Homemade Baby Food #7: Apples & Pears {Mommy Monday}

This is actually something that you should make at the very beginning.  I have had these recipes documented ever since I made them, I just wasn't thinking or I would have put these first.  Anyway, the apple and the pear are the most gentle for your baby's belly.  They do tend to have opposite effects on their digestive system.  Pears ease constipation, so if your baby is a little stopped up...give him some pears.  Apples on the other hand, can stop them up.  Oh the joys. 

Apples & Pears:

The directions for cooking these are the same.  I will demonstrate with the apples, but know that pears are no different.

First thing, you wash,quarter and core your apples.

I used a bag of organic apples.  I know that organic means no pesticides, but these were so spotted I had to use the whole bag to get enough.  Choose your battles.

My handsome kitchen helper.

You put the apple quarters in a steamer basket over 1 inch of boiling water.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook until the apples are soft, around 15 minutes.

When finished cooking, allow to cool completely.  

After this step you allow them to cook and you scrape the flesh from the skin and puree until smooth.  If it is too think, add water until you reach the desired consistency.

Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

Homemade Baby Food #6: Mango {Mommy Monday}

Hello All,

Today we will be making a mango puree for our babes.  Mine LOVES mango.  It is very sweet, if you wait for it to ripen all the way, and very juicy.  It can make a mess, so just be ready with an empty dishwasher and a washcloth handy.  I hope your kiddos like this.

Mango:

All you really need for this is a blender, a knife, a spoon, a cutting board and a mango.

If you do not know how to cut up a mango, I would recommend looking it up.  It is a sticky process, so I didn't fully demonstrate.

This is one of the best things we got for our wedding, an avocado slicer!  I love it and use it all the time.  I used it instead of a spoon to scrape out the flesh.  I don't know if it was the best idea, but it worked!

Take all the meat and blend it together.  I didn't add any water because it was so juicy.

As you can see, this didn't make very much.  I would also recommend doing several mangos at a time :)

Store in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

Homemade Baby Food #5: Bananas {Mommy Monday}

Dear Readers,

I am not lying when I say that homemade banana baby food is the simplest of all to make.  Please trust me and follow my lead.  My microwave went out, so all of my beautifully frozen ice cubes of food are out of commission for the time being, but good old bananas will always be available.

First off, I wait until the green bunch I buy for Andrew and myself start to get that brown and yellow look.  Those brown spots are the sugars forming, so the longer you wait, the sweeter your bananas are...think banana bread.

I highly recommend a food mill for this one.

Peel and put your ripe bananas in and get ready to smoosh.

As you smoosh, crank the mill so it mashes all of the solids.

I put into a bowl or cup and add water to reach the consistency that I like to freeze. 

Those two bananas made about 1 cup before I added the water.

Something to keep in mind is when you are reheating this.  all of the the sugars can evaporate quickly in the microwave.  Heat slowly, like 10 sec at a time.

Can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 3 months.

Homemade Baby Food #4: Butternut Squash {Mommy Monday}

So I am going to try something new.  I am try to put some kind of theme with each day, however, I am not a daily blogger.  So this may flop or be a once a month kind of thing, but I know that some of you reading aren't really all that interested in making baby food but more in the happenings of my precious boy.  And some of you don't have a clue who I or my family is and are interested in the crafts, food and home keeping.  I think this would be a good thing...if I can keep it up. :)  So, to kick off Mommy Monday, here is butternut squash for your babe.

Butternut Squash:

Preheat your oven to 350.

You will need to slice the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  I use my cookie scoop because it makes clean edges and it's relatively mess-free.

Place your squash face down in a roasting pan and add water until it covers about half of the squash.  Put in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.  Let cool completely, unless you like for your finger tips to feel like they are on fire.

I forgot to take pictures of these next few steps, but they are exactly the same as the sweet potatoes and sweet peas.  You scrape the flesh from the skins.  They should peel off fairly easily.  Then place the meat in the blender and add some of the water from the pan to thin the mixture so you can blend it to a puree.

I will (at some point) show you my process for freezing.  And you will see how incredibly simple it is. :)

Here is my frozen butternut squash puree.  One squash filled 3 ice cube trays.  I shall break down the price comparison:  I Butternut Squash about $1.29 and I think the average one is about 1 1/2 lbs, which 36 ice cubes (plus some)  vs  1 small jar of baby butternut squash at around $0.50, depending on the brand, store, and size.  I give Jack 2 cubes of squash and mix it with rice cereal and water.  Just to put it into perspective.

Happy Pureeing!

Homemade Baby Food #3: Sweet Peas

The first time I made Sweet Peas for Jack I heated a few in the microwave and then milled them.  It was alright, but it was a lot of work for little results every day.  I then switched to stove top steaming them.  This is one of Jack's favorites!

Boil about an inch of water in a pan

Add 2 c. of frozen peas to a steamer basket.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and steam for 5-7minutes if frozen or fresh. (3 min in thawed)

I couldn't find organic, this first go around but I am still pleased with frozen veggies.  They are as close to fresh as you can get.  They retain most of the nutrients.

The peas should be this beautiful color of green.  Not even close to what the store-bought baby peas look like.

Put them in your blender/food processor and add, little by little, the water used to steam.  This will allow the blender to work its magic and will thin the pea puree down to the proper consistency.

Beautiful green.

I've started making large batches and freezing.  When they are solid cubes, transfer to a Ziploc with the name of the veggie/fruit on it.

3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

Homemade Baby Food #2: Sweet Potatoes.

Alright gang, this is attempt #2 at finding something Jack likes to eat besides "Momma Milk".  I bought some barley to mill, but decided to skip right to sweet potatoes.  He hated the avocado I mashed up.  He gaged at the rice cereal.  But I just had a feeling sweet potatoes would be a hit!  There are many different ways to cook the sw. pot.: "steam" boiling, microwaving, but I am choosing to do the baking method.

Here we go...

Sweet Potato Puree:

Preheat your oven to 425.

Prick your sweet potato with a fork and place it on a baking sheet.

Bake for about an hour, until the potato is mushy.

After it has cooled, split it down the middle lengthwise.

Scoop out the mush and put it in your baby food mill, blender or food processors.  I have a mini Cuisinart and it's perfect for doing something that isn't a single serving.  I have a hand mill for other things.

Once it is pureed take out a portion and thin with water, breast milk, or formula.  I think Jack did not like that the avocado tasted like my milk, so I have switched to Nursery Water.

And he.....

 Likes it!!!!

 It's cool to have sweet potatoes up your nose...every one is doing it.


***Store in the fridge for 3 day in an airtight container or in the freezer for 3 months.