Introducing Your Baby To Indian Food

One thing I've learned about parenting is there are so many ways to do it. While we all think our way is best, it's not always the case. If you were to visit moms from around the world, you would see just how differently they raise their little ones. If you look a little closer to home, you'll still see big differences in parenting styles.What about food?A lot of moms think the only way to feed your kids is to start with the bottle, then rice cereal proceeded by vegetables, and ending up with table food. What if I told you that you could change it up a bit and make it more interesting and healthier for your kids?I introduced my children to Indian spices right away. When they were in the adorable squishy stage (you know the stage I'm talking about), I started them off with rice and butter. I added about 2 extra cups of water to the rice, so it soaked it all in and turned into more of a paste. Adding butter is a great way to sneak in dozens of vitamins and anti-oxidants into your child's diet.As they get a little older, we start adding in steamed vegetables and spices. Getting them used to different spices at a young age helps to get their palate used to it. Not to mention all of the health benefits them.

Turmeric

Turmeric is used in every single Indian dish. It's added to the base to add a rich color and people are becoming obsessed about it. A lot of health gurus are even recommending turmeric pills. Which of course my in-laws always laugh over and say people should all just start eating Indian food!Why is it so good for you? It's full of antioxidants, it's an anti-inflammatory, it helps reduce cholesterol, it's full of vitamin B, and has been said to help prevent cancer cells from growing.

Chili Powder

Before you skip over this section thinking I'm crazy, hear me out. Chili powder is full of antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin A, helps to detoxify the body, enhances your metabolism, rich in potassium, and adds delicious flavor!We started adding chili powder at a young age. We started extremely small and increased as they got older. Now, they eat dinner with the rest of us. While we may still make our meals a little milder, they love it and have a great pallet for spicy food. You could even add a little yogurt as well and counteract the heat, but keep all of the health benefits.

Yogurt

Yogurt is the number one item I recommend to all parents. Especially homemade yogurt because it's full of healthy bacteria your body needs to build up its defenses against infections. Often times, our kids end up on antibiotics frequently which kills off a lot of good bacteria. This helps them get it all back. It's also full of vitamin D, vitamin B, helps prevent high blood pressure, and helps build strong bones.

Here are a few recipes you can try out and see what your kids think!

Carrot and Pea Curry

1/2 cup of peas1/2 cup of carrots1/4 tsp curry powderpinch of cinnamonCook your peas and carrots in about an inch of water until they are tender. When they are done spoon your vegetables into a blender. Add in your spices and pour a small amount of the water in from the saucepan until it almost covers the vegetables. Blend until everything is well combined and no chunks are remaining. If you would like to to be thinner, add 1/4 cup of water at a time.

Chicken Biryani

Pinch of cinnamonPinch garam masalaPinch of chili powder1/4 cup cooked chicken1/4 cup cooked rice1/2 cup chicken brothAdd the chicken, chicken broth, and spices together in a blender. Blend until the chicken is there are no chunks of chicken left. Add in your rice. Give the blender a few quick pulses, just enough to break the rice down a bit. You still want rice chunks in the baby food.What was the first solid food you gave your kids?

Emergency Curry

One of my favorite things about my husband's family is how close they are. They would do anything for each other. I was able to see this first hand after we had my first son, Liam. My  in laws knew we would need help after the baby, so they sent my father in law to stay with us for a few months. It was great because I was able to sit and relax with Liam while my father in law cooked for us. Maybe this is why Liam loves Indian food! We ate Indian food for every meal and it was delicious. The morning after he got to our house, he went to go and make us lunch. Our fridge and pantry were pretty bare because my husband and I hadn't been grocery shopping. I'm pretty sure we were delirious in the first few weeks of newborn exhaustion, so remembering to go grocery shopping wasn't likely. He smiled and said, that's ok. I'll make curry. He made us a delicious omelet and served it with chapatis. As he gave it to us, he told us it was his emergency curry. I think the name was perfect. It's so simple, but so good. You can have it for breakfast, a quick lunch, or next to a dish like keema curry. Ingredients:4 eggs1/4 tsp salt1 tbs curry powder1 tbs ginger garlic paste1/4 of a small diced onion*Optional 1/2 green chili chopped2-4 chapatisOlive oil or ghee for pan**optional add ins** spinich, peppers, mushrooms, ham, turkey, bacon, sausage.Directions:Heat your pan to medium/ low heat. Add oil or ghee to your pan. Then add your onions and green chilies. Allow them to brown for about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine your eggs, ginger garlic paste, curry powder, salt, and your cooked onions. Mix well. Add more butter or ghee to your pan and pour in half of your egg mixture.Place a lid on your pan and allow it to cook for about 3-5 minutes until most of the egg mixture is cooked and it is easy to fold in half. Cook for 1 more minute or until the egg in the middle is cooked. Serve with a chapati and enjoy!

What is your go to "emergency meal?"

Can You Eat Spicy Food While Nursing?

Oh this baby. He is always so full of smiles. My cousins even go as far as to say he is only ever smiling or crying! He only cries when he's hungry, so imagine a full day of the happiest baby alive. One question that comes up every time I have a new baby is how I eat while nursing. A lot of people stop eating practically everything while nursing, in fear of what it could do to their babies little bodies. I have never been one of them. I drink a cup of coffee every morning, eat spicy Indian food, and my babies have never been the wiser. WHAT! She eats spicy food while nursing!?Yep. You heard me right. Now, before I continue, kids with allergies are obviously a different case. My kids have never struggled with food allergies, so this works for us. There have been a few times when my children struggle a bit with me eating spicy food. If it's a significant amount, I will cut back a bit and slowly add more into my diet every week. Allow their bodies to adjust. Why go through all the work? You are developing your child's palate while you're nursing. Indian food is a staple in my family. That means my two and three year old eat spicy food on a daily basis. By helping their bodies adjust while nursing, it makes it a norm for them when we introduce solids. I continue this process with their baby food. I add curry powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, etc. Here are a few baby food recipes I've used. Kids are eating spicy food in India every day, it's just as possible for my kids to. Joel loves telling our friends about some kids he met in India. They were eating chili peppers like candy! Do you think their moms stopped eating spicy curries while nursing? Nope!

Do your kids like spicy food?

Sharline's Famous Coconut Green Beans

We all have that one person in our lives. That person who's known for one recipe. One amazing dish. Joel's family has Sharline or Chinnapinni as we call her. She makes this dish every time she has people come over. It's famous with all of her Indian and white friends! The true test is that Joel hates vegetables and this is one of his favorite sides! What is it you ask? Coconut green beans. While we were on vacation, I begged her to teach me how to make them. I've tried to make them before with no success. They were missing a key ingredient, the coconut! As soon as you try these bad boys, they'll be a staple in your house. There is just one rule that comes with these green beans. Tell everyone they are Sharline's Green Beans!!

Ingredients:

1 pound of frozen green beans2 tbs oil2 tbs ginger garlic paste2 tsp turmeric1 tsp Indian chili powder1-2 tsp salt1 1/2 tbs coconut powder **I got my coconut "powder" from the Indian store. It looks more like coconut flakes.**

Directions:

Heat your pan to medium heat. Add in your oil. When the oil is hot add your onion and brown. Drop in your turmeric, ginger garlic paste, salt, and chili powder. Cook down for 2 minutes. Add your green beans.**You can use fresh or frozen green beans. If you decide on using fresh, add in 1/8 cup of water.**Put a lid on your green beans and cook until tender. I like to cook mine and leave a bite to it. At the very end, add in your coconut and cook for another minute or so.Serve and enjoy!