Tag Archives: food

Beyond Breast Milk Part 1: Non-food Tasting Notes

Baby peers, I made it, I’m now half a year old! For you younger, less experienced babies, that means 6 months. Yep, no more counting by months for me, now I can count by half years!

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I have a feeling things are going to start changing around here now that I’m half a year old. For one thing, I hear mommy and daddy saying things like “solids”, “food”, “high chair”, and “big poop”. I’m not sure what it all means except that food is mommy’s milk and poop, well it’s poop. Oh no, I hope poop isn’t what they are going to make my food now!

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That sure would stink (ha ha, see what I did there?). Nah, they love me to much anyway!

Another thing I’ve noticed is that in the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to eat everything around me! I don’t know where the urge comes from, but I could just be hangin’ in my jumper next to a toy like the worm in an apply G-Ma got me….

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….and next thing I know, I’m trying to eat it!

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Then I caught daddy looking and quickly had to pretend I was just rubbing it on my cheek.

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Phew, I think he bought it.

And that’s not all, I’ve tried several other things that, having found out the hard way, are not food. You’re probably thinking the things had to of at least looked like the typical boob or bottle we currently get our food from, but they didn’t!

So, I’m taking it upon myself to share with you my tasting notes on these non-food items. I hope it helps you make a wise choice when you are presented with similar things and feel “the urge.”

First off, the obvious one is your hand. My hand is what started me on trying other things and I can’t seem to get enough of it anymore!

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Tastes like fresh breast milk at first, but can be gross if you put your hands somewhere before your mouth. When I’m not craving hand, I opt for just a finger to hold me over.

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Same taste, just not as intense. Be careful here, if you stick your finger in your mouth too far, something weird happens and it doesn’t feel good. Trust me, I know….

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So the hands, I recommend them for any baby to start with, and then you can move on. For me, I figured if I like my hands so much, maybe daddy’s will be just as good, or even better! Given the opportunity, I tried it out…

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Initially, it didn’t seem too bad, but it still wasn’t the same. It tasted like something, but I couldn’t quite put my finger (ha ha) on it.

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Then it hit me, spoiled breast milk! Yuck!

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I won’t be trying that again anytime soon. Thinking that maybe daddy just has bad hands, I decided to try Uncle Preston’s hand as he held me one day.

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Nope, no good either. That was a first and a last for me!

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Take it from me, only eat your own hands, everyone else’s just don’t taste the same! Ready to move on to non-hand items, I tried a taste of the teddy bear sitting next to me one day.

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It was hard to reach his neck, so I tried for the paw instead.

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Yum! This is a keeper, I highly recommend teddy bear for a tasty treat. Tastes like fresh breast milk.

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With how delicious the teddy bear was, I figured I would enjoy all stuffed animal toys I have. That was, until daddy put this thing next to me…

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Is it a dog, alien, or some weird baby? Mommy and daddy call it a dog, but I’ve seen a dog and I’m pretty sure they don’t have hands like it says on this one.

I didn’t even try tasting that thing.

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Once daddy took it out of my crib, I sat up in joy!

 

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Yeah, I’ve seen our dog, Abby, and I’m pretty sure she just has four paws, not hands and feet!

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After having enough of the soft, fuzzy toys, I decided to move on and try my smooth, shiny toys. I’ve been playing with these rings for a while now, and just lately, they seem appealing.

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The obvious first choice was the orange one since it was on top.

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Yep, this was like breast milk from the bottle. Not bad, but nothing great. That said, I still go back to it.

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And daddy always talks about the blue one being his favorite, but it seems no different to me. I’d like to see him try it once!

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Bottles seem to be something I can’t get away from since that’s all daddy can give (trust me, I figured out the hard way), so I’m okay with these shiny rings. If you have some, give’em a taste.

While in my jumper (which is a lot!), the red bird hanging to one side caught my eye and I just had to eat it!

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Holy yum, this thing is great! It can’t even be compared to milk, it’s in a league of its own and I like it!

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Seriously, I just can’t get enough of it now!

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By all means, if you have a plastic red bird hanging anywhere around you, eat it!

Speaking of things around you, I bet you have some sort of cloth with arm holes pulled over your head every day. Right? Well, just happens you can eat that too! Seriously, I just figured this out several days ago and can’t believe I’ve been missing out on chewing something attached to me. No work needed, just put in mouth and chew.

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Depending on if I just ate from a bottle or from mommy, the taste can range from fresh milk to not so fresh milk. Either one is okay with me, just as long as it’s not like daddy’s hands!

In sum, when you start having these random cravings to put things in your mouth, choose your hands, no one else’s, at first. Then move on to things like what you wear, hanging red birds, and colorful rings when you have to.

I’m still trying to figure out what mommy and daddy are up to with their “new food” talk, and I have a feeling I’ll find out soon. I overheard them talking about this weekend and setting up a “high chair” while I pretended to be busy working on something.

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How many chairs do I need, really? I’ll let you know how it goes if I make it through whatever is happening. For now, I leave you with some words of wisdom; always cry long and loud when you poop and make sure to blow raspberries to really make your point!

 
This post is part of a link up from Love All Dads with other outstanding dad bloggers. Click on the link below and check them out; you won’t be sorry!

