Baby Food - Carrots

Although my son doesn't like carrots (and is now almost 11 months old), I though I'd post this recipe anyways. I loved the puree carrots! I would highly suggest using organic carrots if you are going to make them for your young baby. There are certain fruits and vegetables that are just much safer to give to your little one when they are organic (not to mention, for yourself). We only really did puree foods for about 2 months and my son quickly learned to self-feed. (Boy, has that been messy.) These were so easy to make and I even still steam carrots for him today and he loves them!

Baby Food - Puree Carrots

Adapted from: Kelly's Kitch original

1 pkg organic carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch sized pieces

water

Steam the carrots stove top and allow to cool, reserving the liquid. Place carrots and 1/2 cup water from the pot into a food processor (you may have to do this in several batches). Puree until the carrots are the consistency you want for your baby. Keep adding liquid from the pot that you used to boil the carrots with until the perfect consistency. Pulse the carrots instead of pureeing if your baby is old enough for thicker foods.

Baby Food - Avocado Puree

Avocado is something I'd never eaten because I hate guacamole. I guess my tastes have changed (aka I eat everything in sight) since being pregnant and breastfeeding so I was curious to see how this super-fruit tasted. I've read that avocado is one of the best foods you can give your child! It also has a very low chance of allergy and are so easy to serve, too. Some people just mash it with a fork in a bowl, but Cam prefers the smoothness of the puree foods so I blended it.

And, of course, Camden loved it! He didn't so much like my first attempt to puree it (using less water and being very chunky). I guess we've got a little ways to go until he reaches the stage where he wants textured foods.

Baby Food - Avocado Puree

Adapted from: Kelly's Kitch original

Yields: 1.5 servings/jars

1 avocado

water

Slice the avocado in half and remove the seed. Since this was my first time working with an avocado, I looked up a how-to video on youtube found here. Place the flesh of the avocado into a food processor and add 1/4-1/3 cup water, more if necessary (I used about 1/3 cup). Process until smooth and serve or freeze immediately.

Baby food - Butternut Squash

Now that my baby is 6 months old (and growing too fast), I am very excited to christen my new Baby Bullet I got for Christmas this year! With too much excitement I've purchased bananas, several types of squash, and more. Who would have thought I'd be so excited to make puree foods?! I made pumpkin puree once with my blender but it didn't puree it as much as I'd have liked. The Baby Bullet has worked 10 times better! Side note: Camden did not like the pumpkin .. at all. I am so excited for all the milestones and great times that 2012 is sure to bring us and our new, bigger family! I hope you and yours have a great New Years.

Also, I wanted to note that I saved at least $3 by pureeing the squash myself, compared to $.50 per jar. I purchased one squash at $2 (out of season) and pureed it into several servings!

Puree Butternut Squash

Adapted from: Kelly's Kitch original
Yields: 1 ice cube tray (approximately 14-16 "ice" cubes)

1 medium butternut squash

1/4 cup water, plus more for baking

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the top stem off of the squash. Slice squash lengthwise in half and place flesh-side down into an 8x8 baking dish. Add enough water to cover the sides of the squash about 1/4-inch up. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until flesh is easily pierced with a fork.

Allow squash to cool enough to handle and peel the skin off. Place the cooked flesh into a blender and add the 1/4 cup of water. Puree until smooth, adding more water if necessary. Freeze in an ice cube tray for long-term storage (up to 3 months) or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Baby food - Steel cut oatmeal

It's that time. Puree time. Messy floors, fingers and faces. Who knew time would fly so quickly?! I'm thoroughly enjoying motherhood (as you can tell since I've almost abandoned this blog, sorry). This was the first puree food my son had that wasn't rice cereal. Once we start introducing fruits, not until next year, I will start adding more flavors in the form of puree fruits, too!

I didn't grind up the steel cut oats before making this recipe so I had to puree them quite a bit when I was done cooking them. My son is just starting to eat puree foods so it was a bit too chunky of a texture for him, but a friend told me to simply grind up the oats in a coffee grinder until they are a powder. Hopefully when I do that next time, it will take less time to make.

Baby food - Steel cut oatmeal

Adapted from: Kelly's Kitch original

Yields: 3/4-1 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup steel cut oats, ground into a powder

1 cup water

Boil water stove top in a small saucepan and add the ground oats, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until softened, about 15-20 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add water and puree as needed for your baby's texture preferences. Be sure to test the temperature of the oatmeal before serving to your baby! When making stove top, I had to place it in the fridge for 20 minutes+ before it cooled enough.

If you want to make this in bigger batches, feel free to do so and you can simply freeze in ice cube trays and when frozen, dump into a labeled freezer bag. This way, the food is in perfectly sized portions for your little one and nothing goes to waste!