How to Feed a Henry

It’s Halloween, but I am not writing a holiday post today. If you want to read a well-balanced post about Halloween candy, I recommend this one by Red, Round or Green.  Henry with the pumpkin that Grandpa grew just for him. Henry is too small for trick-or-treating, but he does have a costume to show off to the neighbors who will be stopping by our house. I attempted to find a food-themed costume for him, but this little green dragon suit beat out the chili pepper, turkey and lobster costumes. Henry is a little green dragon for Halloween. Yesterday was Henry’s nine month check-up at the pediatrician . He came away with a good bill of health. He is now 20 pounds, 9 ounces (about the 45th percentile for his age). The doctor also spotted two more teeth poking through, which will bring Henry's tooth count up to six. At the check-up we talked a bit about food, but you might be surprised to learn that most doctors in the United States do not receive much training in...

This week’s Tuesday Tip for Picky Eaters: Offer fruits and veggies as snacks. Henry has just started to eat one snack per day. We don’t have snack every day, but when we do I skip the baby puffs, crackers and cookies. Instead, I offer Henry fruits and veggies.  Henry munches on an apple at snack time. For older kids, designate a “snack box” in your kitchen and give them unlimited access. Your family’s snack box might be a large fruit bowl on the counter or the vegetable bin in your refrigerator. Empower your kids to choose whatever they like from the snack box.   Be sure to keep your snack box stocked with several fruit and vegetable choices. Regularly rotate in new options with the seasons. Prepare ready-to-go bags of carrot, celery, cucumber or bell pepper sticks. You can also offer dips such as yogurt, guacamole, peanut butter, Nutella or hummus. Henry snacks on radish and carrot slices. If your kids always have fruits and vegetables readily ava...

Ground turkey was on sale at the grocery store this week, so I stocked up. I was feeling a bit creative in the kitchen and decided to try something new. The result was a delicious meatball recipe that was a smashing success at our family table. I served it with a choice of two dipping sauces: hoisin sauce and the orange dipping sauce recipe featured below. This recipe is Henry-approved. Henry completely devoured three meatballs at dinner and two more for lunch the following day. Meatball Ingredients ½ cup panko or other bread crumbs 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger ½ garlic clove 2 Tablespoons green onion 1 egg 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 1 Tablespoon soy sauce 1 Tablespoon fish sauce 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar 1 pound ground turkey ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional) Asian Turkey Meatballs ready to bake. Orange Dipping Sauce Ingredients 1 teaspoon fresh ginger ½ garlic clove 1 Tablespoon soy sauce 1 Tablespoon rice v...

Last night’s cooking did not turn out well. I attempted a new crockpot recipe of red curry with pork and winter squash, but it was too salty and looked very unappetizing. As a result, we decided to go out to eat. I ordered a hummus plate and Daddy had a hamburger. In celebration of Oktoberfest, the restaurant also had a German pretzel appetizer so we got one to share. By now you probably know that one of Henry’s favorite foods is bread. He loves having toast or pancakes for breakfast, but he also enjoys sandwich bread and dinner rolls. The fresh pretzel was another favorite. He ate several pieces dipped in hummus, along with jicama, grilled zucchini and a few bites of burger patty. The pretzel was served with cheese sauce and spicy brown mustard for dipping. The cheese sauce tasted like processed fake cheese so it went uneaten, but I really liked the mustard. It had a mild kick with a touch of sweetness. I thought it might be good for Henry to sample the mustard too. I...

Last week I took a break from writing when Henry came down with a bad cold. Then Daddy and I were under the weather too. With the coughing, fever and runny noses, no one at our house was getting any sleep. We were all feeling pretty crummy but I think we are over the worst of it now. Having a sick baby is awful. Henry does not understand why he feels so miserable and there is no way to explain it to him. One of the best things for getting better is to drink lots of fluids, but Henry’s bottle intake dropped noticeably. The amount of water he was drinking from a straw cup was not making up for the difference, so I decided to try a different approach. The Zoli BOT cup helped encourage Henry to drink more liquid. I brought out the ZoLi BOT cup that had been too challenging for Henry a few months ago. He was so excited about using the new cup that he drank a few extra ounces of liquid from it -- that made Mommy and baby both happy.  With the side handles, Henry wa...