Everyone loves cooking as long as food preparation is a culinary adventure, a gastronomic journey, a creativity exploration. But once the communal cooking turns into mass production of family meals, somehow no one feels like shopping, brainstorming, cooking, creating while cuddling and chatting. It becomes a matter of whatever, anything, and whatever-you-feel-like. 

A mother who can simultaneously meet the needs of a meat-eating (vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, fish-hating, onion-avoiding - and the list can be infinitely extended with any number of elements) father, the diet recommended by dietitians, and the needs of a little baby in a single operation, without hours of kitchen performance and a thousand dirty dishes... I’ll let you in on a secret, the task is difficult but not impossible!

 

First step towards family-friendly baby menus: letting go

Traditional Hungarian cuisine typically uses a lot of oil, fat, salt, paprika, pepper, seasoning, and bouillon cubes. However, most of these can be easily omitted and replaced with healthier, flavor enhancers, preservatives, and all kinds of additive-free herbs, and baby-friendly cooking oils.

The same goes for various gluten-free pastas, baby-friendly porridges, and of course our entire approach! If we cook with high-quality ingredients, if we don't rush the processes but give the food the time it needs, if we replace frying in plenty of oil with baking in the oven or airfryer, and cooking with steaming, we do ourselves a double favor. We will eat deliciously, enjoy more nutritious meals, and our body's energy balance and digestive system will be restored.

 

 

Second Step Towards Family-Friendly Baby Menus: Planning

Most of the time, half-prepared frozen food, hastily ordered pizza, or any junk food ends up on the table because we fell behind, things turned out differently, and we simply didn't have time for anything else, or perhaps it was the most convenient option. This wouldn't be a problem once in a while, but fast-food hamburgers are not suitable for our one-year-old, and frequent emergency solutions are not good for our wallet.

So what should we do? If we create a menu plan, a weekly shopping list, continuously collect recipes, and incorporate cooking as a mandatory element in our schedule, we have a better chance of success. (Of course, even then, it's not certain that everything will fit in alongside a lively little one, but every step increases the chances.)

 

Third Step: Happy Baby, Happy Family

Let's turn things around! When selecting recipes, let's see what ingredients the little one can eat and start from there! 

Are we just introducing pumpkin? Let's make roasted vegetable side dishes, pumpkin cream soup, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie, pumpkin risotto or gnocchi, or perhaps pumpkin cookie balls for snacks! Have we gotten quite good with yellow peas? Hello, cream soup, stew, spreadable paste, meatballs, and the others! Is chickpea season in full swing? Line up falafel, stew, curry, hummus, and of course, spicy-crispy roasted chickpeas! Is a love for celery developing? A good cream soup is never bad, but we can eat it as chips, breaded, baked, however we like!

The point is to focus on the joy of good food, shared meals, and our baby's growth instead of stressing and constant self-criticism, which we can experience together as a family! (To appease our disgruntled better self or the older sibling, let's spice up the vegetable treats with a sausage, egg, roasted meat, or other delicacies so they are satisfied and full too! ;)

 

Important: if we cook for the whole family at once, only add strong spices or those not yet introduced to the little one after separating the portion for the little one.