Hi Mamas, Thanks for taking the time to read my blog 'Meals with Misha'.  I know how hard it can be with a first born, all the questions and worries, it’s a crazy first year, for you and baby.  Hopefully, some of my experiences and lessons will be of help and if not, well I hope you enjoy the read.

Remember the good ol' days when baby just needed the nourishment of the sacred boob?! Alas those days are slowly coming to an end.  For now, you have started the slow transition to baby purees and although they are very convenient (trust me I have the worlds hungriest baby...and boy are those pouches convenient!), you're little peanut is starting to give you the death stare as he/she watches you demolish that Pasta a la Meatball from across the room....But, where do you start?! What's appropriate for a transitioning baby? How much is enough? Will he/she get enough calories? What age is appropriate to start? Will my baby choke? These were all the troubling thoughts that kept me up at night, while my sweet angel slept blissfully (and daddy :P lol).  I remember saying to myself "JP you are the Queen of this household, and you're baby needs to eat, so handle this shit", and so, I googled, I chatted with my GP and nutritionists, I sat in 'Mama Classes', I went to see my local nurse, I basically became a walking doodle-pad, taking notes every chance I could. 

On a side note…around 2 – 3 months, I started noticing changes in sweet baby Misha.  At first, it was small things; crying a tad colicky, extremely dry skin with a red rash and tummy troubles to name a few.  During this 1 month period, I became anxious, sleep deprived, confused and very frustrated – “Why couldn’t I soothe my poor baby?”.  I tried medicines (homeopathic and prescription), different baby sleep positions and swaddling, finally through some wisdom of my mother in law (a special gift of BABY SPOONS…hint hint), I became convinced, Misha was not a colicky, grumpy baby, but, a hungry baby!  But, what was I to do, GP’s, nurses and nutritionists…even the INTERNET, had advised against giving baby solids till 9 months – hmmm what to do?!  It wasn't until a fellow mama gave me the biggest and best tip of all, "You are Misha's mummy, you know her better than anyone else, you know every part of her, the person who knows the answers to all your questions, is you!".  It took me a good hour to let what she said, "sink in", but, when it did, I realized, she was right.  I am no doctor, nor am I a nutritionist, but, waiting till my baby was 6-8 or even 9 months old to try solids, just didn't seem the right choice for our family.  So, I ventured into feeding my little one a tad earlier than most...okay more than a tad…Misha started eating purees at 3 months.  I then transitioned her to "solids" by 4-5 months and by 6 months, she was basically a pro.  Misha held her own water bottle before crawling!

Every baby is different, the signs for me, that something was "bothering" or "not quite right" with my baby, were the following;

1. Constantly crying, even after feeding milk
2. My breasts were producing milk but, not at a fast enough rate - early transition to formula
3. Feeding around the clock
4. Irritability
5. Excema / Dry Itchy Skin
6. Tummy Troubles (overly feeding milk)

....just to name a few

When I first starting transitions Misha onto "solids" I started with simple nutritious foods, such as; Avocado, Banana, Carrots (over boiled and mashed), Brown Rice.  I would mash these foods up, but, leave a few small lumps.  Slowly, I would allow Misha to lick the food from my finger.  After, maybe two or three "finger feeds", Misha started to take charge, it is unbelievable, how fast your baby will learn to sit up and advance to the pincer grip when you place food in front of them.  
Once Misha had mastered the pincer grip and her first bottom pearly whites started to pop through, I added a few advanced “pairing” foods; Avocado and Shredded Chicken, Cottage Cheese and Raspberries, Broccoli (over boiled) and Shredded Cheese.  A week or so later the top two teeth came through, and it was go-time.  Since then, I have never looked back, Misha basically eats everything my husband and I eat for dinner (minus a few spices!).  I have listed some of my (and of course Misha’s) favorite lunch and dinner combinations, hopefully your little one will enjoy them too.  My baby girl likes to eat every 2 hours, so I purchased these amazing kid friendly snap and seal bowls from amazon (click here to view).  I like to prep a few meals at a time, so I have them ready to go when Misha is "hangry"...no one likes dealing with a screaming grouch...yikes!  

Before you go grocery shopping try and think about your baby’s needs ahead of time; I like to build Misha's plate with this theme in mind; Fruits & Veggies, Protein & Dairy.  Try and think ahead, how will I cook this Vegetable, will it be easy and fast for me to prepare, will this protein be a healthy choice for baby, will this protein be suitable cold or warm.  When I was pregnant, I made an extra effort to eat almost everything; even weird fruits I had never tried before.  I am a firm believer, this thought pattern led to my daughter loving all foods (as far as I know!).  When you are experimenting with foods, try to give your little one a wide variety, don't stick to the same foods every week, expose them to sweet, sour, squishy, lumpy and everything in between.

