Busy Life = Crockpot Life

I really leaned into life with my slow cooker this week.  We've been really busy and the weather has been really cold... and to be honest a slow cooker is one of your best friends when it comes to baby-led weaning vegetables and meats because everything comes out very tender and easy to break down.  For the newbies, the less chewing needed the better.

It's very important for your kiddo to build endurance through experience and exposure with foods.  This means we don't expect them to eat large volumes right away - we want them to be able to eat to nourish when they're transitioning away from breastmilk and/or formula around 1 year of age.  Between 6-12 months of age we want them to build up the muscles needed to eat meals all day every day, so be patient and make it easy during the first few months of starting solids.

Here's what I've made recently and how I would serve it:

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

https://tastyoven.com/crockpot-pepper-steak/#recipe

Super easy, flavorful, and the meat is tender.  I used stew meat this week and showed you how to chop it up finely to be able to serve to newbies, and cutting into strips is also an option as long as you cut against the grain of the meat.

Modifications: Omit the salt, use low sodium soy sauce or none at all, substitute 2-3 tablespoons of butter in place of/omit the honey.  If you're serving the cooked peppers, try to take off or pierce the skin - unless your kiddo has molars, cooked pepper skin can be quite hard to break down. I always serve rice in a bowl... it's just easier for their hands and utensils to actually get a portion; when offering rice to newbies, make sure it is sticky rice, or rice that easily clumps together.

Turkey Avocado Patties

https://thrivingnest.com/baby/baby-led-weaning/turkey-patties-avocado-for-baby-blw-toddlers-kids/

I'm sharing this because there are babies out there that need foods like this to start with.  I didn't fry mine (as you can see the difference between what I have pictured here and what the recipes says) because I didn't have time, so I just plopped it into my mini loaf pan and baked.  Frying likely gives more flavor.

>>Modifications: I used chunky avocado and think it would be better for a newbie to starting solids to have just used premade guacamole or totally pureed, smooth avocado.  The chunks made it hard for it to keep it's shape.  I also didn't have onions or garlic, so I used power seasonings.

Mississippi Pot Roast and Creamy Polenta

https://jamjarkitchen.com/2021/02/01/whole30-mississippi-pot-roast/#recipe

https://www.insidetherustickitchen.com/creamy-polenta/#wprm-recipe-container-7915

Polenta always seemed like a super fancy, complicated thing to make - something I'd just order at a restaurant.  Turns out it's a cinch to make!!  Well... Maybe haha - I always say I am a feeding therapist, not a chef, so when the polenta congealed I actually celebrated because it made it so much easier to pick up but stayed creamy - it was like the perfect consistency for a newbie eater!!

Modifications: I used regular corn meal because that's what I had.  Shred the meat into tiny pieces - the roast I made had very tender parts to it, so search for and serve the parts of the meat that are the true "fall apart" pieces.  I served with oven roasted carrots - they could have gone into the crockpot with the roast, but roasting is another way to help soften foods.

It was a little beef-heavy this week, so I'll focus on chicken and tofu (as promised) in the upcoming posts.  Here's to messy faces and happy meals shared - have a great weekend!!

-Marie

Infant Feeding Specialist

Speech-Language Pathologist

International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

Certified Infant Feeding Educator

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*I am sharing recipes I have found from others' blogs.  I encourage you to explore their blog for notes and more information!!