I’ve been waiting for this moment since that monumental day we sat at my doctor’s office and learned that we were going to be parents. When I would (finally) cook for my daughter. That’s not to say I wasn’t waiting with bated breath for all those smiles, and giggles, and toe chubs, and disappearing wrists — oh yes, I waited, and subsequently relished, all those delicious bits.
But this, this doing what I love for someone I love, this was equally special.
Like a chef from a 4-star restaurant planning a degustation, I pored over menu choices, ingredients, and the order in which I would introduce new dishes. I debated sources and purveyors, methods and tools. I badgered our pediatrician with such vital questions such as “When can I introduce cumin?” and “Basil is considered greens right?”.
Finally the day was upon us…and with trumpets blaring and drums rolling I…
…went to the market, to my favorite organic farmer and bought several bright orange carrots, a quarter of a squash, and some sweet potatoes.
…steamed the cubed vegetables (separately), after a vigorous scrubbing and peeling, until they were soft.
…passed the yielding pieces through my little baby food mill.
…portioned the brightly colored purees to be tucked into the chiller and freezer.
Such excitement, indulge this first-time mum please 🙂
This may look like nothing but mashed carrots, but what it is really is the beginning of one little girl’s gastronomic journey. Hopefully the start of bigger, better, and more well-seasoned things!
This is what I’ve been up to these days…a different kind of cooking. Maybe I’ll share some recipes when the dishes develop into more exciting combinations. And perhaps you can share with me some of yours 🙂 I’d love to know what you feed the little ones in your lives 🙂
p.s. yes that’s a Moomin plate and glass! A gift to Little C from one of her aunts 🙂
Good for you for cooking her baby food! My little one is just now getting beyond the spoon-feeding stage but I didn't make anything too exciting…applesauce and blueberries, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes. And when she didn't like the green stuff, I just hid it in the orange stuff! Now she will eat little bits of almost anything I am eating, so she's getting exposure to lots of different foods.
Yay! The Moomin plates are adorable, Jo, I found some too, in a local store!! And welcome, Little C, to the delightful world of food 🙂
Your little C is one lucky baby to have you cooking for her! I'm sure you won't run out of yummy starter foods for her. Aside from breastfeeding, I also made a post on baby's first foods, so hope this helps you along the way 🙂
http://www.mymomfriday.com/2010/03/babys-first-foods-part-1.html
She is going to be so lucky to have such a cooking diva mom like you. I am so lucky to have seen her even just fleetingly. She is beautiful.
You and C will be marvelous parents!
How did I miss that you had a baby??? Congratulations! Psst… we are also having a little girl and quite soon… I love that you are making your own baby food, I want to do the same when the time comes!
I know how you're feeling now. Our boy is 5 months old and yesterday we gave him chicken with carrots 😉 you should have seen his amazement-something different for the first time 🙂 so today I bought some new cookie stamps to make his hm… third birthday more appealing 🙂
hugs from Poland 🙂
How exciting! It was so fun reading this. 🙂 Your little one is one lucky gal!
I remember the excitement of making those first 'meals'. And even more fun was the mess of feeding them the meals.
O haha, an exiting meal indeed! But I can imagine that it really IS exiting to be able to share the food you love with your little one. It will be soon enough that she will start to eat food a little less mashed… 🙂
hi, i,ve been a silent follower of ur blog for quite some time now.
i'm also a first time mom who excitedly prepared baby food when my son turned six months. i noticed though that he quickly grew bored with the same pureed texture so with pumpkin and sweet potatoes, i just cut them up in small chunks, boiled then refrigerated them in sterilized jars. when serving, i'd mash just enough for one serving with a fork and added milk, broth or cheese for variations in taste and texture =)
Hi Carolyn! Right now we are just starting so, in terms of food, it is quite boring to everyone except me! 🙂 So far she has had (aside from the ubiquitous rice cereal) carrots and squash, with the sweet potatoes coming next. I can’t wait until I can make “fancier” food 🙂
Hi Iyors! You must tell me where you found the Moomin stuff here! Little C is still getting used to the new food I think…we have had cute moments of gobbling as well as hilarious spitting cobra-like moments!
Hi Mom-Friday! Thanks for the link…so much useful information! And we use the same baby food mill 🙂
Hi Mieke! I was SO glad to have bumped into you! Thank you…I love cooking for her though she is still spitting some of it out! Siiigh…it’s funny to watch though 🙂 We are trying our best on the parent front…it is still so new to me and I’m sure it will continue to be so for every new stage…what an awesome ride though! 🙂
Thank you Irene! And congratulations to you as well!!! I like making her baby food…it’s not as complicated as people think 🙂 And you can make a big batch and use some for carrot and squash soup for yourself and the hubby 🙂
Hi m+a! Isn’t that look priceless? 🙂 Happy baby food journeys!
