Pumpkin and rice (Stage 3 - Consistency):

You will want to make this pumpkin recipe for your older babies who are starting to eat thicker/chunkier consistencies.  I make this recipe with brown rice.  However, you can feel free to replace that with white rice if you choose.  I try to choose brown rice for my little guy whenever possible because of the added nutritional benefits, plus in my opinion it is just more flavorful.  Having said that, if we are having white rice with dinner or leftover from the previous night the baby will have that with his meal.

 

What you need:

Cooked brown rice (as noted substitute white rice if you wish)

Fresh Pumpkin (peeled and chopped)

Water (or homemade chicken stock)

Nutmeg (optional)

Cinnamon (optional)

 

What to do:

Place the pieces of pumpkin in a saucepan and cover with the water or chicken stock

Let it simmer for about 20 minutes before adding the rice

Continue to cook for 5 - 10 minutes, since the rice is already cooked this is just heating it through.  If additional liquid is needed as it cooks add a small amount of additional water or chicken stock

 

 - If your baby is eating food with some consistency to it you should be fine to serve as is. 

 - If you need a more uniform texture for your baby you will want to puree slightly adding water as needed.

 

If you have introduced spices/seasonings to your little one and you wish to add one or both of the optional ingredients above you can add a dash of one or both to the saucepan as it is simmering.

 

**Mommy Tip**

This is a great side dish to offer to your older children as well.  In the baby version I would include more pumpkin than rice to make it easier for the baby to eat.  In the version for an older child I would re-heat the rice separatly and then add a bit of the pumpkin for a fun holiday twist on your typical rice side dish.

Pumpkin and Parsnip Puree (Stage 2 - Combo's):

You will only want to make this for you little one if they have tried one or both of the main ingredients (pumpkin and parsnip). 

 

What you need:

1 Parsnip

Fresh Pumpkin (you can use canned pumpkin but be sure to check the label first)

Nutmeg (optional)

Cinnamon (optional)

1 tsp chopped fresh chives (optional)

 

What to do:

Peel the parsnip and pumpkin and cut into chunks

Steam the pumpkin and parsnip together until they are tender enough to puree

Blend in your food processor (or favorite pureeing devise) until you reach the desired consistency for your baby

 

If you have introduced spices/seasonings to your little one and you wish to add one or all of the optional ingredients above you can sprinkle on the pumpkin and parsnip before beginning to puree.  You can also add at the end (when you are a couple of seconds away from the desires consistency) the final seconds of pureeing will incorporate your seasonings throughout.

Mashed Sweet Potato and Banana for baby and the whole family

This is a great sweet potato combination that is super easy and quick!!!

What you need:
Basic Veggie Puree - Sweet Potato
Banana

What to do:
Chop about 1/2 of a banana
Put the banana and the Sweet Potato into your favorite pureeing device
Puree to the desired consistency

Thats it!!! Like I said super easy and quick!!!

Turkey with Sweet Potato

This is a perfect recipe to utilize some of your Holiday leftovers, but of course is a great meal for you little one at any time of the year.  You can also swap out the Turkey for Chicken if you have some leftover chicken.

 

What you need:

 - Basic Sweet Potato Puree

 - Turkey

 

What to do:

 - Break Turkey into small pieces

 - Combine with Sweet Potato Puree (or baked/steamed sweet potato)

 - Puree to the desired consistency

 

**Mommy Tip**

If you have an older baby who is starting to chew and beginning to eat things that have some consistency, shred or cube the Turkey instead of pureeing together. 

Pumpkin and Cranberry

This is a really good combo.  For Thanksgiving I even decided to make a pumpkin pie with whole cranberries in it and it was a hit and has already been requested for Christmas.  Once again, this is a great opportunity to let the Baby have a similar (more healthy version) of your holiday treats.

What you need:

 - Basic Pumpkin Puree 

 - Basic Cranberry Puree, as an alternative use the Cranberry Sauce with apples

What to do:

 - Combine (at a two to one ratio) the pumpkin puree and the Cranberry puree.

