First Food!

First a leftover from friday...I think I'm finally figuring out this new camera, sigh.
Ryan's lunch: julienne sesame salad over udon noodles; green beans; peanuts; carrots; mini creme cheese & jam sandwiches.

Saturday was AJ's 5th
birthday party.
He asked for a chocolate
cake with chocolate
frosting & chocolate
chips!!! It's a good thing
most of it got eaten at the
party because chocolate
cake is my favourite!
His party was at the
Discovery Children's
Museum in Acton.
I just couldn't face
a party of 10 boys
at our house in the
winter.


Here's Maia waiting patiently in the car for everything to be loaded for the ride home again.

Sunday I took Maia's
"day before 6 months"
photos. I have photos
of all the kids at this
age in black & white
in our bedroom.


She loved playing with
toys on the bed. She
also loves the flower
rattle that I had when
I was a baby.




Monday:
Ryan's lunch: leftover burrito & guacamole from Acapulcos (from AJ's birthday dinner on sunday); broccoli; honeydew melon.

AJ had his first turn
the class bear "Coop
Bear" from preschool.
He was very happy to
dress him in his pjs &
introduce him to his
giraffe at bedtime.

Tuesday:

Ryan
stayed
home
"sick",
which
I later
figured
out
was
his
attempt
not to
miss
Maia's
first
try of
food,
even
though I'd told him I'd wait until he was home.
AJ's snack (in his new Mario bento): mushroom pizza; mini pumpkin muffin; honeydew melon; Simply Booty.
Nate's
lunch:
a pickle;
mini
pumpkin
muffin;
a carrot;
broccoli
& onion
pizza;
honeydew
melon.







I steamed part of our last butternut squash from the farm for Maia's first taste of food...

"So where are the toys?"










"What's this stuff?"








"Um, I don't know about this."











"You want it, help yourself."








"Please take this stuff away!"








Apparently gnawing on a
banana is right up her
alley though. Sigh.

And for those of you
without kids...banana
comes out the other end
looking like little red/brown
worms in the beginning...
eeeew!


Wednesday:

Ryan's
lunch:
apple-
sauce;
chocolate
peanut
butter
sandwich
rolls;
grapes;
mini
pumpkin
muffin;
carrots;
peas &
corn;
honeydew
melon.
AJ's snack: Tings;
creme cheese & jam
snowflake sandwich;
grapes; carrots;
honeydew melon.




Thursday:
Ryan's lunch: mini banana blueberry muffin; carrots; rice triangle; grapes; cucumber salad; peanuts.

AJ's
snack:
grapes;
cucumber
salad;
mini
pumpkin
miso
muffin;
rice
flower.

Nate's
lunch:
mini
banana
blue-
berry
muffin; mini pumpkin miso muffin; grapes; cucumber salad.

Here's my version of cucumber salad that the boys all ask for:

Cucumber Salad

2-3 large cucumbers (I prefer the long thin english variety, or fresh from the farm, because there's no wax coating)
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. rice vinegar
1 tsp. grated ginger
1/2 tsp. mirin or agave nectar

Slice cucumbers thinly (I like to use a mandoline). Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over cucumbers.

Friday:
Ryan's lunch: spicy baked tofu over rice (with a snow pea garnish); yellow mini gel cup; carrots; mango slices; broccoli.

The boys go bonkers for my spicy baked tofu...feel free to double the amount of tofu & increase the sauce by 50% if you're serving a table full of tofu hounds!

Spicy Baked Tofu

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 scallions, chopped
2 tsp. grated ginger
1/2 tsp. hot sauce (I make my own from fresh hot peppers in the summer, but bottled will do)
3 T. soy sauce
2 T. cooking sherry
2 T. rice vinegar
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 T. sesame oil
1 tsp. chili oil (optional)
1 package water-packed tofu

Prehear oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all but the tofu in a glass baking dish.
Cube tofu into small bite-sized pieces. Toss together with the sauce.
Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Small Victories

AJ decided he liked asparagus this week! Hooray! I had previously only been able to get him to eat it disguised as a green bean in a salty asian sauce. Ryan was very enthusiastic when we bought it at the supermarket, and AJ repeated him, praising the green vegetable repeatedly as they zipped around the produce department. But even at his pediatrician appointment this week, when asked his favourite foods he said, "Carrots, asparagus, and mashed potatoes."

I never demand that he try anything. I don't think that helps a picky eater at all. I just present a piece of whatever it is along with the rest of his food. Everyone talks about how delicious their food is and we model eating it again and again. It's fun to watch him very slowly add to his repetoire.

And in other news,
Maia is 2 months old
today! So here is a pic
from earlier in the
week. I have yet to
take the obligatory
2 month photo yet
today. But she is 10
pounds 10 ounces
and 23 1/4 inches long.

