How to Feed a Henry

It seems like we may have conquered Henry's sticky food aversion . This week, Henry has become an oatmeal monster. I am amazed at how much oatmeal he can devour at breakfast. He just keeps shoveling it in, and then passing his bowl back for more. This recipe is Henry-approved. Eating oatmeal with a spoon. Eating oatmeal with both hands. This double apple version is the latest hit in our household. It is very quick and easy to make on a busy weekday morning. Plus, it is hearty enough to keep our tummies full until lunchtime.   Ingredients ½ cup 1-minute quick oats ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp apple juice ¼ tsp cinnamon Apple-Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal ready to eat. Directions Pour oats into a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in applesauce, apple juice and cinnamon until well combined. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Stir the oatmeal. Heat for an additional 30 seconds on high. Allow the oatmeal to cool slightly before serv...

I am always looking for new and exciting ways to entertain Henry while we are in the kitchen. As I've written about before, there are many common kitchen items that can easily be re-purposed to provide fun learning experiences for your little one. Here are a few of Henry's latest favorites: 1. Did you receive a large tin of popcorn for Christmas? It seems like these canisters reappear every year at the holidays. If you still have your tin on hand, Henry has found that it makes an excellent drum. Henry bangs on the popcorn drum. After you eat the popcorn or set it out for the birds, the tin also does double-duty as a storage container for your child's other kitchen toys.  Henry uses a wooden mallet as a drumstick. Thank you to Henry's Great Aunt Barbara for this multipurpose Christmas gift (I bet she thought she was just giving us popcorn)! Henry had so much fun with this that his Grandma decided he needed a real drum for his birthday. 2. Henry's Gr...

Henry is one year old - WOW! It has been an exciting year watching him grow and explore the world.  Henry surveys his first birthday party. A one year birthday deserves a celebration! We spent a fun, whirlwind afternoon with family and friends at the MetroParks STAR Center .  Henry and his grandparents. Henry with his aunts, uncles and cousins. Henry and friends. But this is a food blog, so let's talk about the food! Since the party was after lunch, I kept the menu simple with just a few snack items. There was a fresh fruit tray with apple, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries accompanied by vanilla Greek yogurt . I also made hummus to go with the fresh vegetable tray that included cucumber, carrot, bell pepper and broccoli. Fresh fruits and veggies are colorful party fare.  We had a flavored water bar inspired by Life on the Mom List . Guests added fresh oranges, lemons, limes and mint to their drinks. And of course, there was cak...

This week’s Tuesday Tip for Picky Eaters: Just Add Sauce. Last Wednesday, Henry and I had dinner while Daddy went to get a haircut. Henry was really into the main dish, but he was not very interested in the accompanying zucchini cakes. When Daddy got home, it was not yet time for Henry's to go to bed so they sat down together for a second dinner while I cleaned up the kitchen. This time, Daddy topped the zucchini cakes with tzatziki sauce and Henry couldn't get enough of them. Henry likes zucchini cakes if they include a bit of sauce. Experts frequently suggest adding sauce to vegetables to get your kids to eat them. I've been resistant to this recommendation, envisioning frozen broccoli smothered in processed cheese sauce or carrots drowned in ranch dip. But now, I am coming to terms with the idea that sauce can be a good thing. It doesn't have to be a disguise for vegetables; it can actually add value to a dish.  There are lots of healthy, flavorful sauce ...

Henry's current favorite food is sausage. He loves meat patties of any kind. These Greek Rissoles are a delicious combination of ground turkey, potato and onion, flavored with fresh herbs. I like to make a double-batch, since the leftovers freeze well and are easily reheated in the microwave. This recipe is Henry-approved. Ingredients 1 large russet potato or 2 medium yellow potatoes 1 small onion 1 Tablespoon fresh mint (or 1 teaspoon dried mint) 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano) 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley) 1 clove garlic 1 pound ground turkey 1 teaspoon tomato paste 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 egg 1 cup dry bread crumbs ½ teaspoon ground pepper ½ teaspoon salt 1/3 cup flour 1/3 cup olive oil Greek Rissoles frying in the pan. Directions Rinse and peel the potato. Coarsely grate the potato and onion into a large mixing bowl.  Finely chop the fresh herbs and garlic. Add the herbs and g...

A few days after Christmas, Henry started reaching for our forks during meals. I thought it was a good idea to support Henry's lead and break out the flatware.  I wasn't sure if Henry was really ready for a fork. The general guideline is that babies can learn how to use a fork between 12 and 15 months, but I figured it would not hurt to let him try a little earlier.  Henry tries chicken on a fork. Right away, Henry figured out how to hold the fork and maneuver the food to his mouth. Sometimes he holds the handle and other times the prongs. It's a combined effort of using his fork and his fingers, but I'd say he is doing a great job with less than two weeks of practice.  I am not a fan of the plastic kids flatware. It looks and feels like a toy, not a tool. I figure if Henry wants to be like Mommy and Daddy using a fork, then we should let him use utensils that looks like what we use. Finding metal flatware for kids, however, is a challenge. Fortuna...

This week’s Tuesday Tip for Picky Eaters: Same Food, Different Color. Last week, Henry was really into carrots. He was gobbling them up so I wanted to keep it interesting for him. I headed to the store for a bunch of rainbow carrots. Henry enjoyed the purple and yellow versions just as much as the standard orange carrots. Henry samples a medley of rainbow carrots. If your kids like bright colors, you can find purple potatoes, yellow and orange bell peppers, and even purple and orange cauliflower . In the summer, red tomatoes are traditional, but our family loves the yellow, green and orange varieties even more. Another fun variety that we recently tried is Romanesco , a lime green broccoli cultivar with an out-of-this world shape. If you have a picky eater, introduce a familiar food in a fashionable new shade. Present different colors of the same food in one dish. Or set out small samples of each color and let your kids taste test them side-by-side.

This week’s Tuesday Tip for Picky Eaters: Commit to One Small Change in 2013. It's the new year and that means it's time for reflections and resolutions.  Happy New Year! First, the reflection. I started this blog nearly six months ago when Henry was nearing six months of age. In that short time, his food adventure has progressed from soup in a bottle to full participation in our family's Christmas Eve dinner . He eats nearly any food from hummus to hum bao. Meats and breads are his favorite, but he also loves mushrooms , squash , pears and citrus fruits. This past week, he enjoyed slurping tortellini soup and clam chowder. Henry and Daddy eating sushi. Henry munches on a wedge of grapefruit. Thank you to all of this blog's readers for your interest in following our family. I find it incredible that this blog has had over 7,000 page views from readers around the world. I am having fun documenting Henry's journey and I have some great ideas for up...