In Pursuit of Tastiness: Homemade Roasted Ginger Carrot baby food

I've been making most of Gwennie's baby food for a few months now. I'm not a purist, I do buy baby food every once in awhile. They're very handy when we're on the go, I don't have to worry about refrigeration or thawing... and there are some things I'd rather not bother with (at least right now). Like squash. But mostly, I make it. And I'm not the culinary type but I find that I'm actually having fun thinking of new combos for her to try. Also, watching the food squish out of the sides of the blade guard as it purees makes me happy for reasons I can't explain.

This afternoon I tried something new- roasted carrots with ginger, and am I glad I did! It was yummy, and I helped myself to a few as I got ready to puree. Try it with Pomegranate Vinaigrette- OMG, YUMMMMM!

Gwen doesn't seem to be a fan of carrots in general, and she definitely isn't a fan of them plain. But I didn't want to keep mixing them with other foods all the time, so this seemed like the perfect compromise. They're still carrots, and taste like carrots, but with a little more flavor. Initially, she seemed unsure of the roasted ginger carrots (which I expected- new ginger taste and all) but she ate them with more gusto than she does plain carrots, although certainly lacking the enthusiasm she normally has when I feed her mango carrot puree. But she ate the whole 2 oz. serving, which counts for something.

I followed it up with a 2 oz serving of roasted bananas, which she enjoyed much, much more. But we'll keep working on it.

So, for anyone interested here is the recipe for the roasted ginger carrots. Making this is suuuuper easy regardless of who will be eating them:

****Don't forget the 4 day wait rule when introducing your baby to new foods (to watch for allergic reactions), and talk to your pediatrician if you have any concerns****

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees:


*1/2 lb- 1 lb baby carrots
* fresh ginger, sliced (I used about 4 small-ish slices about 1/4" thick)
* water 


     put the carrots in a baking pan and add the ginger, spreading them out in the pan.
     Add the water (enough to barely cover the carrots)


     bake for 30-45 minutes or until tender


     for the baby food, pour the carrots into the blender or a bowl & puree to desired consistency. 
     Discard the ginger.

Now, you could use plain water to help thin the carrot puree, but I had already boiled some ginger with water for my other daughter who was home sick so I used some of that and it all came out quite nicely.

the 1/2 lb. of carrots I baked made about (14) 1 oz. servings.

After preparing them, I pour the puree into ice cube trays, cover and freeze. Once they've frozen after a few hours, I'll move the cubes into a freezer safe container, which frees up my tray to use for another food and makes it easier when it's time to feed Gwen. They keep for about 2-4 weeks in the freezer.

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Like Moths to a...

Last summer Sofia saw a moth in the house and totally freaked. She was worried it was going to eat her. Where she got this idea is a mystery, but there it was for me to deal with. Of course, I told her that she wasn't going to get eaten by a moth.

"Moths don't eat people," I explained. "They like natural fibers like wool. They'd rather eat my yarn." Naturally my response was followed with, "why would moths want to eat your yarn?" I gave her an honest and factual answer. "Because," I said, "they just like to eat wool and I have yarn that's made of wool."

I thought the expanded explanation would soothe her fears. I really, really did. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Granted, she's no longer worried the moths will eat her flesh and bones. Instead, she worries they'll eat the clothes off of her body- including her panties- and leave her standing nekkid for all to see. Apparently, this is terrifying to a five year old. Even one who seems to distaste wearing anything besides panties around the house. She doesn't fail to point this out whenever a moth gets into the house.

"Ahh, get it away!" she shouts. "It's going to eat my clothes!"

In hindsight, I probably should have just left it at, "moths don't eat people", never mind the why's.

Whoever said knowledge is power clearly did not have children. Otherwise he/she would know that sometimes knowledge is just another fear waiting to be planted in the mind of a child. No matter how ridiculous it seems to us.

Impulse: a poem by Lynn Werre

The minutes are but 
A drop in the bucket of Times indifference
To my desire for it to speed up, slow down
Or altogether stop.

Time is a compulsion 
That must keep moving forward.
Won't stop, can't stop
Or change its steadfast pace.

Choice is not an option,
Except for mine-
To lay down the impulse
To tell Time
      To go 
                to 
                    hell.