Hi Chris! We are lucky too 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Rone! Haha! I know the mess well…I can’t help but laugh when she sticks her tongue out and sprays us all with carrots!
Hi Junglefrog! It’s definitely an exciting time, though not without its challenges 😉
Hi Queen Bee! Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂 Thanks for the tips! Gotta make myself some baby broth soon!
Little C is lucky to have a mommy who is so eager to cook for her. I won't be surprised if she'll grow up to be a foodie like you.
keep loving!
cheers!
Malou
The fun times are just beginning! Baby C will be a true-blue foodie ( oh and a scotcho too in the future. Cant fight genetics!). I think I went overboard with the pureeing, filling every ice tray and then mixing them up to make every possible permutation. Did I say fun times? Enjoy, Jo!
hi joey,
when my kids were babies, whenever we had beef nilaga, i would separate the potatoes, carrots and pechay and puree them separately. i used the nilaga broth to thin down the puree, and sometimes, instead of milk, i would use the puree and broth to mix with pablum or instant baby cereal like cerelac. i did the same thing with chicken nilaga, fish tinola, etc.
as they grew older, i added chopped-up pieces of meat, chicken or fish.
been following your blog for awhile now via RSS, and i just want to say i'm so excited for this new food venture! i'm also expecting little muffin baby soon (6 mos to go!), and your posts on baby food recipes will be super helpful! thank you! (of course, would still love to see more food / breakfast posts in between hehe)
Wow! Congratulations! She'll love your creations for sure. 🙂
Awesome meal. What a lucky little girl. She's going to be having good meals. 😉
Joey that is just the best. You're right those are not just mashed carrots. That is the start of a great adventure! Delightful to see your enjoyment.
i know the feeling jo. when k's doctor gave the go signal that he can eat solids already. i asked hime if he can have yogurt, and chicken , etc…he's doctor patiently answered my questions with a silly smile on his face. hehehe! try pears. litte c might love it as its really juicy and sweet. where did you find those little plastic packs in your photo? are those reusable?—CJ
Hi Malou! I hope so! Right now she is unpredictable in that she takes as much as she refuses and we can’t seem to pinpoint which she likes or doesn’t! I guess that’s part of the adventure!
Hi Sann! Haha! We shall see! Yes, fun times…it’s like how many time can I re-invent kamote without being able to even use salt?? Hehehe…but still so thrilling nonetheless 🙂
Hi Millet! Thanks for the tips! As soon as this “introductory phase” is over I really want to be able to feed her a chopped up version of our regular meals 🙂
Hi Mrs. Muffinman! Thanks for leaving a comment! Good luck on your little muffin baby and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy (I actually miss it can you believe??)! Will definitely be posting more regular food soon!
Thanks Shalum! I hope so 🙂
Hi Paz! That’s the plan 😉
Hi Tanna! Love this whole journey of eating! Aside from naturally wanting to feed and nourish my daughter it is also fascinating to see someone taste things for the first time ever!
Hi CJ! I know what you mean! Will try pears 🙂 The plastic packs are actually my breast milk storage bags, nope not reusable. I just used them because I didn’t have any place else to store the food, heehee 🙂 I think you can by baby food freezer containers in Baby & Co or Rustans 🙂
Yay! Congrats for the little one 🙂
My wife and I actually are having our 2nd baby very very soon. And as for our first born, I don't really know what my wife first gave her except for the bottle-preserved ones because at that time, I was in China while they're both in the Philippines.
Good luck and I hope to see your recipes for our little ones. Cheers!
hi joey! congratulations on a new milestone with your baby! 😀 i used to mash up broccoli with cheese for bea..she'd gobble it all up..but now that shes bigger .. and more choosy … she'd rather have a cookie or glass of fruit juice or her usual pansit 😀
Yay for you and Little C! She'll soon be nibbling numerous other yummies, I hope. 😀
I remember cooking for our daughter as well… the first year was as much organic as I could find, no salt or sugar, no additives. But what I recall most is that once solid food was introduced, it changed the aroma of the eau de poop in a big way… hahaha. I'd like to think that all that early attention to food will make a difference in the long run… Happy cooking Joey.
Congratulations, Joey!!!
