Sounds like Noah is doing better with BFing! Gannon didn't do well today, so I ended up giving him more finger food snacks, which he loves. I remember from DS#1 that I was only nursing 4 times a day at this age: am, after am nap, after pm nap, and before bed (of course, he was sleeping through the night at this point!!).
As far as protein finger foods, I tend to give tofu (he likes it okay, not in love with it - I use extra firm and crumble the small pieces), cheese (he loves the "Babybel" cheese - they are mild, soft, and sort of creamy - just the right texture for him), and have given him some beans. I take 4-5 canned beans (rinsed very well; usually I am making them with our dinner), rub off the skins (they are tough to eat if you don't take off the skins), and then kind of smush them and break them up a bit. He likes cannellini beans the best because they are soft and mild-flavored. I think I mentioned before that I mix lentils in with his other food cubes, too. I cooked them until pretty mushy and used my stick blender to puree them. Then I freeze them in ice cube trays and add one cube to his veggies. Right now he really likes these combos: one cube apples, one cube buttnerut squash, one cube lentils, mixed with a little cereal. He also likes pureed broccoli, apples and lentils. I tend to add apples to a lot of new things I try so the tase will be a little familiar and a little sweet. Another legume that is quick and easy is split peas. They cook quickly like lentils and are sweet tasting. I haven't tried it yet, but I probably will.
Oh, and things like yogurt and cottage cheese are great and easy. Try mixing some cottage cheese a bit of fruit puree so it's not as strong a flavor. Most people eat waaaaayyy more protein than they need. I read that a kids my 3yo's age only need 16 grams of protein/day. He get's that in his two servings of milk and the other foods he eats (grains and veggies all have protein, too). I don't recall what an 8mos old needs, but he is probably getting what he needs from BM. They, of course, won't be on BM forever, so you just want to introduce the foods now as they slowly start to replace the BM. I wouldn't worry too much about exactly how much protein he is getting as long as his diet is varied.
By the way, my 3yo still eats tofu. It is a little bland, but most babies and kids prefer the blander foods. I think it's great that he will still eat tofu with his meal! It's a healthy, EASY food!!!
-Cass
