Our Favorite (and Easy) Baby Food Recipes

First Lunch Puree

¼ to ½ ripe avocado

½ ripe banana

3 T jarred carrot puree or to taste

Other fruit as introduced

Blend in handy chopper until smooth

 

Baby Yogurt Lunch
(great lunch for the whole family)

1 small container baby yogurt

¼- ½ avocado

Fresh or frozen fruit to hunger and taste including banana, peaches, mango, or pears

1-2T wheat germ

1T flax seed oil

Blend in handy chopper or mash to desired texture.

 

Pear Apple Sauce

(great batch recipe)

Peel and slice pears and apples into uniform pieces and place in a baking dish.  You may also leave the skin on for cooking and peel before pureeing. 

Add enough water to coat the bottom of your baking dish.

Cover dish and bake at 350 degrees until apples are soft.

Add water as needed to achieve desired consistency; puree and freeze or serve immediately.

Growing up: once introduced, add a sprinkle of cinnamon before cooking

Pumpkin Apple Sauce

(fall favorite for the whole family)

Peel and slice 5-6 apples and place in baking dish

Pour can of organic pumpkin over apples (fresh is more trouble and can have a chunkier texture)

Cinnamon to taste.

Enough water or apple cider to coat bottom of baking dish.

If you are not using sweet apples, you may need to add a sprinkle of sugar to taste, especially as the pumpkin flavor can be a little drab.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees until apples are soft.

Puree and serve, refrigerate or freeze immediately.  Both of my children love this and will eat it for every meal and snack, so it never stays around long enough to freeze!

Butternut Squash Puree
(Parents should try Butternut Squash White Bean Soup)

Cut the squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds

Put the halves face down on a in a dish filled with about ¼ in of water and cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Turn the squash face-up and continue cooking until soft/you can easily make a hole in it with a fork

Scoop out meat, place in food processor, and add liquid as needed to achieve desired consistency
Growing up: In a bowl with a touch of water, combine fresh spinach leaves, a clove of minced garlic and an onion slice. Cover with a plate and cook for three minutes in the microwave. Puree cooked spinach mixture with squash puree, a little cheese and rice cereal. Add your Great Northern beans or serve them separately as a finger food.  As beans may be a choke hazard, watch your child closely.

Sweet Potato Puree
(Parents should try Sweet Potato Enchiladas)

Wash the potato and puncture it with a fork or knife.

Place in an oven at 400 degrees until soft or

Place in a covered dish in about 1/2 inch of water and microwave until soft.

Once ready, hold hot potato in oven mitt and make an incision in the skin, which will easily peel to reveal the meat.

Once introduced, cook with a sprig or rosemary and olive oil.

Growing up: Cut uncooked potatoes into strips and place on cookie sheet covered with foil.  Brush with EVOO and sprinkle with rosemary and a pinch of salt to taste.  Bake at 400 degrees until soft.

Green Bean Puree

(also appropriate for chicken, summer squash, etc.)

Place washed and prepared beans in casserole dish.

Surround beans with fresh peeled and cut garlic and chopped onion, a dash of pepper and some parsley or rosemary.  Quantities used will be according to taste.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees until thoroughly cooked and soft.

Immediately puree and freeze or serve.

Growing Up: Combine green bean puree with baked chicken, rice, rice cereal, or a baked potato, and Plain Yogurt for a kick of taste and calcium. 

Super Oatmeal

1. Empty your packet of oatmeal into a microwave safe bowl (I used my everyday china's cereal bowl)
2. Pour your fruit over the top (don't be afraid to mix it up); generally 2-3 tablespoons, depending upon the fruit, is perfect, but more is great.
3. Add your milk.  How much depends upon what fruit you used (some contribute more juice than others) and how wet your child prefers their oatmeal.  I got it wrong most every morning, so my son grew to love moist oatmeal!
4.  Heat per the instructions on your oatmeal, though if you can get away with less, it will save you time in the cooling phase, as kids are notorious for not liking food too warm.
5.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, stir well, and place on granite counter (amazing for rapid cooling) or in freezer to cool for consumption.

