Basic Fruit Puree - Cranberry

As we all know, fall is the prime season for cranberries.  Take that opportunity to introduce your little one to this tangy treat.  I make a cranberry sauce that your entire family will love, we serve it as a side dish every year for Thanksgiving (and sometimes Christmas).

We all know that Cranberries can be acidic, so you may want to hold off until your baby is between 9 and 12 months before introducing this fruit.  For the same reason, I suggest introducing in small amounts.  Offer just a couple of spoonfuls the first few times, until you know that your baby is not impacted by the acidity.  On the allergy front, you will be happy to know that cranberries are not in the same "berry" family as strawberries, etc... and as such you don't not have to follow the "wait until 12 months rule" and you will also be happy to know that from my research cranberry allergies are very rare.

 What you need:

 - A 1 lb bag of Fresh Cranberries

 - 1 cup of fruit juice or water (you can use just about any kind - grape, cranberry, pomegranite, apple, apple cider) or water

What to do:

 - Rinse Cranberries and add to a medium saucepan

 - Add the 1 cup of the Juice of your choice (you can replace the juice with water, but I like the juice for added flavor)

 - Cook stirring ocassionaly until berries are soft enough to puree.

 - Add the cranberries to your pureeing devise of choice and puree until the desired consistency is reached.

**Mommy Tip**

I like to use 100% fruit juice (with no added sugar) when making this for the baby.  It allows you to add some sweetness to cut through the tartness of the cranberry without adding sugar.

**Mommy Tip**

If you choose to not add a sweetner think about combining the cranberry with a sweeter fruit puree such as peeches or pears to offset some of the tartness.

Pumpkin Soup for baby (and the whole family)

 This is a great recipe that will allow you to let you baby share the tastes of the fall season with you.  I love these types of recipes that not only allow your baby to try new things (and fall is a perfect time of year as fresh pumpkins will not be available throughout the year).  I try to make the most of the seasonal fruits and vegetables by coming up with fun family recipes that allow the baby to join in.  This is a perfect recipe for that, especially since everyone loves soup.  Even my anti-vegetable 5 year old will eat most soups that we offer to him.   

 

You will note that I have not provided measurements in many of my recipes, the reason for that is that they will vary greatly depending on if you are making a one-meal serving for your baby, enough for your baby to eat now and freeze some for later or enough to incorporate into a meal/side-dish for the whole family.  The measurements included below are intended to make one to two servings of this soup so you will want to adjust accordingly.

 

What you need:

1 to 2 cups of Pumpkin cut into about 1 inch strips

1 Cup of Water

2 tsp of Butter

1/2 cup of Milk

Carrot, celery, onion, other vegetables (possibly any extra purees that may be in the freezer)

pinch of freshly ground black pepper (optional)

a few drops of maple syrup (optional)

Basic Fruit *Puree* - Banana

I love this because this is one of the easiest preparations.  You don't have to do anything.  I am labeling it a puree, but really all you have to do is mash it.  As long as you have a ripe banana you should be able to mask it with a fork and the consistency should be fine for your baby.  Banana's are a must have, especially if you have busy mornings in your household.  When your baby is on single foods a mashed banana is a perfect and quick breakfast.

 

What you need:

1 Banana

 

How to prepare:

Peel the banana

Cut into chucks

Mash with a fork

 

It doesn't get any easier than that.

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.

Pureeing 101

You went to your baby's doctor appointment and they told you that you can start your little one on solid foods. 

With our first son (who did not get homemade baby food) we started him on fruits and veggies.  This was at his doctor's direction.  He was having problems with constipation at that point so his doctor said that the fruits and veggies would be a better starter food for him.  This time our doctor recommended that we start our little guy on Rice Cereal.  We did start him on rice cereal but he didn't love it so we decided to move onto the fruits and veggies after the first week.  He did absolutely fine with this.  Though I do recommend discussing your feeding choices with your pediatrician, it is also important to remember that as the parent you will be the best judge of how your child is doing day-to-day.  My little guy is not even 11 months old yet and this past weekend he held and ate his own apple (and was holding and eating his own peaches by about 8 or 9 months).  We are right next to him watching closely (there were actually 3 adults watching him eat an apple so I think we were covered) but he is ready for it and wants to feed himself so we let him. 

Where do you start?

 - You likely discussed at your baby's appointment what they recommend for "First Foods". Remember, I am not a doctor but I believe that most recommend rice cereal to start and then moving on to the other cereals (barley, mixed grains, oatmeal) and from there onto fruits and veggies and then finally meats (between 9 and 12 months).