Here’s to Baby Food: Peaches

Baby Girl really loves peaches. I like them too, and she tolerates them mixed with all sorts of things, making them a go-to puree for sure!

Equipment:
Steamer OR stove, pot, and steamer basket
Food Processor OR Blender

Ingredients:
4 ripe peaches or nectarines, or 2 lbs. frozen peaches

1. Steam peaches for 5 minutes if fresh, 8 minutes if frozen. I used frozen because I wasn’t able to find fresh in my local grocery store. You can use an actual steamer appliance (I use an Oster, because it’s on a timer, so I don’t have to worry about walking away), or a steamer basket over an inch of water would work just as well.

2. Let the peaches cool. If you are using fresh, you’ll want to remove the skins and discard them. Since I used frozen, they were already skinless.

3. Process the peaches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add water as needed.

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

This is an easy and delicious one for sure. Love me some peaches!

Here’s to Baby Food: Beet and Potato

While Baby Girl only tolerates this, she does like the beets a lot better mixed with some fruits and things. I think the beets and potatoes go well together. She doesn’t really agree.

Equipment:
Oven, cookie sheet, shallow baking dish
Food processor or blender

Ingredients:
1 lb. baby beets, trimmed and scrubbed
1 russet potato, scrubbed

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Place the trimmed beets in the shallow baking dish and add 1/2 an inch of water. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Prick the potato with a fork several times and place on the cookie sheet.

2. Bake both the beets and potato in the oven for about an hour. Let cool.

3. Peel the beets and potato and cut into chunks, discarding the skins. Process the potato in a food processor or blender until smooth, adding water as needed.

4. Process beets in a food processor or blender until smooth, adding water as needed.

5. Store beets and potatoes separately in airtight containers. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Serve by swirling equal parts beets and potato together in a bowl.

 

Here’s to Baby Food: Banana

This is going to be one of my faster baby food posts. I know I’ve said that every one of these so far is easy…but this is the easiest. Easy as pie, and Baby Girl absolutely loves it.

Ingredients:
Banana

Equipment:
Bowl and Fork

1. Peel banana.

2. Mash banana with a fork. If your baby is too young for the chunks and you need it to be smooth, put it in a food processor or blender for a few seconds.

No need to store it, it mixes up too easily. If you do want to store it, feel free to do so in airtight containers in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months. It will start to turn brown if stored, but it’s still edible.

If your baby is old enough for spices, feel free to add some cinnamon or nutmeg for a little flavor.

Here’s to Baby Food: Zucchini

I’ve been told by several people lately who have witnessed me feeding Baby Girl zucchini puree that they never thought about giving their babies zucchini. Well, I did. It is easy to digest, mild flavored, and good for you. Baby Girl isn’t a huge fan, but she liked them better than peas, so it’s a step in the right direction.

Equipment:
Steamer Appliance OR Stove, Pot, and Steamer Basket
Sharp Knife and Cutting Board
Blender or Food Processor

Ingredients:
2 Zucchini
That’s it!

1. Trim the ends off the zucchini and slice them into one inch slices. Don’t bother to peel them. The peel is easy to digest and blends easy as well.

2. Steam the zucchini. I used an actual steamer appliance (I have an Oster one), because it’s easy and it turns itself off when it’s done (seriously helpful when you have to run and change a baby), but a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water would work just as well if you keep an eye on the kitchen timer. It should take about 7 minutes.

3. Process the zucchini in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water or cooking liquid as needed to make it the right consistency for your baby. I used my basic Hamilton Beach blender, and cooking liquid to thin it. My steamer has a reservoir under the steaming basket that catches all the zucchini flavored water before it ends up in the steam water, so I used that. Normally I would use a food processor because it makes quick work of it, but I don’t have a full size one, only a mini, so all the zucchini pieces wouldn’t have fit.

5. Transfer to containers (I use the OXO Tot baby food containers because they’re airtight, plus freezer and microwave safe). To store, keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If your baby is old enough for spices, zucchini can be great when you stir in a little basil, garlic powder, or cayenne pepper.

That’s it! Use the same recipe to make yellow summer squash for baby!

