What's for Dinner?

Food is an ongoing challenge. I am exhausted with trying to keep up with food for Norah as well as me and Seth. I need to say up front that Seth does a good amount of cooking, too, but I definitely take responsibility for planning and making Norah's food. Due to the fact that she still only has two bottom front teeth, and that I don't love our daycare's approach to food, I am still providing all of her meals every day.

When thinking about Norah's diet, here are some of the things I consider:

- Our desire to introduce her to a variety of flavors and textures

- Organic versus non-organic: we buy organic where it makes sense in terms of cost, convenience, and health (foods with the highest amount of pesticides)

- Providing a variety of food within a given day

- Food she can feed herself versus food that she is spoon fed (we prefer the former)

I have been putting more effort into finding dishes that we can all eat. Last weekend I made a baked lentil dish. Norah hasn't seemed to love it at home, but I've sent it to daycare twice and she ate almost all of it both times. I also made wheat pasta (that Norah can feed herself) with tomatoes, basil, garlic and fresh parmesan cheese. She doesn't dig the tomatoes, but she likes the pasta with the flavors of the sauce.

Neither dish was amazing, but the point is I made two things that we have all been eating this week. Unfortunately the recipes weren't for large quantities so we are getting low already, but that's an easy fix for next time.

I can be pretty sneaky when I need to. I have been trying to get Norah to eat tofu since she doesn't get a lot of protein from meat (again, just two lonely bottom front teeth). She has eaten it here and there, but lately either turns up her nose or squeezes it as hard as she can in her hand. Nothing seems to land in her mouth. But oh, let me tell you something - she is still eating that tofu whether she likes it or not! I pureed it with plain, whole milk organic yogurt and am mixing it in everything. She seems to particularly like it with pureed blackberries and applesauce. I was also added a bit to a lentils, sweet potatoes and applesauce mixture.

I know some of this probably sounds gross, but a good piece of advice I read in an baby cookbook was to put conventional thoughts about food combinations aside. I think there is some truth to that. Her teacher told me today that she had to mix the lentil/sweet potato/tofu/yogurt/applesauce with the yogurt/tofu/blackberry/applesauce to get her to eat anything. But it worked!

One of Norah's new favorite dishes is baked oatmeal. She literally gets giddy when she sees us pull the ziplock bag out of the fridge. My recipe uses applesauce and while it calls for sugar I don't use any, so it is quite healthy. Eat it up, Norah!

Baked Oatmeal

3 c oatmeal (I use 100% whole grain)

1/2 - 1 c brown sugar (I omit this)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 - 1 c raisins or blueberries (I sometimes use craisins, but otherwise omit)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another. Mix together. Add raisins/bueberries/craisins. Spread in a 9x9 pan, lightly greased. Bake 20-30 minutes (I have found it to take less).

Meanwhile, the search for more family friendly recipes continues...