Healthy baby, happy mom

"When you have kids of your own, you"ll understand..."

... one of those classic phrases that people use all the time to try and convey to those without children just how much they don't get it! I remember this one being used on me many-a-time when I wanted to do some reckless, adolescent activity that my parents disapproved of. Extremely annoying at that time, yet now, with a child of my own, it somehow all makes sense! The fierce, protective love you have for your child is like nothing you've ever experienced before. You know without a doubt that you really would do anything for them! You want the very best for your children and now that my son Wesley is eating solids, part of this "best" includes making sure the food he eats is as healthy as possible. Of course, everyone wants their children to be healthy, but I read a quote recently that really sums up why good nutrition is so vital for me and my children:

“Today, more than 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritional deficiencies and lack of physical exercise.” – Mike Adams, author, investigative journalist, educator

When you go up and down the aisles of the grocery store there is sooo much on the shelves that our ancestors wouldn't even recognize as food! All of these processed, refined, prepackaged foods made in the name of "convenience". I'm a sucker for an Oreo just as much as the next person, but I really try to eat fresh, homemade food as much as possible so that I can know and control exactly what I'm eating. And when it comes to my son, I'm even more stringent on this. I've been making all of his baby food and have loved experimenting with different recipes to see how much good stuff I can get into him! My husband jokes that he often comes home from work to these fantastic aromas coming from the kitchen only to discover it's dinner for Wesley, not him! So far Wesley has been game to eat pretty much anything and even some things he did not like initially (avocado!) he has grown to love just from finding new ways of serving it. I really want to him to appreciate all different kinds of foods and I think you can influence a child's palate early on by exposing them to a wide variety of flavours. Baby food is more than just sweet potatoes and applesauce! 

Tonight the restaurant is serving Quinoa Banana Mash!