Tag: nutrients in cooking water of steamed vegetables and fruits

anti-inflamatory, antioxidants, cooking tips, food prep, fruit-vegetable-sweet, fruits and vegetables, pear, recipe, steaming, yellow fruits and veggiesLeave a comment

introducing new foods: pears

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the next fruit we introduced k to is pears. like apples there are a variety of pears to choose from. i knew Comice pears are very sweet so i looked for others. D'anjou and Starkrimson pearspears aren’t the dirtiest of fruits but they aren’t the cleanest either. so i went to our local organic grocer and the ones they had in  stock were the D’anjou, Bosc and Starkrimson pears. the quality of the D’anjou pear was the best that day so i started k with them. Continue reading “introducing new foods: pears”

allergy, chicken, cooking tips, food prep, meat, proteinLeave a comment

introducing new foods: chicken

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we debated about introducing k to meat. m & i were never vegetarians though we don’t eat meat often. but it feels weird to give your child animal meat to eat while reading children’s books to them about animals as cute lovable creatures or as friends experiencing daily lives as we (humans) do.

in the end, it came down to nutrition. meat is an excellent source of protein, which is necessary for baby’s growing body. i guess we didn’t have a choice when we were kids and it’s not like we resent our parents for feeding us meat now. as adults we can make the choices about what we want or not want to eat for various reasons. so when k gets older, she can decide for herself too. Continue reading “introducing new foods: chicken”

cardiovascular, cooking tips, food prep, fruits and vegetables, parsnip, recipe, starch, vegetable-fruit-savory, yellow fruits and veggiesLeave a comment

introducing new foods: parsnip

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parsnip is another food i never ate before. like many others i always thought it was in the same family as carrots because they look alike but they are actually not in the same family.parsnip

taste wise, they are a little sweet but is more reminiscent of a potato than carrot, which may be due to its high starch content. they also have a nice flavor.

another aspect about parsnips is its nice aroma that comes out when you are steaming. it smells like bread when it’s baking. mmmmmm. yummy! Continue reading “introducing new foods: parsnip”

antioxidants, cooking tips, food prep, fruits and vegetables, GMO, green fruits and veggies, organic, recipe, vegetable-fruit-savory, zucchiniLeave a comment

introducing new foods: zucchini

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zucchini is part of the squash family so water used to steam can be reused for diluting other foods. it doesn’t take long to steam since it softens quickly.

zucchini doesn’t have a strong flavor so i like to pair it with other fruits and vegetables that have a stronger or sweeter flavor – i.e. make a fruit less sweet or make another vegetable less bitter. Continue reading “introducing new foods: zucchini”

anti-cancer, antioxidants, apple, boiling, cardiovascular, cooking tips, food prep, fruit-vegetable-sweet, fruits and vegetables, organic, pesticide residue in food, recipe, steaming, yellow fruits and veggiesLeave a comment

introducing new foods: apple

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since i was planning to start k on fruits, it might as well be the healthiest of all fruits: the apple! there is such a variety of apples (macintosh, golden delicious, gala, fuji, pink lady, etc.) so which do you choose?

  1. i look for the choices of organic apples because unfortunately, apples have consistently been on the “dirty dozen” list *read note 1.
  2. i look for the type that is less sweet: i.e. Honey Crisp apples are very sweet where as Granny Smith apples have a nice tart flavor. so i started k on Granny Smith apples.

Continue reading “introducing new foods: apple”

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feeding schedule: solids 3 times a day

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it’s been 2 months since we started k on solids. some days have been good where she would eat all of the food but some days she was pickier and would have either a few bites or just half of the meal. over all it has been a good start.

so far we have introduced k to vegetables (green beans, white potatoes, avocado, butternut squash, sweet potato / yam and carrots) and one grain (oat bran). like most new eaters she loves the starchy foods and the orange color vegetables. she also enjoys oat bran and tolerates the green vegetables, although mostly when they are mixed with other vegetables. Continue reading “feeding schedule: solids 3 times a day”

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introducing new foods: sweet potato / yam

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another vegetable in the orange color family – yummy power food sweet potato / yam. you can dilute if you want but it really doesn’t need it. baked sweet potato and yams are so soft it can be enjoyed alone.

i did some research on sweet potatoes vs. yams. the two are not actually from the same family but both are power foods and have lot of nutrition. the orange color vegetable are sweeter vs. the yellow color vegetable is not as sweet. there are also purple color ones but i have yet to try them! Continue reading “introducing new foods: sweet potato / yam”

antioxidants, butternut squash, cardiovascular, cooking tips, food prep, fruits and vegetables, orange fruits and veggies, recipe, vegetable-fruit-savoryLeave a comment

introducing new foods: butternut squash

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i’ve never had butternut squash before i started cooking and the only way i had it was as roasted butternut squash soup. but as i was reading up on introducing k to solids, butternut squashit turns out that butternut squash is quite popular! it is a favorite for babies because of it’s sweetness as indicated in it bright orange color.

here are two ways to prep butternut squash: baking and steaming.

Continue reading “introducing new foods: butternut squash”

cooking tips, food, food prep, fruit-vegetable-sweet, nitrates, recipe, storage, vegetable-fruit-savoryLeave a comment

prep: liquid storage

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mason jarsfrom Wholesome Baby Food Guide, i learned that when you cook some fruits or vegetables – whether you bake, steam or boil – there is some remaining liquid which has nutrition from the original fruit or vegetable that can be used to prep future dishes.

one of my favorite jam is from Sarabeth’s Kitchen. when i was finished with a jar, it seemed like a shame to throw it away or even to recycle it because the mason jars were nice and durable with thick glass. so i saved them with the hopes of future use. Continue reading “prep: liquid storage”

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introducing new foods: avocado

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avocadosticking to the less sweet vegetables and fruits, we decided the next item to feed k is the avocado.

during the first two years of the baby’s life, fat is important for baby’s brain development so avocado is a good choice.

it has monounsaturated fats, which are considered as healthy fats as well as omega-3 fatty acids.

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introducing new foods: green beans

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when i think of green beans for kids, i think of soft olive colored overcooked 1-inch beans. i didn’t want to serve that to my child – after all, the nutrients would have been cooked away!

green beansso i made sure i didn’t overcook the beans but that means after i cook them, i need to put it in the food processor for a litter longer to make sure they are ground into fine shreds since baby can’t chew yet. but remember you can save the water used to cook the beans so you don’t lose any of the nutrients! Continue reading “introducing new foods: green beans”