The foods I'm loving

When I was pregnant with Dean I never really felt like I had cravings. The closest I came was eggs in most forms, but I didn't crave them. They just always sounded good.

I have definitely had cravings this time; not "I have to go get some right now or I'm going to die" type cravings, but cravings nonetheless. The two things I've craved are more general categories rather than specific items.

Salty:
Anything tasty and salty. Chips, fries, crackers, seasoned bread sticks, jerky, plain old salt, etc.. (Yes, I will admit I have recently put salt on my finger and licked it.) Now, I've always had a weakness for salt. I'm sure I've admitted here before that when I was a child my siblings teased me by saying things like "It looks like it snowed on your plate!" or "Would you like some food with your salt?". But upon marrying Matt and just getting older, I've reduced my salt intake dramatically and definitely upped my other spice intake, especially pepper. This has gone by the wayside the last little bit, and the salt has made a comeback.

On a related topic, after 3 years in TX I finally, FINALLY purchased some DELICIOUS PINK GRAPEFRUIT! I tell you what, ruby red is NO substitute. Blech. I've also had some bad pink and yellow grapefruits here, so I was hesitant to try again. But oh divinity. And then to sprinkle some salt on the beloved and I am in heaven. It reminds me of going to my grandparents' in Mesa and picking fresh grapefruit off their trees. My grandparents ate it with salt, and as far as I can remember, all the kids did too. It just offsets the sour so nicely. My sister recently told me that all of her kids and all of another sister's kids eat them with sugar! A travesty! I let Dean try the grapefruit. He spit the first bite out, but he came back for another try. He ate two small bites, but he was funniest when I was squeezing the grapefruit half into my mouth at the end. He really wanted some of the action. So I squeezed it in and he loved it. Every time he got some juice he made the "aakhhh" sound after he swallowed. He's such a crack up.

Sour:
I have always love sour things as well, so it's no surprise to me that my desire for it has increased. Sour patch kids, sour starbursts, citrus fruits, homemade pickles (yes, it's so funny!), warheads, a cranberry topped shortbread I made (I'll post the recipe sometime) etc. Mostly at night too. I couldn't care less for most baked goods or chocolate right now. Just give me something sour. yuuum.
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Since I'm on the food topic, I thought I'd throw it out there that I bought some delicious natural ham at the Target deli the other day. It's not cured and has no nitrates. It was so good. Dean loves it too. He also loved the natural turkey that was being sampled. He's never been into meat, so you better believe that I'll be buying some deli meats so long as he's willing to eat them! He's not loving beans at the moment, so it's nice to have a non-dairy protein he's willing to eat. Oh, and Target has Gruyere cheese on sale (at least here) for 4.99/lb. It's normally $11/lb!! I already had some other swiss, but I bought some anyway!! If nothing else it makes delicious fondue and really makes Chicken Cordon Bleu extra tasty.

And for my own record, Dean's appetite made a comeback today! He ate quite a bit of dry homemade granola, half a yogurt, and about half a nectarine for breakfast. He ate a handful of grapes for a snack, and at lunch he ate 3-4 slices of the deli ham, 2/3 of a cheddar cheese stick, 3 crackers, half a banana, and attempted to eat a carrot stick but didn't like it much. He also had a little apple, but those are also slightly too hard and cold for him to chew well. So, remember Celia, babies' appetites wax and wane! Just remember to offer small portions of a variety of foods and go from there.