baby Food Guide and it is one that I return to many times.  If you’re pressed for time and have forgotten about making dinner, you can whip this up in less than 40 minutes.

And the recipe is……………….

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Dirty Rice

Tools:
sharp knife, medium-sized frying pan, large saucepan

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey, or a mix of ½ pound ground turkey and ½ pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
• ½ cup each diced onions, red peppers, and celery (aka the trinity)
• 1½ cups uncooked rice (try basmati, jasmine, parboiled, or white)
• Creole spice blend to taste
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 cups water (I prefer using a mix of 1½ cups chicken stock and 1½ cups water)
• Tomato paste (optional)

Directions:
Brown the meat in a medium-sized frying pan and drain off excess fat; set aside.
Rinse the pan, then heat the butter the same pan and sauté the onions, peppers, and celery until tender; set aside.
In a large saucepan, place the rice, spices, garlic, and water (or broth mix), stir, and bring to a boil. *Optional
Add browned meat and sauteed vegetables to the saucepan and return to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
Serve warm with a crisp salad and warm cornbread (leave out the pumpkin if desired)
Approximately 4-6 “adult” servings

*Optional:  Sometimes I mix in a 1/2 of a small can of tomato paste with 1/2 cup of water

For babies:  Serve as is but be sure that the veggies and the meat pieces are small so that they will not pose any choking hazard.  Baby should be sitting up fully when eating this.

Did You Know?
The recipe name Dirty Rice came about because authentic Creole recipes use chicken giblets and livers, which makes the rice dish look dirty. Don’t worry, though—even if you’re not using giblets and livers, this recipe will still look dirty and your kids might just eat it because it’s called “dirty” rice!

Quick Tip: While the traditional southern dirty rice is made with a blend of Creole spices, you may not want to overwhelm baby’s palate. Using a blend of milder herbs and spices is just fine; try sage, thyme, garlic, basil, and onion.

Meade, Maggie (2012-02-21).  The Wholesome Baby Food Guide: Over 150 Easy, Delicious, and Healthy Recipes from Purees to Solids Hachette Book Group.

Tags: 8 months, beef, chicken, dinner, featured, finger food, Finger Foods, meat, More Baby Food Recipes, rice, turkey

Category: 8 months, Baby Food from Dinner Food, book, featured, Finger Foods, Freezes Well, Meat and Fish, More Baby Food Recipes

Article source: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/baby-food-from-dinner-food-dirty-rice-for-little-fingers-and-forks-too/

Simple, easy and ready to go on a weekend or school-day morning, breakfast is the one meal that I really want my kiddos to enjoy.  It is also the one meal that I know they will devour like little piglets.  There are some mornings where I have a lot going on and not enough time to cook up a fresh omelet or whole grain waffles.  Preparing a hearty breakfast dish overnight (like my super tasty crockpot oatmeal recipe in The Wholesome Baby Food Guide) is a time saver and at the same time lets my kiddos have a filling meal that keeps their tummies happy as they head out the door.

This is a go-to fave and can be offered up to your little ones as young as 8 months of age.  The ingredients are simple: eggs, bread, milk, spices, maple syrup.  Before you go to bed, throw this together and then bake in the morning.  Sometimes we get a more firm and “french toasty” texture and other times we have more of a bread pudding-y texture.  My kiddos enjoy both as long as it’s not soggy – which happened once, ick!

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Overnight Baked French Toast Bread Pudding

Tools:
Large mixing bowl or 8 quart glass measuring bowl with spout
Whisk
9×13 Baking dish
Foil
Paper towel

Ingredients:

• 16 slices whole grain sandwich bread (you can use French bread or challah – sliced about 3/4 of an inch thick) I keep the crusts on but you can cut them off if you like.
• 8 large eggs
• 2 3/4 cups milk
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup* – use whatever amount you prefer, I use 1/2 cup
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:
Grease a 9×13 baking dish with a light coat of butter or shortening, I use butter.
Tear apart bread slices and arrange in the baking dish in a relatively uniform pattern (make sure that the bread overlaps and that no empty pockets are showing.  Empty pockets=lots of cooked egg=not a lot of baked bready goodness)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon
Pour egg mixture over the bread in the baking dish
Press the bread down so that you know all pieces are thoroughly soaked in the egg mixture
Cover with tinfoil and put the dish in the fridge

Baking Time – the next morning
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees
Take out the bread dish and place in the over, leave foil on
Allow to bake for 45 minutes or so for a more bread-pudding like texture; bake up to 1 hour for a more crisp texture.