Toddler Salad

For one child, dice the following:

1/4 of an Avocado

2/3c tomato

1/2c cucumber

1/4c onion

1/4c bell pepper

Pour off 80% of the olive oil from a bottle of Newman's Own Italian or Oil and Vinegar dressing and save for cooking.  Shake the remaining dressing well and sprinkle over salad.  Mix well, breaking up the avocado, which will help the dressing to go further.

Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

(1 serving)

3/4c Low Fat French Vanilla Yogurt

4T canned pumpkin (or more to taste)

1T wheat germ

a pinch of cinnamon

1/2t brown sugar

Mix all of the above in a cup and place in the freezer for 1.5 hours.

Nine Months

Nine Months

 At nine months, you can start to introduce foods to your child that make eating far more flavorful and nutritious.  

Time saver: peel fresh garlic faster by
 placing entire pod in a tightly covered
pan and shaking it.  Then remove the tips,
chop and cook.

Garlic: some lists will say that you may start garlic as early as 7-8 months, as it is not a common allergen, but certainly by nine months, garlic should be a staple in your child’s diet.  Garlic has many purported health benefits, including being a natural broad-spectrum anti-biotic, which many recommend as part of a home-remedy for ear infection and good source of iron, but the best part of garlic is its flavor.  Garlic can be strong and cause stomach aches, especially if eaten raw, so until your child’s digestive system develops further, stick to cooked garlic, which can be baked to have a sweet flavor. 

Garlic can be bought fresh in a clove or pre-minced, etc. in a bottle.  Some contend that bottled garlic has a bitter taste but it is certainly faster to use.  I prefer fresh garlic, which to flavor a food that will be cooked and pureed, need only to have its ends cut, crushed by the side of the knife and the peel removed; if the garlic is to be incorporated into a dish, it will need to be chopped further so as not to overwhelm.

Onions: Onions are a member of the same family as garlic, have many of the same properties and benefits, including being a great natural way to fight colds, and a great source of fiber and flavor. 

Also, at this time, you may start to introduce herbs and spices, including pepper, basil, parsley, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, ginger, rosemary, and dill. 

Beans: the school yard song was true; beans really are good for your heart!  You may either buy dried beans in a bag, which are slightly healthier or purchase them in a can.  Dried beans take a long time to cook and a bag can feed an army, which is why I purchase low-sodium beans in a can and thoroughly wash and drain them before serving them to my son, who eats them like candy.  Be advised: 1. Washing will not remove all of the sodium, which can be substantial in canned beans and 2. Beans can be a choke hazard so watch a child as they consume them.  Remember your child's love of beans as they mature, because they make a great finger food for children of all ages.

Recipe: Baby Mexican

1 thawed cube of chicken

1 glove of cook garlic

1 slice of cooked onion

1T avocado

2T your favorite beans

1T plain, whole milk yogurt

1cube squash or other vegetable

 

Microwave raw onion in a small container or water until soft.  Thaw other foods.  Mix thoroughly with fresh ingredients, modifying portions to match appetite, and blend to desired consistency.

Other great foods to introduce to a nine-month-old’s diet are white potatoes and mushrooms, cream cheese, and cottage cheese.

 

Mom and Dad Meals

 

Dragon Breath Pasta

(4 servings; 15 minute prep time)

Child's version: limit garlic and ensure
it is finely chopped as raw garlic
is strong and is chunks, crunchy.

