Emily Reviews: First Meals

First Meals, by Annabel Karmel (www.annabelkarmel.com)
“Fast, healthy, and fun foods to tempt infants and toddlers”

If you want your child to experience the flavors and tastes of fresh foods (as opposed to bottled baby food) this book is for you. Early on, my husband and I decided that we wanted our son to be at home with many tastes. This book was a great resource when it came to preparing baby food at home. The majority of the recipes in this book introduce new tastes and textures and, except for the purees, can be eaten by the whole family. Although, children seldom need to be placed on restricted diets, they all need a healthy diet from day one to ensure a lifetime of healthy and balanced food choices.

A collection of 200 recipes, nutritional breakdowns, and expert advice combine to make this a perfect resource for families with children. Besides age-appropriate recipes, the author offers strategies for managing special needs diets (vegetarian, prevention of childhood obesity, and food allergies).

Lest this sound strictly academic, the author does a superb job of making eating an enjoyable experience for the whole family. She offers tips for dealing with picky eaters and for making eating appealing to all of your child’s senses.

Pros:

• recipes are easy (for the most part)
• recipes taste good (so good that our child began to prefer them over jarred baby food)
• full of variety
• from 12 months up, recipes can be enjoyed by the entire family (children should eat the full-fat version of the recipe, while you can make portions for the rest of the family reduced-fat)

Cons:

• sometimes ingredients can be hard to find in season (substitute frozen cooked versions of the same fresh produce to cut costs)
• time: sometimes recipes can be time intensive, if you cut all the food into shapes as directed in some recipes

My Favorites:
Quick Chicken Couscous and Bow-tie Pasta with Ham and Peas

Cameron’s Favorites:
As a baby (hands-down) - avocado/banana puree
As a toddler - Pasta Cartwheels with Cheese and Broccoli

Buy the hardcover edition new on Amazon for $13.60 where you can also view the TOC, Index, and the first chapter of the first edition of this book.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Early Nutrition
• Healthy Eating
• Food Allergies
• Kitchen Basics
• Weaning your Baby
• 9 to 12 Months
• 12 to 18 Months
• 18 Months to 2 Years
• 2 to 3 Years
• 3 to 7 Years
• Preschool and Beyond
• Healthy Snacks
• Family Meals
• Menu Planners