Anaïs has two tiny teeth! As cute as her very small toothbrush is, teething has been a bitch so in desperation I have become the type of person who makes homemade popsicles and teething pastes:

Banana Ice Bites

Blend: 1x banana, a dash of organic soy or almond milk, 1-2 teaspoons of chia seeds and 1 teaspoon of dried goji berries. Pour the mixture into an icecube tray and place 1x wooden popsicle stick into each cube (it’s ok if they fall over). Freeze for at least an hour. Alternatively you can pour the mixture into a wide container like a cake tin. Then just cut into cubes or long sticks as needed to give to baby. They can handle a fairly large chunk in their mouths as it melts quickly and is fun (and soothing) to roll around in the mouth and chew.

Homemade Teething Paste (doubles as a toothpaste)

In a bowl, mix: 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 drop of clove oil, 5 drops of strong camomile tea, 5-10 drops of Weleda Toothache Drops (or arnica drops). When well incorporated put into a clean baby food jar or small container. Rub a small amount on the gums twice a day. *clove oil is super strong so check the paste on your own gums first to make sure the dilution is weak enough for your baby.

And here is some more of what she’s eating/drinking now:

• oranges! (Yay for August in NZ)
• porridge cooked with cubed pears and chia and/or sunflower seeds
• banana icecream and banana ice bites (recipe above)
• orzo (risoni) cooked with tinned tomatoes, chopped spinach, coriander and garlic (just throw a whole piece of peeled garlic in and mash it when soft – tastes sweeter that way)
• toast fingers with hummus, smashed avocado or cashew cheese spread (recipe below)
• cooked, smashed black beans on small pieces of soft corn tacos
• overcooked broccoli florets with toasted sesame seeds
• quinoa cooked with pumpkin chunks or grated carrot
• chunks of kiwifruit
• cauliflower pieces roasted with olive oil (and sometimes cumin/lemon juice/paprika)
• brown basmati rice cooked with onion, tomatoes, smoked paprika and capsicum (kind of like a baby vege paella)
• brown lentils cooked with kale and onion
• mushroom risotto
• broccoli and almond soup
• cous cous with lemon juice, parsley and a little watered-down tahini
• cabbage miso soup (recipe on earlier blog entry)
• cubes of tofu baked in a little fresh orange juice, a dash of sesame oil and a dash of tamari
• vegan potato gratin
• truffled cauliflower (see photo above)
• salt-free kale chips
• pasta with kale pesto
• pearl cous cous with coriander pesto and chopped preserved lemon
• camomile tea
• rooibos tea

Cashew Cheese Spread

I have no idea about quantities for this… I make it like I make hummus. I’ve guessed here but please adjust to taste.

Soak a couple of handfuls of cashews for 24 hours (super cheap if you buy broken, bulk cashews). Drain, rinse and put into a blender. Add: 1 clove of garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1-2 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast, 1-2 teaspoons of salt, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 1-2 Tablespoons of either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, some water. Blend. If it’s having trouble getting smooth, add more water. Blend until super smooth. If you’ve added too much water, place a sieve over a bowl, line with linen or cheesecloth and scoop mixture into lined sieve. Press and mix with a spatula until the consistency you want – too dry and it’s not spreadable, too wet and it’s unpleasant. You want it kinda like hummus in texture. Place into a clean jar and leave overnight for flavours to develop. Keeps well for a week or so.

Experiment with adding smoked paprika or herbs. My favourite combo is some fresh thyme and parsley and lots of black pepper.