Spinach or whole wheat pasta (according to package)

2T EVOO

8 cloves of fresh garlic (more or less according to taste)

2T fresh minced basil

1c Parm

1-2 hot peppers (optional)

2 medium tomatoes



Use a pasta with a lot of surface area, such as a spiral, so that the garlic can adhere.  Bowl water for pasta add a 2T of kosher salt and some olive oil to the water.  Cook pasta until it reaches the desired texture.
Choose a pod of fresh garlic.  Fresh cloves of garlic are heavier than older.  Mince well and place in bottom of bowl with EVOO, basil and optional hot peppers.  Once pasta is cooked, drain noodles, reserving 1/4c of water.  Toss reserved water and pasta in bowl with the above.  Once noodles are coated with mixture, add cheese and gently toss again.
Place in bowls and sprinkle with additional cheese and tomatoes according to taste.

Covering the Bases Couscous

So many people are unfamiliar with couscous, which packs a heavier nutritional punch than pasta, but much like pasta, is available in a wheat option. 

2/3c+ of sweet onion
8+ medium to large white mushroom
1c+ frozen green peas
1T Olive Oil

1 can wild salmon
 Near East Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil Wheat Couscous
Parmesan Cheese

Dice onions and mushrooms and place with olive oil in a pan that has a lid.  Sweat the mushrooms for 5 minutes and add peas, liquid from directions on the box, and flavor packet.  Follow directions on box.  Serve with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan on top.  Prep and cook time approx. 15 minutes.

 

 

Eight Months

Eight Months

At this point your baby should be having three meals per day.  This was also the point where I started to structure meals, so that my son was getting the most out of foods.  I also cut back on breastfeeding and isolated feeding so that I was not trying to get him to eat solids and immediately breastfeed. 

Each day, my day loosely went as follows:

Morning: Wake and breastfeed (also, the sooner I breastfed, the sooner I could have coffee, if I am honest).  An hour or so later, my son would have cereal mixed in pureed fruit. 

Mid-day: His lunch would consist of a yogurt blend (more below), followed two hours later by breastfeeding. 

Evening: Vegetables with a cereal for iron, followed at bedtime by breast milk.

Some experts recommend some finger foods at this time, but my son was far from ready.  Watch your baby for his or her comfort level with thickness and chunkiness of foods and recognize he or she will progress at their own pace.

Purchase whole milk, plain yogurt in a
large container vs individual cups labeled
for babies to save. 

The most important food to enter baby’s world at this point is yogurt.  If you eat adult yogurt, your concept of yogurt is about to change, as baby’s first yogurt should be plain.  Baby or plain yogurt does not contain all of the sugar of regular yogurt and is generally made from whole milk, which contains the fats that infants need and will continue to need until about their first birthday or as advised by your pediatrician. 

Yogurt is one of my family’s organic items. Regardless of organic or conventional, choose a yogurt with simple ingredients that contains live and active cultures, which are essential for getting the full potential benefit of yogurt.   The cultures are what help to keep the good bacteria flourishing in your digestive system, which promotes good health, in babies and adults. 

Savings: ask your doctor or pharmacist if
you may use the adult probiotics vs children's
to save.

Much like the banana, it is also an essential tool for helping to stop diarrhea.  Even if your child will not eat yogurt, you can add pro-biotics in the form of a tasteless powder to any cool liquid or food to help restore the balance of the gut.  If dealing with digestive upset, make sure that the brand that you choose contains Lactobacillus. 

Eight-months-old in our house hit mid-summer and at the height of blueberry season, which is my favorite Super Food that is only worth eating in-season.  As blueberry is not a common allergen, I decided to let my son try it earlier than some of the experts suggest.  He loved it pureed in his cereals and I felt good about what he was eating.  I did make sure not to serve him the blueberry skin, as it would end up in hard-to-chew chunks, but they are easy to navigate around.  I tell this not to advocate flying in the face of experts, but as a reminder that sometimes it is worth deviating from the prescribed path.

At eight months, some experts suggest introducing wheat germ, which is an amazing food that I only learned of because of my son.  Wheat germ contains 23 nutrients, and has more nutrients per ounce than any other vegetable or grain.  It is also a great source of iron and folic acid.  Even more importantly for feeding a baby, it has a great toasted taste.

