Browsing Category: Food

Finding her appetite

February 22, 2017 Zoe

I have written about our journey with food a few times by now. I wrote when I was frustrated that people were pushing Harley to eat solids before it was time (and even a force feeding incident). I wrote about baby led weaning and why I think it is good for baby development. I even wrote about Harley eating some interesting stuff, but there is something I didn’t write about – my worry and fear since she turned one. You see, the mantra of baby led weaning is “food before one is for fun”, and it worked great. I never worried if Harley just played with her food, tried stuff but didn’t swallow or whatever else; before one year old she could rely on breastmilk as her main source of nutrition and I didn’t need to worry if she didn’t really eat most days. But since her first birthday, I’ve been concerned about her lack of appetite for real food, her lack of interest in it for the most part.

As much as I kept telling myself that baby led weaning was the right path for us, of course I doubted myself. I wondered if I should have been pushing food on her more, striving to get her to eat more than the occasional piece of rice cake or tiny shred of chicken, pork or lamb. She loved to play with food, but I feared that she wasn’t really eating, wasn’t really getting the nutrition. Her poo started changing (I know, gross, and too much info, but it’s the reality of food vs breastmilk) but I still didn’t believe that she was actually eating enough. Well, things have finally really changed, and it appears my tiny person is developing a healthy appetite. Continue Reading

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3 Comments Food, Parenting

Chicken, pesto and camembert recipe

January 11, 2017 Zoe

I get really bored of chicken. I know that chicken breasts are supposed to be one of the best things you can eat, and sure, throwing a grilled chicken breast in a salad or eating it with some veggies is a staple of lean eating. But it’s so boring. The best part of chicken is the skin, and that’s the part you aren’t really supposed to eat too much of. And even if I do eat wings or thighs or other parts of the chicken, it all inevitably becomes pretty boring. Except this recipe – I lived on this for my breakfast for the longest time, and it kept me full and happy for ages without my getting bored of it. This is my chicken, pesto and camembert recipe.

Now, I ate it for breakfast for ages, but please don’t consider this a breakfast food. I tend to eat a lot of “lunch” or “dinner” foods for breakfast. In part because I don’t really care about what time of day I eat whatever foods, and in part because I like to start my day very high in protein (and fat) and most of the time that either means bacon and eggs, or just eating a “dinner” type meal for breakfast. You can make this for an easy lunch, or as your protein source for dinner. Warning, this is quite possibly the easiest recipe you’ve ever seen. Continue Reading

2 Comments Food

Chicken Food Recipe

Chorizo rice recipe – cheap, easy mid-week dinner

January 4, 2017 Zoe

If you are anything like me, there is one question that can strike more dread into you than any other – “what’s for dinner?” Seriously, it feels like an eternal question, mainly because it’s what Dean and I ask each other every single day. And sometimes, I have a plan; I might decide that we’re going to braai or that I feel like cooking something in particular. But more often then not, it’s a question of how to throw together a decently healthy meal with minimal effort with whatever we have in the house. On those days, I really don’t want to spend more than half an hour in the kitchen dealing with food, but I still want us to eat something tasty and nutritious. So, here’s one of my new favorite inventions that really is easy to make, seems to appeal to most/all tastes and offers some pretty good nutrients without going over the top with the calories.

I’d call this a Spanish rice recipe, but it’s probably not authentic enough. Instead, this is my Chorizo rice recipe, and I hope it makes your life easier as a simple fall-back answer for “what’s for dinner”? Continue Reading

4 Comments Food

Chorizo Food Recipe

How much does it cost to feed your family?

August 16, 2016 Zoe

I came across an interesting blog yesterday. In it Hayley asks if everyone else is spending a fortune feeding their families, and she described her monthly shopping. It sounded almost exactly like my shopping, and I’ve been wondering the same thing – Dean and I live a comfortable life, but I keep finding that our money is getting tighter and tighter and the majority of our spending seems to go towards food. I’ve been paying closer attention because of an article I’m going to write as part of Harassed Mom‘s series called “What we ate this week” (I promise I will answer your questions soon, Laura!). We really spend a lot just to eat these days.

Part of it is, yes, takeaways or going out to eat. But surprisingly, that’s not as big a thing as I imagined. We might go without cooking once or twice in the week, but for the most part we cook our food. Plus, I like to think that I’m pretty smart with how we shop. I tend to buy our meat once, or maybe twice in the month online from a fantastic butcher who delivers. Their prices are really reasonable and the quality of the meat is great. Plus, I order all the things in 500 gram or 1kg portions, so it’s already nicely divided – just throw it in my deep freezer and pull out what I need, as and when I need it; just the right amount for dinner at night and my breakfast and lunch of leftovers. The rest of our food usually comes from the two local stores – PicknPay and Woolies. Continue Reading

23 Comments Food, Rambling, South Africa

cooking Family Food

Why I encourage my baby to play with her food

July 20, 2016 Zoe

Food is a treacherous area for many of us. What foods are “good” or “bad”? Which foods are “safe” or “comforting”? Sure, taste and temperature play a role in it, but so, too, does texture. From crispy bacon to creamy mashed potatoes to gooey melted cheese, there are all kinds of food out there that I love (or hate) for different reasons. Growing up, I was quite a picky eater (although I did have a bit of a refined palate, too) and it’s something I’m hoping to help Harley to avoid. That’s why I’m doing baby led weaning, and helping Harley to develop her other senses at the same time.

Baby Led Weaning (BLW) is basically about sharing foods with your baby from an age that they’re ready, allowing them to eat normal food with the family instead of getting the mushed up variety. There are a variety of reasons I’m doing it, namely to improve future food acceptance, help with the development of her motor skills, and as a source of fun texture play. Continue Reading

4 Comments Child Development, Food, Parenting

Baby led weaning Food Solids