A few weeks ago I introduced meat into Claire’s diet. She’d taken to chicken and turkey but not so much red meat. I was a little nervous about introducing meat into Claire’s diet so I relied on the jarred food. Gerber makes organic chicken dinners and so does my local supermarket brand. She likes them. I was surprised. She seems to gravitate towards fruit and cereal. I had tried, once, to put an ‘adult’ chicken dinner in a food mill but that did not go over so well. (Her face squinches up and she gives me a looks that says: ‘Why, Mama? Why would you give me such a thing to eat?’) So I stuck with the jars. But then I tasted them. I try to taste most of the food that she eats and the Gerber meals with poultry are terrible. They taste like chalk. I’ve read the ingredients numerous times. They seemed innocent enough: chicken, veggies, and usually a grain. Something just doesn’t seem quite right. I was reminded of childhood days of Chef Boyardee: lots of saltiness and color. That’s about it.

I’ve decided to start making chicken dinners for Claire. That’s my food challenge this week. I’ll start by making homemade chicken stock – a good staple for any kitchen. Let’s hope she likes my dinners as much as she likes the store-bought.