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5 months old – January 21, 2015

Hello, all!  My #minivegan is now almost 11 months old…already!  Which means– he’s been eating solid food for about 5 months.

As you well know, I’m the write-everything-down type of mom.  Every food that crossed Todd’s lips was recorded!  Every meal was logged…until last week.

Starting July 6th, I decided it was time to stop the madness and start just writing down the new foods that are introduced to Todd.

But– in this post, I thought it would be fun to go back and compile the full list of every FOOD that Todd’s eaten so far.  (Just where does this vegan baby get his protein?  Ha ha ha!)

PUREES AND SPOON FEEDING

First of all, Todd is practically made out of green smoothies.  Pretty much every day that I was pregnant, my breakfast was a green smoothie.  Still now– the green smoothie is our family’s #1 breakfast of choice.  Naturally, the green smoothie is a BIG part of Todd’s solid food diet.

Green smoothie face – 6 months old – February 23, 2015

Our daily GREEN SMOOTHIE contains:  ORANGE, frozen BANANA, dark leafy greens (KALE, COLLARD, or SPINACH usually), AVOCADO, frozen CELERY, frozen BLUEBERRIES, PINEAPPLE, PEA POWDER, and HEMP POWDER.  Occasionally some frozen STRAWBERRIES, MANGO, PEACH, or APPLE gets in there.

In our kitchen, we found that our silicone Le Creuset pinch cups (1/4 cup size) are perfect for serving purees to Todd.  He slurps while I hold and pinch the cup.  Or, I can simply spoon feed.

Eric feeds Todd with the Le Creuset pinch cup – February 13, 2015

Todd’s first food was several spoonfuls of guacamole (i.e. AVOCADO + LIME)!  It was actually a spontaneous feeding, not planned.  It went well…until he gagged and regurgitated!  (Picture of the gagging in process here.)

First solid food – guacamole – 5 months old – January 25, 2015

I don’t buy much jarred baby food, but Todd has sampled several of the Earth’s Best Organic flavors.  He liked all of them except the green peas.  I must admit I like buying the carrot and sweet potato flavors, for convenience.

• PEAR MANGO, PEACH MANGO
• APPLE BLUEBERRY
• PEACH OATMEAL BANANA
• PRUNES

• CARROT
• SWEET POTATO
• WINTER SQUASH
• GREEN PEA

Earth’s Best organic carrots – 7.5 months old – April 4, 2015

Another fruit in pureed form that Todd loves is organic unsweetened APPLESAUCE.  I freeze portions in an ice cube tray.

Once or twice, Todd sampled a little bit of CHOCOLATE BANANA SHAKE (made with frozen bananas, cocoa powder, and SOY MILK, RICE/CASHEW MILK and COCONUT MILK).

And– when we were visiting family in Bend, Oregon, Todd had a few licks of a non-dairy (coconut milk-based) GELATO.

Here are the bean/legume purees that Todd eats.  Todd doesn’t at all mind the stronger flavors of the lemon-y/garlic-y hummus or smoky paprika-y Romesco:

• HUMMUS (with CHICKPEAS, TAHINI, LEMON, and GARLIC; sometimes mixed with cooked QUINOA)
• refried beans (PINTO)
• canned BAKED BEANS (mashed)
• RED LENTIL dal (Picture here.)
• SPLIT PEA SOUP
• Romesco KIDNEY BEAN puree (with roasted red pepper, olive oil, unsalted ground PISTACHIOS, smoked paprika, and more)

Spoon feeding red lentil dal – almost 9 months old – May 18, 2015

Here are some soups and thick/chunky entrees that Todd’s had via spoon feeding:

• TACO SOUP
• MUSHROOM CAULIFLOWER LENTIL SOUP
• SLOPPY LENTILS
• MINESTRONE SOUP
• CABBAGE ROLL FILLING (with MEATLESS GROUND, BROWN RICE, and more)
• VEGAN TACO MEAT

Finally, Eric likes to offer Todd tastes of various condiments and homemade salad dressings:

• KETCHUP
• homemade BBQ sauce
• salad dressings (made with JUST MAYO, olive oil, vinegars/lemon, seasonings and more)

FINGER FOODS

When Todd was “younger” and first exploring foods (rather than truly eating them), I’d present him with various raw vegetable sticks.  He liked to rub them on his gums, and he was able to taste the different flavors.  I gave him:

• CARROT
• CELERY
• CUCUMBER
• RED/GREEN PEPPER

Gumming a cucumber stick – 6.5 months old – March 4, 2015

I also gave him ROMAINE lettuce leaves several times, but repeatedly it made me nervous when he’d get a large piece in his mouth and have trouble managing to spit it out.  I finally decided the leaves are too much of a choking hazard.  For now, Todd gets his dark leafy greens in his smoothies.

