Welcome Spring! And Spring babies. :)

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Hello everyone!

It has simply been ages since I have posted! This is largely due to some happy news…we have a new ethnic baby in our household! My little girl Ela was born on March 7, 2014!  She was a whopping 5lbs, 18-inches.  All are fine and healthy, thank goodness.  Here’s a snappy:

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I kind of want to eat her up sometimes. 🙂  Appropriate, since I’m devoted to all things food.  Nibbling on baby toes must count, right?

Little Ela is adorable, but as she does not sleep at any rational time, we have entered that lovely parental zombie-land where you forget whether you showered on any given day, or remembered if you ate.  Interestingly my 2.5-year-old, Kirina, is the most well-rested person in the house, sleeping a magical 12 or so hours at night.  Maybe she can take care of Ela during the day. 🙂

All joking aside, we are so in love with our little girls.  And I am excited to introduce Ela to all the yummy foods of the world as she gets older.  I intend to do the same thing I did with Kirina, introducing her to spices and seasonings early on in life.  In fact, I’m already doing that now while nursing (did you know breast milk takes on the flavors of your own diet? Pretty neat!).  Diversifying your child’s food choices from an early age really works.  We have proof too…here’s a picture of my Kirina shoveling Pad Thai in her mouth this weekend (I had to help her with the chopsticks.  She thinks she can use them, but it sort of ends up in her eye.  Not good!).

 

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Anyway, I can’t wait for these new culinary adventures with my babies! I have another post related to fenugreek seeds and nursing that I found fascinating…will write more on that later.  Ela is awake and my laptop is crying for a charge. From Kirina’s (and Ela’s) highchair to yours, Bon Appetit!

There is a world outside of chocolate milk

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This week from Kirina’s table….

Good Morning to everyone on this cold winter day!  Actually it’s a balmy 35 degrees here in New Jersey, which for people of this state might as well be Florida weather for all the polar vortex/freeze/ice box temperatures we’ve been having.   We spent the weekend trying to play in the snow.  By trying, I mean Kirina played, I watched.  Being 8 months pregnant means I look and feel like a penguin and penguins don’t bend over so well to make snow angels and the like.  We made a fun time of it anyway. 🙂

But man, was it cold! The first thing I wanted to do was come inside and drink something sweet and warm.  This would automatically lead to warm, toasty thoughts of hot chocolate and Swiss Miss and marshmallows.  But that’s not quite how I roll…yes, I do enjoy hot chocolate on occasion (but only the real stuff, where you take milk and real cocoa powder and a dash of chili powder and boil it all together on the stove).  No, the first thing I thought of was what my mom used to give me as a child, using these seasonings:

Cardamom and saffron….two of the most fragrant spices my big Gujarati/Persian nose has ever smelled.  For those of you unfamiliar with these precious flavors, the black seeds in the picture are the cardamom seeds and the red threads are saffron, which are actually the stigmas inside of a special kind of crocus flower.  Saffron is used all over Asia and the Middle East to perfume and naturally color basmati rice (think rice biryani), meats and desserts.  As for cardamom, there are several kinds, but the seeds pictured come from green cardamom, which are actual green pods that hold the black seeds.  They are also used in various curry dishes, but are particularly tasty in desserts.   See the Spice Cabinet section for more details on these two spices.

My childhood go-to drink was always warm milk with cardamom powder, saffron and a pinch of sugar.  This concoction was more “normal” for me than hot chocolate, or chocolate or strawberry milk.  It was warm and comforting, the aroma was sweet and unique, and the little teacup my mom put it in made it all feel very special (though most things like this from a loving mom feel special, no matter the drink or teacup).

Kirina has discovered Ovaltine and chocolate flavors for sure, but I wanted her to try my childhood love, which is exactly what we did on Sunday after coming in from the cold.  Since she is familiar with these flavors anyway, and totally has a sweet tooth, I figured it wouldn’t be too hard to introduce her to this new creation.  Even for little ones who have never tried these flavors, it’s usually a hit.  The two spices are so gentle and mild, that they are used in numerous Indian, Asian and Middle-Eastern desserts (kids around the world, as we all know, enjoy their desserts).  This is a great way to broaden and enliven your baby’s or toddler’s palate.