I also introduce flax seed oil around eight months, which is a great source of Omega-3, which many diets lack.  Flax comes in many different forms, but oil is the easiest for the body to absorb.  This is not an oil used for cooking (see label of bottle), so I used it in my son’s yogurt, as it has a nice light taste.  Only use the recommended amount on the bottle, as too much flax seed oil can produce loose stools.

Flax seed oil and wheat germ were as far as I delved in to new health foods, as I felt strongly that though I wanted my son to have a healthy diet and that trying new things is good for all of us, his diet had to be realistic and something that would prepare him to eat what the rest of us were having for a given meal.  If your family eats amazing and exotic foods, making their introduction imperative, I commend you, but if your family’s diet is basic, it does not make it any less healthy. 
 

Recipe: Baby Yogurt Lunch

1 small container baby yogurt

¼- ½ avocado

Fresh or frozen fruit to hunger and taste including banana, peaches, mango, or pears

1-2T wheat germ

1T flax seed oil

Blend in mini-chopper until smooth.  I would also suggest doubling the recipe, as it is a delicious and amazingly healthy lunch for adults, too.

Tip: quartering grapes is time-consuming.
Try placing whole grapes them between
two plates and running a sharp knife
between to halve. 

If your child has not had a reaction to gluten in oats, limited though it may be, and comes from contamination in manufacturing, and there is no family history of an allergy or Celiac Disease, you may choose to introduce wheat at this age, which will open up the door to many pastas and breads.  Other foods that are suggested for eight month-olds are kiwi, cranberry, cooked broccoli, watermelon, cantaloupe, peeled and quartered grapes, and light cheeses.  Chicken, turkey, and tofu, all great sources of protein can also be introduced at eight months, but be warned, consuming meats will produce stronger smelling diapers. 

I love cranberries, but like 99% of the population, I cannot eat a plain, fresh cranberry.  So to allow my son some of their nutritional value, though with some needed sugar, in this case, I would rehydrate cranraisins.   Finely chop them and add them to the water in which you are cooking sweet potatoes, carrots, etc.  Drain excess water and then puree them with the food.  Some tiny chunks may remain, so be on the lookout when serving.

Seven Months

Seven Months

Your baby should be eating two to three meals per day and having breast milk or formula with each meal.  Each meal should consist of approximately  ½ cup of food, but remember that babies are human and will want more or less depending upon the day and their personal needs.  The goal is that they gain weight and grow appropriately while learning good eating habits, which do not include gorging on forced food.  Even at this age, children should learn to respond to their internal cues for hunger and fullness, and parents need to respect their limits.  If your child is not interested in food, simply try later, but do not make it a battle, as you will never win.  A child will not starve him or herself even at this young of an age.  As always, though, if you have concerns, consult your pediatrician.
Around this time you may begin to thicken food (a relative term) as you and your baby are comfortable with it.  Some recommend introducing hard-cooked egg yolk, but not egg white, which contains the most common allergens, but consult your pediatrician before offering. This is also a prime month to focus on veggies.  Some common favorites are carrots, asparagus, green beans, peas, summer squash, and white potatoes. 

Most all of these items can easily be cooked in the microwave; if preparing them fresh, simply cut, submerge them in water and then cover while cooking.  Cook times vary, but are ready when they are soft and ready to be pureed.  Do not cook your child’s food in plastic containers, especially if you do not know whether they are BPA-free, but you do not need to register for all-new microwave-safe cookware either.  A ceramic cereal bowl covered by a salad plate works really well for small dishes or re-heating. 

 

Recipe: Basic Asparagus for the Whole Family

(Treat asparagus as you would fresh flowers: do not expose them to prolonged heat and keep their ends in water)

The white end will be discarded, so after washing, you will need to snap the ends of the spears.  This can be done individually by gently applying upward pressure to the two ends of the spear until it breaks, generally a few inches up from the bottom, or do one or two in this manner and then hold the bunch together and cut the spears with a knife in the general area where the sample pieces broke. 

