Peas and Carrots

For the most part, Natalie is an enthusiastic eater. Her mmmms and excited bouncing in her highchair make a very definite statement! There is just one exception to that eagerness ... any veggie that falls into the green category. And really who can blame her? The green beans and peas look, smell, and taste ... well, not appetizing ... at all! Which leads me to my first attempt at baby food "cooking" - which is really just mixing, no heat involved ... but with my limited abilities in the kitchen, to me this qualifies as cooking ;)

Peas were on the menu tonight, Natalie was giving me quite a show - gagging and scrunching up her face as if it was alien slime, not peas, on the spoon. In the past, I've simply given up and opened a container of something orange, but at some point she does need to expand her veggie repertoire. That's when it occurred to me ... mix the yucky greens with another veggie she likes ... brilliant in it's simplicity, I know :)

As I scanned my cabinet, I had a very definite Forrest Gump flashback, "Me and Jennie go together like peas and carrots." And I thought, so true, so true! Bare in mind, I've never actually tried this veggie combination myself - in fact I prefer my veggies in the singular. But I figure an Oscar-winning movie can't be wrong! Anyway, I dumped some carrots into the bowl of peas, mixed until the puree was a most interesting shade of ... brown, and started shoveling it in ... all while repeating that famous line from the movie. Natalie's immediate reaction clearly said, "That Gump guy doesn't know what he's talking about!"

Apparently when it comes to baby food, peas and carrots are not Oscar-worthy, but Natalie's performance, her look of complete and udder disgust, had best actress potential!