Cut Calories without Losing Taste

To lose weight, you have to create a calorie deficit.  If you attempt to do it through exercise or reduction of intake alone, you will probably burn out before your see results.  A realistic and sustainable approach with health benefits far beyond weight loss, starts with smart substitutions. 

Lowfat Milk vs Whole
One cup of milk represents 28% of the recommended amount of calcium that an adult should consume in a day.  But drinking whole milk, may be adding up to 45 unneeded calories per cup.  A cup of whole milk contains 148 calories vs a cup of 1% at 103 calories.  If you like the full-flavor of the fat, but want to lose the calories, try a few different brands; Publix Organic 1% has a creamy taste as does Mayfield's.

Whole Milk Cheese vs Reduced Fat
Very rarely is cheese the main focus of the meal, so put its calories in proportion to its import.  A whole milk slice of cheddar is 113 calories and represents 30% of the saturated fat that should be consumed in a daily 2000 calorie diet (click here for information on children's daily caloric needs), but a 2% slice of cheese is only 45 calories.  One drawback to the reduced fat is that additional salt is added to replace the taste lost by the fat.  A neat experiment is to forego the cheese and see how much you miss it.  With all the flavors of a well-crafted sandwich, it may not be missed.


Mayo vs Endless Possibilities
If you were asked to put oil, eggs, and vinegar on your sandwich you would cringe, but they combine to make America's #1 condiment: mayo.  This fatty staple of the American sandwich is rich in fat, sodium, and at 57 calories per tablespoon, not much that is healthy.  Losing the mayo, though, means gaining variety in addition to health as the possible substitutes are delicious and endless.  Hummus, which comes in a flavor for every personality, has only 25 calories per tablespoon, and because it is made from protein-rich beans, will help keep you full.  Avocado, is another alternative that though fatty, is a plant-based fat that at 23 calories per tablespoon is loaded with good-for-you elements and a delicious creamy texture.  If you like tang, try tzatziki, which is a yogurt based, Greek favorite flavored with cucumber, garlic and dill that has only 35 calories per tablespoon.  Finally, there is the sandwich-classic of mustard, which at 5 calories per teaspoon is a low-cal winner with plenty of zing.


Ranch Dressing vs Italian
Your salad dressing may be taking your healthy salad and turning it into a caloric nightmare.  Ranch dressing contains 73 calories per tablespoon; but when was the last time anyone used only one tablespoon of dressing?  Switch to Thousand Island and you are down to 58 calories per tablespoon, but switch to Italian and you are down to 43.  Want to reduce the calories further?  Buy an Italian or other vinegar-based dressing that comes separated (i.e. Newman's Own) and pour off half of the oil to cut the calories roughly in half.  You can then save the oil to make another salad dressing of your own. 
If you are using the ranch dressing for dipping veggies, consider tzatziki as a replacement.  It is still milk-based, but has half the calories of ranch dressing per tablespoon serving.

Sour Cream vs Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
These two different foods have the same taste and similar texture, but pack different nutritional punches.  With use of Wendy's packet of sour cream on your baked potato, you consume 60 calories.  If you elected non-fat Greek yogurt instead, at the same serving size, you would only consume 16 calories and get approximately 3x the protein, which means that it will keep you full longer.  You can also substitute non-fat Greek yogurt for buttermilk, sour cream, or mayo in most recipes. 

If none of these suggestions sound like meaningful savings, consider the following day:
Breakfast: replace whole milk over cereal with 1% to save 45 calories
Lunch: replace whole milk cheese with 2% and mayo with hummus to save 100 calories.
Dinner: on a baked potato, where sour cream is replaced by Greek yogurt you will save 44 calorie and switch Ranch dressing to Italian (no extra oil removed) for a 60 calorie savings (assuming a 2 tablespoon serving size).
With every other element of your diet remaining constant, the above simple changes removed 249 calories from your plate in one day or 1743 calories in a week. To burn those 1743 calories, the average woman would need to run 19.2 miles per week at a 9:30 pace or walk 40.3 miles at a 19 minute per mile pace, which would mean approximately 13 hours of walking per week to work off unnecessary calories.  It's probably easier to tell the calories to take a hike!  






