Lydia Renee's Food Adventures

Hi everybody! I thought it would be fun to share a little bit of what Lydia’s been eating these days. We started her on solids a couple weeks before she turned 6-months-old, and boy has she eaten a lot of food since then!

In the beginning we started her on homemade pureed kabocha squash, sweet potato, carrots and the like which were all successful. Then as the weeks went by she was onto more mixed purees and my beef stew. Before having Lydia, I had done research on baby-led weaning and liked the idea of feeding her foods that we were eating. It seemed like a great way for her to explore her food, play with it a little and experience mealtime as a family. 

So starting her on purees wasn't my initial plan but I'm glad I did them. It was a good introduction for her and it helped me see if any allergies were present, and fortunately there has been none so far! We do however avoid certain foods like honey, processed food, and conventional dairy products. She was eager to be fed at 6-7 moths and during that time she hadn't quite mastered using her fingers to feed herself, a.k.a. the pincer grasp which is developed at around 8-12 months old.

She was about 8 months old when she began to use her pincer grasp and that's when I knew we could successfully commit to the baby-led weaning process. Once she started to feed herself there really was no turning back! As someone who is passionate about eating and being married to someone who is also passionate about eating, we were blessed with a little human who, you guessed it, is passionate about eating! Letting Lydia feed herself is a little messy and there are certain foods that require a little assistance from us, like soup! But her enjoyment, little "mmm's" make it all worth it. 

People are always surprised to see Lydia eating because there isn't much she won't eat and she still has no teeth. My mom was shocked because on Thanksgiving Lydia was going to town gumming her dad's spicy chicken wings and guacamole! Lydia can handle the heat and likes things that pack on the flavor, a real epicurean in the making. I love it!

For the past couple of months I have been consistent with feeding Lydia breakfast, lunch and dinner, and that seems to work well for the both of us. Because she is only 10 months old, I'm still nursing her in between meals and she finds comfort in nursing periodically throughout the night. Once she turns one, I don't want to rush her into weaning but rather have her gradually rely more on solid food for nutrients than me. The comfort nurses are something I do cherish and I will part with when she feels prepared to do so.  On that note, here’s a little break down of what she's been eating!

//Breakfast// 

Depending on her last feeding in the morning, I don’t typically nurse her as soon as she wakes up for the day. 

she doesn't typically eat off of the floor but every now and then she eats breakfast in our room while I make my bed... it's all about multitasking guys!! :x

In the early stages I was feeding Lydia oatmeal that I grounded in the food processor and cooked it with fresh apple cider or organic applesauce, and a little ground cinnamon and cardamom or sometimes mashed banana mixed in. Initially she seemed to enjoy this but now that she's more independent her breakfast varies from homemade waffles cut into bite size pieces with fruit (chunks of ripe pear or roasted cinnamon apple), cheerios/rice chex, or fruit and yogurt smoothies in her reusable squeeze packs. She is currently in a cheerio kick! I give her about two ounces of apple or cranberry juice diluted with water to drink with breakfast. 

She typically wants to nurse 2-3 hours after breakfast time. 

//Lunch//

little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; so cute!

a little sandwich in hand

cut up omelette with sliced avocado 

1 falafel and roasted carrots seasoned with turmeric + smoked paprika

avocado smiles are the best 

Lydia usually will take a nap prior to lunchtime so this gives me a little time to prepare our meals. She loves to share what I'm eating or have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, avocado toast, leftover soup/stew in her reusable squeeze packs, roasted veggies with leftover chicken or salmon, and occasionally nitrite-free deli meat when we're in a pinch.

She gets a little annoyed when I have to feed her so putting soups in the squeeze packs makes my life a little easier! Plus it's an easy way to blend spinach and kale into her soups which are otherwise a choking hazard. 

//Snack-time// 

blueberries! she likes to inspect her food before eating...

having her applesauce

she really likes her applesauce 

When she first started feeding herself, I would just give her organic puffs and her juice but lately I have been trying to give her more whole foods. Ie: blueberries cut in half, organic apple juice in her reusable squeeze pack, fresh fruit or a favorite of ours: blended frozen banana and berries with chia seeds. 

//Dinner//

here lydia is gumming down a tostone, embracing her puerto rican roots

sundried tomato pesto on pasta with  a little chicken for protein

This varies from week to week since, I like trying new recipes every week and she typically eats whatever we're eating for dinner. She seems to be keen on pasta dishes, chicken pot pie, and actually really liked the stuffed eggplant with lamb and tahini yogurt sauce that I made last month. There are some nights when Michael has to start feeding her before I'm even done serving us our dinner because she gets a little impatient and hangry. For the most part dinnertime is really nice, enjoyable, and I would definitely say my favorite time of the day because I'm with my two favorite people!

Having written this post, I had a lot of fun with it. I hope it can be somewhat resourceful and inspiring to you. I definitely would love to share more of Lydia's meals and actually put effort into the pictures. As you can see most of the pictures are quick snaps from my phone and that's usually the case because I have a little child wishing I'd hurry up and let her eat already. ;)

Until next time,