First Foods :: A Mom’s Perspective on Baby Led Weaning {Part 2}

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Hey, Mamas! Last month I wrote about how our baby led weaning (BLW) journey began. Read Part 1 here. My daughter, Poppy, is now 12 months old and has come a long way since the days of bananas and strawberries! She still loves those fruits but now has a wealth of food options of all sorts of textures and flavors that she enjoys. 

Baby led weaning eventually took over, as my girl grew more and more independent. She started refusing to let me feed her. Even to this day, if I try and help her with something she throws a fit and throws her food on the floor. (Lots of drama in our house!) Nowadays I am so grateful for her ability to feed herself! It is so fun to watch her take care of herself in that way. She eats intuitively and stops when she is full. This means we do not shove food in her mouth because we think it doesn’t look like she has eaten enough. If I am worried she hasn’t had enough for a meal, I save what is on her tray and try again in an hour or so. I give her at least two options at every meal, and she chooses what she wants to eat. It is a special way to build trust.

I have learned to let my baby do some things for herself because I know she can and this is critical for her development. Poppy has four teeth now and loves blueberries, sweet potato muffins, and even grilled cheese! She has mastered her sippy cup and now drinks a little bit of water every day. I am so proud of my little girl and proud of myself. This whole process has taught me so much about trust and intuition within myself and within my baby. I don’t know if I will ever achieve the status of “laid-back parent,” but I do think I have relaxed a lot due in part to Poppy’s and my adventure with food.

Here are some of my absolute favorite recipes!

Sweet Potato Muffins

This recipe is a combination of several muffin recipes I found on the internet. You can also swap sweet potatoes for bananas and have banana muffins! 

3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes (approx. 3 large)

1 cup of whole-wheat flour

1 cup of ground rolled oats (I just blitz them in the food processor for a few seconds)

2 TSP of cinnamon

¼ TSP of baking powder

½ TSP of salt

½ cup of maple syrup or agave nectar

¾ cup of coconut oil (melted) or vegetable oil (I have even used mashed bananas to replace this oil)

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

  • Combine flours, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine sweeteners, oils, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then add sweet potato.
  • Pour into muffin tins/ cups and bake at 325 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

Tips:

I like to prep the mashed sweet potatoes a day in advance.

This recipe makes 24 muffins, so I freeze 12 of them right away! Microwave for 15 seconds and they are good to go!

Blueberry Bites

I found this recipe on a paleo blog and have tweaked it to my liking.

½ cup of unsweetened, shredded coconut, plus more for exterior

1 cup of frozen blueberries

2 TBS of nut butter (I use my homemade almond butter, but you can use any kind)

  • Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until well combined. (You may need to add a few TBS of flour to make the balls moldable)
  • Spread a thin layer of shredded coconut on a cutting board. Scoop out mixture and roll into balls in the coconut.
  • Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

These are great because they are easy to make and so easy for little hands to pick up!

Homemade “Nutrigrain” Bars

I found this awesome recipe online.

½ cup of melted butter

½ cup of maple syrup or agave nectar

½ TSP of vanilla

1 egg

1 cup of old fashioned oats (blitzed in the food processor)

1 cup of whole-wheat flour

1 cup of white flour

½ TSP of salt

1 TSP of baking powder

8 tablespoons of your favorite fruit jam or pie filling (I used Trader Joe’s organic blueberry preserves)

  • Mix the melted butter, syrup, and egg with an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, combine flours, salt, and baking powder. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
  • Once chilled, roll out and cut dough using a pizza cutter into 3/4-inch thick rectangles. Spread fruit down the center and fold over. Pinch the ends to keep the filling in.
  • Transfer to a cookie sheet and bake 350 for 15 minutes

Store in plastic wrap in an airtight container in the fridge

I hope you guys enjoy these recipes that my family and I have come to cherish!

 

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English B
English comes from a long line of Texans and even though she moved to Alabama for college in 2008, her home state has never left her heart. As a child English knew she was born to be the First Lady of the state of Texas and a mother. On November 8th, 2016 the latter of the two aspirations became a reality. Her precious daughter Penelope Grace (Poppy) is everything she dreamed of and more. Poppy's developing personality and spunk amaze English every day. Although English's husband is not the governor of Texas, he is a dream come true in his own right. Adam swept English off her feet 3 years ago. Pretty suave for a CPA, right? They have had fun learning and growing together over the years. Their fur baby, Lorelei, is a very sensitive and slightly neurotic (it's ok she is medicated) blue tick coonhound whom they love dearly. Life is full of discovery in the Boyd house as the God continues to reveal its plan for them. English lives for open mouth baby kisses and laughter with friends. Although her life is not now nor ever will be perfect, it is filled with love and that is more than she could have ever asked for.