 - Mix to combine, or blend if necessary to get the desired consistency.

Split Pea Soup:

When you think of split pea soup you may think of the saltyness from the ham bone that you may include to the pot when cooking, but here is a more healthy version that is perfect for your little one.

 

What you need:

 - Split Peas

 - Water (chicken or veggie stock if desired)

 - Carrots

 - Onions, as desired

 - Cerlery, as desired (they can become stringy so you may want to leave them out)

 - Garlic, as desired

 

What to do:

 - Add the Carrots, onion, celery and garlic (as desired) to a medium sauce pan with water.

 - Once the water comes to a boil add the split peas.

 - Let it cook until everything is tender (about an hour and a half for the full bag of split peas)

 - Puree to the desired consistency for your little one

 

*Your cooking time and quantity of liquid will vary based on how much of the split peas you have decided to use.

 

Sweet Potato and Cranberry:

This is a great recipe for the holidays, especially if mashed sweet potato's will be served as part of your holiday meal. If you will not be serving sweet potato, chunk up a sweet potato and steam until soft and mash or puree the sweet potato.

 

What you need:

 - One baked (or steamed) Sweet Potato

 - Cranberry Puree or Cranberry Sauce with Apples

 

What to do:

 - Puree your baked (or steamed) Sweet Potato to the desired consistency for your baby

 - Add one scoop of the Cranberry Puree or Cranberry Sauce with Apples

 - Mix to combine

Basic Veggie Puree - Squash

There are a couple of ways that you can easily prepare squash for your little one.  To retain the most nutrients from this vegetable you will want to Roast or Bake the squash for your little one.  You will find that both baking and roasting will be the easiest options for you as well.

What you need:
Butternut Squash

Water

What to do:

Cut the butternut squash in half (lengthwise) and remove the seeds from the middle of the squash.

In a baking dish/roasting pan with about a couple of inches of water, place the squash face down

Bake for about 40 minutes at 400 F.  I normally check between 30 and 40 minutes - once you see that the outside of the squash is starting to wrinkle/pucker your squash will be done.

How to prepare:

Once the squash is cooked scoop out the flesh into your favorite pureeing devise (food processor / blender) and puree until you reach the desired consitency.  If additional liquid is needed add water to your puree.  I suggest adding small amounts at a time so that you don't make the puree to liquidy. 

**Mommy Tip**

You can pick just about any milder veggie to give them as a "first food" but keep in mind that some veggies - squash, for example, can make your little one gassy...if you don't want a sad little baby you may want to hold off on these veggies for a bit.  My baby had squash and seemed to have horrible gas pain afterwards, we waited about a month and tried it again and he seemed fine.  We are just careful now to not give him too much. 

  

Basic Veggie Puree - Pumpkin (fun holiday treat for baby)

I love making food for the baby that allows him to share in our family food fun and Holiday's are no different.  A perfect example is Thanksgiving.  There are so many good Holiday recipes that can be very simply converted to something that you can feed to the baby as well.  We all know that the baby can share Sweet Potato and squash at you holiday meal, but have you thought about making a pumpkin dish for your baby?

Pumpkins are a very healthy food rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and calcium and the season between Halloween and Thanksgiving when pumpkins are readily available is a perfect time to try them out. 

Basic Veggie Puree - Pumpkin (Stage 1: Single puree):

What you need:
 - Pumpkin (peeled and cut into cubes)
 - Ground nutmeg (optional)
 - Cinnamon (optional)

What to do:
 - Put the pieces of pumpkin in the steamer (or roast in the oven)
 - Cook until tender
 - Place into you favorite pureeing devise
 - Blend until it reaches the desired consistency for your little one

*If you have given your baby spices/seasonings and would like to add some nutmeg and cinnamon for an additional burst of flavor add a pich of one or both before pureeing.

