Being eaten out of house and home

I didn't think the teenage years started, well, until the teenage years. I thought I'd update my readers on the baby food making situation. About a month ago, I ditched the purees for finger foods. (No more baby cubes for this kid, except for the ones that have been forgotten in my freezer). Except for the mess they leave on the highchair tray and seat, finger foods have made life a lot easier. No more feeding darling daughter with a spoon. No more screaming baby when I hit the puree button on the blender. Yes, meal time has been a lot easier and quieter with the introduction of non-mushy food.

But lately, it seems like dear husband and I are always running to the grocery store to stock up the refrigerator. The above photo shows a sampling of some of the food I bought today. Darling daughter is a cheese fiend. I can't keep enough of it in the house. We buy cheese by the bricks. Blueberries are the best finger foods ever. All you have to do is wash and serve. Although we have yet to try peppers, they will complement the quiche I hope to make for her later this week. (We are having an issue with meat. Darling daughter doesn't like it. Therefore, I'm searching for other meat alternatives).

But holy moley, it seems like our food supply in the refrigerator is dwindling on a constant basis. Tonight I spent $70 at the store, and most of that food will go towards sustaining darling daughter's energy levels. I'm not complaining, but I am amazed at how much food a 13 month old can pack away. On the weekend we went to a birthday party. As the dutiful mother that I am, I fed her before we went. While we were there, she packed away several cubes of fruit, had a bit of pasta salad and couldn't get enough of a hamburger bun. And this was on top of the fact that she had only eaten an hour before.

In the last month I have become a master chopper of cheese, plums, strawberries, watermelon, grapes, honey dew melon, cantaloupe, nectarines. Cheerios are a big hit. Sometimes I sneak in vegetables. (It is a work in progress). Yes, finger foods are easier. But it seems like we are making a lot more trips to the grocery store, though.