quinoa and cod liver oil. yummy...

i am not sure if i mentioned before that i have been making all of quinn's food thus far.  except for yogurt.  but everything else has been prepared by your's truly.  now that he is 10 months i am trying to get more creative with what i feed him and have been trying to introduce more protein into his diet.  he has never had cereal, rice or oatmeal.  just veggies and fruits, tofu, and yogurt.  so i decided to try some quinoa the other day.  i believe that we introduce  grains and rice too soon into babies' diets and are thus setting them up for diabetes and obesity (check out mercola's thoughts here).  but quinoa is actually a seed.  i combined cooked quinoa with some homemade chicken stock and some pureed peas.  no go.  i tried plain quinoa.  not gonna happen.  i mixed it with some steamed zucchini.  nah.  i gave up.

today i fixed myself quinn's leftover cooked quinoa with some lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  quinn looked intrigued.  maybe it was the preparation or maybe it was the big person spoon but he ate spoonful after spoonful.  success!  and then he happily accepted a spoonful of cod liver oil as well.  huzzah!  this baby is a powerhouse of good eating.  i only hope it continues.

here are some facts about quinoa taken from www.wholesomebabyfood.com:

Quinoa, pronounced "keen wah", this little jewel is actualy a seed and not a grain. It has been grown in South America for more than 5,000 years. It is harvested both in and around the Andes Mountains. Did you know that the Incas called Quinoa 'the Mother Grain'?

The Incas gave quinoa this name because they thought that eating the grain meant good health and longevity. Quinoa is becoming a popular grain in North America however the sweetest and most flavorful quinoa is that grown in South America. Quinoa is packed with fiber, calcium, iron and folate to name a few of it's nutrients.

Quinoa (one cup, cooked) Protein - 22.27 g

VITAMINS Vitamin A - 0 IU Vitamin C - 0 mg Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - .33 mg Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - .67 mg Niacin - 4.98 mg Folate - 83 mcg Contains some other vitamins in small amounts.

MINERALS Potassium - 1258 mg Phosphorus - 697 mg Magnesium - 357 mg Calcium - 102 mg Sodium - 36 mg Iron - 15 mg Also contains small amounts of manganese, copper and zinc.

check out their website for some recipes as well.  

as for cod liver oil, check out the weston a price organization's website here to find all sorts of good information about it's benefits.