Tried and True Baby Food Recipes

By: Annie Wagner

When it came time to start introducing solid foods to my now 10-month old daughter, Margot, I was extremely overwhelmed. Going from exclusively breast feeding to all the endless food possibilities was pretty intimidating.

I was inspired by some mom friends to try a few baby food recipes and realized how easy and cost effective it actually was. The best part – Margot loves it! She hasn’t turned down any homemade food yet, plus the added benefit of knowing exactly what you’re feeding your little one! Don’t get me wrong – we still love the baby food pouches for travel or days out and about.

These are all simple recipes that babies will actually eat. Each healthy combination includes a wide variety of nutritious fruits and veggies and is much more affordable than buying pre-made pouches or jars. Once I started, it was fun to get creative with food combinations. Don’t be afraid of adding flavor and spices either. The earlier you introduce different flavors, the less picky they will be later…at least that’s my hope!

I was able to make all of these recipes during Margot’s nap one day. Three hours of baby food making created about 6 weeks of meals – not bad! I store all of the purées in the freezer in Freezer Safe Glass Storage Jars or Silicon Ice Cube Trays with Lid. Every couple of days I take out enough food for 2-3 days of meals and put in the fridge to defrost. When it’s mealtime, I take a jar from the fridge and pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and voilà!

The steps are as simple as this:

1. Roughly chop fruit and veggies.
2. Steam veggies to soften.
3. Blend mixes in a blender or food processor.
4. Pour mixes into jars/trays
5. Store in the freezer for 3-6 months.
6. Defrost/store in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Ingredients/Shopping List:

4 Zucchini

2 heads of Broccoli (or medium bag of broccoli florets)

8 medium Carrots (or medium bag of baby carrots)

2 ripe Pears

2 pints of Blueberries

4 ripe Bananas

2 Avocados

1 Butternut squash (I buy the pre-cut bag from Trader Joes)

2 Sweet Potatoes (peel before steaming)

1 can of White Beans (drained and cooked)

2 tsps. ground Cinnamon

2 tsps. ground Ginger

Juice from one large Lemon

2 cups Organic Applesauce

1 cup Organic Creamy Peanut Butter

2 cups Whole Milk Plain Yogurt (I use Mountain High)

Mixes:

Zucchini, Pear, Banana

Carrot, Applesauce, Pear

Blueberry, Banana, Avocado, Lemon

Broccoli, Squash, Ginger, Lemon

Carrot, