Homemade Baby Food Recipes | Organic Baby Food Purees

10 Top Red Purees to Make for Your Valentines Baby

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:44:00 +0000

We all know that eating fruits and vegetables are critical to the goal of living a healthy life. It’s especially important to give our babies the nutrition they need to grow healthy and strong.

Fruits and vegetables come in every color on the rainbow. What do they all have in common?

Well, as I embarked along the path of writing, 201 Organic Baby Purees, I found out a great deal about the colors of food and natural plant pigments. Since we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day this month, I thought I would share with you my top 10 red foods to incorporate into your purees.

Why are certain fruits and vegetables red?

Red fruits and vegetables contain natural plant pigments known as “lycopene” or “anthocyanins.” These powerful antioxidants work to keep cells healthy and may prevent many forms of cancer. The heart and eyes are a major beneficiary too, as Lycopene helps maintain a healthy heart and may decrease blindness in the golden years. Lycopene is best absorbed from cooked tomatoes and sauces.

One more thing, purchasing these foods organic is a major plus to add to the healthy list!

Spread Love with these 10 Reds Foods

Tomatoes are loaded with lycopene. Incorporate tomato sauce into your purees for a nice nutritional boost. When your baby is older, give her diced tomatoes as a finger food to chew on.

Apples are a favorite of many babies, apples have lots of vitamin C and is extremely good for your heart.

Strawberries can naturally sweeten purees and they contain anti-inflammatory properties and lots of antioxidants.

Red Peppers are bright beauties are loaded with vitamins A, C, B6, K, Folate and Potassium. They say that good things come in small packages, especially in purees!

Watermelon as soon as your baby is able to self-feed, she’ll love eating a little wedge of juicy watermelon and will benefit from all the lycopene and vitamins A and C.

Raspberries as tiny as they are, raspberries have the amazing ability to flush out cancer causing toxins and prevent cellular damage. Raspberries can be incorporated with many other fruit purees for added flavor.

Pomegranate is an historical fruit that may date all the way back to the garden of Eden, and has been widely used for medicinal purposes. It super antioxidant rich and is worth incorporating into baby purees. However, use 100% pomegranate juice to make consumption easier.

Cherries recent studies prove the anti-inflammatory effects of cherries, making it a safe and natural remedy for fever, pain, and inflammation. Cherries can be pureed by removing the pit. Many babies love the sweet taste of cherries.

Red Grapes are superior in antioxidants over the green varieties. So puree, seedless grapes, skin and all! Just make sure there is no fibrous material in the final product.

As with all foods, be sure to consult with your pediatrician prior to feeding your baby new foods, especially if your family has a history of food allergies.

Resources:

MayoClinic

University of Maryland

EmpowerHer

Raspberry Pomegranate Love Puree - Valentine's Day Puree Recipes - Fruit Baby Food Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:03:00 +0000

This Cutie Patootie loves Raspberries!

OMG! It's February already. This year is into full swing with Valentine's Day right around the corner. This month I will be featuring lots of new puree recipes and other information your baby will love in honor of this sweet holiday.

I'm not sure about you but I love my purees! I also love that babies enjoy them. I hope you'll join me in spreading the love.

So the baby in the photo to the left seems ecstatic about self-feeding raspberries, and by the looks of the empty tray, I can tell she loved them!

This recipe incorporates a few members of the red family on the food pyramid - raspberries and antioxidant-rich pomegranate juice.

The serving makes enough for you, your spouse, and your baby to enjoy! Don't forget to comment and tell me how much your baby liked it! Make this recipe organic by purchasing organic ingredients (recommended).

Raspberry Pomegrante Love Puree

Ingredients:

2 cups raspberries

2 tablespoons 100% Pomegranate Juice

1 medium banana (with brown spots)

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla

Puree raspberries in a blender. Strain using a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Add pureed raspberries, banana, pomegranate juice, and vanilla to blender and puree until smooth. Stir in yogurt. Serve immediately. Refrigerate remaining portions for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 4 weeks. Also makes a great frozen dessert!

For older babies: Dice the raspberries and banana. Combine pomegranate juice and vanilla with yogurt. Top with diced fruit and serve.

To sweeten the yogurt without adding sugar, try adding Agave Nectar, or Honey (for babies over 12 months).

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A Sweet Deal - Free Puree Consultation for Month of February

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:50:00 +0000

February is the sweetest month out of the year, with Valentine's Day spreading lots of love to families all around the country. This month, I will offering free Puree Consultations in celebration of the holiday!

Are your purees not turning out right? Have questions about blending it all together? Want to know how to save money on your grocery budget? Have questions about organics? A Puree Consultation is exactly what you need!

If you want to make your own purees and are not sure where to start, I urge you to schedule a chat to get you on the right path. I feel that all parents should make their own purees for their babies and connect with nature.

There is no cost, no sales pitches, and no worries!

The consultations are 15 minutes in length and are now available on specific days and times in February.

Platforms available: Skype and Facetime (Apple) and via telephone. If you would like for me to see your purees in progress, please schedule a video chat.

Please click on the button below to schedule your session. I look forward to chatting with you!

Tamika

A Beautiful Pear Puree Blend - Pear Baby Food Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:27:00 +0000

This combination really makes a beautiful pair, just like it claims. Make sure the plums and pears are nice and ripe for maximum sweetness.

Ingredients:

1 ripe plum, peeled, pitted, and chopped
1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and chopped
Oatmeal cereal to thicken (optional)

Blend plum and pear together to a puree. Scoop out a small portion for baby. Stir in oatmeal cereal to thicken. Refrigerate remaining puree for up to 3 days.

5 Tips for Navigating the Farmers Market by Wendy Simard

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:38:00 +0000

Photo courtesy of Wendy Simard

Farmer’s Markets are popping up all over the place, a trend that makes me very happy, but do you know how to make the most of your experience? Here are 5 tips for navigating your local market.

Plan ahead. Bring enough bags, a cart, and some understanding of how you are going to haul your goodies home. There’s nothing worse than scooping up a bunch of sweet corn on sale only to realize you’ll have to schlep it back on public transportation at rush hour.
Walk the perimeter of the market and try before you buy. Scope out how the fruit and veggies look at the various vendors before plunking down any money. You don’t want to buy the first pint of berries you see, because inevitably, you’ll find plumper, sweeter, and cheaper ones three stands down.
Take note of prices and stock up if you find a deal. When you’re familiar with what good organic produce costs at your local grocery, you can shop the farmer’s market armed with that knowledge and scope out some mad deals.
Don’t be shy. Ask questions, and engage with the vendors. Many of them are the farmers who lovingly grew the food you’re about to buy, so they’re often more than happy to tell you whatever you want to know about it.
Take time to smell the wildflowers… and fresh herbs… and just-baked bread…. One of the joys of shopping at an outdoor market is the sensory experience of it all. If you rush through without letting yourself sink into the slower pace of the place, you’re almost missing the entire point.

Wendy Simard is a Holistic Health Coach and the founder of GreendotGarden.com. She offers holistic programs to help individuals lose weight and empower themselves to be their best self for 2012. Wendy has been nothing but inspirational to me and I am a proud supporter of her. Please check out her website for amazing tips and schedule a FREE coaching session this month while appointments last!

Tamika

Carrot Butternut Squash Puree with Fig Preserves - Vegetable Baby Food Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:26:00 +0000

Cubed Butternut Squash

There is this great restaurant called NOFO in downtown Raleigh that offers a fabulous Butternut Squash Soup with Fig Preserves. The recipe includes many ingredients, including heavy cream, curry, and cayenne pepper to name a few - yummy for adults! So I took the main ingredients, squash and carrots, and simplified it into a basic puree topped with fig preserves for a babies.

Ingredients:

3 cups butternut squash
1 cup peeled, chopped carrot
2 quarts of water

Cover vegetables with water, bring to a boil and simmer until soft. Remove from heat and add vegetables to blender with a slotted spoon. Puree in a blender while gradually adding the reserved water to reach a smooth consistency. Top with a teaspoon of fig preserves (see recipe below).

Homemade Fig Preserves

Fig Preserves (from NOFO)
8 oz dry figs
1 cup of water
1 Tbsp honey
Pinch of salt

Combine ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer until figs are plump. Puree and chill.

Honey warning: Do not use honey for babies under 1 year. Try substituting Agave Nectar for the honey instead.

Sauteed Broccoli Puree with Parmesan Cheese - Broccoli Baby Food Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:21:00 +0000

This is one of my favorite recipes that I made for my children when they were babies. We all still thoroughly enjoy this recipe and I hope it becomes a family favorite for you too!

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen organic broccoli
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove (pressed)
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
Water (for pureeing)

Directions:

Turn stove top to medium high heat. Using a saute pan, coat bottom of pan with olive oil. Add garlic and saute. Add frozen broccoli and saute on medium-high heat until broccoli is nice and tender. Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Transfer sauteed broccoli and Parmesan cheese to blender. Puree. Add water gradually until desired texture is reached. By 9 months, your baby should be eating somewhat of a chunkier texture so be sure not to puree to thin as your baby is learning to chew.

Roasted Turkey Dinner - Thanksgiving Baby Food Recipes - Free Freezer Labels!

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:36:00 +0000

Free Download - Gobble Gobble Freezer Labels

You've got this wonderful roasted turkey with all the trimmings sitting at the Thanksgiving Table, waiting to be gobbled up. There is probably more than plenty to go around, and will for sure be leftovers.

Instead of purchasing a jar of commercial Turkey Dinner or pureed turkey, dive into unseasoned portions of the turkey on your table, and add cooked vegetables such as mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots or corn for a homemade thanksgiving dinner for baby.

Photo by Tuchodi.

Download my exclusive Thanksgiving Baby Food Freezer Labels for those extra leftovers that can be frozen for your baby.

Instructions for babies 6 to 9 months old - Stage 1:

Blend unseasoned, skinless, and chopped turkey and/or cooked vegetables in a blender, gradually adding water to achieve a smooth puree. It is important to only give your baby foods she's been already introduced to at this age, or Stage 1.

If you are adding sweet potatoes, blend everything except the potatoes in the blender. Fold in a dollop of mashed potatoes at the end with a spoon and serve warm.

Instructions for babies 9 to 12 months old - Stage 2:

Blend skinless, chopped turkey and cooked vegetables in a blender with a little water. Pulse a few seconds at a time to achieve a slighly chunkier texture. You can fold in mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes at the end or serve as a side dish.

Instructions for babies over 12 months old - Stage 3:

Cut turkey into tiny cubes with skin removed. Add a little of the broth to white meat or serve already juicy dark meat, which is the easiest to swallow. Serve with diced green beans, carrots, peas, or potatoes.

Tips:

Only give your baby foods she's already been introduced to and has shown no signs of food allergies.
Mix turkey with foods like green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, carrots, cranberries or corn.
Keep the seasoning intact for babies over 9 months to add some flavor, as long as it's not spicy.
Allow your toddler to feed himself and keep plenty of bibs around.

Enjoy!

Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal Puree - Pumpkin Baby Food Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:48:00 +0000

Make a pumpkin pie for the family and puree the rest for baby!

Take advantage of all the pumpkins around and serve your baby this savory oatmeal sure to satisfy her for a couple of hours.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons prepared infant oatmeal

2 tablespoons warm Baked Pie Pumpkin Puree

1/8 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1/8 teaspoon butter (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small serving dish. Serve immediately.

Quick Tip: Use 100% canned pumpkin instead for an instant no-cook dish. Alternatively, use previously frozen cubes of Baked Pie Pumpkin Puree to make this dish.

