Baby Led Weaning Continued: Eight Months in

In the past three weeks my life has suddenly been consumed by food. As Ruya learns to eat solids, I am relearning and remembering how to feed myself. I have reverted to vegetarianism (except for fish once a week) and gone mostly raw. Two of our meals a day are generally raw and one cooked. Ruya eats eggs but I seldom do. We all eat dairy.

I have gone through many stints of eating this or not eating that. Now it is all about what makes me feel good. And sharing that with Ruya as she finds out what makes her feel good. Some of this has meant going backwards and remembering what I used to ate and how that made me feel. Some of this has meant throwing out old notions of what I thought I wanted to eat and how. All of it is a constant adventure in following my body and Ruya.
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So this is the kind of menu we eat at the moment. It shifts weekly as new foods get introduced or I experiment in the kitchen. We are in the US for five months so I have a great blender.

I share breakfast and lunch with Ruya. Dinner she eats early, so she eats on her own, but usually it includes something we will eat later. Everything is whole, no pre-made anything. She has never eaten jar bought baby food. If I mash something she eats it from a spoon that I load and hand to her.

Breakfast:

Fruit and yoghurt for Ruya, and I nibble on what she has. She generally has mango, pear, plum, strawberries, blueberries, banana or papaya if I can find it here. Yoghurt is always full cream Greek stuff. Sometimes she has Kefir and she loves the sour taste, as do I.

I have a green smoothie every morning, and Ruya has a couple of spoons of it so I make it baby friendly. I rotate my greens - spinach or kale or parsley - and then coconut or almond milk, ground flaxseed, spirulina and whatever fruit Ruya is eating.

Lunch:

Avocado always, we both love it and it is the best baby food. A cheese, cottage or mozzarella or goat. Cucumber or celery (she eats celery now), and a hummus (edamame, white bean or chickpea) or almond butter. Sometimes a steamed veggie mix or an egg for her.

Dinner:

Ruya always has veggies, either steamed or baked. Right now she eats carrots, pumpkin, broccoli, asparagus, parsnip, marrow, mushroom, sweet potato, peas and artichokes. Usually she eats her egg at dinner. Sometimes she has baked tofu with cinnamon. Generally she finishes her meal with a cheese, goat or swiss.

Other additions include chickpea pancakes, ricotta cheese, spinach and egg frittata. I garnish with olive oil or butter, salt, turmeric, cinnamon and ground coriander. Sometimes I stew fruit and add it to her yoghurt.

As for beverages she and I love our coconut water every afternoon and she likes rooibos tea.

So far my little love relishes her food. As always she eats only if she wants to and to her satisfaction. Some days she eats more than others.

And I in turn am being blasted with health, eating regular meals full of love and goodness.