Feeding baby family food

My little girl is 8 1/2 months old now and I'm feeding her homemade baby food. While I have batches of food cubes made for her in the freezer, for the most part I try to feed her what we are eating. I think most moms (and dads, for that matter) start incorporating their meals into baby's diet about the same time.

Introducing spaghetti, warm cereals like oatmeal, and rice are things that are an easy transition. Eventually you'll want baby to eat everything that you do and exposing them to a variety of flavors that are familiar in your family's diet is the best way to do that. Of course, as with anything you are feeding your baby, you should be sure that they have not had a reaction to any foods that you are feeding them. Don't introduce several new things at the same time, and wait two to three days before giving them something else new.

The phase were in right now, I use my food mill the most. (http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/186-3129217-6448065?ASIN=B00006G9LI&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B00006G9LIFood_Mill_with_Carrying_Case&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B00006G9LI&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001)
These are some things our family has had in the past few weeks that we've adjusted for her little palate. Hopefully it will get you thinking about what your own family eats that you could be sharing with your little one.

Chicken, rice, and veggie soup (broth omitted until the end, then used for thinning)
Chicken taco salad (chicken, cheese, black beans, corn, olives, avocado, sour cream, chips smashed and softened with a little water)
London broil with baked potatoes and sauteed mushrooms (each kept separate)
Pumpkin bread (smashed with a fork, then water added to make a "mush")
Lasagna
Tilapia with rice
Buttercup squash (looks like a flat dark green pumpkin and is so sweet)
Mango and banana
Avocado and banana (I use banana as a sweetener)
Fried rice (we don't really fry it. It has very little oil added and I feed it to her pre-soy sauce because of the salt content)

Don't skip on the spices. While bland foods are easier on a tummy and a palate when trying things for the first time, as baby gets used to new tastes, begin expanding even more. (do leave out the salt- its hard on baby kidneys)

Right now my little girl's favorite thing to eat is a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal (the kind that you cook for 5 minutes) with fruit like apple, peach, or berries stirred in and pumpkin pie spices. It's getting chilly in the mornings, and her tummy gets filled up quick with oatmeal. She takes the longest nap after breakfast.

I use what's in the freezer pre-made for days when we are having something difficult to separate and share with her, or when we are in a hurry.

If you have some things that you've shared with baby that they just loved, I love to hear about it. I'm always interested in finding new things to feed her, and us for that matter!