Eat and be merry!

With the holidays coming up, I am stressed… I’m also decking the halls, testing the lights to be hung, singing [annoying] songs, wrapping up ornaments for stocking stuffers, ordering gifts that reflect my love for friends and family (I’d love to send you all on a vacation or pay your mortgage, but for what we can afford, I’m pleased with my selections), and, my favorite of all, preparing Addie for all the good eats!

We have been chowing down here at the Martinka house, with an extensive list of foods tried and liked. All of them liked, if not loved. She is, most definitely our baby!

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, I wanted to prepare her. So, these past few weeks we’ve been enjoying Fall foods in anticipation for the upcoming delicious-ness that is about to take the nation by storm! Turkey. Squash. Sweet potatoes. Pumpkin. Peas. Cranberries. Stuffing… And so… we’ve tested and tried and we LIKE!

I’ve come up with recopies of my own, and hope that they help you introduce your cherubs to some of the sweet holiday treats (minus all the sweet!) I also introduced cranberry via Earth’s Best, as me making cranberries is always a tart and sugar-filled mess. I want Addie to like them as much as I do, and that means leaving it up to some food making (organic) experts:

Turkey, Squash and Pumpkin
Using lean, organic ground turkey, cook 1 cup through in a pan- you do not need salt, pepper or oil. Once cooked, put in blender.
Take out 4 squash ice cubes (I’m sure you have them in your freezer… they probably take up half of your space). If you don’t have frozen cubes, use about 1/4-1/2 cup steamed (cubed or mashed). Put in blender.
Open up a can of organic pumpkin and spoon 1/2 into the blender.
Add 1/3 cup of water.
BLEND! Addie doesn’t like “mush”, so I blend until there are no large chunks. I suggest adding breastmilk or formula when you feed, as the water will be quickly absorbed and the milk helps soften the food for those of us with no teeth 🙂

Beets with Pears (Great recipe for making cubes to freeze)
Using a whole can of organic sliced beets, steam in double boiler until soft. Use the juice from the can, as well as water to steam.
Peel, core and slice 5 whole pears. I used a variety to offer different textures and flavor. Steam until soft with the same water as the beets.
Place both beets and pears in blender with 1/4 cup of water FROM THE STEAMER.
Blend until it reaches desired consistency.

WARNING: Beets juice will stain… a naked baby might be best for your laundry. And, do not be alarmed: beets can turn your baby’s urine a shade of red.
For those of you who don’t eat root veggies, beets smell like dirt. Really. However, they are delicious and wonderful for you. If you don’t like a food, please still offer it to your baby to try. I know it can be kind of gross for you, but I promise trying will be fun!

Chicken with Beets and Peas
Bake one boneless chicken breast in a glass pan (no oil needed) on 400 for 45 minutes. Always check to make sure it’s cooked through.
When it’s done, slice it up and put it through a grinder:

Prepare the beets as I stated above in the steamer and put into the blender with 1/3 cup of the water/juice blend used to steam.
Prepare peas, fresh or frozen (which are frozen at their peak, so they’re perfect for you or baby!), drain, and place in the blender.
Blend peas, beets and chicken in blender until well mixed!

*TIP: purchase organic ground turkey and chicken… it’s a pain in the tail to grind! Use a large portion for taco night and prepare the rest (plain) for baby!

I hope your Thanksgiving is amazing and you enjoy this time with family and friends. I am loving being a mom and preparing nutritious meals for Addie is so rewarding- both now and, I’m sure, in the future. Instilling a healthy present, full of good foods, eating habits and extensive palate I am hoping to give her some of my favorite holiday memories without the holiday (or life) guilt, for her to cherish in the future!

Don’t you wish you looked this cute eating?

Yes, mom. More, please!

Peas, please.

I got this.

My hands look tasty, too!

Yeah, I’m adorable.

I came. I ate. I want more!

HAPPY HOLIDAY FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!

Mange the Mango

I know I should be writing serious things about Addie’s trip to Delaware… but sometimes the cute trumps anything else!