My kiddos love this warm with maple syrup and whipped cream but are happy to eat it plain too.

For little ones:
Mash it all up into pieces that babies can pick up on their own – not good pureed but chopped lightly in a food processor with a bit of plain yogurt is nice!

Substitutions:
Use rice or soy milk in place of whole milk
Maple syrup can be exchanged for 1/2 cup brown sugar or demerara sugar if you’d like
Eggs really cannot be substituted in this recipe as they are the all-important ingredient.  I’d love to hear of a way to make this without the egg if anyone has done so!

*maple syrup is not a botulism risk like honey is!

Tags: 8 months, Breakfast, finger food, Finger Foods, freezes well, french toast, maple syrup, More Baby Food Recipes, overnight, toast

Category: 8 months, Breakfast, eggs, Freezes Well, Holiday Foods, More Baby Food Recipes, Pancakes

Article source: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/easy-sugar-free-breakfast-share-it-with-your-little-one/

In the late 1920′s, canned fruits and vegetables were gaining popularity as they became more affordable and offered a break from the work of preparing fresh foods.  It was around 1928 that Fremont, Michigan cannery owner Dan Gerber’s wife Dorothy had an idea. Straining peas was becoming tiresome and her husband’s company canned fruits and vegetables for family consumption; why not create a line just for babies?  This idea was a brilliant stroke of business genius that would “liberate” mothers from the kitchen and from the “tedious” work of scraping and straining vegetables for babies.  The cannery began to focus its efforts solely on producing infant foods.  Eventually, the Gerber company would gain a reputation for producing foods that were “better” for babies.  This notion that Gerber’s foods were better gained traction and much success via massive marketing.

With the help of advertising agencies (conjure Mad Men here) and the American Medical Association, Pediatricians and even the local grocer, parents soon came to believe that it was best to feed their babies canned (jarred now) foods.  Mom couldn’t possibly prepare scientifically adequate and superior foods for her baby.   Gerber was not the only business to target Mothers using a variety of “emotional” ploys, Beechnut, Heinz and even Libby were hiring ad agencies and cranking out these ads too.

One of the most disturbing of these advertising tactics was the marketing to let Mothers know that their 2 week old babies would benefit from solid foods.   There is some speculation that the rush to introduce solid foods to babies as early as 2-3 weeks old took hold partly due to advertising; advertising that always bore the “approval” of pediatricians and/or the AMA.

In the year 2012, I still hear parents say “You mean I can make my baby’s food in my kitchen?  It’s safe to do that?  Will she/he get enough vitamins and minerals and other nutrients?”  It has been 80+ years since baby food companies began their ads that have sadly undermined a Mother’s confidence in her ability to properly feed her babies.  It is so amazing to know that we (all of us parents and website/bloggers) are starting to turn this all around.  At the very least, the ads overtly stating that canned food is better have disappeared but the ads telling us we just don’t have time to cook baby’s foods are still around.  One iconic baby food company has actually begun to label its line “purees”; I see that as a sign that homemade baby food making is stronger than ever!

I would love to hear your thoughts on these ads, from the 1930′s through the 1950′s, that have appeared in women’s magazines (and medical profession magazines) as well as in brochures given to nurses and doctors.

Many thanks to the Duke University Library, Digital Collections “Medicine and Madison Avenue“  Please check them out to see more advertisements; it’s really a lot of fun!  They also have a section on the influence of ads regarding formula being better than breast milk.

