They are what they eat.

Around here, we are dedicated to growing happy, healthy babies. That said, it matters what grows them. We believe they are what they eat, and we take very seriously every single thing that touches our munchkins' lips.

When I had to begin supplementing their milk intake with formula, it was a tear-filled, stress-filled (okay. . . for me it was) endeavor. Everyone knows breast milk is best, but when you're trying to feed two growing babies and yourself and grow a third baby while battling 3 months of nausea and fatigue, it's tough stuff. So, for their milk, we aim to be organic, and as lactose- and soy-free as possible, but sometimes the budget just doesn't allow. That's when we go to the Lord, asking that He'll bless our attempts to be as nutritious as possible with our little ones, while still being wise with the funds He's given us.

Until Sebastian and Katharina turn one (at which point we plan to switch to goat milk) we're keeping them strictly vegan (right now, not even vegetarian), sugar-free, wheat-free, eating-fresh-from-the-land little people. That means they have no idea refined sugar exists, and they've never had a grain of salt. Or toast and eggs, cheese chunks, popsicles. Their lips have never tasted yogurt or milk, not a lick of ice cream.

And Peter continually says they're better for it. I agree. We've yet to find a flavor or texture they curl their noses at, and have no guilt in wondering if they'll be 3 before tasting ice cream for the first time. Peter was 4.

Back in Scotland I would take a day every week or two and stock our freezer full of delicious baby foods. In the past several weeks I've taken a few days over the course of a week and baked, boiled, roasted and steamed a huge variety of fruits and veggies.

We want to continue to develop well-rounded palettes that love to explore new tastes and textures. I somehow became a relatively picky eater (but marriage to a food explorer has stretched me!), and Peter told me many times even before we were married, that he would not tolerate our children to be picky. Around his house growing up, they ate what was made, if they didn't like or want it, it was covered with plastic wrap until they decided they were hungry enough to eat it (or mold started growing. . . kidding). It was the same around my house, and sometimes I even just waited for breakfast, only to see last night's reheated salmon in place of my scrambled eggs.

We've found it's not as difficult as it initially seemed to mix things up while being limited to just the earth's goodness. The produce section is loaded with different colors and textures, nearly all of which can be combined for tastebud-popping meals. As of today, our freezer is stocked (and I mean stocked) with:

•  beets (both pureed and chunked- for my self-sufficient, self-feeding firstborn)
• cauliflower
• peaches
• apples
• lentils
• barley
• yellow, butternut, and acorn squash
• eggplant
• peas
• split peas and rice
• carrots

Of course there's plenty to do raw as well. There's always a banana in our diaper bag. They could live on avocado slices. We just introduced raw pepper slices, peeled apples, and carrot sticks, especially for teething. The list goes on.

Since we do purpose to give the babies only organic, we are a bit more limited in the store. The nearest grocery store is literally a skip and a jump away, and Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are maybe more like a hop, skip and a jump. Sometimes that hop is the deal-breaker for me. I've gotta be practical with my time too, hey? Besides, I am not entirely convinced Whole Foods is as organic as they promise to be. Or the itty-bitty organic sections of Kroger or Giant Eagle, for that matter. That's definitely more research down the road, and for another day. But until I know exactly where I stand with all that, we do try to stick to the dirty dozen list of foods to definitely buy organic. It's things like apples, berries, and spinach-- basically those fruits and veggies you pop in your mouth or bite right into, the ones that get the pesticides sprayed right on the parts you immediately eat.

One last thing I'll hit before running off (it's after 1:30 p.m. here and I haven't even done my hair or make-up. I officially feel like a slob). We can still travel while cooking for our children this way! And you have to know, for us, things have to be travel-convenient. I've mentioned in an earlier post how great the mini muffin trays are, and for longer trips, a bag of frozen food cubes in a cooler is great. For shorter day trips (also freezer-safe), we have specific baby food containers (easy to find anywhere in glass or BPA-free plastic) in two sizes-- one's smaller for purees, the larger ones we stuff with roasted veggie slices for self-feeding. We stack these in a lunch-box-sized cooler and have baby food for on-the-go. We recently drove to Pittsburgh to visit extended family and during the car ride, 30 minutes before lunchtime pulled a container of yellow squash out of the cooler to reach room temperature before feeding time.

Really, it's not that complicated.

Feed your babies well!