Hawaiian Sweet Potato Puree - Sweet Potato Baby Food Recipes - Thanksgiving Baby Purees

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:16:00 +0000

Make the kids a beautiful Thanksgiving display this year with our
editable Thanksgiving Party Kit at www.PoshPartyPrintables.com.

One Thanksgiving, my Mother-in-Law brought over sweet potato rounds with pineapple chucks as a side dish to go with our bountiful meal. I thought the combination was quite unusual, but after tasting it I thought it was delicious! This recipe is one of those "must haves" for Thanksgiving, or in the summer when you want the taste of sweet potato with a tropical zing.

Adults can also enjoy this puree as prepared. Just make plenty more!

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1 tablespoon crushed pineapple (for younger babies, use apple puree instead)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Dab of butter

Scrub sweet potatoes and prick with fork. Bake on 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until potato is soft and starts to ooze out. Allow to cool.

Scoop out inside of potato and mash until smooth and add crushed pineapple, cinnamon, and butter. Serve warm in the fall or cool during the summer months.

Peach Cobbler Dessert Puree - Peach Baby Food Recipes - Complimentary Printable Freezer Labels!

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:35:00 +0000

Label your freezer bags with these complimentary labels.

Peach cobbler is one of the many family favorites we enjoy around the holidays. The smell of fresh peaches simmering on the stove with cinnamon, just gives us all the warm fuzzies and make the holidays seem bright. There is no reason why your baby can’t enjoy her own little version of peach cobbler for the holidays, especially if you already plan to cook peaches.

This simply recipe on requires that you take out a baby sized portion of simmered peaches before you load in any extra ingredients such as sugar or the dough.

And, if you already have a freezer stash of fresh Peachtree Puree, all you have to do is add in the remaining ingredients for a real treat.

Ingredients:

1 large ripe peach, peeled, pitted, and chopped

1 teaspoon butter

2 tablespoons crushed arrowroot cookies (Gerber is recommended)

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla

Sauté peaches in butter in pan until tender. Add cinnamon. Puree peaches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Top with crushed cookies. Serve warm.

Complimentary Gold Bliss Freezer Labels - Thank You!

I designed these printable labels for all of my readers and subscribers as a thank you gift for your hard work and commitment to making sure your baby has the best in life. Please print as many as you want as often as you want, and label your bags in style!

Click Here for Download

Pumpkin Spice Puree with Yogurt - Pumpkin Baby Food Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:23:00 +0000

Canned pumpkin makes great no-cook baby food.

When you open up a can of pumpkin puree, it's a lot to go around. If you already plan on making pumpkin pie for the holidays, take out a few spoonfuls of pumpkin to make baby food before you get started with your pie recipe.

This recipe will allow you to enjoy this tasty treat yourself or prepare it as a snack for other family members.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup 100% canned pumpkin

1 1/3 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt

pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon

Directions:

Swirl all ingredients and serve chilled. Refrigerate remaining portions for up to 3 days. Make sure the expiration date on the yogurt does not expire within the 3 days.

Check out our Baked Pie Pumpkin Recipe to make fresh pumpkin baby food.

Easy Garlic Potatoes- Potato Baby Food Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:18:00 +0000

Homemade Garlic Potatoes

When your baby wants a little extra flavor in her potatoes, adding a little garlic should do the trick! Potatoes make great baby food and are easy to make.

Ingredients:

3 cups potato, peeled and chopped

3 cups water

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 1/2 cup whole milk

Add potatoes and garlic to boiling water. Cook until tender. Drain. Add milk. Fork mash until smooth or use potato masher. Stir in melted butter Serve. Freeze remaining portions.

Cornish Hen w/ Rosemary and Broccoli - Cornish Hen Baby Food Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 02:01:00 +0000

This is certainly a baby food recipe that can be made for the entire family with portions taken out to puree for baby. Make sure to remove the skin on the Cornish hen before pureeing. However, season the hen with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper for the family!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unseasoned Cornish hen, cooked and chopped

1/4 cup organic broccoli florets

1/4 cup mashed potatoes

Pinch of Ground Rosemary

Steam broccoli until tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Combine hen, rosemary, and broccoli together in a blender. Puree to a semi-smooth consistency, adding water when necessary.

