Since Vivien is now a pro at eating puffs and mum mums, I wanted to try something a bit different (and a better caloric option, not anything against puffs and mum mums, but I use them to keep her busy while we eat, and watching her chow through 4 mum mums seems a bit silly.)
Enter: Black Beans. I bought Organic canned black beans, and rinsed them really well (that oily junk creeps me out about canned beans, I think it’s foul looking) and plopped them on her tray and watched her skeptically.
She loves them! And I love how healthy they are!
Today at lunch, she gobbled up all her beans, and I caught her feeding her puffs to the dog. 
And black beans are super high in protein (which is good, because I still can’t stomach grounding up meat to give her to eat. It makes me heave.) and they are also very high in fiber (which means that I don’t have to feed her prunes every single morning.)
The other stuff on her tray is turkey lunch meat. She wasn’t a fan.
Question to readers: When did you introduce a sippy cup? Or didn’t you give one at all? V is exclusively breast fed and despises all the sippy cups I have given her so far, and I don’t want to waste money on new ones. I’d like to start giving her a couple ounces of water a day, but she refuses to drink water from a bottle. Any insight would be helpful. Favorite brand? Straw cup?
The only one that Jack has been able to get a hang of is one with a straw.. I believe it’s Avent brand. It’s not spill proof though!
Good to know, Kay! I’ve read many things that advocate for a straw cup rather than a sippy cup because of speech development? I was leaning to lollacup ones, but they are back ordered. I don’t mind if they aren’t leak proof at this point. Thanks a ton, chica! Have any other good advice about finger foods? Things that Jack liked?
I have been using a sippy cup ever since I started drinking alcohol. Drink too much and drop your beverage: no mess and the drink is all there!!
Wow, Scott, you’re such a big boy! I’m so proud of you!!
*said in my best “Mommy enthusiastic voice*
Started meat with using meat broth mixed into veggie and rice. A little beef stew juice over rice, maybe smash the carrots with a fork. Stuff like that. That juice is just reduced good stuff. Also cooked with a little bit of ground pork or turkey, it can be made into tiny pieces without pureeing it. If that’s a word. Used a lot of pastina. Lunch meat had weird stuff in it. Listeria. And a lot of sodium. Kid is almost 2 and I still don’t really give her lunch meat. I do however cave by late afternoon and give the pest fish sticks and tater tots when I’ve exhausted all other food attempts. Hell, today I let her eat corn chips and whole wheat banana bread for dinner. I never wanted to be that parent, but nothing else will make it past the fork slap and head turn sometimes. Spit out all the veggies and Orange chicken tonight. Ugh.