   

           

At Home Obstacle Course

Our culture is fascinated by obstacle courses.  Flip on the television and people are spinning, leaping, and swinging and the public is watching. I teach college students and the hardest class that I have them do is an obstacle course, but it is also the class that students most often request.  Even my five year-old loves bike and scooter obstacle courses that run through our driveway.  
 
Obstacle courses offer variety, short durations with activities, and you set your own pace, which combine to allow individuals to feel successful and challenged. It is also why they are great for children, but most people think you need a bounce house and spinning water feature for a fun kid's obstacle course, which could not be further from the truth. You can create an obstacle course using household items, kids games and basic exercises to get the whole family moving.  Below are different ideas that could be strung together all over the house and yard, but you can also be creative and make up challenges that appeal to you and your children.

Get up off the couch:
Every time you sit and stand, you are actually doing a squat.  For adults, using a seat is great practice on squat form, as it forces you to put your weight back, and for children, it may turn into a jumping exercise, but it gets them moving!

Walk the plank:
No pirates involved, but encourage balance by making a challenge that asks them to walk the length of one deck plank. 

Hop to it:
Challenge your children to draw their own hopscotch board on the driveway that they must use to get to their next challenge.

Feel like you're just hanging out?
Have a tree climbing or branch hanging contest to work out the upper body.

Stumped for other challenges?
Have a stump in your yard? Make a challenge jumping on and off of it or leap frogging over it.  If you have any large logs, cut them into differing heights and have kids jump from one to another. 

Sacked out yet?
Use old pillow cases for a sack race.  Want more of a challenge?  Let them hop up a hill!

Feel like you are being dumped on?
If you have a little boy, you probably have a truck that can hold body weight.  Make one activity to do a lap pushing it around the yard.  They will get a kick out of you doing it, and you can get bonus points for making truck sounds.  Big wheels and little bikes will also work well. 

You could even make this into an indoor, rainy day, get-out-the-energy activity:

Everyone is crabby:
Adults hate crab walking, but kids love it.  Have them do it across the floor or as another way to get upstairs.

On a roll:
Have a twin size bed?  Have your kids stand beside it and then roll across it, so that their legs go into the air, making them ready to land on the opposite side.  Sound unsafe and or like something that you told them not to do?  It is a move used by one of the top trainers in the nation!

Jump out of bed:
With their heals against the bed, have them roll back, as if they were going to do a backward summersault, but when their head touch, roll forward again, drop the feet and jump up.  Want to make it harder?  Do it on the floor!

Pile it on:
Use a soft, old rug that slides easily to allow them push it across the slippery floor with their hands.  As that is no problem for adults, try putting your toes on it and pulling your body behind as your hands walk across the floor.  You will remember that one tomorrow!

Keep your fun under wraps:
Put a blanket across the space between your couch and coffee table and have everyone crawl through the tunnel without touching.   

High five a job well-done:
Children can try plank or even do it on hands and knees while adults are in plank, but stand far enough a part so that you can meet in the middle to slap hands.

Whether you pull out the hoola-hoops, jump ropes, basket or soccer ball, make sure that you move forward, backward, and side-to-side and do not limit yourself to the prescribed use of an item.  My personal training clients know that they will squeeze a foam ball between their legs whiling jumping up and down and that a hoola-hoop twirled around one arm while standing on one leg is a full-body workout, but one that cannot help but make you feel young.  If it feels silly or you forgot that you were exercising, then know that you have probably crafted a good obstacle course....and found a great way to be active with your children.     

How to Make Group Fitness Classes More Effective

95% of women come to the gym to get "toned" which actually does not mean anything.  What most women mean is that they want to strategically reduce body fat and have more defined muscles without bulking.   
What that means in terms of activities is a mix of cardiovascular and resistance work.  So you sign up for a weights class on Monday and spin Tuesday or you join your friend for a boot camp in the park, and lose a few pounds, but never accomplish your goals.  Here is why.

Proper squat form: knees behind toes, heels on
the ground and chest up.  Use your inner thigh
to keep toes and knees facing forward.

You are not using proper form.
It only makes sense that to see results you have to do the exercise correctly.  Proper form is also the only way to ensure safety.  So if squats hurt your knees more than your glutes and your quads, after class, ask your instructor to look at your form or hire a personal trainer for a few sessions to practice proper execution of basic exercises.  Learning more about form will further develop your understanding of what muscles are being targeted and should be firing, thus allowing you to get more from the exercises.

