It was late and it was still warm and we had just arrived home from the beach house and I had unpacked the car and put a load of washing on and bathed William while Tracy fed Thomas and put William to bed and got him up again because he wouldn't sleep and read him a story and got dinner going while Tracy bathed Thomas and put him in his cot.
At that point the voice in my head whispered 'gin and tonic', which is not surprising because no other three English language words really cut it at that time of the night.
I poured a slug of gin and a splash of tonic and went to the fridge to get some ice. There was no ice. The ice trays were full of blocks of green and yellow and orange frozen substances.
That was because Thomas is now eating solids. He's six months. The kitchen is busy. When there are children you do six things at once. Meals for the adults, different meals for the toddler, different meals for the tiny one.
William never took to commercial baby food; we bought a couple of the little jars for convenience, for example when going out. He tasted one and spat it out, then he tasted another and spat it out and pulled a face and then he tasted another and spat it out and pulled a face and gurgled with displeasure as if to say "What do you not understand about I Don't Like Store-Bought Baby Food?"
So we're not even trying with Thomas. Tracy's pureeing and freezing skills were honed to perfection with William and now Thomas is enjoying a wide variety of home-made mixtures - pureed broccoli and pumpkin, avocado and potato, sweet potato and carrot, all that kind of thing. Just thaw and heat and there's baby's dinner. I have to point out at this juncture that the unit cost of these meals is about a tenth of the cost of buying baby food in a jar or tin; the major cost components of which are, of course, the jar, the transport and the retailer's markup.
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William finally went to bed and we had a late dinner. One of our quick and easy specials:
Pasta with tuna, peas and avocado.
Cook pasta. Throw in a cupful of frozen peas a few minutes before draining. Drain. Return to pan. Open a can of good quality tuna in olive oil. Stir through pasta. Slice an avocado and fold through pasta. Add grated cheese. The cheese melts and the whole dish is silky smooth and delicious.
At that point the voice in my head whispered 'gin and tonic', which is not surprising because no other three English language words really cut it at that time of the night.
I poured a slug of gin and a splash of tonic and went to the fridge to get some ice. There was no ice. The ice trays were full of blocks of green and yellow and orange frozen substances.
That was because Thomas is now eating solids. He's six months. The kitchen is busy. When there are children you do six things at once. Meals for the adults, different meals for the toddler, different meals for the tiny one.
William never took to commercial baby food; we bought a couple of the little jars for convenience, for example when going out. He tasted one and spat it out, then he tasted another and spat it out and pulled a face and then he tasted another and spat it out and pulled a face and gurgled with displeasure as if to say "What do you not understand about I Don't Like Store-Bought Baby Food?"
So we're not even trying with Thomas. Tracy's pureeing and freezing skills were honed to perfection with William and now Thomas is enjoying a wide variety of home-made mixtures - pureed broccoli and pumpkin, avocado and potato, sweet potato and carrot, all that kind of thing. Just thaw and heat and there's baby's dinner. I have to point out at this juncture that the unit cost of these meals is about a tenth of the cost of buying baby food in a jar or tin; the major cost components of which are, of course, the jar, the transport and the retailer's markup.
*
William finally went to bed and we had a late dinner. One of our quick and easy specials:
Pasta with tuna, peas and avocado.
Cook pasta. Throw in a cupful of frozen peas a few minutes before draining. Drain. Return to pan. Open a can of good quality tuna in olive oil. Stir through pasta. Slice an avocado and fold through pasta. Add grated cheese. The cheese melts and the whole dish is silky smooth and delicious.
That bought stuff is just nonsense. Had never thought about the cost thing oddly enough. You are, of course, so right.
ReplyDeleteHope you find some ice for that G&T next time.
from Steevil:
ReplyDeleteSo gin&tonic with cubes of frozen baby food doesn't appeal to you?
Just reading the directions for the tuna pasta makes me relax! Simply comfort!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lucy.
ReplyDeleteSteevil, I put in an order for frozen lemon juice but I was rudely ignored.
HalfCups, it's one of my favourites and it's dead easy.
You could have used one of those ice cubes for your drink, what's a few more botanicals anyway? I suppose it would be taking food from the mouths of babes though.
ReplyDeleteI have something similar to your pasta dish - no avocado, but include a tin of tomatoes. Love the quick and easy stuff.
ReplyDeleteYour pasta dish sounds really nice and simple. The way I like recipes to be.
ReplyDeleteHaha! What a smart kid William is to know what he likes to eat and not eat. It's great that you're making your own foods for him. Very cool!
Paz