The recipe is beyond simple:  In a small pot, add one cup of milk, one pinch of ground cardamom (I keep the seeds in a small pepper mill and then have it handy to grind fresh when I need it), and one pinch of sugar (the sugar amount is up to you.  I usually add a half teaspoon or so into my cup).  Take 3-4 saffron threads, crush them between your fingers and add them in.  Bring to a gentle boil, and as soon as it boils, remove from heat and give a good stir.  The milk will have changed into a warm, yellow color and the fragrance of the cardamom and saffron will be obvious and pleasing.  You can strain the milk if you want an ultra smooth drink, but I usually just pour it into a cup and sip away.  The cardamom powder usually sinks to the bottom of the cup.  You can vary all the ingredient amounts to your liking.

For Kirina, I poured about an ounce or so into her favorite Peter Rabbit cup (we bought this cute little cup in York, England, this past fall on vacation.  There is a whole Peter Rabbit shop there! One of many reasons I love the UK. 🙂 ).

Kirina’s verdict: She loved it!!!! So much so that she actually didn’t ask for Ovaltine for dinner (a regular request since I introduced her to the stuff a few weeks ago).  I loved it too.  I haven’t made the drink in years, probably because it can remind me so much of my mom (she passed away in 2005) and as she was my best friend, reminiscing can be bittersweet.

But let’s always try and focus on the sweet in this instance.  I learned it was not only great for Kirina to try something new, ethnic and unique, but I also realized I was passing along a piece of my mom to Kirina with this little drink.  As I always say, your mom’s cooking feels like a big warm hug, something I miss dearly.  I am happy that Kirina’s grandmother is able to hug her though her warm milk and Peter Rabbit cup.

From Kirina’s booster seat to your little one’s…bon appetit!

This week at Kirina’s Table…and some in utero musings from her baby sister.

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Hi everyone…Happy New Year!

As usual, I am a little late on the game, it being 17 days into the new year. I blame pregnancy (I seem to blame a lot on pregnancy these days.  two more months left of using that excuse). 🙂

I’m not sure who is giving who the food education these days…Kirina or me?  I’ve certainly learned a lot about the evolution of toddler eating habits from my little two-year old in the past few weeks.  She used to eat most everything I put in front of her; different cuisines, different and new ingredients and seasonings.  These days she has developed an opinion about what she eats.  An opinion?! Since when did this become a democracy? Ha. Kirina’s opinions about food mainly involve peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and gummy snacks (these should be served every day in her opinion).  Indian roti bread and grapes for dinner.  This doesn’t sound terribly irrational, except she prefers to eat the raw dough rather than the cooked rotis (which are slathered in ghee and butter I might add.  why would anyone refuse that?!).  At least she loves to help cook them (help is a pretty loose term around here, but it’s still way cute to me):

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At any rate, I’ve definitely noticed that more and more Kirina wants to be in charge of what she eats.  And it’s not always what I would like her to eat! In an ideal world she would have well-balanced meals with proteins and vegetables for every meal.  Sometimes that happens, yes, but most days it is a grazing, random, and often strange mixture of foods.

I’ve decided this is ok though.  Why? Because she still makes choices based on the taste foundation I gave her from the first day she started soilds.  She still enjoys different ethnic foods, and new ingredients.  She is still open to eating a variety of tastes and food preparations.  She’s just more stubborn about when and how this will occur (she is also a Leo, and as anyone who has a Leo in their life knows, you can’t push them to do anything if they don’t want to).  Take the roti example….for those of you that don’t know, rotis are awesome indian flat breads that are made fresh in India with each meal.  You serve them with a dal or whatever curry you are making.  The ingredients are simple and pure: whole wheat flour, a bit of oil, salt and water.  We started her young on these things and thank goodness, because she will still enjoy them (yes, sometimes she eats them cooked, I have to stop her from eating the raw stuff!).  It’s just that with her being a toddler, she will enjoy them for 14 days in a row…begging, pleading, whining (ugh) for them daily like an obsession.  And then? She drops them like a bad habit and will fixate on something else (like bread with jam and honey and peanut butter, in that order).

To my adult mind this is very odd…but the more I observe and learn about toddlers, I think this might be the norm.  It is a phase just like anything else.

On a related note, a friend of mine with a 20 month old was wondering why her son refused to eat just about everything.  She tried to get him to try dal, to no avail.  Indian sweets? Nothing.  Curries? Nope.  Each time the food was presented to him, he just plain refused.  So, she did what most parents naturally do…give up on the food because you assume your little one doesn’t like it.  But if there is anything I’ve learned it’s this…don’t do it! Don’t give up! I told her that it takes up to 15 tries for a baby/toddler to become accustom to a new taste.  I can’t tell you the number of things I’ve tried on Kirina, and it is only by virtue of sticking with it, did she finally come to enjoy it (I have to say, I’m a bit proud that she asks for garlic hummus now, lol).  Even if you didn’t try this approach when they were younger, it is never too late to start.  Toddlers, though opinionated (and somewhat crazy if you ask me), still have “moldable” taste buds.  They are individuals, yes, and they won’t love everything, but you as a parent can keep their meals as diverse as possible to broaden their palates.  Keep trying to introduce those new tastes now, because they might turn into great loves later.

What’s Happening In Utero

My final thoughts this week are pregnancy and food related.  I have two months left to go before we have a new little mouth to feed.  But actually, I’m already feeding her! Did you know your baby can taste food through your amniotic fluid as early as 15 weeks! In the last trimester, they swallow the highest volumes of amniotic fluid, so their ability to taste what you have been eating is strong (taste buds develop around week 13. Very early!).

I remember with Kirina reading this fact and I ate all sorts of different foods.  I mean everything.  I gave into Thai food cravings, fruit cravings, pistachio ice cream cravings.  I remember eating a lot of berries as well, and I have to say, Kirina is still a big lover of them.  She’s also a big pizza fan, which is no surprise because it is my favorite food on the planet and was consumed in large quantity with both pregnancies.  It is fascinating to me that flavors can be introduced to your baby at such an early, early age!

Take advantage of these facts…start sculpting your litte one’s taste buds now.  Try new flavors or whatever feels appealing to you.  Try new food preparations…roast and glaze carrots, instead of raw for a different spin.  Try ethnic cuisines and incorporate spices (put some cinnamon on your toast with some butter for breakfast.  Your baby will taste it!).  Get creative.

I myself should have eaten more French Fries.  I still can’t get Kirina to eat potatoes.  Seriously? That’s like my favorite vegetable. And what kid doesn’t eat potatoes?

From Kirina’s Table to your little one’s….bon appetit!

“Food Moods”

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Hi everyone,

It has been a few days since my last post.  Mainly because I feel like a frazzled muppet these days:  My daughter is 2, I am six months pregnant, I started a part-time job and am still on the hunt for literary cookbook agents.  In between all that we’ve dealt with some fevers (105 for my daughter. that was not fun), business trips and snow storms.  And a lot of toddler (and parent) meltdowns.
 
It’s the toddler meltdowns I want to focus on.  I know my little one is 2, and everything these days seems to be a power struggle (“I want to do it by myself! It’s mine! No help mommy!”) which I hear from other parents is just part of the developmental stage.  But I am noticing not only are Kirina’s moods all over the place, but her “food mood” is similarly nuts (Actually that is something she actually likes eating.  Peanuts.  By the scoopful.  Like a chipmunk).  My once easy-going baby is now protesting foods she used to love.  Indian dal? Could eat it everyday.  Now she eats it, but only with her daddy.  Macaroni and cheese? Used to hate it, now asks for it.  Cinnamon yogurt smoothies? Love and now hate.  In the middle of a restaurant meal she rejects French fries, but scoops up some fresh cilantro from my quesadilla and shoves it all into her mouth.  I was relieved in that moment…I guess all her taste buds are not lost.
 