N's first food was a raspberry from her grandma's garden, followed by a cloudberry and wild strawberries in the middle of a bog few days later 😉
She's been eating pretty much bits and pieces from our plates from the 6th month onwards (in addition to breastmilk, that is) – we've been following the "baby-led weaning" route, you see. Highly recommended – it worked for us! (No need for making purees much ;))
That is one of the most interesting phases of a child's life for sure! I had a great time making baby food for my three children and they may not have liked everything I made but we sure had fun trying. Enjoy every moment!
Aww! Congrats on reaching this milestone! I loved making foods for my kids myself and was rather frustrated when my youngest one showed no interest or willingness to eat anything before she was 6 months old. Then she went crazy for butternut squash!!
By the way – I have an award for you on my blog. CHeck it out.
One day I went to a friends house and forgot our diaper bag so my friend went into her fridge and grabbed apples, blueberries and threw them in the blender the baby loved it, give it a try!
Such a sweet post! Love it! All my love goes out to you and your husband and of course the cute little gourmet daughter, angelika
Looks great. Nowadays you never can tell what's in store-bought baby food. Making it yourself doesn't sound so difficult, afterall! I'm currently living in Finland and we are hopping mad with Moomin accessories. If your baby daughter needs a bib, let me know where to send it 🙂 P.S. Your food blog is what inspired me to start mine!
Oh, cooking baby food sounds like a fun challenge! I'm cooking for my niece, she's 8 months. She doesn't eat a lot but I think she will grow up being a real gourmet. I wish.
What a great start in life – foodie mom, organic yummies and Moomin gear! 😀 Lucky Little C!
how sweet, J! 🙂 Have fun !!
Hi ChichaJo!
We are the owners of Nak Muay, Asian Thai Cuisine (located at Mother Ignacia Place, Mother Ignacia Q.C. In front of ABS-CBN) and we would like to invite you to our food bloggers event on July 24, 2010 at 4pm at our restaurant. We specialize on Thai Food with staples like Pad Thai, TOm Yum and may more. We also have specialties like spicy scallops, curry dishes and our best – seller, our noodles! If you'll be interested, you may ocntact us at 7821130 / 09088656441. THank yuo so much and hope to hear from you soon!
Thanks Hungry Husband! Best wishes for good health for your 2nd on the way! I’m sure you will all be eating well when he or she arrives 🙂 I would love to post more of the little one’s dishes here but fear it may be too boring, heehee 🙂 But I’ll definitely share some if you are interested!
Hi Pauline! Haha! Pansit! It’s no wonder…don’t we all find comfort in that? Broccoli and cheese sounds yummy too!
Hi Midge! We are on our way that’s for sure! 🙂
Hi MM! You are SO right! With her first taste of sweet potato came our first whiff of things to come! I was shocked! After 6 months of relatively innocuous poop suddenly the stink! I do hope it makes a difference in the long run…
Hi Pille! Wow…I cannot think of lovelier starter foods than fresh berries grown in grandma’s garden! Baby led weaning sounds fantastic honestly. Much less of a hassle and more natural…I wonder if I can mix methods…
Hi Lyb! I am! Yes, she enjoys some things more than others that’s for sure but I love the experimentation and discovery of it! 🙂
Hi Grapefruit! I am chopping up some butternut squash as we speak! Will check it out…thanks!
Hi Beth! That sounds like something I would love too! 🙂
Hi Angelika!!! Aw thank you! I miss you! A big big warm hug from me to you as well!!!
Hi McMeg! Finland! I spent 3 months there once for work and I loved it 🙂 Which must explain the love for Moomin 😉 Hope you are enjoying there and glad that you enjoy my little blog! I definitely feel better giving my little one homemade food although I keep some of the jarred stuff around for convenience 🙂
Hi Linn! I wish as well! The cooking is easy…it’s the feeding that’s a challenge! 🙂
Hi Ling! We are all very excited over here 🙂
Hi Anh! We are certainly doing that! 🙂
Hi Chopsuey…thanks for the info. Will let you know…meanwhile you can send any more information to my email addy on the sidebar 🙂
Carrots make a very good tasting baby food and leftover can be made in to a soup!
Congratulations on being a mommy, great one!
I LOVE Moomin!
You know, I never thought of cooking for my little one! Reading this post, made me realize that after a year, I will be doing the same thing you are!! 🙂
Little C is quite lucky to have a mom like you!! Little C will be eating so much good food!! Yum!!!!!!
Hi Maria! Me too 🙂
Hi Candishhh! Oh my! Did I miss sending you my congratulations! What great news! Cooking for your little one is not as hard as it may seem…and very rewarding 🙂