 

Bake: Preheat the over to 400.  Spread the asparagus in a single layer across a baking sheet.  Leaving some plain for the youngest eater, drizzle the remainder with a few sweeps of EVOO and a little kosher salt.  If you like spice, add a dusting of cayenne.  Bake until spears are a brilliant green.

Puree and serve or freeze.  You can serve the "adult" asparagus warm or chill and then add it to a salad.

 

Carrots, green beans, and certain squashes appear on the high nitrate list, which means that initially, they should only come from baby food manufacturers, who can test the nitrate level in foods.  To lower the nitrates in all foods, experts suggest preparing food soon after purchase or freezing immediately.  Most experts recommend not preparing these foods at home until 8-12 months, but some recommend as soon as six months; follow your physician’s guidelines on this point.  Below are the fresh foods that some say may be high in nitrates:

Nitrate List: Beets, Carrots, Green Beans, Spinach, Squash, Strawberries,Turnips, and Cantaloupe

The only baby food that I routinely purchased were the high nitrate food but found that having them made life easier because I could mix other fresh foods into them to get a consistency that my son liked.  Also as commercial baby food is mainly water, it made it easy to add cereal to a meal, which is a good way to ensure sufficient iron intake.  In fact, many physicians recommend continuing an iron fortified cereal until your child is at least one-year-old.

Green Bean Puree

(also appropriate for chicken, summer squash, etc.)

Place washed and prepared beans in casserole dish.

Surround beans with fresh peeled and cut garlic and chopped onion, a dash of pepper and some parsley or rosemary.  Quantities used will be according to taste.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees until thoroughly cooked and soft.

Immediately puree and freeze or serve.
Growing Up: Combine green bean puree with baked chicken, rice, rice cereal, or a baked potato, and Plain Yogurt for a kick of taste and calcium. 

You may also try other infant cereals; though the most commonly available will be oat, barley, which is common in infant multi-grain cereals, is also an option.  As always, read the label of the multi-grain cereal to see what other grains are included and thus will be introduced to your child.

Mom and Dad Meals

Summer Squash Pasta

Bring pot of water with 2T of EVOO to boil for pasta.  Cook pasta as directed.  We love either a spinach or sun-dried tomato pasta, but whole wheat is also delicious. 

Mince and sauté 6 large cloves of garlic and one medium Vidalia onion in 2T of EVOO in large pan with a lid.  Salt to taste.

Quarter (length-wise) and then slice (about 2/3 in thick) 6 medium squash and place in pan with onions and garlic (will serve about 4 people).

Wash two stalks of oregano and two sprigs of basil and place, uncut, on top of squash.  Reduce to low/medium heat and cover.  Allow to cook until squash start to soften, stirring occasionally.

Juice one lemon over the entire pan, reduce heat to low, and cover.  

Cook just until squash is cooked through, not mushy.  Remove herbs and discard.  

Slice fresh tomato and grate fresh Parm.

 

Six to Seven Months

Six to Seven Months

Depending upon when you started solids, at six months, food is joining breast milk or formula for one or possibly two meals per day, but it is not replacing the breast or bottle at those feedings, as they are still the primary source of nutrition.  As food is introduced, make sure that your baby is continuing to get enough fluids.

Pumpkin, sweet potato and butternut squash are three great Super Foods that most babies cannot resist.  Beware, they are not easily absorbed and baby’s poo may closely resemble their dinner, so do not be shocked.  They are, however, easily prepared, especially pumpkin, which is best and easiest store-bought, as it has a smoother texture than fresh pumpkin.  Sweet Potatoes and butternut squash are best baked, but a sweet potato can be cooked in the microwave. 

Recipe: Butternut Squash Puree



Butternut Squash Quick Peel:
Cut off wide bottom section.
Stand remaining column up and
then shave skin off with sharp knife.

Cut the squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds

Put the halves face down on a in a dish filled with about ¼ inch of water and cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Turn the squash face-up and continue cooking until meat is soft

Scoop out meat, place in food processor, and add liquid as needed to achieve desired consistency.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Puree

Wash the potato and puncture it with a fork or knife.