Here’s to Baby Food: Pears

So, pears. They are as easy as apples ( think they were even easier, but that’s just me), and they are delicious. You won’t regret making these babies form scratch.

Equipment:
Steamer OR Stove, Pot, and Steamer Basket
Vegetable Peeler
Blender OR Food Processor

Ingredients:
4 pears
That’s it!

1. Quarter and core the pears. Don’t peel them, we’ll do that later. Cooking with the peel on adds nutrients.

2. Steam the pears. I used an actual steamer appliance (I have an Oster one), because it’s easy and it turns itself off when it’s done (seriously helpful when you have to run and change a baby), but a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water would work just as well if you keep an eye on the kitchen timer. It should take about 7 minutes.

3. Now peel the pears. I used a vegetable peeler. If your knife skills are way better than mine, you can just use a knife. It can be a bit of a pain, and the apples can get a bit slippery, but you’ll get the hang of it, I promise.

4. Process the pears in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water or cooking liquid as needed to make it the right consistency for your baby. I used my basic Hamilton Beach blender, and cooking liquid to thin it. My steamer has a reservoir under the steaming basket that catches all the pear flavored water before it ends up in the steam water, so I used that. Normally I would use a food processor because it makes quick work of it, but I don’t have a full size one, only a mini, so all the pears wouldn’t have fit.

5. Transfer to containers (I use the OXO Tot baby food containers because they’re airtight, plus freezer and microwave safe). To store, keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The pears will brown a little while being stored, but don’t worry, that doesn’t mean they’ve gone bad.

That’s it! It doesn’t get much simpler than that (and you thought this was going to be hard)!

Here’s to Baby Food: Apples

So, my first foray into baby food today was an apple puree. Baby Girl is only six months old, and we just started her on solids. I always wanted to make her baby food, but I wasn’t sure how she would like it, so I started out with some jarred organic stuff people had given me at my baby shower. Once it was clear that she wanted solid food on a daily basis, I decided to make some. Apples it is. This is how I made it. There are many variations to this (it is essentially applesauce), so feel free to do it your own way. I do not use any special baby food specific equipment, as the functions they perform are the same as other kitchen appliances I already own.

Ingredients:
6 sweet apples (I used Gala)
That’s it!

1. Quarter and core the apples. Feel free to use an apple corer thingy…I didn’t, because I don’t have one. Why don’t I have one? Seriously. I must be nuts. Don’t peel them, we’ll do that later. Cooking the apples with the peel on adds nutrients.

2. Steam the apples. I used an actual steamer appliance (I have an Oster one), because it’s easy and it turns itself off when it’s done (seriously helpful when you have to run and change a baby), but a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water would work just as well if you keep an eye on the kitchen timer. It should take about 12 minutes.

3. Now peel the apples. I used a vegetable peeler. It can be a bit of a pain, and the apples can get a bit slippery, but you’ll get the hang of it, I promise.

4. Process the apples in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water or cooking liquid as needed to make it the right consistency for your baby. I used my basic Hamilton Beach blender, and cooking liquid to thin it. My steamer has a reservoir under the steaming basket that catches all the apple flavored water before it ends up in the steam water, so I used that. Normally I would use a food processor because it makes quick work of it, but I don’t have a full size one, only a mini, so all the apples wouldn’t have fit.

5. Transfer to containers (I use the OXO Tot baby food containers because they’re airtight, plus freezer and microwave safe). To store, keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can add a little lemon juice to keep it from browning, but a little color change won’t hurt it.

That’s it! It doesn’t get much simpler than that (and you thought this was going to be hard)! I thought about including a photo, but it really does just look like applesauce. I swear it. When baby is old enough for spices, add a little cinnamon!

 

How to Section Citrus

This is an important technique that too few people actually know how to do, so I’m sharing it with you.

To section citrus, first cut off the ends of the fruit. Working your way around, carefully slice off the peel and pith in sections. Once the peel and pith are removed, slice away the sections using 45 degree cuts with a sharp knife over a bowl to catch the juice and sections as they fall away. When you are finished, look for any seeds and remove them, then drain the sections from the juice, reserving  the juice if needed.

A great video showing how to do this is below.