I've been thumping this cookbook like a crazed evangelist.Le Petit Appetit made it a joy to toss those sodium-sick Gerber jars from the pantry and take to the burner for everybody in the house.
Bay Area entreprenuer mama Lisa Barnes daintily introduces basic purees, homemade crackers, nutritional baking, and chicken soft enough for new teeth to rookie cooks like she would a blossoming foodie in a high-chair: Slowly, clearly, and with gusto. The cookbook, which includes snacks, meals, and healthy desserts tooled for ages 4 months to 4 years, includes age-specific food safety dos and don'ts and lots of common sense troubleshooting. Best of all, though, it carries a spirit of inclusion. There's no talking down, not to the kids in the recipe content (hello, dill yogurt dip before 12 months!) or to the discerning meal-planner (there are tips for freezing purees and loads of substitues for sensitive or choosey eaters.) And most all the goodies can and should be passed around to the bigs.
The juicy wheat-based muffins recipe has pretty much revolutionized our snack stash. C was just nine months old when I made the first using blueberry and apple purees. Since the chomper-challenged bugger already insisted on feeding himself, the soggy little treats made for a good precursor to tougher biscuits. And I've since saved some overstock bannanas and sweet potatoes by mashing them up for squishimuffins, as they're lovingly called. A proverbial thumbs-up from my permanent guest of honor:
