Baby Meal Planning

I was recently asked about how I do meal planning for my baby, so I thought I'd share the method to my madness.  For me it seems to be a work eternally in progress, but right now I have three "secrets to success:"

1.  Organize recipes

In my house, Evernote is like oxygen.  I organize every aspect of my life by it, and recipes are no exception!   {Evernote is a free program you can download where you create folders and notes of things from the internet, pictures, typed notes, etc.  It can be synced and accessed from any computer or your phone.}  I highly recommend it for recipes because they become easily searchable and mobile.  I have a folder of baby recipes which I separated into breakfast, lunch/dinner, extras, and how-to.  

Every time I find a new recipe I type it in or copy/paste as a new note.  I have a system of labeling them to be able to easily classify recipes, too.  I use a * before the title to indicate that I've tried it, a - before the title to indicate that I want to try it soon, and I start recipes that are for babies at least a year old with 12+.

Beyond this, recipes are searchable within the entire folder of baby recipes, and within each sub-folder.  For example, I bought a mango last week and wanted to use it soon so I searched 'mango' and it pulled up five notes including 'mango.'  One was a list I have of everything he has eaten and his favorites, and one was marked 12+ so I could ignore both.  I then had three recipes to choose from to use my mango. Easy!

I don't have a smart phone, but if you do, then it gets even better.  You can get the Evernote app and access your folders from anywhere, say, the grocery store when you are trying to meal plan or see what else you might need if you get that zucchini.

My biggest suggestion if you are going to be doing this is to make notes of 'recipes' even if they seem OBVIOUS.  When first starting I would see a so-called "recipe" combining two or three things that seemed ridiculous to write down, but when you are looking at a banana that will probably be bad by the next morning and your baby is crying, you may be grateful for a simple and obvious suggestion when you search 'banana.'  I have notes titled 'sweet potato,' 'yogurt,' and 'cottage cheese' for example where I just list everything you could possibly combine them with.  This also helps with leftovers when I have a bit of something and I just don't know what to do with it!

2.  Stay stocked on the essentials

"Essentials" may be different for everyone, but for me I can make 95% of the 120+ recipes I have on file using the following ingredients:

• Banana
• Apple
• Sweet potato
• Applesauce
• Plain yogurt
• Avocado
• Peach
• Oatmeal
• Apple juice
• Egg
• Pumpkin
• Flour
• Brown rice
• Cinnamon
• Pasta
• Carrot
• Rice milk
• Cottage cheese

I buy plums, pears, mangos, and other fruit as they go on sale or I feel so inclined, and I switch up the green vegetables.  If I keep these things in stock I know the combinations are endless so I don't have to make grocery lists based on meals I am planning on making for my baby since I almost never plan in advance.  Baby recipes are also very substitute friendly, so even if you don't have one of the right ingredients you can often still get a good idea for a meal!

3.  Have a general meal plan

I may not know when I wake up in the morning what I am going to feed my baby for each meal that day, but I do know what each meal means in our family.

Breakfast:  Always freshly made and always traditionally 'breakfast.'  This means pancakes, french toast, eggs, or oatmeal.  I make a lot of these with fruit included in the recipe, but if it's not then he has fruit on the side.

Lunch:  Usually leftovers.  Family leftovers from dinner, things he couldn't finish the day before, or things he wouldn't eat that I want to give another try.  These always come with a freshly made vegetable or a fresh piece of fruit on the side.

Dinner:  Same food as the rest of the family.  This often helps me plan healthier meals, because I know it needs to be something I feel good about feeding my baby!  When this is not possible (we're eating out or indulging in something he just can't eat) I improvise and go as simple or intricate as I feel inclined.  When I make a crockpot meal for the family I like to try new recipes for baby since I have more time before dinner.  When I am making a time intensive meal, it's more likely to be something quick.

This plan works for me because I tend to have more time in the morning than at lunch or dinner, so I make a special effort to cook for baby then.  If I am cooking lunch for baby then I do it while he is eating breakfast or during his morning nap.  I want my son to get used to eating the same as the rest of the family, but I want to be careful about his sensitive tummy so I like to do only one meal a day of "adult food" with seasonings, butter, meat, etc.  This plan helps narrow down my options for any given meal so even if I haven't planned what it will be ahead of time, it doesn't take too many creative juices to plan on the spot!

I hope some of this was helpful in your meal planning!  Please share your "secrets to success" with me!  I'd love to hear what everyone else does with meal planning for baby!

Sweetie Yogurt

Fruit and yogurt is always a winning combination.  This is one of our favorites, with sweet potato added for a heartier meal.

Sweetie Yogurt

1 cooked mashed sweet potato
1/4 cup mashed mango
1/4 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup plain yogurt

Heat the mashed sweet potato, mango, and banana in saucepan, mix well, remove from heat.  Add yogurt and combine.

Yum!

Banana Cinnamon French Toast

Good morning, baby!  Ready for another breakfast recipe?  This time it's french toast.  I think french toast is one of the most finger-food friendly breakfast foods because the bread stays solid even when baby gets it soggy, unlike some pancakes and eggs.  This one is sweet without toppings!

Banana Cinnamon French Toast

1 slice bread
1 egg
Half a banana
2 Tbsp apple juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Beat egg in small bowl.  Add half a banana and mash well.  Add roughly 2 Tbsp apple juice (eye ball it to the consistency you like) and a sprinkle of cinnamon (about 1/2 tsp).  Take your slice of bread (I used whole wheat but you can use whatever you like) and dip in the bowl.  Coat both sides well, and cook in greased pan.  You may need to pour some of the mixture over top of the bread in the pan, since the banana will likely roll off the bread when dipping.  Don't pour it on too thick, but do try to get most of the banana onto the bread.  Cut it up and serve!

Baby's 1st Mac 'N Cheese

This was an emotional lunch for me, because I couldn't believe my little boy was eating Mac 'N Cheese already!  He loved this simple take on a classic and I think we'll be making a lot more of it in the future.  You can half or double this recipe as you please - this amount should yield about 3 lunches.

Mac 'N Cheese (8 months +)

1/2 cup elbow macaroni 

2 Tbsp finely grated cheese

2 Tbsp cottage cheese

2 Tbsp milk*

Sprinkle of wheat germ

Cook and drain pasta, then combine with cheese, cottage cheese, and milk in a saucepan.  Heat on stove top until cheese melts.  Sprinkle wheat germ on top and serve!

*Breast milk for babies of all ages, cow's milk for babies 12 months+, or rice milk for babies 8-12 months.  I would not recommend using formula, because in my experience it changes the consistency of recipes.

Apple Omelet

Scrambled eggs are a fun breakfast but are sometimes dry and bland for baby when you aren't adding cheese or salt.  Hence, the fruit omelet!  I have had a lot of success with apples, but you can of course try any fruit you like.

Apple Omelet

1 egg

1 tsp water

1/8 cup apple puree

1 Tbsp plain yogurt

Cinnamon

Heat and puree apple, then add a touch of cinnamon and 1 Tbsp plain yogurt.  Whisk egg and water and pour into frying pan.  Tilt the pan until egg covers the bottom and let it 'set.'  Place fruit mixture in center.  Fold egg up around fruit mixture and flip.

This is another food that is between a spoon food and a finger food, so I start out giving good sized solid pieces as finger food and transition to the spoon when enough fruit filling has spilled out and the egg pieces are too small and slippery to hold.

Enjoy!