Baby Food: Macaroni & Cheese Bites

I’ve found that small things like this are easier to travel with than containers full of purees and the like. Throw a few of these babies in a ziploc and go! Suitable for toddlers one year and older.

Equipment:
Saucepan and Stove
Mini muffin pan and Oven

Ingredients:
Non-stick spray
1/2 cup elbow macaroni
1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole milk, heated
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1. Spray your mini muffin pan with non-stick spray and preheat your oven to 375°.
2. Bring a saucepan full of water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions. Drain.
3. In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Slowly add milk while whisking. Continue whisking as you add the cheeses. Stir in macaroni and egg. Remove from heat.
4. Fill about twelve cups in the mini muffin pan with macaroni mixture. Bake until bubbling and crisp, about ten minutes. Let cool for an additional ten minutes before removing from the pan.

This makes a yummy snack for older children and adults too!

Baby Food: Avocado Spread

Got a baby that wants to feed themselves? Spread this on bread and cut into pieces for a wholesome snack! Suitable for babies nine months and older.

Equipment:
Saucepan and Stove

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/4 cup whole milk plain yogurt
1 avocado
Bread

Directions:
1. Place eggs in your saucepan, cover with water, and heat to a boil. Once it is boiling, remove from heat, cover, and let sit fourteen minutes. Rinse the eggs with cold water to stop the cooking, peel, and slice the eggs in half. Remove the yokes to a bowl, and save the whites for a separate use.
2. Add yogurt and avocado flesh to the yokes. Mash and stir with a fork until smooth.
3. Spread avocado mixture on the bread and cut into bite size pieces.
4. The spread can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to one day, or in the freezer for up to three months.

This makes a yummy snack for older children and adults too!

Baby Food: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Who doesn’t love oatmeal stuffed with the yummy goodness of apple and cinnamon? This is suitable for babies nine months and older, and is super simple to make!

Equipment:
Saucepan and Stove
Box grater

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 apple
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
1. Put water in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.
2. While the water is heating up, core the apple and shred on the large holes of a box grater.
3. Once water is boiling, add oatmeal, apple, and cinnamon. Return to boil, then reduce heat to medium high and simmer about five minutes or until the oatmeal begins to thicken.
4. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit about 10 minutes. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for three days or in the freezer for three months.

Double the recipe and have breakfast as a family!

Baby Food: Summer Squash Pilaf

Yeah, this isn’t really a pilaf, but it’s easy to make, and babies seven months and up will find it delicious!

Equipment:
Saucepan and Stove
Frying pan
Box grater

Ingredients:
2 small summer squash
1/2 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable stock
1/2 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Blend 1 Tbsp olive oil with the quinoa in a saucepan. Add stock and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, grate the summer squash on the big holes of a box grater. Fry in the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil for 3-5 minutes.
3. Stir summer squash and cumin into the quinoa! Store in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.

Enjoy baby!

Baby Food: Amaranth & Plum

Yummy, fruity, and delicious, Baby Girl loves this one, and it’s super easy! Suitable for babies aged seven months and up!

Equipment:
Saucepan and Stove
Blender or Food Processor (used my Cuisinart Mini Prep this time)

Ingredients:
1 ripe plum
11/2 cups water
1/2 cup amarinth

Directions:
1. Bring water to boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add amaranth and return to boil, then lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. The amaranth will me transparent and sticky.
2. Pit and chop the plum. Put in the blender or food processor and pulse until suitable for your baby’s age and chewing ability.
3. Stir plum into amaranth. Store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to three days.

Easy Peasy, lemon squeezy!

Baby Food: Zucchini Medley

Now that Baby Girl is getting more adventurous with her food (a bit), I’m finding it a bit easier to make things that she likes. Here is an easy thing to whip up that might get baby to eat her vegetables! It is suitable for 7 months and over.

Equipment:
Steamer (or pot of water, stove, and steamer basket)
Saucepan and Stove
Blender or Food Processor

Ingredients:
1 small zucchini
1 cup water
1/4 cup millet
2 Tbsp. applesauce (I use the natural kind)
4 tsp. basil

Directions:
1. Slice the zucchini and steam it in your steamer (or over boiling water in a steamer basket) for about seven minutes until tender.
2. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil on the stove. When boiling, add the millet and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the millet is soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add zucchini, millet, applesauce, and basil to the blender or food processor and blend until it is the consistency preferred by your little one according to their age. Add water if needed for a smoother consistency.

Easy Peasy!

Baby Smoothies

So it turns out that Baby Girl is a fruit addict. She pretty much hates every vegetable I try to give her unless I mix it with a little fruit. Doesn’t matter how I season it. I’ve run out of single ingredient purees to make, so I decided to start making her the occasional baby smoothie. If you’re making your own, you could substitute pretty much any fruit your baby is old enough to have for any of these. I just used what I know she likes.

Ingredients:
1 banana
1 nectarine/peach (fresh or frozen)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup apple juice

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. It’s that easy.
2. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months.

Here’s To Baby Food: Prunes

Everyone always complains that prunes are too hard to make from scratch and that you’re better off buying them…I disagree. These were simple.

Equipment:
Food Processor OR Blender
Colander
Stove and saucepan

Ingredients:
1 cup prunes
1 cup Water

1. Add prunes and water to the saucepan. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about ten minutes until prunes are tender. Drain, reserving liquid. Let cool.

2. Puree prunes and reserved liquid in the food processor or blender until smooth, adding additional water if needed.

3. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.

If your baby constipates easily, this is a good puree to have on hand in the freezer.

Here’s To Baby Food: Minty Green Beans

I’m starting to think I have a baby that just isn’t a fan of vegetables, because she isn’t a fan of this either. She’ll eat it mixed with stuff, but not on it’s own. I think it was delicious.

Equipment:
Food Processor OR Blender
Steamer OR Steaming basket, Stove, and Saucepan

Ingredients:
1/2 pound frozen cut green beans
1 Tbsp. fresh mint leaves

1. Steam the green beans in a steamer appliance or over boiling water for 14 minutes or so.

2. Add green beans and mint to the blender or food processor.

3. Puree in blender or food processor until smooth, add water as needed to make a smooth puree. I needed about 3 Tbsp.

4. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months.

It really smells great! This is suitable for babies 7 months and older.

Here’s To Baby Food: Asparagus

Baby Girl doesn’t particularly like this asparagus puree, but mix it with pears, and she’ll eat it.

Equipment:
Food Processor OR Blender
Steamer OR Steaming basket, Stove, and Saucepan

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 lb.)

1. Cut woody, tough ends from the bottom of the asparagus. Steam in steamer appliance (I use an Oster) or in a steamer basket over boiling water until bright green and well cooked, about 10 minutes.

2. Run hot asparagus under cold water to stop the cooking.

3. Puree asparagus in blender or food processor until smooth, you shouldn’t need any additional water.