Tags: 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, advertising, baby food, baby purees. canned baby food, Beehnut, commercial baby food, food safety, Gerber, Heinz, jarred baby food

Category: 4-6 months, 6 months, 8 months, Call to Action, Friendly Baby Food Advice, Nutrition, Resources, Reviews

Article source: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/baby-food-advertising-how-moms-lost-confidence-in-their-abilities-to-provide-nourishment-for-their-babies/

It’s time for another, “making baby food from dinner food” post.   I haven’t officially announced that I will be doing a series of posts that I will call “making baby food from dinner food” -  consider this the announcement.  In the past, I have written many posts showing you how to take your meals and  create foods for your baby from those meals; with little extra effort or time.  Tonight, we had roasted pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, applesauce, rainbow crunch carrots, and salad.

I set aside the following to make this Rainbow Potato Puree:

Applesauce – 2 tablespoonfuls
Steamed Rainbow Carrots – 5 pieces (I cut 2 inch “sticks” for steaming)
Mashed Potatoes – 2 tablespoonfuls

Combine all ingredients in a blender/food processor – add 2 tablespoons of water.  Process until a texture that your baby will enjoy is achieved; add more water as needed.

This actually tastes so good that I’m thinking about processing the rest of the leftovers and making it into a soup!

Visit Colorful Harvest to learn more about Rainbow Crunch carrots.  You might also like to read the Rainbow Crunch post.

Tags: 6 months, 8 months, apple, apples, applesauce, baby food, baby food purees, carrots, mashed potatoes, More Baby Food Recipes, potatoes, purees, rainbow, rainbow crunch, white potatoes

Category: 6 months, 8 months, Freezes Well, More Baby Food Recipes

Article source: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/rainbow-potato-baby-food-puree-making-baby-food-from-dinner-food/

Parents are always asking me if making homemade food will guarantee that their babies will always love veggies and always want to eat healthy foods. This is such a difficult question to answer because I want to say YES YES YES!!  In reality, there are no guarantees that your children will grow up to totally love all vegetables and no guarantees that they will want to eat healthy foods 100% of the time.  If someone tells you that there are, they are not being truthful.

During all phases of our lives, our food likes and dislikes constantly change and that’s the only real guarantee.  However, I will go out on that limb and offer up this guarantee; your kiddos will develop a taste for and a love of fresh foods if you provide those foods.  When given the opportunity to eat processed, prepackaged foods, they will more than likely wrinkle up their noses and push aside those foods.  I see this happening with my twins constantly.  Whether it’s that box of “junk” cereal that they can pick out each month (it goes uneaten) or that can of spaghetti with meatballs, they inevitably push it aside because they just don’t like the taste.  Of course if you were to ask them, they would deny it.

Just last week my twins were begging (again) for me to go out and by that “liquid gold” cheese skillet boxed meal that has been advertised on tv. I kept putting them off until I finally broke. All the while I told them that they just weren’t going to like it; they were sure they would not only like it, they would love it!

So I bought the one that required ground beef and proceeded to make it for them on Thursday.  Hubby and I had stuffed shells and pasta (I did make plenty because I knew…). We all sat down to dinner and the twins were psyched to dig into their “meal”. Did I mention it really smelled horrible? Watching them out of the corner of our eyes, we see the first big bite go in and see the first look of surprise. The second bite comes around and the surprise turns to disgust. “Don’t you boys just love it? Eat up, there’s plenty more in the pan” Finally, after pushing the food around for 5 minutes and not daring to eat another bite, they asked for the shells and one said “I knew you were right Mom but it just looked so good and cheesy! Do you think that there is even any real cheese in this?”

Don’t fixate and stress on your kiddos growing up to love veggies or any food in particular. It will come naturally to them over time and starting off with fresh foods is the beginning of the dawn of that time!  Serve your kids fresh, whole foods from the start and they will enjoy the tastes for the rest of their lives.  Let them pick out that box of junk cereal or that can of spaghetti when they are older.  They will come back from the dark side, a lot faster than you might imagine.  Just ask my twins

Category: Friendly Baby Food Advice

Article source: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/eating-that-liquid-gold-the-food-is-not-always-tastier-on-the-other-side/

First, I acknowledge and accept the fact that this image of my stuffed shells is not too appetizing.  Now, on with the more important stuff.