Fold in mashed potatoes. Serve. Refrigerate remaining portions for up to 3 days.

Bananaberry Power Puree Blend - Organic Baby Food Recipes - Superfoods for Baby

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:36:00 +0000

Frozen blueberries and Bananas ready to puree. Photo by Marcia Conner.

**Featured Amazon.com Editorial Review for 201 Organic Baby Purees**

Because blueberries have amazing antioxidant power, try to incorporate them into your purees as much as you can. If your blueberries are a little too tart, make sure your banana is super ripe to balance things out. Coupled with yogurt's calcium, protein, phosphorus, and probiotics, this power puree is a perfectly sweet way to give your baby superfoods. Combine any leftovers with Lite Whipped topping and enjoy for yourself!

1/4 cup frozen organic blueberries
1 small, ripe organic banana (with lots of brown spots)
4 ounces whole fat plain or vanilla-flavored organic yogurt for babies

Blend blueberries and banana. Puree until smooth. Swirl together puree and yogurt with a spoon. Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days.

Baked Pie Pumpkin Puree - Pumpkin Baby Food Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:53:00 +0000

Pie pumpkins are the perfect size for homemade baby food.

It's that time of the year when you'll start to see towers of pumpkins in grocery stores and farms overflowing with them. It's amazing how big pumpkins can actually get! However you don't need to purchase one of those monster pumpkins to feed your little one unless you plan on using the pumpkin for something else.

You can purchase the sweet little pie pumpkins to make homemade baby puree. One pie pumpkin will yield about 2 to 3 cups of fresh pumpkin puree (1 to 2 ice cube trays). Using fresh pumpkin allows you to freeze any leftovers, a great perk in exchange for labor. This way, you can extend the pumpkin season well beyond the fall and winter months!

Ingredients:

1 pie pumpkin

2-3 tablespoons of water (for thinning)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut off the pumpkin stem. Rinse off the exterior of the pumpkin with warm water. Cut in half. Scoop out seeds from each half. Place the pumpkin, skin side down on a baking sheet. Bake the pumpkin for 45-60 minutes or until flesh is nice and soft when pricked with a fork. Remove. Scoop out the flesh into blender (or mixing bowl if using a handheld blender). Puree to a smooth consistency, adding small amounts of water, if necessary, to thin. Serve warm and freeze remaining portions.

Flavor Boost: For older babies, add a little butter and/or pumpkin spice seasoning (nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon)

Mommy Saver Tip: While your cooking the pumpkin, add some sweet potatoes, squash, and apple to the oven to get 4 entrees to puree and freeze for baby in the same time frame. While your waiting, you can wash a couple of loads of laundry too!

Cooking variations: This recipe can also be steamed, slow cooked, or pressure cooked. Microwaving is also an option, but may destroy nutrients. Use microwaving as last resort.

Organic Blueberry Dream - Blueberry Baby Food Recipes - Super Food Purees

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:15:00 +0000

Cup of Blueberries. Photo by jordanmit09.

Blueberries are a super food rich with antioxidants. As soon as your baby can start eating blueberries, give them a serving of blueberries a day for amazing health benefits. To ensure your baby loves this puree, make sure the blueberries are sweet.

Ingredients:
1 cup organic blueberries
4 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla

Put blueberries into a saucepan with water and cook until fruit starts to burst open. Puree blueberries in blender until smooth. Use a sieve to remove any fibrous material. Add baby cereal (rice, oatmeal or barley) to thicken, if desired.

Pesticide Caution: Blueberries have a high pesticide load, so always consider purchasing organic blueberries when making purees and recipes containing blueberries.

