The Food Diary of a 1-Year-Old

Surprise, you do actually have to keep a tiny human alive with real food! I started taking pictures of his tiny plates because I thought that some way, somehow I could help some other parents (who google what to feed their baby) remember that real food exists and you can, indeed, feed it to your baby.

When we were transitioning Sam’s diet from mostly bottles and purees to real, solid food, I all of a sudden felt like I had no idea what food was. I constantly googled “what to feed a 9-month-old?” and “toddler food ideas” – stuff like that, and I felt like I had no clue what I was doing. Surprise, you do actually have to keep a tiny human alive with real food! Despite the internet (and our pediatrician) suggesting to just give him what we were eating, I was struggling to feel like anything was good enough to put in his perfect body.

But then he started demanding to try things and would (still does, actually) get upset if he saw someone eating something in front of him that he wasn’t eating. So, I started just giving pretty much everything I could find a try. Making sure the texture was relatively soft and pieces were cut small, we went for it.

I started taking pictures of his tiny plates and sending them to my friends and family because I thought it was so funny to see his tiny plates of real food. These plates of food made it seem like he had this bougie-baby palate even though it was really just normal food. Most of the time it looked kind of gross, too. He ended up looking pretty gross afterwards, too, – babies are messy, friends!

For any other parents out there just needing that extra push to remember that random, real food exists and it’s fine to feed your baby, this is for you. For any parents out there googling “what do I feed my X-month-old” – here’s a little treat of weird food to help inspire you. I’m no expert here, and there are a lot of other resources out there with actual research and a plethora of experience to back up what they’re preaching (look up baby-led weaning – that’s a real thing!), and no one (literally not a single person) in my life asked for this, but here it is. 😂

Breakfast

Protein Waffles with the tiniest bit of syrup, plain Greek yogurt with honey & blueberries, scrambled eggs with ham.

Sliced bananas, mini blueberry muffins, fried egg with hasbrowns & turkey sausage.

Broken up corn muffin, sliced bananas, fried egg with hashbrowns.

Sliced string cheese, sliced grapes, blueberry protein waffle with a tiny bit of syrup.

Honeydew & cantaloupe, scrambled eggs, cut up mini blueberry muffins.

Mandarin oranges, cut up english muffin with peanut butter, scrambled eggs.

Strawberries, scrambled eggs, protein waffle with a tiny bit of syrup.

Strawberries, blackberries, & blueberries, cut up english muffin with strawberry preserves, scrambled eggs.

Scrambled eggs, grapes / mandarin oranges, blueberry protein waffle with a tiny bit of syrup.

Lunch & Dinner

Strawberries, ground chicken with taco seasoning (leftover from dinner the night before!), cheese quesadilla.

Refried beans with cheese sprinkled on top, mandarin oranges, ground chicken & cheese quesadilla.

Honeydew & cantaloupe, mixed veggies, shell pasta with Alfredo sauce & chicken.

Strawberries, turkey, broccoli mac & cheese.
*(Full disclosure, he rejected this one. He apparently has a hard stance on No Broccoli).*

Honeydew & cantaloupe / diced peaches, chicken, bacon & pea Alfredo pasta (a family favorite).

Grapes, cottage cheese, ground chicken & cheese quesadilla.

Turkey, diced pears, grilled cheese sandwich.

Chicken, mixed veggies, (leftover) scalloped potatoes // Mixed veggies, mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), turkey, & (leftover) scalloped potatoes

Broccoli, mandarin oranges, (leftover) lasagna (another family favorite!).
*Full disclosure: baby still hates broccoli, but I just have to keep trying. 🤷🏻‍♀️*

Mexican Restaurant leftovers!
Arroz con pollo (chicken & rice covered in cheese), blueberries & strawberries, cut up leftover steak burrito.
*Someone was impatient.*😂

Club cracker minis, blueberries, peanut butter & jelly (strawberry preserves) sandwich.

Tomato soup, strawberries & kiwi, grilled cheese sandwich.
*Full disclosure: this was a MESS but he liked it so it’s a win!*

Chicken, plain Greek yogurt with honey and raspberries & blueberries, sliced up thin crust pepperoni pizza.

Mixed veggies, kiwi & blueberries, pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes & gravy.

Broccoli, diced peaches, buttered noodles (with basil, oregano, and parsley) with chicken.

Hummus with cut up pita/flatbread, strawberries, blueberries & homemade cinnamon apples, alfredo pasta with chicken.

Turkey dog, diced peaches & kiwi, macaroni and cheese with peas & carrots mixed in.

Mixed veggies, cut up string cheese, mandarin oranges, peanut butter & jelly (strawberry preserves) sandwich.

Chicken, strawberries & blueberries, white rice & black beans

Drop a comment down below or tag me @glimpseatgrace on social media and let me know what you thought about this!! If you liked it, please share it with your friends!