Comfort Food

Baby led weaning and purees are both perfectly acceptable ways to introduce a baby to solid foods. But this topic gets crazy heated among moms! We'll talk through why so many folks believe there's just one right way to approach this milestone and whether you can combine the methods (spoiler: We sure did!). And we'll get into some basics of BLW with our guest Megan McNamee of Feeding Littles.

Check out our show notes at comfortfoodpodcast.com, and tell us whether you're on Team Puree, Team BLW or Team Whatever The Heck Works! Email [email protected], or find us on social: @v_solesmith, @yummytoddlerfood & @yummyfamilyfood.

Amy loves to meal plan (and posts amazing menus every week @yummyfamilyfood!). Virginia is… more of a meal planning rebel. Is it helpful to spend your weekends pinning recipes and chopping vegetables—or does that just create more pressure around family meals? We talk with KJ Dell'Antonia, author of How To Be A Happier Parent (and self-professed dedicated meal planner!) about how to take the stress out of the kitchen and find a meal planning and prepping style that works for you.

Check out our show notes at comfortfoodpodcast.com, and tell us about your meal planning struggles: [email protected].

Our biggest gripe about family dinners? When all of the cooking/chopping/planning/prepping/cleaning falls to just one family member—because all too often, it's all on mom. This week, Amy and Virginia talk to a very special guest (Virginia's husband Dan!) about why this problem persists and go over five strategies that Virginia and Dan use to share the mealtime load at their house (even though Dan's cooking game is mostly breakfast-sandwich-based).

Visit our show notes at comfortfoodpodcast.com, and email us at [email protected] to tell us: What's your share the load struggle when it comes to feeding your family?

And follow us on social media: @v_solesmith @yummytoddlerfood @yummyfamilyfood.

Virginia's baby Beatrix just turned one! And she's sharing their journey from spoon-feeding mushy banana to self-feeding all the foods. We also discuss why the decision of when to start solids with your baby can feel so fraught. And Megan McNamee, MPH, RDN, CLT of Feeding Littles joins the conversation to share some tips.

Don't forget to visit our show notes at comfortfoodpodcast.com. And email us your starting solids stories or questions at [email protected].

The spooky season is upon us! And all too often, parents' biggest fear about Halloween is... what to do with all the candy. We know it can be a lot (especially if you've got multiple parties, parades and trick-or-treating ops in your town). But Halloween is also a fantastic opportunity to let your kids explore new foods, learn to handle themselves around treats, and (yes, really) enjoy some sugar. We talk about where this new candy phobia has come from, and go over our tips for making the onslaught fun and manageable for the whole family. And Amy chats with Sally of Real Mom Nutrition about her Switch Witch strategy.

Check out our show notes at comfortfoodpodcast.com for more on Halloween candy fears, plus all of the resources discussed in this episode.

And let us know how you handle Halloween at your house! Email [email protected] or find us on social media: @v_solesmith, @yummytoddlerfood, @yummyfamilyfood.

It can be super hard to feel good about your mom body because we live in a culture that wants us to have all the babies... but then look like we never had a baby. So a lot of us end up denigrating our bodies or our food choices, almost without realizing it—and for sure without realizing how much our kids are listening to us body shame, fat talk or apologize for eating. But new research shows that kids as young as 5 years old know when their moms aren't happy with their bodies—and are more likely to feel dissatisfied with their own as a result. So this week, Amy and Virginia explore why it's so easy to fall into this trap, and how you can work towards a place of body neutrality or even body positivity and change the conversations you have with your kids about weight and food.

How do you talk about your body around your kids? We'd love to know what you're struggling with, or any tips for keeping things positive. Email [email protected], or tag #comfortfoodpodcast on social media. (We're @v_solesmith, @yummytoddlerfood & @yummyfamilyfood.)

And check out our show notes for more tips and resources, at comfortfoodpodcast.com.

Every darn day we have to feed our families dinner. And on way too many of those days, it's harder than it should be. We've pinpointed 5 of the most common problems that come up during family dinner:

1. Time: We never have enough!
2. Kids Won't Sit Still: Who else has a toddler who constantly plays with their food??
3. One Parent Trying to Do It All: Whomp, whomp. This one can be so hard to manage given busy schedules.
4. Expectations Are Too High: Because eating with kids is not the same as eating (and cooking) in life before kids.
5. Pickiness: Obviously this is a giant issue for so many families! We have tips you can try today to start to improve things.

And on this episode, we're talking through our solutions to all of the above—including the strategies we're road-testing in our very own homes.

Check out our show notes for more meal prep tips and shortcut strategies, plus all of the resources discussed in this episode.

Still struggling? Let us know what's taking the joy out of your family dinners, and we'll talk about it in an upcoming episode. Email [email protected], or find us on social: @v_solesmith, @yummytoddlerfood and @yummyfamilyfood.

These days, "healthy eating" seems to mean "eat all of the protein, with some protein powder sprinkled on top." This can be super stressful for parents who worry their kids aren't big fans of meat or beans (or protein powder!). And it really messes with pregnant ladies' heads, as if eating isn't tricky enough during those months. We cut through the marketing hype and misinformation to share some solid info on how much protein you need...and why this is actually one thing we can relax about.

Don't forget to check out our show notes for links to everything discussed in the episode (like Amy's awesome guide to protein servings for kids!).

And let us know if the protein myth has been messing with your head. Email [email protected], or find us on social media (@v_solesmith, @yummytoddlerfood, @yummyfamilyfood).

With so many wellness plans, detox bootcamps, food challenges and diet "rounds" available now, it can be hard to suss out whether something will really help you improve your health long-term — or is just a crash diet going by a new hashtag. And these plans love to target moms! Amy and Virginia explore whether diets, food restrictions or "lifestyle plans" can ever be compatible with family life. Plus, what to look out for if you're exploring one of these newer plans—like the inevitable crash that comes after the honeymoon period, the guilt, and the ramifications that can reach the rest of your family.

Check out our show notes for links to the research and articles discussed in this episode. And find us on social media (@v_solesmith @yummytoddlerfood & @yummyfamilyfood) or email [email protected]; we'd love to hear your experiences with a wellness plan that turned out to be a diet.

These days, most of us have a friend or family member who can't eat a specific food, or who is choosing not to for one reason or another, so today we're talking about what that can mean for family meals — and our mental health. Amy shares how she figured out that gluten gives her migraines, and the impact it has had on her family, plus how talking about this challenge with her kids has helped her avoid some diet culture pitfalls. And we get into the more serious issues that can arise with real food allergies — and what we can all do to make life with these food restrictions a little easier.

PS. Don't forget to check out our show notes for all the links, recipes and products discussed during the episode.