DIY Let’s Monkey Around 1st Birthday Party Ideas & Freebie - Baby's 1st Birthday Celebration

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:41:00 +0000

Lil' Miss Monkey Party Kit www.PoshPartyPrintables.com

Allow me to introduce our new DIY 1^st Birthday Party Theme ideas to help you get ready for your baby's very first birthday celebration! Our Lil' Monkey party features recipes appropriate for children including purees for infants. They like to monkey around and party too! Birthday parties used to be full of candy and sweets, but not anymore! Sure it’s okay to have cupcakes and a little bit of sweets for older kids, but keep those things to a minimum and enjoy a healthy and fun birthday party.

**Free treat/straw flag party printable, click here.

Featured Recipes

Lil' Monkey Party Kit www.PoshPartyPrintables.com

Invitations. Get the complete printable Monkey Party Kit for your son or daughter and send invites to all your guests at least 2 weeks in advance. Our Monkey Party kit comes with everything you need including invitations and thank you cards that you can print as many as you need from home. Have older kids help you put everything together and enjoy all the extra cash savings from buying each item individually at a retail store.

Decorations. Try to decorate as much as you can using the monkey theme to make your party complete. Wrap water bottles, cups, napkin rings, and bowls with our monkey themed printables for a complete Monkey effect. Set a large table with each child’s name on a placecard with a table set and water bottle just for them. Decorate 8-ounce water bottles that have sipping spouts with the water bottle labels included in the kit. Tie a ribbon and affix the small 2-inch circles to each for water charms. Write each child’s name on the back. After all, it’s good to know whose water bottle it is.

Make food and craft stations utilizing small tables and displaying different types of foods and crafts. For example, make a treat station and include treat cones filled with food puffs or cheese puffs. Set a table with our monkey themed coloring pages for the kids to color and display on a designated Monkey Hall of Fame!

Games:

Pin the tail on the Monkey. Using a cutout of a monkey (included in the party kit) have each child attempt to pin the tail on the monkey with her eyes closed or blindfolded.
Pass the banana. Using a plush or real banana, have each child line up in a circle. Play music while each child passes the banana to the next child. When the music stops the child caught with the banana gets a prize.
Monkey business. Have a mail exchange by having each child decorate white envelopes and create their own stamps. Have them draw a picture or write a special letter. Put all the envelopes in a basket and have each child pick their own mail to keep.
Monkey See Monkey Do. Have an adult stand in front of the children and do crazy things with their hands and feet. The children will need to imitate what the adult is doing.

Favor Idea. Using the wrappers included in the Lil' Monkey Party theme, you can wrap so many different things to use as favors to thank your guests for coming to your child's celebration. For a unique healthy favor, wrap the miniature bananas found at your local grocery store and add a wrapper around the middle (i.e. napkin wrappers work the best).

Get a free treat/straw flag printable from this kit by clicking here.

Twice as Nice Plantains - Plantain Toddler Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:03:00 +0000

Plantains going in the oven. Photo by busbeytheelder.

My Peurto Rican coworker and and I had a delightful conversation about how she prepares plantains, or as she calls them in Spanish, "platanos". Plantains can be prepared in many different ways although many people perfer the traditional method of pan frying them.

As the fall season approaches and the temperatures come down, try this method of baking them. Your toddler will really enjoy these and so will the family!

Ingredients:

2 ripe plantains (with plenty of brown spots)

Olive oil

Cinnamon (optional)

Sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Trim the ends off each plantain and peel. Slice the plantains, slightly diagonal, into 1/2-inch pieces. Coat plantains with olive oil and arrange in a non-stick baking pan. Bake for about 15 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and tender. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar before serving if desired. Serve.

Organic Banana Yogurt Treat - Organic Baby Food Recipes - 8 months Baby Purees

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:53:00 +0000

Organic Baby Yogurt by Stoneyfield.

Nowadays it's easy to find organic varieties of the same food you eat without all the harmful pesticides and chemicals. And you can easily convert any of your favorite recipes for organic by simply purchasing organic ingredients.