You are hiding in the back.
Mirrors are generally at the front and they are not there for vanity but form (see above).  Also, it is amazing how feeling like you are being watched can get you through the last set of pushups. In the back, when the going gets tough, the tough take a longer water break. 
This does not mean that newbies should be on the front row; your confusion will be noticed by teachers and fellow-students alike and will not win you friends.  Simply be far enough forward that you can see the mirror and try to have a clear sight-line to the instructor.

You are tuning out your instructor.
Assume that everything that the instructor says is meant for you.  Good instructors know thirty ways to cue proper form for a given exercise, but we choose which ones we use based upon the issues we see.  So when you hear us repeat something, check your form to ensure that you are not the reason that our soundtrack is stuck.

You forgot to pick up weights.
Women are taught that weights are for men and cause women to bulk.  Wrong.  Bulking is dependent on testosterone production and a deliberate weight regimen, so it does not happen easily for anyone and is even more difficult for women.  Women actually need weights more than men because we are walking a shorter road to bone and muscle loss as we age, so choose challenging weight for vanity now and health later, unless you have specific health concerns. 
Some of you want to stand up as the exception to bulking, so let me burst your bubble.  Women often perceive of themselves as bulking, when they are actually building muscle that is still covered by too much fat.  The best remedy?  More weights.  Muscle burns fat long after you have left the gym, where cardio stops at the door, so do not give up on lifting because you think you are bulking.  Remember the scale may actually reinforce your perception of bulking, as muscle weighs more than fat.     

You are just going through the motions.
You go to the same class every week and do the same routine with the same resistance.  Your body has plateaued and you mind is bored.  Luckily, both problems have the same solution: change your routine.  Dare to take a new class or set a goal that will require training, but find a way to break the habit.
If you deliberately come to class to do the bare minimum and never seek to push yourself, I would encourage greater soul searching than "do I train for an adventure race or longer distance?"  While it is great that you are exercising, if you hate the class and do not try, not only do you benefit little from your time, but you demotivate everyone around you, including the instructor.  Yes, the truth is out, how good our class is is dependent upon the energy of our students.   


Instructors understand that people are insecure about their bodies, which is only heightened by wearing spandex and bouncing up and down in a bright room of mirrors.  After all, we are we really do have people watching and judging us, where students merely fear it.  We do not share these little hints because we do not want to make you feel like you are doing something wrong in your moment of greatest insecurity.  If you still question moving to the front or fear having to put down the heavier weights that you have attempted to complete a set, the final truth may help; good instructors love those who push and try; you are why we teach.  It is only those who do not try that will cause us to roll our eyes as the mic comes off.

Have more questions about group fitness?  Just ask!

Our Favorite (and Easy) Baby Food Recipes

First Lunch Puree

¼ to ½ ripe avocado

½ ripe banana

3 T jarred carrot puree or to taste

Other fruit as introduced

Blend in handy chopper until smooth

 

Baby Yogurt Lunch
(great lunch for the whole family)

1 small container baby yogurt

¼- ½ avocado

Fresh or frozen fruit to hunger and taste including banana, peaches, mango, or pears

1-2T wheat germ

1T flax seed oil

Blend in handy chopper or mash to desired texture.

 

Pear Apple Sauce

(great batch recipe)

Peel and slice pears and apples into uniform pieces and place in a baking dish.  You may also leave the skin on for cooking and peel before pureeing. 

Add enough water to coat the bottom of your baking dish.

Cover dish and bake at 350 degrees until apples are soft.

Add water as needed to achieve desired consistency; puree and freeze or serve immediately.

Growing up: once introduced, add a sprinkle of cinnamon before cooking

Pumpkin Apple Sauce

(fall favorite for the whole family)

Peel and slice 5-6 apples and place in baking dish

Pour can of organic pumpkin over apples (fresh is more trouble and can have a chunkier texture)

Cinnamon to taste.

Enough water or apple cider to coat bottom of baking dish.

If you are not using sweet apples, you may need to add a sprinkle of sugar to taste, especially as the pumpkin flavor can be a little drab.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees until apples are soft.

Puree and serve, refrigerate or freeze immediately.  Both of my children love this and will eat it for every meal and snack, so it never stays around long enough to freeze!

