nummies

I'm continuing to introduce Malakai to new foods. Sometimes it's not the type of food that is necessarily new, but the way it's served. Last night we had baked chicken breast, peas + carrots.

I put boneless, skinless chicken breast straight from the freezer onto individual sheets of tin foil. I hate thawing meat so being able to take it straight from the freezer works really well for me. I sprinkle whatever spices I choose that evening {last night was Italian seasoning + garlic salt} and fold the tin foil into pouches. I place the little pouches onto a cookie sheet and toss in the oven. Preheated to 425 degrees + bake for 45-60 minutes. I looove cooking chicken this way, not only because it's easy, but because it stays moist and very flavorful.

I also decided to toss some carrots into a pouch to bake with a small frozen half-baked potato from the freezer for Malakai + I. Ben doesn't like cooked carrots. Once there were about 10 minutes left on the chicken I steamed some frozen peas.

I took the potato + mashed it with some milk. It was soft, but way too dry on it's own. I even added a little of the Italian seasoning on Kai's chicken + potatoes as we slowly have him trying new flavors on familiar foods.

I had also planned on cooking brown rice, but got distracted playing with Malakai. I remembered the rice once everything else was ready to serve. Instead I hurriedly prepped some minute-rice for Ben + I which worked out fine, just not so healthy.

Anyway, this was Malakai's first time eating whole peas. I also mashed some up in case he didn't do so well with the consistency. He not only did great at chewing them up, but he loved them! Strangely though, he wasn't very fond of the potato, even though he's had it and loved it in the past.

My very favorite thing about meal times with Malakai is his new ability to interact. He has gestured + grunted when he wants something for a while now. We call food "nummies" and he now says "a num" or "mun-mun" when he wants more. 

We also had Malakai drink his milk from a regular cup, with Ben's guidance. He got a little over excited and put his hands into the cup. Milk spilled everywhere so Ben took him to the bath while I cleaned up the mess. Thankfully we had all finished eating.