Happy Friday!
It has been a busy, but fun-filled week between training clients (and gaining new ones!), helping my mom out after her surgery last week and introducing Mirella to more solid food! I’m definitely ready for the weekend because we have a family wedding to go to tomorrow and we will finally be able to spend some quality time together since my husband has been working non-stop, getting home after the kids are in bed since walnut harvest started.
Anyhow, since starting Mirella on oatmeal two weeks ago, I made a batch of carrots, spinach and green beans last weekend to introduce to her this week (don’t worry, not all at once!). I started with carrots a couple of days ago (which she loved!) that I steamed and lightly sauteed with olive oil, a hint of garlic and Italian seasoning before I blended them in my food processor. I decided to just add spices from the start instead of starting with steamed bland veggies like I did with Keenan. She loves having cinnamon mixed into her oatmeal so I thought it wouldn’t hurt if I added a little spices to her veggies. I did the whole bland steamed food with Keenan for a month before introducing spices, but I really don’t think that is necessary. I want her to eat the veggies how I cook them (though, not as spicy starting out).
So, here is my super simple homemade baby food recipe that you can do with any vegetable or fruit. It takes less than 15 minuets to make and a whole batch provides enough veggies to last a month! All you need to do is microwave a frozen cube or two, stir and serve to your little one (of course making sure it’s not too hot first!)…
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chopped vegetables of your choice (green beans, spinach, zucchini, carrots, etc)
- Water
- Optional
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- a pinch of minced garlic
- a pinch of spices of your choice (I like to use Italian seasoning or garlic no-salt seasoning)
Instructions
- Place raw veggies in a microwave safe dish with a few tablespoons of water. Cover and microwave on high for several minutes (or until soft and tender when poked with a fork).
- If you want to add some flavor, saute steamed veggies with olive oil, garlic and any spices of your choice. If not, skip this step and proceed to adding veggies to your food processor.
- Place steamed veggies into a food processor and pulse until blended.
- Pour pureed veggies into ice cube traysand freeze for 24-48 hours.
- Once frozen, pop out the cubes and store in labeled and dated zip-lock bags. Note: Always date the bags so you know how long the food has been in the freezer. After a couple of months, the food can have freezer-burn and lose its' flavor.
Notes
You can follow pretty much the same recipe for pureeing fruits, too! Cook diced fruit of your choice in a sauce pan over medium heat until it becomes soft and tender. Place cooked fruit in your food processor and pulse until smooth. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze for 24-48 hours before popping the cubes out and storing in zip lock freezer bags.
There you have it, easy, peasy homemade baby food! Have a great weekend!
Questions:
What was your child’s first solid food?
Any fun plans for the weekend?