Butternut Squash Puree
(Parents should try Butternut Squash White Bean Soup)

Cut the squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds

Put the halves face down on a in a dish filled with about ¼ in of water and cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Turn the squash face-up and continue cooking until soft/you can easily make a hole in it with a fork

Scoop out meat, place in food processor, and add liquid as needed to achieve desired consistency
Growing up: In a bowl with a touch of water, combine fresh spinach leaves, a clove of minced garlic and an onion slice. Cover with a plate and cook for three minutes in the microwave. Puree cooked spinach mixture with squash puree, a little cheese and rice cereal. Add your Great Northern beans or serve them separately as a finger food.  As beans may be a choke hazard, watch your child closely.

Sweet Potato Puree
(Parents should try Sweet Potato Enchiladas)

Wash the potato and puncture it with a fork or knife.

Place in an oven at 400 degrees until soft or

Place in a covered dish in about 1/2 inch of water and microwave until soft.

Once ready, hold hot potato in oven mitt and make an incision in the skin, which will easily peel to reveal the meat.

Once introduced, cook with a sprig or rosemary and olive oil.

Growing up: Cut uncooked potatoes into strips and place on cookie sheet covered with foil.  Brush with EVOO and sprinkle with rosemary and a pinch of salt to taste.  Bake at 400 degrees until soft.

Green Bean Puree

(also appropriate for chicken, summer squash, etc.)

Place washed and prepared beans in casserole dish.

Surround beans with fresh peeled and cut garlic and chopped onion, a dash of pepper and some parsley or rosemary.  Quantities used will be according to taste.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees until thoroughly cooked and soft.

Immediately puree and freeze or serve.

Growing Up: Combine green bean puree with baked chicken, rice, rice cereal, or a baked potato, and Plain Yogurt for a kick of taste and calcium. 

Super Oatmeal

1. Empty your packet of oatmeal into a microwave safe bowl (I used my everyday china's cereal bowl)
2. Pour your fruit over the top (don't be afraid to mix it up); generally 2-3 tablespoons, depending upon the fruit, is perfect, but more is great.
3. Add your milk.  How much depends upon what fruit you used (some contribute more juice than others) and how wet your child prefers their oatmeal.  I got it wrong most every morning, so my son grew to love moist oatmeal!
4.  Heat per the instructions on your oatmeal, though if you can get away with less, it will save you time in the cooling phase, as kids are notorious for not liking food too warm.
5.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, stir well, and place on granite counter (amazing for rapid cooling) or in freezer to cool for consumption.

Toddler Salad

For one child, dice the following:

1/4 of an Avocado

2/3c tomato

1/2c cucumber

1/4c onion

1/4c bell pepper

Pour off 80% of the olive oil from a bottle of Newman's Own Italian or Oil and Vinegar dressing and save for cooking.  Shake the remaining dressing well and sprinkle over salad.  Mix well, breaking up the avocado, which will help the dressing to go further.

Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

(1 serving)

3/4c Low Fat French Vanilla Yogurt

4T canned pumpkin (or more to taste)

1T wheat germ

a pinch of cinnamon

1/2t brown sugar

Mix all of the above in a cup and place in the freezer for 1.5 hours.

Nine Months

Nine Months

 At nine months, you can start to introduce foods to your child that make eating far more flavorful and nutritious.  

Time saver: peel fresh garlic faster by
 placing entire pod in a tightly covered
pan and shaking it.  Then remove the tips,
chop and cook.

Garlic: some lists will say that you may start garlic as early as 7-8 months, as it is not a common allergen, but certainly by nine months, garlic should be a staple in your child’s diet.  Garlic has many purported health benefits, including being a natural broad-spectrum anti-biotic, which many recommend as part of a home-remedy for ear infection and good source of iron, but the best part of garlic is its flavor.  Garlic can be strong and cause stomach aches, especially if eaten raw, so until your child’s digestive system develops further, stick to cooked garlic, which can be baked to have a sweet flavor. 

Garlic can be bought fresh in a clove or pre-minced, etc. in a bottle.  Some contend that bottled garlic has a bitter taste but it is certainly faster to use.  I prefer fresh garlic, which to flavor a food that will be cooked and pureed, need only to have its ends cut, crushed by the side of the knife and the peel removed; if the garlic is to be incorporated into a dish, it will need to be chopped further so as not to overwhelm.

