feeding claire

For quite some time I have become particular about what I eat. I can’t say it’s an obsession because that has the connotation of real discipline. I enjoy food. I like to eat. And I like to eat good things. This was not always the case. I didn’t grow up eating good things. Good food just wasn’t part of our family’s culture. It was a means to an end; we ate because we had to. Yet, as I got older, my tastes matured. The meanings of ‘food’ and ‘meal’ matured. Now, eating, for me, is about sharing a meal, being with my family and friends, and it’s joyful. My husband and I always enjoy the time we spend together making meals and we decided early on that we were going to continue to make time for meals.

When I was first pregnant with Claire I decided that I would be even more conscious of what I ate. I enjoyed thinking about what choices I had to make and why I was making them. After a while I became preoccupied: with gaining over 50 lbs(!), I was making many, many food choices a day – admittedly not always good ones; cravings for ice cream in the last few weeks became very, very strong. As I continue to breastfeed Claire, food choices are still important. Claire is now almost eight months old and I am making choices for her that – I hope – will help her make good food choices as she gets older. (Yes, she will be allowed to have ice cream – maybe not every night and maybe not until her first birthday.)

As a family, we opt for good, honest food. That doesn’t mean we don’t like to enjoy ourselves from time to time. Living in South Philly comes with lots of sausage and cannoli. The difference is that these sausages and cannoli are homemade. When I can see the butcher and the baker, I know I am making a good choice – in moderation, of course. When it came time for Claire to start eating solid foods, I did not hesitate to consider making my own baby food. She’s been eating solids for some time now and she’s eaten both homemade and store-bought. I am committed to continue making homemade baby food for various reasons but mostly because it’s good, honest food. She can see where I bought it and how I made it. Living in the city makes it somewhat hard to show her where everything comes from (especially meat) but this is a good start.

But I am no chef. I’ve only just started cooking a few years ago (thanks to my husband and some unemployed days watching Jacques Pepin). Thankfully, I’m not too bad at following a recipe. That being said, I will learn as I go (just as I do with being a mom), armed with fresh veg, fruit, and my food pro as I document my adventures in feeding Claire.