Another thing that I gave Todd a few times early on was APPLE sticks.  But– they, too, started making me nervous.  It seemed that no matter how small a cylinder or how thin a strip I sliced, Todd still managed to bite off pieces with just his gums.  I know someone whose toddler died from choking on an apple piece, so I’m particularly wary about that food.  For now, we stick to applesauce!

Sucking on a red pepper -5 months old – January 28, 2015

The following fruits Todd has done very well with in “stick form.”  These fruits dissolve/mash up quickly, and therefore don’t pose a choking risk.  Todd can really strip the mango flesh off its peel!  (Picture here.)

• BANANA (quartered)
• MANGO strips (peel left on)
• PEAR slices
• CANTALOUPE (rind left on)
• WATERMELON (and other melons) (Picture here.)
• AVOCADO strips (peel left on)

Avocado is easier to hold with the peel on – Almost 8 months old – April 18, 2015

Todd doesn’t seem too thrilled about potatoes, but he has eaten these roasted vegetables in wedge-shaped pieces:

• RUSSET POTATO
• SWEET POTATO
• YAM

Eating roasted potato and bean burger – 8.5 months old – May 8, 2015

Dried MISSION FIG was an early favorite.  At first, I let Todd suck on the biggest figs I could find in the bag (too large to present a choking risk), and he absolutely loved it.  He could really extract the juice and pulpy bits from it with his gums.  However– as Todd got older (it seems odd to say that), the fig in the whole form was no longer safe.  Now, I only give figs to Todd within my Fig Banana Corny Oatcakes.

Sucking on a mission fig – 6.5 months old – March 13, 2015

Speaking of pancakes…

Breakfast is the one meal that doesn’t vary.  Todd always has a green smoothie and a pancake/muffin.  I make the pancakes/muffins without added sugar.  They’re simply sweetened with fruit (typically banana).  Pancake flavors have been blueberry, fig banana, cherry, and PUMPKIN.  (Picture here.)

Who wouldn’t smile for a blueberry pancake? – 9.5 months old – June 2, 2015

In March, we went out to eat with family at Jimmy’s Pizza & Pasta.  Todd had a lot of fun tearing apart and tasting some large, raw TOMATO slices.  Juicy!  (Picture here.)

Speaking of pizza…

Who doesn’t love pizza?  Todd sure loves it.  He’s had PIZZA CRUST with PIZZA SAUCE.  Similarly, he’s been able to slurp ANGEL HAIR noodles with SPAGHETTI SAUCE. (Picture here.)

Other grain-based foods:

•  strips of WHEAT BREAD
• CORN TORTILLA, FLOUR TORTILLA
• CORN BREAD, CORN MUFFIN

Munching on a corn tortilla – 6.5 months old – March 7, 2015

As a vegan, I think it’s very important to include beans/legumes in most meals.  In addition to the bean/legume purees mentioned previously, I feed Todd these homemade foods:

• CARROT SUNFLOWER BEAN BURGERS (made with kidney beans, ground OATS, ground SUNFLOWER SEEDS/ground CASHEW and more)
• CURRY PATTIES (made with WHITE BEANS, ground QUINOA, ground CASHEWS, red curry paste, tahini and more)
• CHICKPEA FRITTERS (made with garbanzo beans, garbanzo bean flour, and more)
• TAMALE (my parents made them)

Curry patty – almost 9 months old – May 12, 2015

And speaking of the wonderful, miraculous (and not feared here!) SOYBEAN…

Todd drinks Earth’s Best Organic Soy Formula, but he’s also had tofu and tempeh.  He loves Allison Rivers Samson’s Tempeh Reubens.  (You need to try this recipe if you haven’t already!!)

• BREADED MARINATED TOFU STICKS
• TOFU LENTIL LOAF (made with TOFU, GREEN LENTILS, oats, onion and more)
• TEMPEH BACON
• TEMPEH REUBEN (Picture here.)