Place in an oven at 400 degrees until soft or

Place in a covered dish in about 1/2 inch of water and microwave until soft.

Once ready, hold hot potato in oven mitt and make an incision in the skin, which will easily peel to reveal the meat.

Both of the above make great batch recipes or use the rest for a meal for the rest of the family.

Other foods for the six month plus crowd

Peaches, prunes, apples and pears are all great for aiding in constipation, but need to be cooked at this age.  You may try mango and pears raw toward the end of six months. 

 

Recipe: Pear Apple Sauce

(great batch recipe)

Peel and slice pears and apples into uniform pieces and place in a baking dish.  You may also leave the skin on for cooking and peel before pureeing. 

Add enough water to coat the bottom of your baking dish.

Cover dish and bake at 350 degrees until apples are soft.

Add water as needed to achieve desired consistency; puree and freeze or serve immediately.

Growing up: once introduced, add a sprinkle of cinnamon before cooking

Recipe: Pumpkin Apple Sauce

(fall favorite for the whole family)

Peel and slice 5-6 apples and place in baking dish lined with foil (easier clean-up)

Pour can of organic pumpkin over apples (fresh is more trouble and can have a chunkier texture)

Cinnamon to taste (if baby has ben exposed).

Enough water or apple cider to coat bottom of baking dish.

If you are not using sweet apples, you may need to add a sprinkle of sugar to taste, especially as the pumpkin flavor can be a little drab.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees until apples are soft.

Puree and serve, refrigerate or freeze immediately.  Both of my children love this and will eat it for every meal and snack, so it never stays around long enough to freeze!

Mom and Dad Meals

Butternut Squash White Bean Soup

(a favorite during the winter that tastes best a few days after cooking, so make extra)

324 calories per serving

3 bacon slices (we do a few more)
Remove slices and crumble. Reserve 2t of drippings.

1c chopped onion
2/3 c chopped celery
3 garlic cloves minced
4c (plus some!) cubed and peeled butternut squash
¼ c dry white wine (always add a little extra)
4c chicken broth
1t ground cumin
¼ t ground red pepper (we like it hot and add more)
1/8 t cinnamon
1/8 t cloves
¼ c whipping cream
1T chopped oregano1t salt
¼ t ground black pepper
2 15oz cans Great Northern beans rinsed and drained
3T toasted pumpkin seeds

To drippings, add onion, celery, and garlic and cook three minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add squash and cook another three minutes. Add wine and cook until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in chicken broth and add cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, and cloves; bring ot a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until squash is tender (5+minutes). Stir in cream, oregano, salt, pepper, and beans and again, bring to a boil.
Allow soup to stand for as long as possible (you will understand when you have the leftovers!). Serve each bowl with pumpkin seeds and bacon sprinkled on top.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

6 medium sweet potatoes (will serve 6)

4 cloves of garlic 

Medium onion

12oz. low fat cream cheese

1 can of black beans (more may be used)

½ lime (juiced)

Pinch of Cumin (more to taste)

Cilantro (to taste)

Black Pepper

Salt (optional)

Cayenne Pepper

Soft shells

Cheddar Cheese

Tomatoes

Enchilada Sauce

Preheat oven to 400C.  Clean potatoes and place in boiling water with skins on.  Mince garlic and onion and place in large bowl with cream cheese, lime juice, cumin, cilantro, black pepper, cayenne, and salt.  Once soft, drain water from potatoes, soak in cold water, and peal once cool.  Add potatoes to above bowl and mix with a hand mixer until smooth.  Gently stir in beans. 

Place shells in oven safe container.  Coat with thin layer of cheddar cheese and place in oven to melt.  Remove from oven, fill with potato mix, fold and secure with a toothpick.  Drizzle enchilada sauce and bake until shells are crisp.  Top with tomatoes , additional enchilada sauce and serve.