Onions: Onions are a member of the same family as garlic, have many of the same properties and benefits, including being a great natural way to fight colds, and a great source of fiber and flavor. 

Also, at this time, you may start to introduce herbs and spices, including pepper, basil, parsley, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, ginger, rosemary, and dill. 

Beans: the school yard song was true; beans really are good for your heart!  You may either buy dried beans in a bag, which are slightly healthier or purchase them in a can.  Dried beans take a long time to cook and a bag can feed an army, which is why I purchase low-sodium beans in a can and thoroughly wash and drain them before serving them to my son, who eats them like candy.  Be advised: 1. Washing will not remove all of the sodium, which can be substantial in canned beans and 2. Beans can be a choke hazard so watch a child as they consume them.  Remember your child's love of beans as they mature, because they make a great finger food for children of all ages.

Recipe: Baby Mexican

1 thawed cube of chicken

1 glove of cook garlic

1 slice of cooked onion

1T avocado

2T your favorite beans

1T plain, whole milk yogurt

1cube squash or other vegetable

 

Microwave raw onion in a small container or water until soft.  Thaw other foods.  Mix thoroughly with fresh ingredients, modifying portions to match appetite, and blend to desired consistency.

Other great foods to introduce to a nine-month-old’s diet are white potatoes and mushrooms, cream cheese, and cottage cheese.

 

Mom and Dad Meals

 

Dragon Breath Pasta

(4 servings; 15 minute prep time)

Child's version: limit garlic and ensure
it is finely chopped as raw garlic
is strong and is chunks, crunchy.

Spinach or whole wheat pasta (according to package)

2T EVOO

8 cloves of fresh garlic (more or less according to taste)

2T fresh minced basil

1c Parm

1-2 hot peppers (optional)

2 medium tomatoes



Use a pasta with a lot of surface area, such as a spiral, so that the garlic can adhere.  Bowl water for pasta add a 2T of kosher salt and some olive oil to the water.  Cook pasta until it reaches the desired texture.
Choose a pod of fresh garlic.  Fresh cloves of garlic are heavier than older.  Mince well and place in bottom of bowl with EVOO, basil and optional hot peppers.  Once pasta is cooked, drain noodles, reserving 1/4c of water.  Toss reserved water and pasta in bowl with the above.  Once noodles are coated with mixture, add cheese and gently toss again.
Place in bowls and sprinkle with additional cheese and tomatoes according to taste.

Covering the Bases Couscous

So many people are unfamiliar with couscous, which packs a heavier nutritional punch than pasta, but much like pasta, is available in a wheat option. 

2/3c+ of sweet onion
8+ medium to large white mushroom
1c+ frozen green peas
1T Olive Oil

1 can wild salmon
 Near East Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil Wheat Couscous
Parmesan Cheese

Dice onions and mushrooms and place with olive oil in a pan that has a lid.  Sweat the mushrooms for 5 minutes and add peas, liquid from directions on the box, and flavor packet.  Follow directions on box.  Serve with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan on top.  Prep and cook time approx. 15 minutes.

 

 

Eight Months

Eight Months

At this point your baby should be having three meals per day.  This was also the point where I started to structure meals, so that my son was getting the most out of foods.  I also cut back on breastfeeding and isolated feeding so that I was not trying to get him to eat solids and immediately breastfeed. 

Each day, my day loosely went as follows:

Morning: Wake and breastfeed (also, the sooner I breastfed, the sooner I could have coffee, if I am honest).  An hour or so later, my son would have cereal mixed in pureed fruit. 

Mid-day: His lunch would consist of a yogurt blend (more below), followed two hours later by breastfeeding. 

Evening: Vegetables with a cereal for iron, followed at bedtime by breast milk.

Some experts recommend some finger foods at this time, but my son was far from ready.  Watch your baby for his or her comfort level with thickness and chunkiness of foods and recognize he or she will progress at their own pace.

Purchase whole milk, plain yogurt in a
large container vs individual cups labeled
for babies to save. 

The most important food to enter baby’s world at this point is yogurt.  If you eat adult yogurt, your concept of yogurt is about to change, as baby’s first yogurt should be plain.  Baby or plain yogurt does not contain all of the sugar of regular yogurt and is generally made from whole milk, which contains the fats that infants need and will continue to need until about their first birthday or as advised by your pediatrician. 