Being Dave’s daughter, I knew that she would like fruit, but her adoration of mango proves that she is, indeed, a little Dave:

What is really amazing, is when Dave is home to experience these things with me. He is almost as adorable:

It is nice to have a baby who is adventurous with eating- and her birdie-like behavior is super cute, but what I’ve really been enjoying is watching Dave interact with her more. There are a lot of times that she needs me, and will not go to anyone else, but when she makes little connections with her dad, that means the world to me.

I know some people have been following me for baby food recipes, but I have none for mango. Because mango is out of season, I went with Plum Organics. Addie seems to eat the whole packet and still be a bit hungry, so I’ve added oatmeal to some of the things she eats- and she loves it!  We have begun water from the sippy cup to keep everything moving, but more water goes into her neck than down her throat!

It is amazing watching Addie grow and learn and expand her little horizons into larger ones every day. Ah, the joys of being a mommy.

And on this day, happy 6 months to my dearest Adelaide!

Apple of my eye

Although she’s only 5 months and has a limited amount of upper body control (as compared to other children), I knew my little nature girl would love apple picking- and so, we went! I would have loved to let her sit on the ground with a few apples and explore, but she can’t sit yet, and the ground was too damp for her to belly time on it- so we just enjoyed the fresh air and the day with Daddy!

It was a beautiful afternoon, a bit warmer than anticipated, but we made do being a bit overdressed. With Dave, and best friend Hadley (mom Ashley) in tow, we picked half a peck of delicious apples- while avoiding herds of bees.

I wanted to carry Addie in my arms, as the orchard’s terrain and narrow lanes didn’t allow for stroller use, but she was so hot that we borrowed my friend’s carrier. Children with achondroplasia are not supposed to be in carriers, but I supported her with my arms while walking, and kept her time in there to just 30 minutes. With her head control and the fact that she was forward and not c-sitting in the Bjorn, I am confident that there was no damage done (something  I discussed with Dr. Bober and will write about soon!).

And then, we had apples!!!

Because the apples we picked were not from an organic farm, I chose to use Plum Organics stage 1. Addie loves her apples and we mix them with other foods she’s had to spice them up. She is a wonderful little eater (with parents like Dave and myself, it’s no wonder!) and enjoys throwing herself at the food and yelling when you don’t feed her fast enough!

I did make her apples later: Using organic apples (I used three different kinds so there was a bit of sweet, sour and mellow), I peeled them, sliced them into large chunks and put about an inch or so of water into a large pot. I brought the heat up high and let it boil (with the lid on), then simmering until the apples were REALLY soft. I then put the apples in my blender and blended, adding water FROM THE POT (to keep the nutrients) to get the consistency I wanted.

Just like the squash, I put what I would use in jars and then froze the rest in an ice cube tray, popping them out and throwing the cubes into a Ziplock bag (dated) for whenever I would give her apples again!

The best part about having both homemade and the packets of baby food on hand is that when traveling (to Delaware, for instance), you can bring food that you know your baby likes and that you don’t have to refrigerate (until opened) and that you don’t need to grocery shop immediately for when you get to your location. Happy sane mommy = happy healthy baby!

We will, we will SQAUSH you!

Food two: squash.

#success

Addie was a mess, and I loved every second of washing her little face, the tray, her hands, her hair, and her ears (yes, ears), knowing that my little buggah is loving food- but still prefers mama’s milk to anything!

I cut the squash in half, spooned out the seeds and put it, cut side down, in a glass pan with water. Baked at 350 for 90 minutes, I spooned the squash out, mashed it really well and mixed in my milk with the portions I would be keeping out, and left plain mashed for the portions I would be freezing.

Take one: Daddy was eating AND she nursed before. This was not so good.

However, take two: When I didn’t give it to her fast enough, there was a mini-meltdown:

And, she was so hungry, she tried to eat the spoon!

She’s pretty darn cute, don’t you think?

And the best thing about squash: lots left over to freeze for later meals!