**Mommy Tip**
To convert this to a side dish for your toddler or preschooler add a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon and combine with Super Easy Applesauce and some dried cranberries and you have a perfect side dish for children of all ages (and the whole family if desired).

Pumpkin and Parsnip puree (Stage 2 - Combo's):
Our Thanksgiving table typically includes both pumpkin (though usually only in the pie form) and parsnips.  So this is a perfect holiday recipe to serve your baby so that he/she can share in the holiday fun.  This should only be made for a baby who has tried one or both of the main ingedients (pumpkin and parsnips).

What you need:
 - Pumpkin (peeled and cut into cubes)
 - Parsnip (peeled and cut into cubes)
 - Ground nutmeg (optional)
 - Cinnamon (optional)
 - 1 tsp chopped fresh chives

What to do:
 - Put the pieces of pumpkin and parsnip in the steamer (or roast in the oven)
 - Cook until tender
 - Place into you favorite pureeing devise
 - Blend until it reaches the desired consistency for your little one

*If you have given your baby spices/seasonings and would like to add any or all of the optional items above (nutmeg, cinnamon and chives) for an additional burst of flavor add a pich of one or both before pureeing.

Pumpkin and Rice (Stage 3 - Consistency Lovers):
This is a perfect pumpkin dish for your older baby who likes some consistency in the baby food.  You will see that I suggest brown rice for this recipe.  This is mainly because I try to use brown rice when cooking for the baby because of the added health benefits and I just think it has more flavor.  Having said that please feel free to substitute white rice in this recipe.

What you need:
 - Pumpkin (peeled and cut into cubes)
 - Cooked Brown Rice
 - Water or homemade chicken broth
 - Ground nutmeg (optional)
 - Cinnamon (optional)

What to do:
 - Place the pumpkin in a saucepan and cover with water or homemade chicken broth
 - Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes
 - Add the cooked rice
 - Add the optional nutmeg and/or cinnamon
 - Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes (the rice is already cooked so you just need to heat through)
 - Serve as is for you older baby who can eat food with some consistency, for a younger baby you can puree to the desired consistency

**Mommy Tip**
Serve to you older child by heating the pre-cooked rice on the side and just adding a touch of pumpkin to the rice for added flavor and a fun holiday twist on your normal rice side dish.

Basic Veggie Puree - Sweet Potato

 I love making Sweet Potato for my little man....why?  Simple, there are so many different ways that you can prepare it that it easily fits into any meal preparation that you are doing for the rest of the family.

What you need:

2-3 medium sweet potatoes
Water (amount will vary based on the consistency needs of your baby)
¼ tsp. fresh ground cinnamon (optional, for babies at least 6 months old)

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, for babies at least 6 months old)

Cooking Instructions:

My two favorite preparations are steamed and baked, but I have also included instructions for other types of preparation as well.

Steamed:

Place peeled sweet potato cubes in you steamer. Steam for 10-20 minutes (time will vary based on the amount of sweet potato used and the size of the pieces that you cut them into) or until tender.

Baked:

I LOVE how simple this recipe is!!! Scrub the potato, prick it with a fork and bake it for around 45 mins, until it feels soft. Cool briefly, then split the skin and scoop out the soft flesh.

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees

Place washed sweet potatoes directly on a baking sheet, lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until sweet potatoes are completely tender. Set aside to cool.

Once sweet potatoes are cool, peel off skin and cut into large chunks. Place sweet potatoes in food processor, add water, as needed to get to the desired consistency for your baby. 

Some optional additions (you will want to wait until your baby is having spices normally around 6 months based on our doctors recomendations):

• cinnamon
• vanilla
• both

You will want to start with small amounts at first as your baby's tastes adapt to the new flavors.

If you are in a rush...make the *baked* sweet potato in the microwave.  Once again, prick the outside of the potato and put it in your microwave for about 5 minutes, then let the Sweet Potato stand for another 5 minutes (this will allow it to continue to cook and soften).  From there you will want to follow the directions above - peel, cut into chuncks and puree until smooth.