I am not a very good cook. I try, and can get very excited about the idea of a new recipe, or a new culinary skill I learn while watching a cooking show but in the end, most everything I make ends up tasting similar - slightly like mushroom soup-baked chicken. This is especially sad when the recipe doesn't even include chicken.
When we decided to use the baby-led weaning method with Cameron, I was (and still am!) determined to find healthy, delicious recipes for him to have every day. This has led to some very good, and very bad meal experiences for us.
So, in light of my lack of chef-like prowress, I started writing down everything Cameron ate - for the sole purpose of seeing whether or not he was, generally speaking, eating a balanced diet. I believe that as long as he gets enough variety of the important, healthy foods over the span of a week, we are doing very well. Here is a rough breakdown of what he eats, including recipes (or links to) that I have made with some element of success.
Breakfast
Whole Grain Cereal
Oatmeal
Applesauce
Yogurt
Banana French Toast (http://babyworld.co.uk/2011/10/baby-led-weaning-breakfasts-6-months/)
Spinach and Cheddar Souffle (http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/broccoli-cheese-souffle-homemade-baby-finger-food-yum/)
Sugarfree Pancakes (http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/news/sugar-free-yogurt-pancakes/)
Fruit
(Note: Breakfast is the one meal of the day during which we, more often than not, spoon-feed Cameron. At roughly 7 months, my husband began to be concerned about the amount of food C was (or was not) actually ingesting. While this is a common time for BLW parents to become discouraged, I agreed that one meal would not ruin all of C's development in learning to feed himself. Besides, it was a wonderful time for the two of them to spend together each morning while I had a lie-in with some coffee to boot!)
Lunch
Rice cakes with hummous or cottage cheese
Sandwiches: Grilled cheese
Avocado and hummous
Tomato and cheese with tzatziki
Apple butter
Tuna salad
Chicken salad
(*Note: I try and include mostly whole foods in Cameron's diet, so I will leave and butter etc out of the mix. His tuna and chicken salad consist of whatever I have on hand to mix with them - avocado, hummous, tomato, pasta sauce, ricotta; with celery, spinach, etc. all mixed together in a blender to make a nice creamy, soft sandwich spread)
Toast with: Sugarfree Jam
Apple butter
Cheese
Cottage cheese
Fruit (pineapple, peaches, papaya, mango, banana, oranges, grapes, kiwi, apples and pears)
Veggies (warmed leftover vegs from the night before)
Avocado (this is my favourite food ever - he eats it almost every day - and if he eats nothing but avocado, I am happy)
Leftovers from dinner
Thick soup (lentil, potato, split pea, bean, vegetable - always homemade or ready made organic - I check ingredients thoroughly re: sodium content and additives)
Dinner
Quinoa pasta
Kamut/spelt pasta
Homemade tomato sauce (tomatoes, garlic, onions) with parmesan
Falafel (http://www.weeatreal.com/2009/02/baked-falafel.html)
Cous cous
Wild Salmon
Tilapia
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potato
Steamed or sauteed veg (broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, carrots, peppers, green beans,
Chicken
Lasagna
Greek or goat yogurt (plain) with frozen berries: blueberries, cherries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries (zapped in micro for 30 secs - this is also something he eats almost every day - antioxidants are gooood!!)
Snacks
Smoothies
Homemade teething cookies (http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/teethingbiscuits.htm - I made the eggless baby cereal cookies)
Cheerios
Brown rice Rice Krispies with cow's milk
BabyBel
Cheese strings
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