Dieting

For the last 10 months I have been telling myself that I don't need to diet. I've been telling myself that since I breastfeed my baby I can eat whatever I want and not gain any weight (somewhat true) and that it's not good for my breastfed baby for me to diet (totally untrue). There are some definite problems with this logic. For one, even if I wasn't going to gain any weight, I won't be breastfeeding forever and I really need to pay attention to what I am eating, specifically HOW MUCH I have been eating. Otherwise, as soon as we are done, I will blow up! Second, I may not gain any, but I certainly wasn't losing any either. I've plateaued and I am not happy where I am. Third, I don't so much need to diet as I need to really change what and how I eat. Therefore, the solution is to count calories. I simply have adjusted the number of calories I would normally need in a day to account for the number lost in breastfeeding and created a safe and healthy way to lose weight without depriving my baby of what she needs. (**Please note, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist and the statements I make apply to myself only.)

So far it has been very successful. I use myfitnesspal.com and it's App for the iPhone. I created a two week meal plan to aid in my grocery shopping and overall planning. It ended up being three weeks worth of food and I tried out a lot of new recipes. Unfortunately, since I was making new dishes and not super sure of the recipes I didn't photograph or record them. However, for the most part each dish was a success and with a few tweaks to each I do plan on making them again.

I am starting really understand food in a different way. I know what has a lot of value calorie-wise and what is just not worth it. I know that if I want to have a beer in the evening it means less food during the day and I really have to want it! I know that measuring my food is the only way to accurately calorie count and using the short pour/long pour method of measurement is not going to work!

Some of the foods that have become neccesary pantry items now include, plain yogurt, vinegar, mustard, lean meats, Parmesan cheese, whole grain anything and lentils. I even adapted my famous spaghetti to a low cal version by using Turkey Italian Sausage and whole grain spaghetti.

As soon as I get myself to the grocery store, I'll be starting phase 2. I have a new 2 week mealplan and all the recipes and calories are accounted for. Hopefully the new recipes will be just as successful and some of the repeat recipes will be even better when I add my personal touches. Hopefully I'll be able to take some pictures and share with you some of the new, delicious, calorie-valuable meals I discover along the way.

On a totally different note, August is the month of the birth of my daughter. So, I am in total First Birthday Party planning mode which means crafts and lists are taking over my home. I will definitely post pictures of whatever is successful, so stay tuned!

Burgers for the whole family :)

We love hamburgers in our house and apparently the baby does as well! (Yay!) They are a quick fulfilling meal that can literally be thrown together after work and be ready for dinner. I love my George Foreman grill and it works in a pinch when Brian gets home to late to get the charcoal grill going. I don't grill outdoors. I never have and I doubt I ever will. It's my hubby's domain. He loves to do it, he's great at it and well, right now, it's too darn hot to catch me standing over a hot fire outside.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and try to talk about how to make a hamburger. It's just a hamburger. But I did adapt my baby meatball recipe to make little baby burgers and I wanted to show them off!

Baby ingredients on the left and mommy and daddy's ingredients on the right.

Rice cereal, zucchini puree and an egg yolk for baby.

Bread crumbs, an egg (and the leftover egg white), mustard, and spices for the adults.

Oh, and add ground beef. :)



Little baby burgers on top and big grown up burgers on bottom.



Grilled goodness for the Little One.

By the way I know that these are some sloppy patties! But when I said "literally thrown together" I meant it. I have very little time between getting home in the evening and putting the baby to bed. 2 hours to be exact. During that time I cook dinner, feed the baby, clean up and prepare for the next day, bathe the baby, eat dinner, and enjoy some family time. So while I was throwing everything in a bowl and forming burger patties faster than the wind, this is what was on my mind:

"These have got to get done"

Not to mention, "What is she getting into NOW!?"

But, as usual, dinner got done and Little Miss E LOVED her hamburgers. I put them on bread thins. I have to say, I LOVE these bread thins for the baby. Both the sandwich rounds and the bagels. They are great to melt some cheddar on, spread some cream cheese on, or use as a hamburger bun, and then very easy to break into little baby-friendly pieces. For these burgers I used these bagels but I also love these rounds.

The patties I made fit perfectly on about a quarter round of the bagel. Served up with green beans!



I figured she would just pick it apart and eat what she wanted, but she actually ate it like a sandwich, meat and bread together.





She loves her hamburger! She is definitely her parent's child!



Sweet Potatoes, two ways

I have a couple of simple baby food recipes that I have not yet written about, although Everleigh is getting to the point of growing out almost completely of purees. (Didn't I JUST post about how she refuses finger foods??) There are a few things she'll still allow me to spoon feed her, but it's got to be something she LOVES. Oatmeal, applesauce, yogurt, rice cereal, and sweet potatoes make the list.

My best friend has a little one only 2 months younger than mine and she gave me the idea and inspiration for putting a twist on sweet potatoes. One way is savory and the other is sweet. My daughter prefers the sweet, but I am not surprised. Her daddy has a thing about savory sweet potatoes. He doesn't even like to feed the baby the ones I've made. And if you dare offer him a sweet potato french fry, be prepared; he reacts like you want him to taste dirt. Sweet E is not quite this reactive when she eats her savory version, but she does indeed live up to her name and will INHALE the sweet version!

We are beyond pureed potatoes at this point, so really these are finely mashed. Sweet potatoes definitely grow with the child. You can start them off in the food processor and get them so liquid even a beginner on solids will love them. As your child wants more solid foods and wants to feed herself, you can just mash them like you would for yourself. Mashed sweet potatoes really helped Everleigh learn how to self feed because there is no grasping involved and it's a dish she loves so much she wouldn't push it away. They can also be roasted in the oven for a baked french fry for a fabulous finger food once they are able to grasp to feed.

A lot of homemade baby food books suggest baking potatoes when preparing them for babies. I have found that it is much easier and quicker to peel, dice and steam potatoes. They only need to cook for about 10 minutes before they are done. When you bake you have to scoop the potato out of the peel and I have always had a problem with this. I think I can never wait long enough for the potato to cool down so I end up burning my fingers. If you don't need to use them right away, baking is fine. But it takes some time and if you need it right out of the oven take care to protect your fingers!

Savory Sweet potatoes:

Mash one baked or steamed sweet potato with chicken broth to desired consistency.
Add the following spices to taste:
Garlic powder, cumin, paprika
Enjoy!

For roasted savory sweet potatoes simply toss diced potato with a little olive oil and the spices. Place on cookie sheet and put in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

I am sure there are several combinations of spices that would pair well with sweet potatoes. I like these because they add a lot of flavor and are baby friendly. Cumin and paprika both add smokiness but in very different ways. I tend to go easy on the cumin (a little goes a long way) and heavy on the paprika (a much more mild spice). Herbs would add a lot also. Some options include chives, oregano, rosemary, sage, basil, or thyme. If I were to whip up some savory mashed sweet potatoes for grown ups I would add salt, pepper, and some ground red pepper for a kick!

Sweet Apple Cinnamon Potatoes:

Mash one baked or steamed sweet potato
Add 2 pureed baked apples or 1/2 cup applesauce
Add cinnamon to taste
Mix well and enjoy!

Mashed or pureed sweet potatoes freeze well both in cubes and in small containers. They are a cinch to reheat: just pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds or so.

The pictures are of my Little One eating her sweet potatoes. She liked them so much she licked the bowl clean. (or tried to at least!)

One Happy Baby!