Leah Bodenbach RN - All-Organic Baby Food Cookbook: First Time Parents Guide to Nutritious Foods for Every Age and Stage

Acknowledgments

Thank you, Elowen and Aldrik. Without you, I would not be a mother and I may have never fallen into my calling for nourishing littles. Thank you for teaching me how resilient kids are. You are love, joy, peace, and light. I love you.

Thank you, Trenton, for every dish you cleaned behind me, for helping me in the kitchen while I whirled around making messes, for taking the kids on long adventures so I could recipe-test, and for your commitment to nourishing our children together. There were many late nights you stayed up with meyour honesty and support is unmatched.

Thank you to my parents, who instilled in me the importance and love of real food. Thank you, Mom, for growing fresh herbs in the kitchen all year and saying no to aspartame before it was cool to do so. Thank you, Dad, for befriending local farmers and showing us resources for growing our own food. Youve both so positively impacted how I nourish my body.

Thank you to my friends who supported me during the writing period. Alex Maurer, Leanna Ward, Julianna Campbell, Allee Mixon, Madison Morrigan, Karisa Cook, Susanna Depriest, and Kinsey Olson: thank you for offering your kids as honest taste testers, continuously encouraging me, and for working and mothering alongside me. I am forever grateful for our friendships.

Thank you Megan Mixon for loving on my children as I wrote the book. Thank you for making my home look like there was never a tornado of toys after a long day of writing, and for lighting up my childrens imaginations.

Thank you to my family and friends who tested and tasted. A special thanks to my dad, my Aunt Katherine, my cousin Joseph Bodenbach, and Chelcea Burns. Thank you to my clients who volunteered their time to test recipes alongside me and included their adventurous and cute children as taste testers. Youve all elevated my cooking and recipes with your expertise.

Thank you to all of my clients, past and current, for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to live out my dream of being a nurse. You are all are the reason I keep documenting my kitchen, my food, and my kids.

Thank you to some of my dearest and oldest friends: Lauren Maness, thank you for embarking on a health journey with me over a decade ago, and for offering your dietician intelligence and wisdom as I wrote this book. Kelli Randall, thank you for sharing in our lifes biggest enthusiasms, from babies to books.

Thank you to my editor, Meg Ilasco, for seeing my potential, answering all my questions, and for making this book come together. I looked forward to each conversation and I am forever grateful for your guidance, kindness, and expertise throughout this process.

Thank you to everyone on the Zeitgeist Team at Penguin Random House who helped me so much in the books creation including Shara Beitch and Katy Brown. Special thanks to Nancy Cho for such beautiful photos and to editors Will, Patty, Valerie, and Mary for your expert attention to detail and wisdom in food and editing.

About the Author

Leah Bodenbach, RN, BSN, is a nurse, coach, and founder of Blooming Motherhood. After receiving her nursing degree in 2014, she worked in a hospital setting in neuro trauma, pediatric ICU, neonatal ICU, and postpartum. Simultaneously, she worked at a birthing center, assisting midwives in supporting moms and babies through natural labor and childbirth.

She now specializes in reducing the risk of allergies and chronic health issues through first foods for littles. She is wildly passionate about teaching moms to nourish their little ones with intentional foods, as well as how to integrate holistic and modern medicine into their own daily rhythm.

Leah resides in Springfield, Missouri, with her husband, Trenton, and their two children, Elowen and Aldrik. She loves relaxing in a hammock, working in her garden with her husband, cooking with her kids, dancing around the house, and hearing live music. You can sign up to work one-on-one with Leah at bloomingmotherhood.co for an individualized approach to first foods, or an integrative approach to wellness for your little one.

Resources

Baby and Kid Kitchen Gear Brands

Avanchy (plates and cutlery)

Bumkins (plates)

EzPz (cups and spoons)

Hydro Flask (stainless-steel straw lid water bottle)

Philips Avent (glass bottles)

Tovla & Company (kid-safe knives and cutting board)

Guidecraft (kitchen helper stool)

Books

Super Nutrition for Babies by Katherine Erlich and Kelly Genzlinger

The Nourishing Traditions Cookbook for Children by Sally Fallon Morell and Suzanne Gross

Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz

Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia by Natasha Campbell-McBride

Nourishing Traditions: Book of Baby & Child Care by Sally Fallon Morell

Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Babys First Foods by Nina Planck

Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foodand Helping Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett

Cod Liver Oil Brands for Kids

Blue Ice

Carlson Labs

Green Pastures

Nordic Naturals

Sonnes

Grass-Fed Collagen or Gelatin Brands for Recipes

Great Lakes

Vital Proteins

Helpful Web Pages

Fish Mercury Chart (FDA)

www.fda.gov/media/102331/download
The FDAs chart of fish and their mercury content, especially as it applies to young children and pregnant and breastfeeding persons.

Food Scores (Environmental Working Group)

www.ewg.org/foodscores
This provides food scores for whole and processed foods based on ingredients, nutrition, and processing concerns.

Eat a Rainbow (Whole Kids Foundation)

www.wholekidsfoundation.org/assets/documents/better-bites-eat-a-rainbow.pdf
This fun chart shows foods across the rainbow and their benefits.

Homemade Baby Formula (Weston A. Price Foundation)

www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/childrens-health/formula-homemade-baby-formula
A homemade alternative to store-bought formula, with easily digestible ingredients mimicking breast milk.

Non-Dairy Homemade Formula (The Healthy Home Economist)

www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-hypoallergenic-baby-formula
Hypoallergenic recipe for homemade formula.

Websites: Sources and General Information

Blooming Motherhood

www.bloomingmotherhood.co

The authors website, which offers guidance on first foods for littles, emphasis on prevention of allergies and chronic illnesses, and reversing eczema. Teaches modern moms how to integrate ancient and natural medicine into the daily rhythm.

U.S. Wellness Meats

www.grasslandbeef.com

They carry an inventory of quality bones and ship to all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

Kelly Mom

www.kellymom.com

Up-to-date and evidence-based information for breastfeeding and parenting.

Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE

www.lilynicholsrdn.com

A real-food approach combining traditional wisdom with modern eating for moms and kids, with emphasis on evidenced-based prenatal nutrition and first foods.

La Leche League International (LLLI)

www.llli.org

They provide breastfeeding information, domestic and global, and assists in finding support for breastfeeding near you.

A Campaign for Real Milk

www.realmilk.com

A good resource for finding real milk near you. It is a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation.