Banana Berry Peach Smoothie

If you read my previous post, then you know that Fry has some molars coming in right now. Two nice big ones on both the left and right side of the top of his mouth. They've been slowing pushing through for WEEKS now, and have really been messing up his whole little world. Most of the time, he's just fine. But the pain has most certainly affected his eating and sleeping habits. Understandable, yes… But still troublesome when the little stinker is waking up wanting to nurse 2-3 times a night again all of the sudden because his tummy is grumbling because he ate like a bird all day long! Le sigh.

So I got to thinking…
When I was pregnant with him, my first trimester was especially brutal. I felt nauseous and threw up often, and had very few foods that I could stand to see or smell (let alone eat and keep down). My solution? Liquid food! Slimfast shakes became my new best friend. Not because I was trying to lose weight, obviously, but because in one glass I was getting plenty of protein and vitamins and nutrients. It was generally far easier for me to keep down, and I figured a diet shake was better than nothin'.

So I got to thinking some more…
If liquid meals kept my belly happy when I couldn't eat anything else, why not do the same for baby boy? An epiphany! He was eating nothing but pureed fruits and veggies a few months ago, only now he'll be drinking it through a straw himself. Same difference, right? So lately, after we attempt some din din, he gets a fruit smoothie before bed. This is not only helping to fill his belly up a little bit more to encourage him to sleep through the night, but it's a real treat for him too! He sucks em up so quickly I honestly don't know how he doesn't get derailed by brain freezes.

Here's what you need:
Banana
Frozen peaches
Frozen blueberries
Milk

These, of course, have about a billion variations. Use whatever fruit or veggies your kiddo enjoys most, or even sneak in some of the ones they don't! My general go to smoothie for the boy always includes milk and banana as a base, and frozen fruit to thicken and chill the drink without having to use ice. I'm currently using a Ninja blender system, which is AWESOME (more on this lovely machine to come). If your blender isn't too great however, these smoothies should still come together for you just fine. The frozen fruit seems easier for most blenders to take down than ice. Anyway…

Put half a banana (and save the other half for breakfast or a snack for the next day), about 4-5 peach slices, roughly 10-20 blueberries, and 1/4-1/2 cup of milk into your blender. (We've been introducing cow's milk to Fry's diet recently. Since lactose intolerance is very prevalent on Dad's side, we're easing it in very gradually. Fry's shakes only get about a 1/4 cup of skim milk, and we're only using skim because that's what we drink. If there were even a half gallon of fatty milk, the majority would go to waste. So for now, he's getting what we're getting.)

Now BLEND! Duh.

And that's that!
If it's thin enough, pop it into a straw style sippy cup. If it's thicker, you'll probably have to monitor your little one with a regular cup and straw. If that doesn't work, well, you're on your own my friend.

(You see my creepster beast monger in the background there? Hahaha!)

Apple Cinnamon Waffles

The sun is up and tiny tummies are already grumbling. Time to get started on some breakfast, and I mean fast, otherwise there's going to be a little grumpers running around my ankles screaming.

Now, you want your baby's meals all homemade, right? Sometimes you just don't have time to make every little thing from scratch. Understandable! That's where the freezer comes in, your new best friend. There are tons of things that can be pre-made, pre-portioned, put in the freezer and will be ready to go whenever you need them. Breakfast items are some of my favorite to make ahead of time and put in the freezer. Pancakes, waffles, and even french toast heat right back up without any hassle straight from the freezer to the toaster.

And on that note, we can get started. So QUICKLY NOW! Breakfast!

Grab a waffle from the freezer and pop it in the toaster. Wash your apple thoroughly. (Quick tip: apples are one of those items you may want to consider buying organic. Why? It's almost standard for them to get a coating of wax to make them all pretty and shiny in the produce section. Nice to look at? Sure. Nice to eat? Not so much. More on this subject later.) Today baby boy is getting a nice tart granny smith green apple. I peel the skin since it's still tough for him to chew when raw, core it, and dice it up. I give him about half to go with his waffle, and the other half gets put away for finger food nibblies for later. Waffle popped up yet? It should have. If not, you might wanna check on it because it's probably on fire. I like to cut it along it's built in grid because until my coffee is ready my brain is useless, and these seem to be perfect sized squares. Toss your cut up waffle and apple into a bowl, dust with cinnamon, and put a light drizzle of syrup on top. No need to avoid syrup if you're feeding your tot well, the bit of sugar is a nice treat for them as long as you're giving it in moderation and not loading them up on other junk throughout the rest of the day. Personally, I like to put this into the microwave for a few seconds to warm up the apples and the syrup, but this certainly isn't a must. Make sure you mix it up a bit so that cinnamon gets on everything, and that's that!

Breakfast time! If you like, take the other apple half and make some waffles for yourself! After all, baby isn't the only one that needs a good breakfast to start the day.