In writing a book about ethnic baby meals and incorporating spices into a child’s meals from day one, I always assumed I was raising a little one who would eat everything all the time.  She has tried every spice in my book, and every recipe ever told to me by an international mom or dad.  Her recent rejection of previously loved, well-seasoned meals, definitely had me a little worried. 
 
So, me being me (neurotic about knowledge, needing to know everything all the time, research whore) decided to study what my toddler’s taste buds are doing at the moment…whether they are behaving normally or whether I killed them with my cooking.
 
Thankfully, I did no harm. 🙂
 
If your toddler has a case of the “food moods” then don’t despair.  It’s normal!  Starting between 18 months and 2 years of age, toddlers do all sorts of things with their meals.  Some want the same thing every day, all the time, in the same plate with the same cup.  Others want nothing for 2 days, then feast on PBJ sandwiches for each meal (this would be my Kirina).  Some babies will just stop eating everything they used to eat in favor of French fries (or in Kirina’s case, just ketchup).
 
Why all the (in my opinion) strange foodie behavior?
 
Much of it has to do with your toddler wanting to be independent for the first time in his or her life.  It is a normal part of development.  They learn they can control their surroundings (or, well, they think they can) and this also leads to the power struggles, picky eating issues and simply screaming “no!” when you put something in front of them that they are not in the mood for.   It is good to put yourself in your toddler’s shoes for a bit…being told “no” or “don’t touch” or “not right now” all day long can be extremely frustrating.  Not having a choice really in what is served for breakfast, lunch or dinner adds to the lack of control feeling. 
 
How to Save Your Toddler’s Taste Buds
 
Is there a way to get out of the picky/fussy eater rut? Yes.  First and foremost keep in mind this is likely just a phase like everything else.  Great chefs, eaters and culinary masters were all fussy, bland-food eating, toddlers at some point.  They all grew into culinary wizards that now know the nuances of how to flavor a bouillabaisse and are even potty-trained to boot (another post entirely). 
 
Keep these points in mind during mealtime:
 
1.  Give your toddler choices
Don’t give in, just give choices.  If chili is what is for dinner tonight, offer him or her a choice of toppings “do you want cheese or salsa on top?”)  Same with fruits and vegetables…always offer a choice and let your little one make the decision.  This will help them feel empowered and more in control.
 
2.  Find your Zen place and don’t react
Sometimes your toddler just wants to get a rise out of you.  They push away a plate of food you’ve just lovingly prepared for them, scream or just plain go off on a tirade of “no’s.”  What to do? Nothing.  Use your zen/yoga skills to simply not react.  Tell your toddler something like, “ok, you’re not hungry? Let’s try to eat something later.”  Then end the meal and try serving the same meal again.  This avoids a big power struggle but also teaches your toddler that you are not giving in to his or her demands for ice cream for dinner.
 
3.  Never, ever give up on flavor or new foods
Above all, do not ever give up on feeding your little on a variety of foods.  It is a well-documented fact that it can take up to 20 tastes of particular ingredient or seasoning before a little one develops a taste for it or accepts it.  Of course your toddler will not grow up loving everything you eat or enjoy, but most of us parents give up too soon, often after only 2-3 tries of offering a certain food.  
 
