I have found it INFINITELY easier to make his food one serving at a time with my immersion blender. Mine's the one pictured (a Proctor-Silex), and it was only $15. It's only one speed, but it works well, and I can quickly mash up his food to whatever consistency I want, from a rough chop to a fine puree. This little contraption makes food prep so much faster - and if you don't have one, even buying this little cheapo version is worth the money. It's also easy to clean. And handy in case I make something a little too chunky for his palate - just blend it for a few more seconds, and it's pureed.Here's some of the stuff I've made for Liam with the immersion blender:
- oatmeal with frozen (& thawed) berries (just throw it all into one bowl & blend)
- canned fruit turned into a chunky sauce
- turning a chunky soup that we've eaten into a creamy one for him
- making fruit salad easier to swallow
- steamed veggie leftovers from our dinner mashed up for lunch the next day
You get the picture.
I also got a wonderful food processor for Christmas, and when I saw the price I couldn't believe it, so I thought I'd pass it along. (How I survived this long in the kitchen without one, I don't know.) It's a Hamilton Beach 'Big-Mouth' processor - and they aren't kidding. It has a 14-cup capacity and you can put whole foods right in. You don't even have to cut them up. This beast is amazing. I even used it to pulverize hard bar soap for laundry detergent. It's also not screaming loud. Of course, it's not a Cuisinart, so who knows how long it'll last. I saw it on several websites for $80, but I saw it on sale at Walmart (gasp!) last week for $39. That, my friends, is a steal, and worth gritting your teeth to run in and getcha one. :)Another random thought: I saw a commercial for Robert's Dairy the other day that states they no longer use milk from cows given the bovine growth hormone. I also know Land-o-Lakes doesn't, either. (their milk tastes pretty close to organic, in my opinion) - for those of us who can't afford organic milk but don't like the idea of the BHG in our milk.
What I want to know is, how have some of you made meat palatable for your toddlers? I hate the gerber pureed meats, so I don't buy them. Looking for something a little more creative, yet easy to eat for Liam. Any ideas?
2 comments:
Great idea with that stick blender.
What did I do for meats? Well, I'm not sure what stage of eating Liam is in right now. But, I remember making large batches of meatballs to keep in the freezer. I'd pull them out and warm them up for my kiddos. They were much mushier than say, steak.
I'd also cut up cubes of tofu, if that counts. My kiddos got pureed soups, too-- which would have meat in them... I also had one of those baby food hand "grinders" -- You'd put food into it, put handle on and turn. It worked GREAT for cooked meats. Infact, you could certainly borrow it. I'd often put whatever we were having for dinner in it and grind at the table because the food comes out into a bowl-like holder. I'd just spoon it right out.
pureed soup - duh! i shoulda thought of that. that's a great idea, actually. and meatballs! what kid doesn't like meatballs? liam's not quite there, but making some meatballs would help a ton, especially when he gets a few more teeth - he can eat them at the table with us.
THANKS, cheryl! i may take you up on the food mil, too.
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