Tempeh bacon – almost 7 months old – March 14, 2015

Now, for the veggie meats and sausages.  Yes, our family does enjoy a little Gardein, Field Roast and/or Tofurky each week.  Here are the ones that Todd’s had.  (Note– the sausages I cut up into little bits so it should be included in the next section instead of here.)

• GARDEIN BEEFLESS TIPS
• GARDEIN FISHLESS FILETS  (Video clip below.)
• GARDEIN CRISPY TENDERS
• FIELD ROAST SAUSAGE (APPLE SAGE, ITALIAN)
• TOFURKY SAUSAGE (KIELBASA)

Finally, the only cracker-type foods that Todd’s had are BABY MUM RICE CRACKERS and (once) some VEGGIE STICKS.  Typically, we save the Baby Mums for when we’re at a restaurant, waiting for our food to come.  It keeps him occupied.

FOOD IN SMALL BITS

Todd seems to appreciate when I help him with the things he can’t manage quite yet, in terms of his fine motor coordination.  I simply finger feed him small pieces of these foods:

Fruits–

• RED GRAPE (each cut into 8 pieces)
• CHERRY (each cut into 8 pieces)
• KIWI FRUIT
• RASPBERRY (broken up into several pieces)
• RAISINS (whole)

Little piece of cherry – 9.5 months old – June 8, 2015

Vegetables/Legumes–

• GREEN BEAN (very soft and cut into pieces)
• PEAS (whole)
• GARBANZO BEANS (whole)  (Picture here.)
• MUNG BEAN THREADS
• CAULIFLOWER (steamed)
• BROCCOLI (steamed)  (Picture here.)
• PICKLED BEET (cut into pieces)
• SAUERKRAUT (small threads)
• BLACK OLIVE (thin slices)

I mentioned (and posted a picture) in Todd’s ninth month update that Todd eats olives quite effectively by sticking his index finger in the hole.  It’s super cute to watch.

Sometimes Todd can pick up something as a small as a pea, and sometimes not.  He hasn’t quite mastered the pincer grasp pattern yet (i.e. index finger and thumb tips opposing each other).  Frequently, he can get a pea (or a bean) onto his finger or thumb by smashing it first.

Regarding nut/seed butters…

As you know from my previous post (Oh No- Peanut Allergy!), Todd has had PEANUT BUTTER, but after May 1st (when he had an allergic reaction) we didn’t give it to him anymore.

Peanut butter banana face (the day of the allergic reaction) – 8.5 months old – May 1, 2015

He’s had some ALMOND BUTTER within some pancakes and TAHINI (SESAME BUTTER) within hummus and burger patties.

I’ve saved dessert for last (except for the mention of gelato above)…

Todd once took several licks off my square of unsweetened dark chocolate while I held it for him.  Although bitter, he really seemed to like it!

The only really sweet thing that Todd’s been exposed to was just a few little pieces of a gluten free ALMOND SUGAR COOKIE.  That was just last weekend.

 A SAMPLE DAY

As I mentioned before, breakfast doesn’t vary.  At lunch and dinner, I try to offer a balance of fruits, vegetables, beans/legumes, a source of fat, and some grains.  I offer a mix of purees and finger foods.  I sit with him to help him with anything he can’t get into his mouth successfully.  I use a spoon or feed him with my fingers.  Todd eats heartily and there aren’t any foods that he seems to dislike.

Breakfast–

• green smoothie (about 1/2 cup)
• small pancake

Lunch–

• pureed fruit such as applesauce OR leftover green smoothie from breakfast
• fruit pieces such as mango, watermelon, kiwi, etc
• curry patty OR hummus puree mixed with quinoa OR mushroom cauliflower lentil soup…etc

Dinner–

• fruit pieces such as cantaloupe, banana, etc (different from lunch)
• avocado slice OR black olive slices
• vegetable such as steamed broccoli, green peas, beet, potato, etc
• chickpea fritter with Romesco sauce OR baked beans OR Gardein OR spaghetti with Field Roast OR bean burger …etc

So I’ll leave you with this sad face picture.  But– he wasn’t sad about the meal!  I think he bonked himself on something right before.  But to be clear, he does hate being cleaned up after eating, and he will cry or put up a fuss then!

Almost 10 months old – June 14, 2015