We went to the new Whole Foods store today which honestly wasn't anything special compared to the last, although they did have more selections in the organic baby food. Lately I have been getting the pre-made baby food as the quick and easy back up when I don't make it myself. This "making it myself" thing has only been going on the last month or two and some days it sucks!
Today I spent about 2 hours peeling, steaming, and baking fruits and veggies for Mia's meals for the week. Mia was napping and so was daddy and as I was scooping zucchini into ice trays I was thinking...is this really worth it?! After spitting out every bite of butternut squash I made a couple weeks ago I vowed to only make her fruits and sweet potatoes (which I know she likes). But the opening of the new store and the Franklin Farmer's market make me want to keep trying.
Other than the obvious health benefits of making her food there are parts that I actually enjoy. #1 I love to shop and try new things and it's become so exciting to grocery shop lately. It's not as fun to grab the same ol baby food varieties (for me or Mia). Instead, I feel like I am learning so much about the food world by making my grocery trips more of an adventure than a chore.
I have tried and enjoyed all sorts of vegetables and fruits I never knew I liked (some I never knew existed). Mia has also been exposed to all sorts of new flavors of the individual foods and my experiments in mixing them. Of course, there have been many flops...like the fruit (I have no clue what it's called) I bought earlier in the week only to cut into it and have it basically explode on me. And it's the flops that teach me little lessons in cooking. Writing down the names of the mysterious fruits and veggies I buy (for Google purposes) is something I learned after tossing the exploding fruit.
I have also taken on a whole new interest in my own nutrition. I was never the organic type, nor did I cook things from scratch. But, as with many other things baby related, I want the best for my daughter and in turn try to improve my own poor habits. I want to be able to sit down for dinner and feel wholeheartedly confident that what I have on my plate can be chopped up for Mia to share and benefit from. I admit, I say this as I splurged on McDonalds chicken nuggets (one of my guilty pleasures) yesterday, but isn't the fact that I feel guilty a step in the right direction?
So, although I had to spend the extra time cooking and prepping this afternoon it's well worth it. I hope I can continue to put Mia's health and nutrition on the forefront and learn from my little adventures in baby food.
No comments:
Post a Comment