Notes From Cooking Class!

By: Denise Henderson

Founder and Mom

Square One® Organics

As you all may know, I am participating in Bump Club and Beyond’s “Make your own baby food” cooking series at Whole Foods Market. Chef Amanda Skrip is doing all of the amazing cooking and I am leaning in on order of introduction and how to spin family recipes into “kid food”. The first two classes were really all about purees, which ones, when and why. As you can imagine the Square One Organics Superfood Guide was a key player. To the ladies I met in these first two classes, you all are doing great, and remember baby can’t sleep if baby can’t poop. Work the papaya! Like all of the BCB events, everyone went home with a great bag of goodies. I was so happy to include SQ1 samples, the SQ1 Superfood Guide and the SQ1 Food Journals and coupons (I hand them out like tic tacs). Again ladies, remember our Pediatric Nutritionist and I are just giving you guidelines for the day. Do what works best for your child and your life. As you move through the food introduction process, direct any questions or concerns right to your pediatrician, but keep in mind no one is going to know your child better than you. So, go with your gut.

Classes three and four saw us moving into foods for children at least one year of age. These classes were really fun for Amanda and me. We are both very passionate about cooking being

easy so that “Kid food” does not differ from what the family is already eating. Chef Amanda’s broccoli cheese fritta bites and kale chips from class three were fantastic. Both are dishes that any adult or older child could and would eat but also perfectly appropriate to serve to an 18 month old. Again, the introductory work done with broccoli at 8 months sets the table for the broccoli cheese fritta bites Amanda made in class. They were delicious, did I say that already? I also really like that Amanda discussed how the cooking technique used for the Kale can also be used for broccoli, brussels sprouts, and asparagus, making it very easy to serve your family four supergreens a week. Now there is some positive impact eating!

Finally class four’s brown rice risotto, coconut sweet potato soup and black bean puree burgers were a triumph. All three recipes could be served as part of an adult dinner and/or

worked into a meal for a 10 month old and/or served as is to an 18 month old. At all of the classes, I include SQ1 recipes in the goody bags. I included a bunch of SQ1 soup recipes in the class four goody bags. Remember, those sippy cups are not just for juice and milk. They are a great way to start working soups. Once you find a veggie soup that works for your

child, it can become a great base for a smoothie (try adding mango puree to chilled pumpkin soup). Popsicles are a great idea for leftover smoothie concoctions. I love that in Chef Amanda I have found someone who shares my belief that once foods are introduced, you’re free to move about the grocery store and shop like you used to before you had your precious little one. Thanks so much to Chef Amanda and BCB for a wonderful series that turns that belief into broccoli fritta! See you all this Thursday at Whole Foods Market - Lincoln Park for another round of baby food making for 4-8 month olds!