Previously, I wrote an article about making one's own baby food without the waste and expense of buying those little plastic tubs (or even the jars). I have decided to make it one step easier for you: here are some recipes!
For apples, firmer pears, prunes, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, greens (kale, collard greens, spinach, etc.), peas, potatoes, rhubarb, squash (summer or winter), or yams/sweet potatoes, remove any peels, cores, and/or tough stems. Wash the item thoroughly. Chop it into small pieces (one-inch cubes should work). Add the item and enough water to the pan/microwaveable dish so that it will not entirely boil away (a few tablespoons should do). On the stove, bring everything to a boil, and cook until tender. Keep a lid on the pan to minimize nutient loss. In the microwave (which saves power), cover the dish and microwave for several minutes. Once the food is very soft for a young baby, or tender-crisp for an older one, remove it from heat and allow to cool slightly.
For softer, very ripe fruits, such as bananas, avocados, plums, peaches, (soft) pears, apricots, melon, kiwis, mangoes, nectarines, and papaya, cooking is not necessary. Simply remove peels and cores/pits, cut into manageable chunks.
Pour the fruit/vegetable as prepared above and any cooking liquid into your food processor (or blender, if you don't have a food processor). For an older baby, you may wish to use a potato masher to save electricity and build up those parental arm muscles, but it will not make most of these items fine enough for a younger baby.
Pour into individual serving dishes to last a day or two in the refrigerator, and pour the rest into ice cube trays to freeze. Once the frozen cubes are cool enough, put them in an airtight container or ziplock bag, removing several at a time to defrost in the fridge. Either serve the food as-is or stir into other fruits/veggies or baby cereal. Do not add salt or sugar--your baby doesn't know what these taste like yet, and doesn't need them. If you want, you may wish to gradually add increasing amounts of other herbs and spices, such as pepper, cinnamon, paprika, or whatever you wish to the purees. This will broaden baby's palette of tastes. Simply making your own baby food will accomplish this anyway, however, since you are not likely to find eggplant or zucchini in the baby food aisle!
If, as I do, you have a toddler who won't eat her veggies, don't give up on making these purees. Stir them into everything: baby cereal, pasta dishes, and baked goods. Spread a very thin layer of a sweet veggie or fruit onto her nut-butter sandwich instead of sugar-laden jelly (believe me, she will love it). I believe this not only sneaks wonderful nutrients into her diet, but also acclimates her to the taste of vegetables, so that some day, when she stops being a control freak (when does this happen?), she will find she enjoys them.
Please note: Do not prepare citrus fruits or tomatoes for babies under one. Avoid nuts, dairy, and wheat if your family has a history of allergies. Ask your pediatrician whenever you have questions or concerns. Never eat raw eggplant or rhubarb, and definitely don't feed them to your child. Throw away any uneaten portions of food that has already been served, and, "when in doubt, throw it out!"
Enjoy, and bon appetit!
Oh, and you might benefit from some pureed carrots being stirred into your own pasta!
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