Why choose organic food for your baby?

To be honest I never was bothered to buy organic food. Everything changed however when my daughter came along. My son grew up on natural food, as we used to have our own garden, and people in my country weren’t much into chemical pesticides treatment 13 years ago. When we shop these days though, we try as much as possible to get organic produce.

Children are more sensitive than adults to toxins, so choosing organic is a way to reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals, such as pesticides, pesticide residues and herbicides. Studies show that, on average, organic food has 95% fewer chemicals than non-organic foods. It also contains more antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

For many parents, the jury is still out on Genetically Modified foods. If it is something you are concerned about, organic food is GM-free.

Don't forget the feel-good factor. Buying and eating them is a real guilt-free pleasure. It's great to know that you're not only helping the environment, you're feeding your family on good, pure food, that tastes better than processed food and has no hidden poisons, which is more than you can say for what you pick up at the average supermarket.

Perhaps one of the most important advantages of organic food is that it is pure nature-grown food. Forget E-numbers, hydrogenated fats, artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners, preservatives – none of these additives that are lurking in processed and fast foods, are permitted in organic ones. There are no residual antibiotics, growth hormones or BSE in organic meat, no pesticides in organic milk, and no hidden starch bulking out organic baby food. If you want a diet based on natural food that hasn't been tampered with – think organic.

Toddler On-the-go Meals

One of the best ways to keep your little one happy while you travel in the car, plane or just having a day out at the park, is to bring some healthy tasty snacks along. Spend few minutes to think trough what your child would prefer, to avoid a lot of spitting and fussiness outside. When your toddler is happy, everyone on the journey will be happy too :o)

Here are a few suggestions:

• Peeled, seeded, and wedged apples, oranges, pears, plums or grapes. Put them in the Ziploc bags or small containers. Bananas are great too, but don’t peel them or cut them till they’re ready to be eaten (they go black and mushy very quickly).
• Mini bagels (or normal sized ones cut in pieces) with some cream cheese spread.
• Mini muffins -They are easier to hold then normal size ones :o)
• Cucumbers, celery, or carrots (for older toddlers), peeled and cut as sticks to be easy to hold. My daughter loves cucumbers, although we have only six teeth.
• Pretzels -They are crunchy and fun to eat.
• Cheerios- Make sure to get low sugar ones.
• Raisins along with other dry fruits. Such a yummy healthy option: o). They look cheerful an appealing in that Ziploc bag.
• If your toddler is above 2 years old, chop some nuts too. Make sure your little one doesn’t have allergies to any of them.
• Crackers are also a good-to-go snack. Always fun to munch.
• Cheese sticks- Cut your baby’s favorite cheese in to stick for easy hold. Or cut it in to different shapes :o)
• Homemade veggie chips – Peel carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, turnip or apples into thin slices. Place them on a sheet slightly sprayed with oil. Bake the vegetables at 140C for about 30-40 min, or until crisp and golden brown. You can cut your veggies into “french fries” sticks and bake them about an hour and a half.

Different kinds of vegetables cook for varying lengths of times, so it is important to check for doneness frequently.

Do not forget to take some liquids with you. Water is the best. It will keep your baby hydrated, thirst satisfied. Of course if your baby prefers juices, it’s fine as long as they are low in sugar. My baby is still on the breast milk/formula, but I never leave without a Sippy-cup of water :o)

Beef or chicken stew recipe (8 months +)

400 g Beef cubes or deboned Chicken cubed
1 onion
1 carrot peeled and chopped
1 potato peeled and chopped
100g sweet peas frozen or fresh
2 tablespoon flour
2 cups of homemade stock or water
1 tablespoon Olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
If you are using chicken cut cooking time in half. Heat oil in a heavy sauce pan on medium heat. Coat meat cubes in the flour and brown in the oil. Add stock or water and cover tightly. Cook for about ½-1 hour (until meat is soft and done). Add veggies , salt and pepper and cook for other 15 min.
Blend it to smooth consistency.

Tender Foil Wrapped Lamb recipe (12 months +)

250g Lamb boneless, cleaned from fats.
1 shallot sliced
1 small tomato sliced
½ carrots chopped in cubes
½ parsnips chopped in cubes
Sea salt or Rock salt to taste
Black pepper
Pre-heat oven to 350 deg F, 180 deg C.
Wrap all ingredients tightly in foil and seal.
Bake for about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours.
Mash or puree as needed (you may need to add a little stock to achieve a smooth puree).

Avocado and White fish recipe ( 8 months +)

1 ripe Avocado
1 White fish fillet (cod, Haddock, Sole)
2 tablespoons of Béchamel sauce
Pinch of Rock or Sea salt optional
Pinch of Pepper optional
Preparing fish:
You can steam or stir-fry fish in butter or olive oil, till fish is tender and absolutely cooked. Mash it with a fork. Set aside.
Preparing Béchamel sauce:
Melt a teaspoon of butter in the heavy sauce pan, add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir constantly for 1 min. Add 1 cup of Whole milk while stirring constantly. Bring it to a boil to cook the flour. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Now, de-seed the Avocado, mash it, and mix with the prepared fish and add 2-3 tablespoon of Béchamel sauce.
I always divide prepared lunches into individual portions. Store them in small single portion containers and freeze them till next time.

Avocado goes well with:
Apples
Bananas
Pears
Chicken
Pumpkin

Getting challenging veggies in their diet

When we just started with the solids, it went well. She loved her cereals.

But when veggies and meats came along, she chose her favorite ones, and was rejecting anything else. At some point just to let her eat, i will mix banana with any of her lunches. Yikes, i know! So it was chicken with sweet potato and banana, or peas with fish and banana.

I even mixed broccoli (which she hates) with banana, yet it worked like a charm. Of course it wasn’t for long. And i have to come up with something new. But it should work with your little ones for a while until the novelty runs out and they find a new challenge for you.

Pumpkin and green apple puree (6 months +)

1. Halve the pumpkin, peel and de-seed it, cut into cubes

2. Slice the apple

3. Add 3 inches of water to a pot and then insert a steamer basket – add the pumpkin cubes and apples

4. Bring water to a boil and then steam gently until soft and cooked. Be sure to check on the water level

Puree and mash both veggies. If too dry add breast milk or formula to adjust consistency, to your baby’s liking.

Serve warm with a smile.

Pumpkin and banana (6 month +)

1. Half a cup of pumpkin cubes, 1 ripe banana (needs to be ripe enough that it has black spots on the skin)

2. Halve the pumpkin, peel and de-seed it, cut into cubes

3. Add 3 inches of water to a pot and then insert a steamer basket – add the pumpkin cubes

4. Bring water to a boil and then steam gently until soft and cooked. Be sure to check on the water level

4. Mix the steamed pumpkin with the banana and mash. If too dry, thin with breast milk or baby formula.

For 1 year olds you can use cow whole milk.

Makes yummy lunch or addition to your baby’s yogurt or cereal.

You can use pumpkin mash with:

Steamed/ Baked Pears

Steamed/Boiled Carrots

Steamed/ Boiled Sweet Peas

Well cooked chicken (leftovers from your roast)