Stuffed shells are a great choice for a finger food for little ones because they are fun looking and little fingers get to dig around and make a tasty mess.  I know, the mess, ugh the mess, but really, babies and toddlers learn about foods by touch as well as by taste and sight.  It’s important to let them get down and dirty once in awhile.

When giving your little one stuffed shells, you have a variety of different ways to serve them up.  You can either cut them up into bite sized morsels or just offer up the whole shell and let baby’s fingers do the rest.  This would be a good dish for babies 8 months +, depending on “chewing” ability.  Always check with your pediatrician if you have concerns about any food/ingredient!

With the cheese, egg, pasta and tomato sauce, stuffed shells will pack in some calcium, protein, iron and other vitamins and minerals too.  There are some food allergy concerns with stuffed shells, namely wheat (the pasta shell), dairy and egg.  To get around some of these food allergens, you can do the following:

• Use rice pasta or another non-wheat/gluten pasta.
• Skip the egg and use flaxmeal with water as a binder (this may change the taste just a bit but not enough to make a fuss over)
• Instead of ricotta cheese, stuff the shells with a thicker veggie puree – such as sweet potato, squash or even a mix of sweet potato and apple.

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Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

1 package jumbo pasta shells
2 eggs, whisked
1 large container of ricotta cheese (32oz)
2 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese – divided (I like to use Romano Parm.)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon garlic powder (we looove garlic here!)
pepper
4 cups of homemade pasta sauce (or 1 large jar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Make the filling and hold in the refrigerator – it will be easier to stuff the shells when the filling is firm.

For the Filling:
Combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and the spices/herbs
Fold in the whisked eggs and mix well to thoroughly combine
Set aside in the refrigerator until you’re ready to stuff.

In a large baking dish, spread around 2 cups of sauce and set aside.
Cook shells according to package directions – you want them 1/2 cooked, al dente dente
Drain the shells and allow to cool then stuff away!

Please stuffed shells in the prepared baking dish.
Evenly spread the remaining pasta sauce over the shells
Mix the remaining cheeses – 1 cup shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan – set aside in fridge.
* Sometimes, I like to mix the cheeses in with the remaining sauce and then spread over the shells, if you do this, then you’ will not need to wait to top off the shells with the cheeses *
Cover baking dish with foil.

Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes – Check on progress at the 30 minute mark and then top off the shells with the remaining cheese mix.  Continue to bake until done – nice and bubbly and ooooh so smelling wonderfully.

Tags: 8 months, Allergies, cheese, finger food, Finger Foods, More Baby Food Recipes, pasta, stuffed shells

Category: 8 months, cheese, Freezes Well, More Baby Food Recipes, Pasta

Article source: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/why-stuffed-shells-are-great-finger-foods-for-babies/

Check out these little stars; they can be superstars when it comes to food for babies.  These stars are actually little pastina pastas – they look very cool don’t they.

Pastina is a great pasta to offer babies and even toddlers because it can get so mushy that it is virtually choke free.  You can make the pastina and then toss in whatever your baby’s tummy desires.  Pastina can be made into and added into anything, quite literally!

Below I am sharing three of my favorite ways to prepare pastina for little ones.  Eggy Pastina and Pumpkin Pastina and the classic Banana Pastina Baby Cereal.  Each of these recipes takesabout six minutes to prepare; yep you read me correctly, six (6) minutes.  Quick, easy, hearty, warm and nutritious, you should make pastina a staple in your cupboards.

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Eggy Pastina – contains wheat and egg *

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pastina
1 cup of water
1 egg

Directions:
Bring the water to a boil and then add the pastina
Stir
Set timer for 4 minutes; when time is up, crack open the egg and whisk it in.
Cook for another 1 – 2 minutes until the egg is thoroughly cooked and the pastina looks a creamy white.  Serve warm
Add yogurt, fruit purees, veggies – whatever you like.  You can also add in some warm broth and make this a soup or sprinkle with Parmesan cheese too…oh the possibilities!  Makes approximately 1 1/3 cups

For Pumpkin Pastina – prepare the pastina as above only add in pumpkin puree and a pinch of cinnamon at the four minute mark.  Here, I cheated and stirred in some homemade pumpkin butter – Total YUM!

