Cooking for Baby: September 2006 Archives

I've been trying to convince myself that the oatmeal cookies we made from the recipe on top of the Quaker Oats canister are a healthy snack. After all, the ratio of oats to white flour is 2:1 (3 cups oats, 1 1/2 cup flour), the same as the ratio of oats to the brown and white sugars combined. Add to that a generous cup of raisins and dried cranberries, and you have quality entries from at least two food groups. Sure, there are some empty calories in there. But cookies are good for the soul, too, right?

I made mine double the size the recipe called for. I just can't imagine that a bite-sized oatmeal cookie is as satisfying as a big, dense, chewy one you can sink your teeth into. August has gotten big enough that when he sees them on the counter he clamours, "cookie, I wanna cookie." I think it's time to invest in a solid, can't-see-through cookie jar, because he's in the out-of-sight-out-of-mind phase.

In the last three days I have seen my baby boy twice take a bite of simply prepared but very tasty zucchini (once sauteed with garlic, once served in pasta with fresh basil, olive oil and parmesan), then thrust his tongue, and the offending vegetable, out of his mouth.

Today I shredded the very same veggie and baked it in a frittata and he gobbled it up. Thus my training in vegetable concealment begins.