Reesie
Answer
â¢Do use ice cube trays to freeze puréed foods. Each cube should be about one ounce. Once frozen, pop out the cubes, store in a sealed plastic bag, and use within two months.
⢠Do discard unfinished meals. Bacteria forms quickly.
⢠Do introduce new foods at the rate of one per week, so you can pinpoint any allergies.
⢠Do make sure your child has accepted most vegetables and fruits before trying any meats.
⢠Do steam or microwave vegetables and fruits to retain as much vitamins and minerals as possible, as opposed to boiling.
⢠Do use as thinners: water left from steaming, breast milk, formula, cow's milk, yogurt, broth, or apple juice.
⢠Do use as thickeners: wheat germ, whole-grain cereal, cottage cheese, farmer cheese, cooked egg yolks, yogurt, mashed white or sweet potato.
Homemade Baby Food Recipes
Rolled Oats and Bananas
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup water or milk
1/3 ripe banana
1/4 cup milk
Combine rolled oats and 1/2 cup of water or milk. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Slice banana, and puree in baby food grinder; add remaining milk, mixing thoroughly. Stir the banana-milk mixture into the cooked cereal.
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Cereal a la Mode
Cooked cream of rice, cream of wheat, or oatmea
fruit puree
Puree applesauce, apricots, bananas, peaches, pineapple or prunes in a baby food grinder. Thin with a little milk and spoon on top of cereal. It is better to use fresh or freshly cooked fruits with out sugar. Canned fruits are alright too, as long as you rinse off the syrup before you puree the fruit in the baby food grinder.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cooked Fruit Puree
Fresh, frozen or canned fruit(use apples, apricots, peaches, pears, plums, prunes, pineapple, or dried fruits)
Wash and peel fruit if necessary. Steam over low heat with a small amount of water until tender. Do not overcook. Cool and press through the baby food grinder. Serve.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instand Fruit Butter
Raisina, prunes, dates, figs or dried pineapple
Milk
Use any of the above dried fruits or a mixture of dried fruit such as apricots, peaches, pears and pineapple. Dried fruits that are plump and moist can be made into butters without any cooking. And a baby food grinder will puree them quite readily without having to soak or steam the fruit in water, although, if necessary, this can be done.
Mix fruit butter with cottage cheese, pureed carrots or peanut butter and spread on pieces of whole-grain bread. A combination of dried pineapple and cottage cheese makes a delicious spread. Fruit butters may also be spooned onto pieces of celery. Be sure to remove the strings from the celery so baby won't choke on them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steamed Vegetables
1 cup fresh vegetables, diced (use carrots, squash, beets, beans, or peas)
1/4 cup water
Wash vegetables and peel only if necessary. Steam over low heat until tender. Keep saucepan tightly covered adding additional liquid if necessary. Do not overcook. Cool and press through a baby food grinder. Discard any fibers that may stick o the bottom of the cutting blade. If any liquid is left in the pan it may be used to thin the vegetable puree. Add the liquid slowly until the right consistancy is reached.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baby Oatmeal
Put a cup of water in a saucepan on the stove top to boil. Meanwhile, take 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of oatmeal (non-quick cooking) and whiz it in the blender until it becomes a powder, stir it into the cup of boiling water, turn the heat down to low, and let cook for 10 minutes. Stir with a whisk or fork to prevent lumping and scorching on the bottom. Let cool thoroughly before feeding to your baby.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baby Bananas
peel a ripe banana and thoroughly fork-mash until there are no lumps and the banana is so mushy it's almost liquid. That's all there is to it. If your child is still learning to eat solids, you can take a bit of formula or breast milk and mix it in with the bananas to make it more liquidy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mini Jelly Rolls for Toddlers
Take a slice of un-toasted whole grain bread. Remove crusts. (Use crusts for bread crumbs. See section on how to save money by grinding your own bread crumbs from those end slices that no one ever eats.) Spread with all fruit no-sugar-added jelly or jam. Roll bread up as you would a sleeping bag. Stab with a skinny carrot or celery stick or toothpick to keep from unrolling. Instead of, or in addition to, the jelly, use peanut butter, cream cheese, tahini, humus, or any sandwich spread. One of the sandwich spreads should be a colorful jelly so your child can see the swirl.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
French Fries
Cut up 2 or 3 potatoes into quarters, eighths, or French fry shapes. You can peel them if you wish, but remember that the peels have lots of nutrients. Put the cut-up potatoes in a bowl and toss them with melted butter. Use only about 1 teaspoon of melted butter for each potato. (Or save washing a big bowl and brush them with melted butter instead.) Spread potatoes on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake in pre-heated 400 oven for 20 minutes or until browned.
Variations: Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and/or parsley on those fries before they go into the oven--delicious! Or use sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes for an extra jolt of vitamin A.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Melon Yougart Bowls for Toddlers
Dice or mash a kiwi with fork. Add cottage cheese, wheat germ, and a little maple syrup. Add a pinch or two of brewer's yeast (whose bitter flavor will be hidden by the sweetness of the kiwi and syrup) for an extra nutritional punch. Remember that vitamin C and iron work together. There is vitamin C in the kiwi and iron in the wheat germ.
