What Baby’s Eating: 11 and 12 months
Baby Eating Birthday Frosting
See also: What Baby’s Eating 5 to 6 months, 6 to 7 months, 7 to 8 months, 8 months, 9 months and 10 monthsÂ
Yes, it’s true our baby is already one year old! I can’t believe how the last year has flown by and how much he has developed in every area, including what he is able to eat. At this point, he pretty much eats the same foods as the rest of the family. Most of his meals consist of our food, just cut into very small pieces or mashed up, with maybe a little bit of pureed vegetables as a supplement. So, this month I’m sharing two pureed vegetable soups that will work as a meal for the whole family and can also be fed to baby as a puree. These soups will work even for younger babies who are beginning eaters, you may just need to thin them out a little more with some extra water. With the asparagus soup, I’ve included a recipe for Chili Garlic Oil that can be drizzled on top of the adult portions to add a little extra spice and flavor.
I’m also sharing a recipe for Homemade Teething Biscuits as our son is cutting several teeth all at once and teething biscuits seem to really soothe him. Although neither of my children have ever had a problem when eating teething biscuits, and these homemade ones are even harder than the store bought variety, it is important to take common-sense precautions such as:
1. They really shouldn’t be fed to babies younger than 9 months or who are not yet able to pick up food on their own and eat chunkier purees.
2. They must cool and harden for 24 hours before being fed to baby, to ensure they have hardened completely.
3. Even older babies should be watched closely while eating teething biscuits to make sure that they do not choke on a large chunk.
I hope to continue to share baby/toddler appropriate recipes in the coming months, but they will probably take the form of meals that can be enjoyed by the whole family, rather than baby specific recipes. I would really love to hear from anyone who has favorite family meals that can be enjoyed by toddlers, children and adults! You can leave a comment on this post, on the Cook It Fresh facebook page, or e-mail me your recipes at katie@cookitfresh.com.
Homemade teething biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 3 Tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 Tablespoon uncooked oats
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 2 Tablespoons flax meal
- 1 Tablespoon nonfat dry milk or powdered formula
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yolk, molasses, vanilla, olive oil and milk. In a separate bowl, stir together the oats, flour, flax meal and powdered milk or formula until well blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until a stiff dough forms. If the dough seems too sticky, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it is stiff enough to roll out.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes or just slice the dough into strips or squares with a sharp knife. Place the cut out biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges are hard. They will still be a little soft in the middle. Remove biscuits to a cooling rack and let them sit and harden for at least 10 hours before giving to baby. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.
Ingredients for asparagus soup
Asparagus Soup with Chili Garlic Oil
Ingredients
- For the soup:
- 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 cups baby kale or baby spinach
- salt to taste
- For the Chili Garlic Oil:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1. Place the asparagus, bay leaves and chicken broth in a large pot. Stir in a large pinch of salt. Bring broth to a boil over medium heat.
- 2. Turn the heat down to low and simmer until asparagus is very tender, about 15 minutes. Add the kale to the pot and simmer another 5 minutes until kale is wilted; remove from heat.
- 3. Remove bay leaves from the pot. Working in two batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return soup to the pot and warm over low heat just until heated through. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Serve hot with a drizzle of Chili Garlic Oil, if desired.
- For the Chili Garlic Oil:
- Place all the ingredients in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat just until garlic begins to sizzle and becomes fragrant. Pour oil through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the solids. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
I have recently started using baby kale in lots of recipes because it is so nutritious but has a lighter, sweeter flavor than regular kale. However, I realize that most grocery stores do not carry baby kale, so you could easily use baby spinach as a substitute. I would probably not use regular kale in this recipe since the strong flavor would overwhelm the asparagus.
Ingredients for Roasted Carrot Soup
Roasted Carrots
Cumin Roasted Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots (about 10 medium)
- 1 Tablespoon garlic flavored or plain olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- chives, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the carrots and cut them into 1/2-inch chunks.
- On a large sheet pan, toss the carrots with the oil, cumin and salt. Roast in the preheated oven until golden brown and soft, about 30 minutes. Toss the carrots occasionally while roasting to prevent burning.
- In a large pot, bring the broth and bay leaves to a simmer over low heat. Add the roasted carrots to the pot and continue to simmer until very soft, about 5 minutes.
- Remove pot from the heat and take out the bay leaves. Using an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the carrot mixture until completely smooth. Serve garnished with chives, if desired.