Bon Appetit

I was not very adventurous with food when I was younger, I was the typical picky eater that many children are. This continued into adulthood and I even refused to try sushi for years because I just assumed I wouldn't like it. Fast forward to my first date with Will when he takes me to a sushi restaurant. I was embarrassed to admit I'd never eaten it before so I tried it and low and behold I liked it. It is now one of my favorite foods and having to give it up for 9 months while I was pregnant was very difficult.

So now I try to live by the "At least try one bite" rule because you never know. By agreeing to try something new even if I think I'll hate it, I have discovered a few more foods I never thought I would like but do - Chicken Tikka Misala, Fried Tofu, and Seaweed!  However, there is one infamous food that no matter how many times I agree to try it, I always back out at the last minute.... chicken feet. I just can't bring myself to do it, those things have toes!!!

I hope Nathan is a little more daring than his mama and will be happy to try new things. In an effort to steer him in the right direction, I am trying to expose him to as many flavors as possible. We started out simple, sprinkling his sweet potatoes with nutmeg. He liked it. We switched his plain roasted turkey to pepper cracked. He can't get enough. Then we offered him sauteed garlic asparagus. He licked the garlic off his fingers. He has been very receptive and sometimes I laugh at how sophisticated his meals are for an 11 month old. For instance last night for dinner he had tilapia baked with olive oil, garlic and tomatoes and a side of butternut squash roasted with rosemary and cinnamon. And today's lunch consisted of salmon seasoned with lemon juice, basil, and pepper with a side of sauteed garlic string beans. One thing is clear... the kid loves garlic!

I know this won't last forever and it's very likely he'll go through a "I want chicken nuggets and mac and cheese for every meal" phase as he gets older. But for now, it makes it a lot easier when we can just prepare one meal for all 3 of us and know he'll actually eat it.