A journey to discover new alternatives for children’s healthy and delicious meals.

I want to talk to you about how I became interested in healthy food for children. I am sure that all mothers reading this blog can relate to the fact that the first year of a child's life is undoubtedly the most challenging. Not only are we learning to be mothers, but this learning must be fast as the first years of a baby's life is crucial for their development.

The first year of life is a period of rapid physical, social and emotional growth, during which eating patterns also develop. During this first year, infants transition from consuming a single food (i.e., breast milk or formula) to consuming a variety of foods more characteristic of an adult diet. This transition allows infants to learn about food through direct experience, as well as through observation of others' eating behaviors (Influences on the Development of Children's Eating Behaviours: From Infancy to Adolescence. Dr. Leann Birch, Jennifer S. Savage, Alison Ventura.)

Indeed, like any mother, I wanted my children's experience with food to be a smooth journey, without trauma or extreme experiences. But, above all, it was essential to me to create a healthy relationship between my children and food.

It is essential to talk about having a "relationship" with food. We all do. So, during my research, I looked for a few essential elements about achieving a good relationship with food to cultivate with the little ones, which I want to share with you here.

Eating with pleasure and not guilt.

My family is known for having a relationship of abundance with food; everyone who knows us knows that there is a feast with all kinds of food, colors, tastes, and smells when they arrive at the Blanco's home.

Having family feasts is all well and good, and they are family traditions that I love. Still, it is also true that my siblings and I have always had highs and lows concerning our weight, which has continued to this day. Therefore, I do not want this for my children, as I want them to enjoy a family tradition eating what is necessary, without feeling guilty for not finishing a plate of food or looking for food with anxiety that ends in excess.

Diverse nutrition leads to a healthier life.

Another important point of having a good relationship with food is to include all kinds of foods in the diet. This is something I have been very aware of since childhood. My parents didn't give us comfort foods or easy meals to not complicate things. On the contrary, they always encouraged us to try new things. If we traveled, we tried traditional dishes from other countries. It's incredible now that I think about it, but it's part of being a citizen of the world, as culture also comes through food. This is another crucial point for me regarding my children's education.

Another advantage of creating habits of trying new things is the possibility of including foods in the diet that are beneficial to the body and not only those that “taste” well (sweet). We often reduce the possibilities of foods given to children because we think only of the sweet taste. I remember in my travels, seeing in some countries the custom of putting applesauce on children's meals to get them to eat the vegetables, meat, and side dishes. It seems to me that this kind of habit, instead of achieving good nutrition, only leads to picky eaters.

Patience is key.

Getting the right combinations for your children requires patience because each child has their personality and preferences. I am aware that for working moms, this may be extra challenging (as it was for me) because there is just so much we can do every day. That is why I encourage you to be patient in getting to know your child’s preferences in tastes. For example, after I started this journey, I came to notice that my son Aldo has a massive preference for almost anything you put on his plate, but most especially legumes and vegetables such as sweet potato or butternut squash, as opposed to Annie, who prefers cheese and carbs, such as bread (muffins, quiches) and pasta (mainly chickpea pasta).

I learned while doing my research and making their meals, the importance of offering good variety so that they have many healthy choices. It doesn’t matter if they don’t eat the whole plate but have enough range to choose from. As the books say: “Your job is to offer a good variety of healthy food on the plate; their job is to decide what to eat and how much.” That comes to mind all the time at meal prep.

This is an example of the first meals with solids for the twins:

Interestingly, all these elements can be defined from the early age of the first year. And this is something that made me research more about alternatives to the products on the market. I found that most of the products available on the market have higher sugar and sodium levels than what is ideal for children, especially during their first years of life, where you are not supposed to give children any salt or sugar.

That is how and why I decided to make all the twins' food myself, as I would know what is there in every meal, from the initial purees to the meals they have now at three years old. When I first started, the leading book I relied on was “The Amazing Make-Ahead Baby Food Book” by Lisa Barrangou. I highly recommend it!

It's amazing how many combinations you can make between vegetables and fruits to achieve delicious flavors that leave nothing to envy from those that add sugar. I started by making simple, one-tone purees so that the children could get used to the flavors and textures.

One of my first gifts for my twins was the Baby Bullet Food Preparation System. I got it from my sister, and up to today, I still use it to prepare many meals, especially the steamer. I also relied on their recipe booklet at the beginning. Their Mac & Cheese recipe is still a favorite for my little ones.

Stay tuned for more about my background, my interest in children’s nutritious and enjoyable food, my journey in my pastry arts diploma, and in delivering a high-quality product for infants and toddlers!

See you soon!