Variations: Instead of kiwi, you can use banana; instead of cottage cheese, you can use yogurt. Banana adds iron, but not much vitamin C, so serve with orange juice or some other high vitamin C juice.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fruit Juice Snowcones
Crush ice in blender to make snow. Use ice cream scoop to shape like snowballs and place in bowls. Pour fruit juice over snowballs.
Variation: For a sweeter, thicker topping, use fruit juice concentrate mixed with a little water. Use paper cups instead of glass for a refreshing outside summer snack.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tot Pops
1 cup plain yogurt 2 tsp. orange juice 1/2 cup pureed strawberries 1/4 cup mashed bananas 4 tsp. lemonade bowl popsicle mold stir all ingredients put into molds and freese for 30 minutes insert popsicle sticks freese overnight serve
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Fish for Babies
1 filet of any fish, unbreaded, cooked 1/8 c 2% or whole milk 1 tbsp melted butter 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 cup mashed peas 1/8 c mashed carrots 1/8 c mashed potatoes put ingredients in blender, blend until creamed babies and small children like it
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teething Biscuts
2 Tbs Shortening 1/2 C. sugar 1 egg 1tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp water 1 1/2 C. baby cereal Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and water. Mix until well blended. Gradually stir in cereal. Knead until smooth. Pat into rectangle. Cut into 12 1" bars, smooth edges so they will not be sharp. Place on ungreased sheet. Bake 20-30 min or until dry. Store in uncovered container overnight.
â¢Do use ice cube trays to freeze puréed foods. Each cube should be about one ounce. Once frozen, pop out the cubes, store in a sealed plastic bag, and use within two months.
⢠Do discard unfinished meals. Bacteria forms quickly.
⢠Do introduce new foods at the rate of one per week, so you can pinpoint any allergies.
⢠Do make sure your child has accepted most vegetables and fruits before trying any meats.
⢠Do steam or microwave vegetables and fruits to retain as much vitamins and minerals as possible, as opposed to boiling.
⢠Do use as thinners: water left from steaming, breast milk, formula, cow's milk, yogurt, broth, or apple juice.
⢠Do use as thickeners: wheat germ, whole-grain cereal, cottage cheese, farmer cheese, cooked egg yolks, yogurt, mashed white or sweet potato.
Homemade Baby Food Recipes
Rolled Oats and Bananas
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup water or milk
1/3 ripe banana
1/4 cup milk
Combine rolled oats and 1/2 cup of water or milk. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Slice banana, and puree in baby food grinder; add remaining milk, mixing thoroughly. Stir the banana-milk mixture into the cooked cereal.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cereal a la Mode
Cooked cream of rice, cream of wheat, or oatmea
fruit puree
Puree applesauce, apricots, bananas, peaches, pineapple or prunes in a baby food grinder. Thin with a little milk and spoon on top of cereal. It is better to use fresh or freshly cooked fruits with out sugar. Canned fruits are alright too, as long as you rinse off the syrup before you puree the fruit in the baby food grinder.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cooked Fruit Puree
Fresh, frozen or canned fruit(use apples, apricots, peaches, pears, plums, prunes, pineapple, or dried fruits)
Wash and peel fruit if necessary. Steam over low heat with a small amount of water until tender. Do not overcook. Cool and press through the baby food grinder. Serve.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instand Fruit Butter
Raisina, prunes, dates, figs or dried pineapple
Milk
Use any of the above dried fruits or a mixture of dried fruit such as apricots, peaches, pears and pineapple. Dried fruits that are plump and moist can be made into butters without any cooking. And a baby food grinder will puree them quite readily without having to soak or steam the fruit in water, although, if necessary, this can be done.
Mix fruit butter with cottage cheese, pureed carrots or peanut butter and spread on pieces of whole-grain bread. A combination of dried pineapple and cottage cheese makes a delicious spread. Fruit butters may also be spooned onto pieces of celery. Be sure to remove the strings from the celery so baby won't choke on them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steamed Vegetables
1 cup fresh vegetables, diced (use carrots, squash, beets, beans, or peas)
1/4 cup water
Wash vegetables and peel only if necessary. Steam over low heat until tender. Keep saucepan tightly covered adding additional liquid if necessary. Do not overcook. Cool and press through a baby food grinder. Discard any fibers that may stick o the bottom of the cutting blade. If any liquid is left in the pan it may be used to thin the vegetable puree. Add the liquid slowly until the right consistancy is reached.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baby Oatmeal
Put a cup of water in a saucepan on the stove top to boil. Meanwhile, take 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of oatmeal (non-quick cooking) and whiz it in the blender until it becomes a powder, stir it into the cup of boiling water, turn the heat down to low, and let cook for 10 minutes. Stir with a whisk or fork to prevent lumping and scorching on the bottom. Let cool thoroughly before feeding to your baby.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baby Bananas
peel a ripe banana and thoroughly fork-mash until there are no lumps and the banana is so mushy it's almost liquid. That's all there is to it. If your child is still learning to eat solids, you can take a bit of formula or breast milk and mix it in with the bananas to make it more liquidy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mini Jelly Rolls for Toddlers
Take a slice of un-toasted whole grain bread. Remove crusts. (Use crusts for bread crumbs. See section on how to save money by grinding your own bread crumbs from those end slices that no one ever eats.) Spread with all fruit no-sugar-added jelly or jam. Roll bread up as you would a sleeping bag. Stab with a skinny carrot or celery stick or toothpick to keep from unrolling. Instead of, or in addition to, the jelly, use peanut butter, cream cheese, tahini, humus, or any sandwich spread. One of the sandwich spreads should be a colorful jelly so your child can see the swirl.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
French Fries
Cut up 2 or 3 potatoes into quarters, eighths, or French fry shapes. You can peel them if you wish, but remember that the peels have lots of nutrients. Put the cut-up potatoes in a bowl and toss them with melted butter. Use only about 1 teaspoon of melted butter for each potato. (Or save washing a big bowl and brush them with melted butter instead.) Spread potatoes on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake in pre-heated 400 oven for 20 minutes or until browned.