4.  Last, but not least, remember flavor!
Sometimes toddlers just want a change.  A change of color, a change of flavor, a change of appearance.  So get creative and mix it up.  Use a white plate and put bright red, sliced strawberries and green kiwi on separate sides.  Add a drizzle of honey (over the age of 1 only please) or balsamic syrup (no, I’m not kidding, I’ve seen it work).  If you are serving pasta, let your little one “dress it up” with a sprinkling of oregano (a very “baby friendly” spice, see forthcoming Spice Cabinet section of this website) or a bit of aged parmesan…be sure to put a little of each out and let your toddler do the seasoning.  Chances are the first few times won’t go very well, but eventually the taste buds will make the connection between a seasoning and a food (basil or oregano with tomato sauce, dill with cooked carrots, etc.).  Over time your child will become accustomed to seasonings and new flavors.  As long as you lay the groundwork now for a varied diet, you are giving your child a chance to appreciate a varied repertoire of foods when they get older.
 
Above all, remember that food is fun.  Small tastes now, may turn into great loves later, so make this often challenging phase of eating and feeding as creative as you can.  Exposure is key!
 
From Kirina’s high chair to yours, bon appetit!
 
p.s. if anyone can help me figure out how to do the “accent aigu” on wordpress, please message me.  The English major/grammar police inside of me is already upset that I have to write “appetit” incorrectly.  Add some pregnancy hormones and the irritation is volcanic.  Alright, maybe that is a little melodramatic.  But you grammar people know what I mean.  If you are French you know what I mean even more.

‘Tis the Seasonings!

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‘Tis the Seasonings!

Just a quick post to talk about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  I’m still building my site here, but I wanted to make sure to post some thoughts about making Thanksgiving tasty for the littlest butterballs in our lives.

That would be babies, not turkeys.

As adults we are lucky to enjoy the all the flavors and spices of the season. Turkeys are rubbed down with savory herbed butters.  Rosemary, thyme and sage play prominent roles in seasoning everything from turkeys, to stuffings to gravies.  Nutmeg and cinnamon are wonderful warming spices used in sweet potatoes, yams and pumpkin pies. 

How can we bring these flavors to our babies and toddlers?

You might be thinking they are too young for such tastes, but I assure you they are not. Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to introduce your little one to different seasonings and ingredients.  The idea is to use, for lack of a better word, baby steps.  A pinch of this or a pinch of that is all you need.  In fact, each holiday or family feast should be looked at as an opportunity to broaden your babies’ taste buds.  As I will discuss in future posts, baby taste buds need to be nurtured from the start.  Feeding baby a diverse array of seasonings from the moment they can enjoy solids will enable them to appreciate a wider variety of foods as they get older. 

Take this time of year to share these flavors with your baby and toddler. Here are some quick and easy ideas for your little ones (for full recipes hop over to the recipe page):

Babies (6 months and up):

Sweet Potato and Cinnamon Purée

Nutmeg Sweet Potatoes

Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

Carrot or Parsnip Purée with Sage

Curried Carrot Purée

For Toddlers (12 months and up):

Since toddlers can eat a wider variety of textures, be sure to introduce them to the above spices via your regular Thanksgiving table food.  Stuffing and potatoes are obvious favorites.  It’s ok, and actually encouraged, to give your toddler tastes of full-seasoned dishes.  If your little one refuses, don’t give up! Remember, it can take 10-15 tries before a baby/toddler starts to like the taste of a particular seasoning or ingredient.  Experiment and have fun.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Welcome, Bienvenue, Hola, Willkommen, Namaste!

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Hello world!

Welcome to the Masala Baby Food blog site.  This is my first foray into blogging, and there is much to learn but I am very excited to share my thoughts on a topic I find fascinating: baby food.  Yes, baby food.  As someone who has been through graduate school, the socratic method and other academic pursuits, I find it pretty funny that baby food has become the thing I’ve found a fascination with.  But I’m not ashamed!

I am a recovering lawyer (recovering from a career that slowly munched away at my soul).  After having my now two-year old, Kirina, I found myself at home and going a little (a lot) batty (as enjoyable as motherhood has been, that first year felt like a hazing ritual gone bad.  I still don’t know what I am doing most days).  For the first time in my life I had to stand still and think about what I wanted to do next, find out what I was really passionate about, what was going to feed my own soul.  It definitely was not the law.

