S.L.
When my son was about 7 months old I would let him sit in his high chair with a spoon and just set a handful of cheerios on the table with him between meals here and there. He always seemed like he was having a blast trying to get cheerios on his spoon and feeding himself.
Each kid is different on what they will eat and what they won't, but I would suggest simply continuing to try new stuff. I'm not one of those parents that makes my son eat things he doesn't like; he just has to try it, no matter what it is. Don't have to like it, do have to try it. And do him a huge favor by never making him eat the step 3 foods. If they are ready to eat that, you might as well give him real food. I also introduced the Gerber Little Entrees to him fairly early, around 10 months maybe, and he really liked those. Also loved the Gerber pinwheel puffs and just about every other finger food.
I've also had my mom tell me you could always buy the frozen veggies at the grocery, you can get bags of squash amongst just about anything else you can think of pre-mashed and see if he likes that better.