Agar What?

We are going to try this bad boy from one of my favorite baby food sites: wholesomebabyfood.com

Adjustments? We don't eat gelatin (it isn't kosher and it isn't vegetarian) so we will use agar agar instead. Applesauce is still out of the picture so I am going to do this with mango sauce and blueberry juice.

Fruited Gel Squares

(I know my baby better than this site and I know she can handle this recipe)

Ingredients:

1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce (or add thin dices of banana, peach, pear, grapes, blueberry etc)
2 cups apple juice
3 small packages unflavored gelatin

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix cinnamon into applesauce and set aside.

Pour 1 cup cold apple juice in 8x8 pan and sprinkle gelatin on top. Heat remaining 1 cup of apple juice in the microwave for 3 minutes or until boiling.

Stir boiling juice into the gelatin and cold apple juice. Stir in applesauce.

Refrigerate for 1/2 hour and then stir to keep applesauce evenly distributed. If you do not stir when in the fridge, the applesauce settles to the bottom, but it still tastes great.

Refrigerate for an additional 2 1/2 hours or until firm. Cut into squares with a knife, or use cookie cutters to cut into shapes, and serve.

Purees Bite the Dust

yes, those are piles and piles of boxes in the background--another starbucks, please

With the exception of some food Grammi got for Dalia to help us on the road while we are moving, Dalia is past pureed foods (at only 8 months). She has been eating chunks with her hands for about a month already, but I have "let go" and allowed her to self feed. It is scary at times (um, she looked at me with a mouth FULL of sweet potatoes), but I know this is an important step in her development and she is ready ready ready.

Example #2:

the smaller the chunk, the more annoyed and frustrated she gets...too much work for not enough food!

IHOP

What else does a mommy need to say?

(please notice the chanukah princess bib, totally out of season, but totally rockin')

And how about this one?

And we can't forget that Dalia is basically refusing her sippy (for drinking purposes, but for teething? yes, please) and opting for adult drinking glasses:

Lest I forget to mention that Dalia is a grabbing, touching, exploring, and extremely curious little munchkin' and has recently changed our ability to do anything! She is ACTIVE!

Dalia Meets Salmon

The Horowitz family had a lovely Shabbat, thank you very much! On the menu? A delicious and vibrant piece of wild sockeye salmon. And this was not just for the mommy and daddy :)

We decided it was time for Dalia to taste something very different from her usuals (mango, banana, apple, grape, blueberry, cherry, egg yolk, brown rice, oatmeal, flax seed, wheat germ, asparagus, broccoli, and acorn squash--the list goes on and on). We cut up her little piece of salmon and placed in on her tray. Within seconds her little exploring hands were maneuvering the pieces with serious determination. SUCCESS! She looked at us with a huge smile as she placed several of her fingers (and the small piece of fish) in her mouth.

She really enjoys feeding herself these days and it is great to see her learning this very important skill.

Now what could top off a meal of amazing fish?

Well #1: prunes (boy Dal has been having poo issues) and #2: a piece of North Shore Kosher Bakery's challah:

Talk about a great night!

Tuesday Night

Can you see this photo? This was our dinner thanks to Chef H: pumpkin ravioli with home made sage butter sauce. A husband who comes home from work and whips up a meal like this deserves some serious credit. Thanks, papa, for this delicious plate of too many calories!

You know who really appreciated it?

The little one. Boy, is she really grabbing at our food. Evidence follows:

numero uno

numero dos

This is the essence of baby led solids-look for the subtle (hmmm, real subtle, Dalia) hints that your child is ready to partake in the glorious task of eating. While she isn't fully on board just yet, it is nice to know her interest is slowly becoming quite apparent. Did I forget to mention that she tried to grab my fork? And spoon, and well, just about everything these days. It is a happy/sad thing to see your little munchkin showing so much interest in, well, not you. But on the positive side, my "you know whats" (otherwise known as nummies) might soon get a tiny, very much earned (and needed) break.

So, you may not know, but Tuesday is American Idol night in the H Home and that means everything else has to go bye bye, including the computer.

Lets see how sleeping goes tonight...perhaps Dalia secretly wishes to sleep for 8 or maybe 10 hours straight. Updates tomorrow-I promise.