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Simply7 Lentil Chip Crusted Baked Fish in a Snap

Kelley and I were at Costco and happened upon this giant bag of Simply7 Lentil Chips about 2 weeks ago. We both said they sounded good, and after I scrutinized the ingredients, they seemed fairly decent. Non-GMO is a big one I look for too. After going back and forth, I repeatedly asked Kelley if she would help me eat the bag if we got this plus-sized potato sack of lentil chips. “Yes, I’ll help.”, she replied. Ha….
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Fast forward to now and after her “helping” by eating about 10 of the eleventy million chips, I was almost through the bag. Since I was tired of throwing them on my salads, eating them with carrots (pretty good, by the way), dipping in Greek yogurt, and just straight up snacking on them, I figured I’d use the rest in a recipe.

Thus, the crusted baked fish idea came about. We had a giant pack (yes, from Costco) of wild Dover Sole that I needed to cook, so why not add some crushed chips?
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All you need is an almost empty gigantic bag of lentil chips, white fish of choice (chicken would be good too), and an oven.

First off, you need to crush the chips. Being a parent, I made use of stroller and swing, as you can see. Hand crushing would work too, but it’s not as fun.
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Once they are crushed, toss in about 5 Dover Sole filets (these are thin, so adjust accordingly with what you have), fold the bag, and shake to coat. The chips don’t stay on very well, probably needed to use egg wash, but there’s no time when working against a sleeping baby clock!
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After they are coated, lay on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes. The house will smell pretty fishy, that’s a good indicator they’re almost done.

Remove from oven, let cool, then serve with a side of steamed veggies like broccoli or Brussels, and maybe quinoa or a sweet potato. For an extra kick, I like topping the fish with some salsa, so feel free to do the same.
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Not the prettiest, but nothing is after it's broken down by your stomach acid. Just saying....
Not the prettiest, but nothing is after it’s broken down by your stomach acid. Just saying….

There you go, quick, easy, delicious, and healthy all together. Make a lot for leftovers; as parents, we can always use the extra time!

Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches and What I’m Eating Lately

Food is the key to many of our hearts. Sadly, food is also what stops many people’s hearts because of their poor choices in fast food, going out, and just pure ignorance.  Hey, I was there once, but I wanted to be better, so I read and experimented until I learned. Of course, you’re never done learning in this area.

Anyway, I could go on and on about that topic. I just wanted to share what’s been keeping Kelley, my wife, happy lately; at least in the food department. Grilled goat cheese sandwiches. It feels good to makes something that someone you love looks forward to, so I keep making them.

Baby Watching and Sandwich Making. It's a learned skill....
Baby Watching and Sandwich Making. It’s a learned skill….

They are pretty easy to make, unless you’re doing it while holding a baby in one arm. Just add 20 minutes to the usually 10 minute process. I just made two while Avery is sleeping in her crib (yes!!!) to be ready for when Kelley gets home.

All you need is two slices of bread (I use sprouted whole grain like Ezekiel) and goat cheese. To make them extra special, I add green onions, garlic, smoked paprika, basil, and red pepper flakes. If we have it, I’ll spread hummus on the other slice of bread for extra nutrition and flavor. Sadly, no hummus today, as you can see.

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If you really need instructions, you put the goat cheese somewhat evenly on a slice of bread. It doesn’t have to be perfect since it will melt once heated and distribute better. Then add whatever toppings suit you best. If you have it, I highly suggest spreading hummus on the other side. Any kind will do, but I normally choose red pepper hummus.

Heat a pan, griddle, or grill on medium high, let cook about 1 – 2 minutes on one side while pressing down, flip on the other side doing the same, then remove. Slice in half easier, less messy, eating and cautiously pass to your wife for approval. I will either have a salad or tomato soup to go along with this; both are good options.

End product, sans hummus
End product, sans hummus

As for me, I’m going crazy watching Avery squirm and trying to make something to eat for my one meal of the day. I sometimes get to eat again at night…

So, I steamed broccoli and carrots and decided using a spoon is the best way to eat them, along with my cup of coffee. Nothing weird about that, right? Meh, it’s all good.

Breakfast (lunch?) of champions
Breakfast (lunch?) of champions

At least this leftover pancake egg white sandwich with chocolate peanut butter is worthy of sharing. Yum, I want more….now!

Pumpkin protein pancakes with egg whites and peanut butter
Pumpkin protein pancakes with egg whites and peanut butter

My first day on the job yesterday went okay for the most part, but as the day went on, naps grew shorter, and then Avery did not sleep well at all last night. She spent half the night sleeping on Kelley, then I took her, fed her, and slept on the recliner the other half.

What did I do wrong? Hoping to improve this today. Maybe it was the lack of a poop yesterday. If that’s the case, problem solved as of 8 o’clock this morning!

We have friends coming in tonight to visit for the weekend, so we’re crossing our fingers nothing too upsetting happens. They do have a slightly older baby of their own, so at least they’ll be understanding.

Annnndddd my time is up, need to dry our cloth diapers and tend to Avery.

Ever make a grilled goat cheese sandwich?

Any other kind of grilled cheese you like?

Who else eats everything with a spoon? Besides salad, I seem to use a spoon all the time. I need spork to make life easier….