My kids loved Stoneyfield's Organic Baby Yogurt (Yo Baby), but the consistency was a little runnier than they liked when they started eating chunkier textures. So, I tried experimenting with adding diced fruit pieces and other ingredients to beef up the texture a bit. The banana in this recipe adds a little freshness to the mix while the graham crackers gives them good chewing practice.

For babies 8 months and up:

Makes 2 servings:

Ingredients:

4 ounces plain or vanilla organic whole-fat baby yogurt

1/2 ripe organic banana (sliced)

Juice from 1/2 lemon

4 tablespoons organic graham crackers (crushed)

Coat the banana slices with lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Cut the slices into small pieces with a knife. Combine banana and yogurt together. Fold in crackers. Serve.

Easy Breezy Banana Pudding - Banana Baby Food Recipes

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:32:00 +0000

I think my mom makes the best banana pudding in town! I was fortunate enough to learn her banana pudding recipe, which calls for egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and laboriously standing over the stove and stirring the pot for about 20 minutes. Although delicious, that is not the easiest nor healthiest route for a banana pudding, especially for your baby, but we (the older folk) only enjoy it once or twice a year.

Here is a quick and healthier alternative to make banana pudding for your baby. And, there is no need to turn on the stove!

For babies 12 months and older.

Ingredients:

Instant vanilla or banana flavored pudding mix (sugar-free)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 large banana

8 vanilla wafers

Prepare pudding according to package directions. Add vanilla to pudding mix. In a small bowl layer 4 wafers, bananas, and pudding in that order and repeat once. Refrigerate for about 2-3 hours to allow wafers to soften. Serve.

Papa's Avocado - 6 months Baby Food - 1st Stage Baby Purees

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:16:00 +0000

The papaya wonderfully dresses up the avocado in this recipe with its sweet notes and mild flavor. When your baby seems a little fussy, try this comforting blend.

For you, try making Giada De Laurentiis' beautiful Avocado and Papaya Salad from the Food Network using the same ingredients!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ripe papaya (seeded and chopped)

1/2 avocado(pitted)

Slice avocado around the outside and twist both sides off the seed. Scoop out flesh and add to blender with papaya. Puree until smooth. Serve immediately.

Refrigerate remaining portions in airtight container for up to 3 days.

Banana Avocado Blast Off - Avocado Baby Food Recipes - 6 months Purees

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:15:00 +0000

Both bananas and avocadoes come with their own unique packaging, making it easy to puree fresh food for your baby on the go or at home. You don't need any special appliances, just a knife or fork will do!

Use the leftover avocado to make homemade guacamole and for the rest of the banana? Well, go on ahead and eat it!

Ingredients:
1 small avocado
1 small ripe banana
1-2 tsp breastmilk or formula

Mash a quarter of a small avocado together with a half of banana and breast milk or formula. Serve immediately.

Canta-Strawberry Party Puree - Strawberry Baby Food Recipes - 8 months Baby Purees

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:59:00 +0000

Use some of the frozen organic strawberries you picked during the spring and enjoy a cool summer party with your baby any time of the year. Babies love a great party with tasty purees like this one!

For babies 8 months and up.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb organic strawberries, hulled and cut in half

1 half cantaloupe

Rice cereal to thicken

Scoop out seeds of cantaloupe and cut into chunks. Blend cantaloupe and strawberries together to a puree. Scoop out portion for baby. Stir in rice cereal to thicken. Serve immediately. Freeze remaining portions.

Cucumber Melon Sensation - Cucumber Baby Food Recipes - 8 months Baby Purees

info@simplybabyfoodrecipes.com (Tamika Gardner) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:17:00 +0000

There's no need to turn on your oven with this fabulous duo, just blend and serve! This sensational puree boasts plenty of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, and Potassium. Make sure the honeydew you purchase is extra sweet.

For babies 8 months and up.

Ingredients:

1/2 honeydew melon, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

Puree the melon and cucumber together. Scoop out 1/4 cup of puree and add to a small bowl. Stir in cream cheese. Serve immediately. Freeze remaining cucumber and melon mixture for up to 8 weeks.