Baby Food for Bigger Babies

At every pediatrician's appointment, we get a handy chart explaining what Gideon can eat at this age, suggested amounts, and finger food recommendations.  At G's newborn appointment, I realized we would be introducing meat at around 9 months, and it was then that I decided I'd be making all of his food.  I'd love to say that I was seriously concerned with providing him with all-organic produce, or a preservative-free diet, but I feel like I need to come clean...

The thought of baby food meat grosses me out.

It's really that simple; I cannot handle the thought of pureed, shelf stable meat.  And so I figured if something grossed me out that much, why would I let my child eat it?  (I know I'll be singing a different song in a few years when little bear is lobbying for dinosaur chicken nuggets or crazy flavored yogurt- I'll pick my battles then).

So when the 9 month mark rolled around, I made some protein rich homemade meals for little man-

-Chicken spaghetti with pasta stars- I made a quick homemade marinara sauce with extra veggies (corn and carrots- it was just what was in the fridge), pureed it with the immersion blender, added some finely chopped cooked chicken and mixed the sauce with cooked pasta stars.  He gobbled this one up!

-Chicken and vegetable casserole- I cooked some veggies on the stovetop (carrots, broccoli, onion), added some flour and milk to make a quick sauce, then stirred in some cheese and some cooked chicken cubes.  I pulsed this on in the food processor until the bites were more baby friendly.  G also loved this one very much!

-Chicken with mashed root vegetables- This one is self-explanatory- I mixed cooked chicken with mashed sweet potato, carrot, and parsnip.  Yummy!

I'm planning on introducing fish pretty soon, since that would be very easy to pick up- and very healthy, too!

I also have some dishes that are higher in protein but meat free- we made a lentil and vegetable dish a few weeks ago.

G is also really expanding his finger food experiences- some things he loves so far are
-toast bites with cream cheese (and we're planning on trying toast with hummus this week)
-red grapes (cut into quarters to prevent choking)
-banana bites (I slice bananas in rounds, then cut each slice into quarters to prevent choking)
-mandarin oranges
-shredded cheese
-cooked pasta shapes (these are hard to catch, though)
-black beans

He is just growing up so fast!  What a precious little boy!