Be extra conscious of sweet foods! I try not to give Misha too much sweet, I know she will love anything sweet, I mean, who wouldn't.  It is important that she acquire a healthy appetite for all foods; including bitter greens and Veggies.  Another tip! remember, a sweet isn't always candy or cake, it's things like; Bananas, Honey Nut Cheerios, Zucchini Loaf, Apple Sauce...know what's in your food, know what you are giving your little babe.  Before, I list out my favorite meal ideas; always always offer your baby water, when eating any meal.  If you are having a hard time with the sippy cup, help your little one understand what this “new thing” is.  Hold the cup up for your baby, then eventually use their hands with your hands to keep the cup up, eventually slowly...watch as your nugget holds their own cup – it takes time and practice, patience is key.  I tried many cups, small, skinny, big handles, no handles, wide mouth, small mouth, straw, no straw – Oy! In the end I found it best to start with a sippy cup with a silicone bite/suck tip (click here to view)

Lunch & Dinner Ideas

• Quarter Avocado Banana Muffin (click here for my recipe) with skinless, cored Apple
• Cottage Cheese with Raspberries
• Boiled Broccoli with shredded Cheese and baked Tofu
• Halved Cherry Tomato's and Cheddar Cheese Pieces
• Applesauce Muffin (click here for my recipe) with Laughing Cow Cheese Cube 
• Whole Wheat Cheese Quesadilla with halved Cherry Tomato’s
• Pasta spirals with Marinara sauce
• Gnocchi with Pasta Sauce and Peas
• Boiled Broccoli and Whole Wheat Cheese Quesadilla
• Cream Cheese and Whole Wheat Fruit Quesadilla
• Hummus and Pita with Kiwi slices
• Grilled Cheese (Whole Wheat Bread) chopped baked Sweet Potato
• Vegetable Spring Roll halved with Avocado slices
• Baked Tofu and chickpeas (boil or soften chickpeas) serve with chopped fruit
• Shredded Chicken with halved Cherry Tomatoes and Havarti cheese slices
• Turkey Cream Cheese roll up with chopped cucumbers and baked yams
• Chopped Hard Boiled Egg, Quinoa with Corn and halved Blueberries
• Coconut Rice, Black Beans and sliced Mango
• Mini Mozzarella Balls with halved Cherry Tomatoes and sliced baby baguette add sliced fruit
• Ground Beef, Shredded Cheese, halved Cherry Tomatoes, strips of warm Tortillas
• Baby potatoes (over boiled) and halved, chopped Cucumber and Cherry Tomato's, Shredded Chicken
• Baby Mandarin Oranges, Coconut Rice, Baked Tofu cubed
• Dragon Fruit sliced, Spinach and Cheese Quiche (click here for my recipe), add chopped melon
• Egg in a hole with Cheese (click here for my recipe), Bananas sliced, Yogurt with Chia Seeds
• Butternut Squash Noodles with Butter, Seedless Olives halved, Grapes halved and seeded
• Baked Salmon with Teriyaki, Sticky Jasmine Rice, baby Mandarin Oranges halved
• Crab Cakes with boiled Cauliflower with shredded Cheese
• Baked and sliced Sweet Yams, boiled and chopped Egg, Avocado sliced with boiled Chickpeas

a few…Breakfast ideas!

• Yogurt and Chopped Strawberries with Chia Seeds
• Overnight Oats with Applesauce
• Banana Spinach Muffin (click here for my recipe)
• Scrambled Eggs and Cheese with sliced and seeded Grapes
• Banana Pancakes with sliced Blueberries
• Baby Omelet with Tomatoes and Cheese
• Banana Oat Cake (click here for my recipe) with chopped Strawberries
• Nut Butter baby Waffle sandwich (slap nut butter between two waffles!) serve with chopped melon or fruit
• Fruit and Yogurt wrapped in a Whole Wheat Quesadilla
• Smoothie Bowl; blend Banana, Berries, Coconut and Oats
• Cottage Cheese Pancakes (click here for my recipe) 
• Smoothies...think outside the box; fruit and veg (no sugar!)

Oooo I almost forgot! Here are some other must have items that I would recommend for a new eater….and to keep mummy a little more sane during this messy food phase;   

Toddler Baby Waterproof Sleeved Bib Bibs…yes, they can be bought everywhere, and often cheaper than your daily coffee shop latte, but, I find the best bibs are those that have sleeves, they almost have a long sleeve t-shirt look (click here to view)

Cordless Handheld Vacuum Hand Vacuum, if you don’t have one of these, I salute you, it isn’t easy constantly picking up all that mess and if you do have a hand vacuum, I double salute you – smartie pants! (click here to view)

Bumkins Suction Silicone Baby & Kid Grip Dish Suction dinner plate, I love the ones that have three sections, this will help you ensure you are providing your little one with the three perfect food categories, for me it is; Protein, Fruit & Veg and a little Carb or Dairy.  It’s also pretty nice that the messier eater can’t pull up the plate and throw it on the floor – ugh let me tell you that was an annoying phase! (click here to view)

Skip Hop Zoo Lunch Kit, Unicorn I can’t really say if this is the “best” lunch box but, it sure is cute and Misha chose this one out of a line up of six, so there must be something fun about it (click here to view)

I hope you enjoyed your read and found some of my experiences helpful – have a fabulous day!