I have always been a foodie at heart and a culturally curious soul.  I have an ongoing romance with all the different foods of the world, culinary customs and history.  When I lived in Manhattan for five years, I would devour all the different cuisines I could get my hands on.  I would scour blogs and restaurant reviews for the best piece of pizza or meal.  It was the first time in my life I had all of the world’s cuisines at my disposal, where Vietnamese Pho and Squid-Ink Pasta were just a delivery phone call away. 

You can imagine how excited I was when it came time for my daughter to start “real food,” aka “solids.”  I was going to raise a foodie 2.0! I bought a special bowl, a cute spoon and had the camera all ready for the sweet smile Kirina was going to give us after her first spoonful.  

It definitely did not quite go as planned.  The week we got clearance to feed Kirina we started with dried baby rice cereal, just as the pediatrician advised.  I had never seen these dried flakes before.  Well, maybe I had actually.  It sort of resembled the dried fish food flakes I used to feed my goldfish as a child.  Anyway, I mixed the flakes with milk as directed and excitedly waited for Kirina to gulp it down.

Kirina spit it out.  With gusto. 

On day 2 she spit out even more.  We tried several days in a row, but no luck. 

I was so deflated!  Here my little foodie-to-be was not taking to solids.  I finally tasted the pasty mush we were feeding her and nearly spit it out myself.  To use one of Kirina’s words, “yuck.”  I mean, I wouldn’t eat this bland stuff, why would she?

On day 5 or so we tried mashing up an avocado and boom, it was like magic!  She gobbled it up with such zeal.  Spoonful after spoonful the avocado went down so easily.  It suddenly occurred to me that maybe she wanted something with more flavor. 

Flavor became my mission, my obsession.  I soon discovered this was the most exciting part of my day–feeding her new things, introducing her to new tastes.  I thought about what my husband and I eat (a lot of Indian and other ethnic foods) and how I could make it baby friendly.  I was eager to introduce her taste buds to things other than pasty cardboard rice cereal and strained peas from a jar.  Little by little I started to “baby-fy” our dinners for Kirina.  I started mashing Indian dal and adding rice cereal.  Then I would add one spice (coriander powder for instance).  Sweet potatoes with garam masala.  Carrots with oregano for an Italian flair.    A bit of cardamom to her applesauce, or cinnamon to her pears.  Over only a few weeks time, I realized that Kirina appreciated these new tastes and in fact preferred them to bland food.

I became so obsessed with spicing up Kirina’s meals that I began to research what babies around the world eat as their first meals, talking to parents, researching ingredients and inventing recipes based on my findings.  Kirina began to develop a taste for well-seasoned foods, which in turn encouraged me to delve into more research about taste, how taste buds develop in young children, and what we as parents in this country can do to broaden our babies’ taste buds. 

What else did I learn on this journey? That I am passionate about this stuff! As crazy as it sounds, I think I’ve finally found something in life, career-wise, that totally feels right.  I have never been more passionate about a subject as I am with this one.  I am constantly motivated and excited to develop baby, toddler and kid’s meals that are ethnic, but approachable, seasoned and different, and inspired by the global community of parents and caregivers.  I love teaching my daughter how to eat not only a variety of foods, but how to introduce flavor and seasonings from an early age so that she will (hopefully) be a less picky eater as she grows up (so far so good! she loves eating ginger-spiced lentils more than she loves a chicken nugget.  No offense to chicken nuggets.  We eat those too).  I have so many recipes and notes on this topic, I actually wrote a book (notes on the publishing process are for another day.  I am learning a lot about that too).

In the coming weeks I hope to discuss what parents around the world feed their babies, along with helpful facts, books, and research on this topic.   I want to change the way babies eat. And I would like to share and communicate with other parents who are interested in helping babies eat better. 

From Kirina’s highchair’s to your child’s….bon appetite!

Leena