I can't believe it has been 3+ full months since my last posting! Time has definitely flown by, and now with summer coming on us full-steam. Baby has grown quite well, happily so, eating this that and the other thing, and showing no sign of stopping. I just thought today to myself, to think that 2nd day after she was born, I was worried that her weight wasn't going up fast enough. And now, I'm worried that now she's growing too fast.
Some of our short-cuts - I love getting the big bag of frozen mixed organic veggies from Costco. Yes, I know, organic still isn't regulated in this country, but I'm using my dollars to speak to large corporations about the type of food I'm willing to feed my family. We use these veggies to mix into brown rice, white rice, pasta, stew... you name it, and we've mixed some little bits of veggies into the meal to balance it out for Baby. And she does seem to like it quite a bit. There really isn't much she doesn't like, in fact!
Other short-cuts - I've precooked ravioli and frozen them for easy lunches when mixed with some pasta sauce and veggies. Meatballs break up wonderfully to mix with other items. Tofu in all variations make for a great thickener for anything I'm serving, as well as a good source of protein when I have an accompanying dish that is completely vegetarian. Making sure that Baby's meals are well balanced may be the most challenging task to date. As she doesn't have the means of letting me know if she feels like she needs some vitamin C or some extra calcium (curiously enough, I do get cravings like that, and I rationalize them in my mind that my body is in need of a particular vitamin/fuel in what ever food it is that I'm eating), I need to make sure that she does get enough of everything her body may need: carbs, protein, fiber, flavor, texture, scent.
As for our foodstuffs, I've been cutting corners where I can, particularly for our dinners, so that I can spend more time with Baby before she goes to bed. If it means that I am slow-cooking something with a mix of meats and vegetables, throwing rice into the steamer instead of making fried rice (a multi-part process), or heating up something that I had pre-made and set aside for those "emergency" days, then that's what I'm doing. Pre-made items that I've found to be immensely helpful: meatballs, pre-cut veggies and herbs stored in the freezer, successful sauces pre-mixed and frozen, meats pre-cut or pre-prepped and pre-seasoned. I'm finding shortcuts where I can, but I still don't want to undermine the final quality and flavor of the food. So, it's the raw materials, pre-prepped and pre-seasoned, but not pre-cooked.
Most recently, we had our good friends Bondrew over for dinner, for outdoor grilling. Alongside the usual steak and corn, we also made grilled squid (marinated in olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar) and chicken drumsticks. This is our family's recipe, which I now happily carry on.
Marinade for drumsticks (in order of decreasing quantity)
Soy sauce
Garlic
Scallions
White pepper
Sugar
Mix to tasted, and marinate drumsticks prior to grilling at least an hour in advance. Grill until about 150 degrees at the bone.