Variations: Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and/or parsley on those fries before they go into the oven--delicious! Or use sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes for an extra jolt of vitamin A.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Melon Yougart Bowls for Toddlers
Dice or mash a kiwi with fork. Add cottage cheese, wheat germ, and a little maple syrup. Add a pinch or two of brewer's yeast (whose bitter flavor will be hidden by the sweetness of the kiwi and syrup) for an extra nutritional punch. Remember that vitamin C and iron work together. There is vitamin C in the kiwi and iron in the wheat germ.
Variations: Instead of kiwi, you can use banana; instead of cottage cheese, you can use yogurt. Banana adds iron, but not much vitamin C, so serve with orange juice or some other high vitamin C juice.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fruit Juice Snowcones
Crush ice in blender to make snow. Use ice cream scoop to shape like snowballs and place in bowls. Pour fruit juice over snowballs.
Variation: For a sweeter, thicker topping, use fruit juice concentrate mixed with a little water. Use paper cups instead of glass for a refreshing outside summer snack.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tot Pops
1 cup plain yogurt 2 tsp. orange juice 1/2 cup pureed strawberries 1/4 cup mashed bananas 4 tsp. lemonade bowl popsicle mold stir all ingredients put into molds and freese for 30 minutes insert popsicle sticks freese overnight serve
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fish for Babies
1 filet of any fish, unbreaded, cooked 1/8 c 2% or whole milk 1 tbsp melted butter 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 cup mashed peas 1/8 c mashed carrots 1/8 c mashed potatoes put ingredients in blender, blend until creamed babies and small children like it
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teething Biscuts
2 Tbs Shortening 1/2 C. sugar 1 egg 1tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp water 1 1/2 C. baby cereal Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, baking soda, salt, vanilla, and water. Mix until well blended. Gradually stir in cereal. Knead until smooth. Pat into rectangle. Cut into 12 1" bars, smooth edges so they will not be sharp. Place on ungreased sheet. Bake 20-30 min or until dry. Store in uncovered container overnight.
Which is healthier: Organic baby food from jars or homemade food made out of conventionally grown ingredients?
Linotte
I am asking this because sometimes I can't find organic fruits, vegetables or meats in the stores. Or sometimes I can find them but they are so expensive that the baby food jars--even organic ones--turn out being significantly cheaper. What is your opinion of the healthier option?
Total Recipe Hound: No, what I meant is that sometimes I can't find the organic ingredients to make the baby food at home. Gerber food is always available. But if Gerber is always made out of organic ingredients, then why do they have a separate organic line?
Answer
Homemade baby purees are healthier.. especially if you grow your own veggies. If you don't, store bought frozen veggies are best (such as frozen carrots) because often frozen vegetables are packages and frozen within hours after they are picked. Fresh vegetables get transfer to the store, then sit on the store shelf for a day or two until purchased, then sit in your fridge before use. Some nutrients are lost during this time of transition. Using a steam basket also works best.. other than boiling. Boiling depletes some of the vital nutrients. Also, with homemade, you can mix in breastmilk for even more nutrition.
Organic Gerbers are good, too, I am not saying they are unhealthy by any means.. I am just saying homemade is more nutrional and store bought contains some addatives and are watered down. ;-)
Best Wishes! ;-)
Homemade baby purees are healthier.. especially if you grow your own veggies. If you don't, store bought frozen veggies are best (such as frozen carrots) because often frozen vegetables are packages and frozen within hours after they are picked. Fresh vegetables get transfer to the store, then sit on the store shelf for a day or two until purchased, then sit in your fridge before use. Some nutrients are lost during this time of transition. Using a steam basket also works best.. other than boiling. Boiling depletes some of the vital nutrients. Also, with homemade, you can mix in breastmilk for even more nutrition.
Organic Gerbers are good, too, I am not saying they are unhealthy by any means.. I am just saying homemade is more nutrional and store bought contains some addatives and are watered down. ;-)
Best Wishes! ;-)
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