Pastina Banana Cereal – yet another easy-peasy baby cereal that even the big kids will love.  Prepare according to directions above but, you guessed it, mash in a 1/2 of a ripe banana.  I bet you get at this point right?

* Wheat and eggs are being recommended for babies earlier than in the past.  Many pediatricians, and indeed the AAP, suggest that delaying alergenic foods may no longer the best thing to do.  Typical recommendation for wheat – 8 months; for egg – 6 to 12 months with yolks being generally recommended around 6-8 months

Eggs on the WBF site
Foods and Baby Food Allergies on the WBF site

Tags: 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, baby cereal, bananas, cereal, cheese, eggs, featured, fruits, homemade, pasta, pastina, pumpkin, wheat

Category: 4-6 months, 6 months, 8 months, Breakfast, Cereals, eggs, featured, More Baby Food Recipes

Article source: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/creamy-pastina-baby-cereal/

Many parents are often confused about offering their little ones meat(s).  They most first wonder when to introduce meats to their babies and then, they worry about what type of meat to introduce first.  The appropriate age to introduce meats to babies tends to be just as confusing as introducing solids as a whole!

It’s no wonder why confusion over introducing meats to babies runs rampant; pediatricians cannot seem to agree on one particular age – never mind even trying to stick to one age range!  I won’t talk about dairy here but as many of you know, introducing dairy is another confusing item.

I stumbled across a very interesting review concerning the introduction of meat as a first food.  This review was published in November of 2011.  It highlights why meat(s) may be a better first food for baby than veggies or fruits (or even that icky pasty boxed rice “cereal”).  If not the first food, meat may a great food to introduce earlier rather than later.  While many studies and recommendations involving meats as first foods for babies target the breastfed baby, it stands to reason that formula fed babies will also benefit from meats as well.

Today, many pediatric authorities are recognizing that fortified boxed infant cereal doesn’t have to be the first food a baby eats.   Choosing more nutrient dense foods, such as fruits and veggies and meats, as first foods makes better sense.  Around the world, meat in particular is often recommended as the first food for babies.  In the UK, Canada and the EU physician encourage the earlier introduction of meats than their collegues in the US.  You will find that US recommendations for introducing meat to range from 6 months to 8 months or even as late as 10-12 months.

One of most interesting points that I found within the review that prompted me to blog about this is the following:

At the time the human genome developed, our ancestors were hunter gatherers. There is now evidence that meat from large mammals was consumed by the hominid species Australopithecus afarensis at least 3.4 million years ago.³² It seems likely that meat was provided by hunter gatherers as a first and frequent complementary food ^33–35 following maternal premastication (Sorry Ms. Silverstone, in today’s age, pre-chewing baby’s food is not recommended)

Though this concept appears foreign to many people today, there is little doubt that ASF (animal source foods) including meats, perhaps premasticated,²⁶ were fed to older infants and toddlers at the time the human genome developed (i.e., when the lifestyle was that of the hunter-gatherer), and the change to an agrarian lifestyle has been an important contributory factor to iron deficiency in young children today, especially in resource-poor countries.

Highlighted below are some other points** regarding the benefits of introducing meats as a first food or at the very least, as one of the first foods for babies.

With respect to nutrient composition of the diet, the value of including meat as a complementary food from the age of 6 months is indisputable. Among the micronutrients of key public health importance, this applies especially to zinc, iron and, frequently, vitamin B12. The concentrations of zinc in meats are especially favorable. 