Yogurt is one of my family’s organic items. Regardless of organic or conventional, choose a yogurt with simple ingredients that contains live and active cultures, which are essential for getting the full potential benefit of yogurt.   The cultures are what help to keep the good bacteria flourishing in your digestive system, which promotes good health, in babies and adults. 

Savings: ask your doctor or pharmacist if
you may use the adult probiotics vs children's
to save.

Much like the banana, it is also an essential tool for helping to stop diarrhea.  Even if your child will not eat yogurt, you can add pro-biotics in the form of a tasteless powder to any cool liquid or food to help restore the balance of the gut.  If dealing with digestive upset, make sure that the brand that you choose contains Lactobacillus. 

Eight-months-old in our house hit mid-summer and at the height of blueberry season, which is my favorite Super Food that is only worth eating in-season.  As blueberry is not a common allergen, I decided to let my son try it earlier than some of the experts suggest.  He loved it pureed in his cereals and I felt good about what he was eating.  I did make sure not to serve him the blueberry skin, as it would end up in hard-to-chew chunks, but they are easy to navigate around.  I tell this not to advocate flying in the face of experts, but as a reminder that sometimes it is worth deviating from the prescribed path.

At eight months, some experts suggest introducing wheat germ, which is an amazing food that I only learned of because of my son.  Wheat germ contains 23 nutrients, and has more nutrients per ounce than any other vegetable or grain.  It is also a great source of iron and folic acid.  Even more importantly for feeding a baby, it has a great toasted taste.

I also introduce flax seed oil around eight months, which is a great source of Omega-3, which many diets lack.  Flax comes in many different forms, but oil is the easiest for the body to absorb.  This is not an oil used for cooking (see label of bottle), so I used it in my son’s yogurt, as it has a nice light taste.  Only use the recommended amount on the bottle, as too much flax seed oil can produce loose stools.

Flax seed oil and wheat germ were as far as I delved in to new health foods, as I felt strongly that though I wanted my son to have a healthy diet and that trying new things is good for all of us, his diet had to be realistic and something that would prepare him to eat what the rest of us were having for a given meal.  If your family eats amazing and exotic foods, making their introduction imperative, I commend you, but if your family’s diet is basic, it does not make it any less healthy. 
 

Recipe: Baby Yogurt Lunch

1 small container baby yogurt

¼- ½ avocado

Fresh or frozen fruit to hunger and taste including banana, peaches, mango, or pears

1-2T wheat germ

1T flax seed oil

Blend in mini-chopper until smooth.  I would also suggest doubling the recipe, as it is a delicious and amazingly healthy lunch for adults, too.

Tip: quartering grapes is time-consuming.
Try placing whole grapes them between
two plates and running a sharp knife
between to halve. 

If your child has not had a reaction to gluten in oats, limited though it may be, and comes from contamination in manufacturing, and there is no family history of an allergy or Celiac Disease, you may choose to introduce wheat at this age, which will open up the door to many pastas and breads.  Other foods that are suggested for eight month-olds are kiwi, cranberry, cooked broccoli, watermelon, cantaloupe, peeled and quartered grapes, and light cheeses.  Chicken, turkey, and tofu, all great sources of protein can also be introduced at eight months, but be warned, consuming meats will produce stronger smelling diapers. 

I love cranberries, but like 99% of the population, I cannot eat a plain, fresh cranberry.  So to allow my son some of their nutritional value, though with some needed sugar, in this case, I would rehydrate cranraisins.   Finely chop them and add them to the water in which you are cooking sweet potatoes, carrots, etc.  Drain excess water and then puree them with the food.  Some tiny chunks may remain, so be on the lookout when serving.