Here's a photo of the famous
asparagus meal, along with
"Neat Loaf" from the
children's book Benji
Beansprout Doesn't Eat
Meat, and some mashed
potatoes. The Neat Loaf didn't
hold together like it should,
but since it was a kids' book,
I followed the recipe as a child
would and did not use a food
processor. Ryan wants to try
it again at Thanksgiving anyhow.

Monday:


Ryan's lunch: onigiri
bee; Tofurky slice
"flowers"; raspberries;
steamed asparagus; a
cherry (pre-pitted).
It was a smaller bento
so that Ryan could bring
a Thermos his beloved
potato-leek soup, everyone's favourite.

Husband's lunch: orange
cherry tomatoes; cherries;
a pickle; peanuts;
raspberries; Nate's meatless
meatballs; vegetable bagel
sandwich; asparagus.



Tuesday:

Ryan's lunch: 2 amaranth graham crackers; slice of leftover "Neat Loaf"; 2 polar bear animal crackers; purple grapes; edamame; onigiri bear; mini spring roll; cantaloupe bears & kiwi...Vanilla Almond Luna Sunrise bar on the side.

CSA share: napa cabbage; leeks; corn on the cob; onions; red potatoes; carrots; 4 lbs tomaotes; 1/2 peck apples; 1 head lettuce; 1 small pie pumpkin; zucchini; cucumbers; 1/3 lb tat soi greens.
Not shown: PYO cherry tomatoes; kale/chard/collards; hot peppers; herbs; flowers.

Wednesday:

Ryan's lunch: onigiri moon; raspberries; pineapple starts; cucumber stars; marinated mushrooms; "Good Dog" on a whole wheat bun with organic ketchup.

Husband's lunch:
orange cherry
tomatoes; orange
slices; tofu salad
sandwich on
whole wheat bun.




My lunch: HA! See, I
have my bad food days
like anyone! "Good Dog"
with ketchup & mustard
on a whole wheat bun;
french fries; a pickle.



Thursday, September 11th:

Ryan's lunch: onigiri peace symbol surrounded by a rainbow of fruits & veggies.

At home, AJ & Nate had:
mini pumpkin-apple
muffin; onigiri; edamame;
apple slices; green beans;
(and Nate had 2 cherry
tomatoes).



Friday:

I always tell Ryan "NOTHING BLUE!" But I just had to try this food coloring technique from Lunch In A Box. So I guess now I'll be getting requests for blue Pokemon in the future, sigh.

Ryan's lunch: pineapple Pac-Man; peas; steamed carrot "ghosts"; Tofutti cream cheese & jelly "ghost" sandwich; mini zucchini muffin; roasted & salted pumpkin seeds.

Next week AJ & Nate start preschool, so I'll be overwhelmed with cute bento photos! See you then!

Leftover Pumpkin

Sunday:
Mmmm...pumpkin curry
from Low Cholesterol, Low
Fat, Low Salt Recipes
cookbook. I'm going to make
it spicier next time though
with a homemade hotsauce
I made from hot peppers at
the farm last season.


I can't resist photos
of AJ's spontaneous
afternoon naps!
He always looks so
cozy.




Monday:AJ and Ryan's snacks: watermelon, rice ball, spinach, edamame. Ryan's rice looks like a Pokeball thanks to some added tomato, nori and a small soy paper circle.

In the afternoon, Ryan went to
his kindergarten orientation. We
live almost next door to an
elementary school, so we're
going to give the local public
schools a try, at least for the
early years.





Tuesday:












The school year is almost at an end. Ryan had his last turn bringing home the class bear "Buddy". Every visit we write about what Ryan and Buddy did at our house in his class journal.

Ryan's snack: dried apricots; cucumber & Tofutti cream cheese sandwiches; baby carrots; cantaloupe & honeydew melon.

Dinner was a quick
pumpkin lasagna (yes,
I STILL have pumpkin
in the freezer from last
fall). I use an easy tofu
filling I invented in place
of the usual ricotta.


Tofu Spinach "Ricotta"

1 lb. firm tofu
1 cup leaf spinach, frozen or thawed
1/2-1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2-1 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree.
(If you'd like it more viscous, add a little olive oil.)

I use this in many recipes: lasagna, stuffed pasta shells, manicotti, etc. It's quite versatile.

Wednesday:
Ryan & AJ's snacks: watermelon; leftover lasagna squares; popcorn.

Thursday:
Ryan and Dada went off to work at the farm, despite the light rain. Ryan planted cucumber seeds and thinned basil seedlings in the greenhouse, while Dada transplanted brussels sprouts. It's nice to be able to pack something with nuts for a change!
Ryan's snack: pbj 1/2 sandwich; baby carrots; snow peas; almonds.

Friday:
And here's what happens when you let a 4 year old choose his own snacks...Ryan was sick today, so AJ chose: banana piece; sesame tofu; 2 mini pumpkin-carrot-apple muffins; 2 chocolate sandwich cookies.