The article further notes some key points from studies and reviews done between 2004 and late 2011:

Because fetal iron and zinc stores are typically depleted by ∼ 6 months of age, good sources of bioavailable iron and zinc need to be among the first solid foods given to breastfed infants.  Unfortunately, the bioavailability of the iron compounds commonly used in infant cereal is relatively low, and although some infant cereals are now fortified with zinc in addition to iron, the bioavailability of the zinc in these cereals has not been reported. Early introduction of meat has the advantage of providing a good source of iron and zinc in a highly bioavailable form, and pureed meats have been shown to be well tolerated by infants as a first complementary food.  Pediatrics Vol. 122 No. Supplement 2 October 1, 2008 pp. S36 -S42 Infant Feeding and Feeding Transitions During the First Year of Life 

• Introduction of meat as an early complementary food for exclusively breastfed infants is feasible and was associated with improved zinc intake and potential benefits. The high percentage of infants with biochemical evidence of marginal zinc and iron status suggests that additional investigations of optimal complementary feeding practices for breastfed infants in the United States are warranted. Results showed that those infants who consumed pureed beef had improved iron and zinc intake compared to cereal-fed infants.
  Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology Nutrition:February 2006 – Volume 42 – Issue 2 – pp 207-214  Meat as a First Complementary Food for Breastfed Infants: Feasibility and Impact on Zinc Intake and Status

The American Academy of Pediatrics has also indicated that meats are an appropriate early complementary food American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition. Complementary feeding. In: Kleinman RE, ed. Pediatric Nutrition Handbook. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2004:103-15.

To wrap it all up simply:  Meat(s), particularly beef, are an important first food for babies that will offer better iron (and zinc) intake and bioavailability than using plant based foods as the sole source of complementary/solid foods.  Our ancestors who lived millions of years ago likely pre-chewed meats to feed to their babies.  It is possible that a plant based diet for infants (grains, fruits, veggies) has been a contributory factor to iron deficiency in “modern” day infants; this is due to the switch from hunter-gather to agrarian lifestyle (and grocery stores )

Thoughts?

**Evaluation of meat as a first complementary food for breastfed infants: impact on iron intake Nutrition Reviews, Special Issue: Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in early infancy; etiology, consequences, prevalence, and prevention  Volume 69, Issue Supplement s1, pages S57–S63, November 2011  Hambidge, K. M., Sheng, X., Mazariegos, M., Jiang, T., Garces, A., Li, D., Westcott, J., Tshefu, A., Sami, N., Pasha, O., Chomba, E., Lokangaka, A., Goco, N., Manasyan, A., Wright, L. L., Koso-Thomas, M., Bose, C., Goldenberg, R. L., Carlo, W. A., McClure, E. M. and Krebs, N. F. (2011),

Tags: beef, chicken, featured, first food, first foods, ham, introducing meats, lamb, meat, meats. meat and fish, pork, venison

Category: 4-6 months, 6 months, 8 months, featured, Meat and Fish, Nutrition

Article source: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/choosing-meat-as-a-first-food-for-baby-australopithecus-afarensis-did-it/

You have to try this breakfast recipe!  This is a quick and easy way to make 12 little meals all at once with little prep and hassle.

I originally saw this on Foodlets.com and thought it would be a great recipe for kids of all ages.  It has always been important to me to send the kiddos off to school with as large of a breakfast as possible; breakfast is their “fuel meal”.  I like to call it a “fuel meal” because this is the meal that is and always has been the one meal that they eat with gusto!  I try to include as many food groups as possible – and then some!

This recipe is quite simple but I warn you, a bit messy to make.  What I love about it is that there is a baby food opportunity here – see that luscious egg yolk……  Visit the WBF eggs for babies page to learn more about feeding babies eggs!

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For babies 8 months and older:

• Pop out the yolk and mash – add liquid if you want to thin the yolk a bit.
• Separate the whole egg and mash
• Break apart and mash, cut-up as needed for older babies who are self-feeding.

Freezes well and reheats nicely in the microwave, toaster oven or in the regular oven.

Tags: 8 months, Allergies, cheese, eggs, featured, finger food, Finger Foods, freezes well, More Baby Food Recipes, muffins

Category: 8 months, Breakfast, eggs, featured, Freezes Well, More Baby Food Recipes, muffins

Article source: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/breakfast-in-a-muffin-tin-a-tasty-way-to-make-your-breakfast-meal-a-babys-meal-too/