First Meals Revised: Fast, healthy, and fun foods to tempt infants and toddlers
by Annabel Karmel
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Book Reviews of First Meals Revised: Fast, healthy, and fun foods to tempt infants and toddlers
Book Review: Great Start for Nutrition
Summary: 5 Stars
I love a cook book with photos, and this book you'll love to look at, as well as your little one.
It pushes beyond the normal American fare of chicken nuggets, pizza, fries...
I've begun with the baby food purees... and worked my way up to one year.
So it began with apples, pears, melons... potatoes, yams, peas... and was very helpful at coming up with ways to make proteins and vitamin rich veggies edible and interesting to young ones new taste buds. Variety, variety... This is a book full of great ideas... Macaroni and cheese made with carrots and pasta stars, fresh cheddar...
I enjoy the fish recipes as well... Cod AuGratin, And Tilapia with Root Veggies... Purees for 8 month olds...
I like how balanced this book is... it really pushes me out of the norm.
I've learned about NEW ingredients that can quickly become staples in my diet as well. I had never bought a LEEK or a AVOCADO... but when a recipe called for an ingredient that I just couldn't fathom... I just left it out.
CHEAP--- did I mention that these recipes are very inexpensive and help you control what is in the food your little one eats. ALL GOOD THINGS.
TIME--- the time to prepare these meals is a concept you have to consider. Freezing a months worth of "Tasty Beef"... and always adding new side veggies... YES, there is a consideration about TIME.
I got this book from the library... and decided to buy it.
I am very pleased.
Book Review: Best Random Gift Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was given to me on a whim by an in-law while I was pregnant; truly an "oh..hey, do you want this?" moment.
I am now so glad be to have accepted! My daughter is now 8 months old and my husband and I have yet to feed her a single spoonful of store bought baby food. Most of the infant puree recipes can be cooked in bulk and then frozen for quick, economical, healthy and easy meals. Each chapter (divided by age group) is informative and easy to follow with plenty of different recipes to give baby a wide array of palatable choices.
We've tried almost all of the purees listed for babies in both the 4-6 and the 6-9 month chapters and found the recipes easy to prepare (do you know how to chop vegetables? Can you boil water? Yeah...it's that simple) and easy to make - even with, quite possibly, the worst food processor money can buy.
Karmel also offers very helpful information about puree storage, giving time tables for how long certain vegetables, meats and dairy will keep in the freezer. We only actually cook about once a month (if that) and freeze purees in food and milk safe ice cube trays. Cubes are easily zapped in the microwave and served to a hungry girl in a matter of minutes.
This book lifts the veil on baby food, and gives thoughtful parents an easy option for providing safer, healthier food for their children. I could truly wax poetic about this book for as long as anyone is willing to listen.
Book Review: Absolutely best cookbook - don't be afraid to try to cook the amazing and tasty visual treats!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first checked this book out of the library when my son was a baby and found really awesome recipes for baby food. I could hardly resist eating the peas, leeks and potatoe recipe myself even as a puree! The recipes for party foods were a huge hit for his first birthday. Overnight I became the star of our baby group!
Now with my second child I've ventured for some of the more exciting and more rewarding recipes. Last night I made half of the recipe for chicken snails. Okay, so I didn't finish the recipe to make the snail but the homemade chicken sausages were just soo awesome and tasty that no one cared. It took an hour for my 2.5 year old toddler (with an 8-month old clamouring for attention) and I to make the sausages. The effort was so worth it as both of us were so proud to make homemade tasty sausages!
I was really surprised that someone would give this book lower reviews. Some of the recipes are more intricate, but that's the great part about the book - this is not a "just-add-water" 5-minute meal cookbook. The author is a gourmet chef and it shows in her recipes. I'd recommend using all of the recipes for adults/family dinners as well (just don't puree, or leave out some of the finer decorations that the kids go crazy about). Stick to the simpler recipes if you like, but soon you'll find yourself wanting to spend an extra 30 minutes for the visual and culinary treat of "sleeping cannelloni"!
Book Review: Author is British!
Summary: 4 Stars
I haven't read this particular book, but I have a similar one by the same author purchased in the UK. The author is British and guidelines as to when to introduce foods vary from those set here in the USA. This may help to explain why Annabel's advice differs from professionals' here. I usually live in the UK and some of her advice is in conflict with the health visitors' amd doctors there as well. Anyone who has many children know that they change these guidelines quite regularly. Even a couple of years ago, they told us to feed babies cereal from 4 months old, now it is 6 months. They used to say not to give kids cheese until 8 years old. My doctor told me to feed my 8 month old son at 5 months because he was really, really ready. I didn't feed him nuts, dairy, soy, etc. Just rice! Speaking of which these recipes call for some milk, but it is cooked. I am sure most of you are using formula made of dairy(I am still breastfeeding), so I am not sure what the problem is with that??
What I do like about her cooking is that she does encourage people to introduce real food to kids instead of frozen pizza, frozen chicken nuggets, takeaways or the equally revolting (but not unhealthy)baby food in jars. It is also so much cheaper to take some of your own dinner and mash it up for yuor baby rather than buying jars of food. I use jars for traveling, when I know I can't heat up my frozen purees.
Book Review: Excellent book...Highly recommended!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this book. I was irritated about the poor reviews that said this book "lacks substance" or complaints that the recipes aren't realistic, or whatever their issues are. They obviously didn't read the same book or are too lazy to make the recipes. Since that's the case: There's always jarred baby food.
The point of this book is for parents who want to make their baby's first foods so they have more nutritional and healthful values rather than opting for the harmful additives in jarred baby foods. Yes, it will take more time to make the foods but it's worth it for the health of your baby.
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Not only does it cover baby's first foods but goes up to age 7 with tasty recipes that the whole family can enjoy together. It even shows colorful pictures of completed food dishes with smiley faces and edible hair (angel hair pasta) to make the food more enticing for your little one (since they tend to be picky sometimes).
The book even goes above and beyond by sharing extra details about exactly when to start feeding your baby solids and what solids to start with (and which to avoid). It even tells you why your baby should only drink boiled tap water and to never give your child bottled water because of the high levels of sodium.
This book is highly recommended for those who want to do the best for their baby.