By Joachim Splichal and Christine Splichal
160 Pages
Hardcover
2003, Ten Speed Press
$21.95
ISBN: 1-58008-500-8
Review by Cheri Sicard
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It has always amazed me when otherwise health conscious parents don't think twice about feeding their babies diets of processed, prepared foods and juices -- some laden with preservatives and sugar. Especially when it's so quick and easy to prepare nutritious, natural baby food at home.

In this must-have family cookbook, you'll get ninety recipes, most using only a handful of ingredients and minimal cooking time and organized by meals appropriate for the first three years of life: Tastes (6-9 months), Nibbles (9-12 months), Bites (1-2 years), Meals (2-3 Years). But this book goes far beyond "baby" food with recipes that are so good, the entire family (yes, even the adults) can enjoy them. As such, new parents are bound to love the chapter called Family Feasts that offers complete meals for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Passover and Fourth of July.

Super chef Joachim Splichal and wife Christine -- owners of the Patina Group, a culinary empire that includes twenty-two restaurants including the Pinot restaurants and Nick and Stef's Steakhouses are the authors, which might give the false impression that this is an ultra-fussy gourmet cookbook. Rest assured you don't need to be a spoiled Hollywood celebrity with an army of cooks and nannies in order for you, and more importantly your children, to benefit from this book. Yes, some of the recipe titles sound pretentious (white fish and basil in mashed potatoes, braised pork with apricots and onions), but when you break them down, you realize they only sound complicated.

In addition to being culinary royalty, the Splichals are parents to twin boys, Nicholas and Stephane. And while they may own gourmet restaurants for a living, at home Joachim nd Christine know the importance of simple, quick family meals. Peppered throughout the text are tips for dealing with picky eaters and ways to get your children to be more adventurous diners along with beautiful full color photos of many of the recipes.

Thia book would make a useful, thoughtful and unique baby or shower gift.

The authors site these important benefits to preparing baby's food yourself:

• It allows children and parents to eat much of the same foods together as a family. The Splichals believe that children who are fed a variety of foods from an early age will develop a palate that is open to trying new foods and flavors. Non struggle over what they will and will not eat. No complaints.
• Home prepared foods are nutritionally superior. Not only can you use organic ingredients to elevate the quality of the food, the heat processing of prepared baby foods destroys many of the vitamins and nutrients. Using quick cooking techniques at home, more of the foods nutritional value is preserved.
• Some prepared baby foods and juices have preservatives and unnecessary sugar added -- things your baby doesn't need.
• Preparing you baby's food at home is much less expensive than buying bottled foods.

Sample Recipes from Feeding Baby

• Roasted Acorn Squash Purée
• Banana Peach Compote

More on Baby Food!

Click for the Fabulous Foods homemade baby food tutorial.

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Feeding Baby: Simple, Healthy Recipes for Babies and Their Families. Order now and save 30%. Regular price, $21.95, Amazon.com price $15.37. Usually ships in 24 hours. (Amazon.com prices subject to change.)