Seven Months

Seven Months

Your baby should be eating two to three meals per day and having breast milk or formula with each meal.  Each meal should consist of approximately  ½ cup of food, but remember that babies are human and will want more or less depending upon the day and their personal needs.  The goal is that they gain weight and grow appropriately while learning good eating habits, which do not include gorging on forced food.  Even at this age, children should learn to respond to their internal cues for hunger and fullness, and parents need to respect their limits.  If your child is not interested in food, simply try later, but do not make it a battle, as you will never win.  A child will not starve him or herself even at this young of an age.  As always, though, if you have concerns, consult your pediatrician.
Around this time you may begin to thicken food (a relative term) as you and your baby are comfortable with it.  Some recommend introducing hard-cooked egg yolk, but not egg white, which contains the most common allergens, but consult your pediatrician before offering. This is also a prime month to focus on veggies.  Some common favorites are carrots, asparagus, green beans, peas, summer squash, and white potatoes. 

Most all of these items can easily be cooked in the microwave; if preparing them fresh, simply cut, submerge them in water and then cover while cooking.  Cook times vary, but are ready when they are soft and ready to be pureed.  Do not cook your child’s food in plastic containers, especially if you do not know whether they are BPA-free, but you do not need to register for all-new microwave-safe cookware either.  A ceramic cereal bowl covered by a salad plate works really well for small dishes or re-heating. 

 

Recipe: Basic Asparagus for the Whole Family

(Treat asparagus as you would fresh flowers: do not expose them to prolonged heat and keep their ends in water)

The white end will be discarded, so after washing, you will need to snap the ends of the spears.  This can be done individually by gently applying upward pressure to the two ends of the spear until it breaks, generally a few inches up from the bottom, or do one or two in this manner and then hold the bunch together and cut the spears with a knife in the general area where the sample pieces broke. 

 

Bake: Preheat the over to 400.  Spread the asparagus in a single layer across a baking sheet.  Leaving some plain for the youngest eater, drizzle the remainder with a few sweeps of EVOO and a little kosher salt.  If you like spice, add a dusting of cayenne.  Bake until spears are a brilliant green.

Puree and serve or freeze.  You can serve the "adult" asparagus warm or chill and then add it to a salad.

 

Carrots, green beans, and certain squashes appear on the high nitrate list, which means that initially, they should only come from baby food manufacturers, who can test the nitrate level in foods.  To lower the nitrates in all foods, experts suggest preparing food soon after purchase or freezing immediately.  Most experts recommend not preparing these foods at home until 8-12 months, but some recommend as soon as six months; follow your physician’s guidelines on this point.  Below are the fresh foods that some say may be high in nitrates:

Nitrate List: Beets, Carrots, Green Beans, Spinach, Squash, Strawberries,Turnips, and Cantaloupe

The only baby food that I routinely purchased were the high nitrate food but found that having them made life easier because I could mix other fresh foods into them to get a consistency that my son liked.  Also as commercial baby food is mainly water, it made it easy to add cereal to a meal, which is a good way to ensure sufficient iron intake.  In fact, many physicians recommend continuing an iron fortified cereal until your child is at least one-year-old.

Green Bean Puree

(also appropriate for chicken, summer squash, etc.)

Place washed and prepared beans in casserole dish.

Surround beans with fresh peeled and cut garlic and chopped onion, a dash of pepper and some parsley or rosemary.  Quantities used will be according to taste.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees until thoroughly cooked and soft.

Immediately puree and freeze or serve.
Growing Up: Combine green bean puree with baked chicken, rice, rice cereal, or a baked potato, and Plain Yogurt for a kick of taste and calcium. 

You may also try other infant cereals; though the most commonly available will be oat, barley, which is common in infant multi-grain cereals, is also an option.  As always, read the label of the multi-grain cereal to see what other grains are included and thus will be introduced to your child.

Mom and Dad Meals

Summer Squash Pasta

Bring pot of water with 2T of EVOO to boil for pasta.  Cook pasta as directed.  We love either a spinach or sun-dried tomato pasta, but whole wheat is also delicious. 

Mince and sauté 6 large cloves of garlic and one medium Vidalia onion in 2T of EVOO in large pan with a lid.  Salt to taste.

Quarter (length-wise) and then slice (about 2/3 in thick) 6 medium squash and place in pan with onions and garlic (will serve about 4 people).

Wash two stalks of oregano and two sprigs of basil and place, uncut, on top of squash.  Reduce to low/medium heat and cover.  Allow to cook until squash start to soften, stirring occasionally.

Juice one lemon over the entire pan, reduce heat to low, and cover.  

Cook just until squash is cooked through, not mushy.  Remove herbs and discard.  

Slice fresh tomato and grate fresh Parm.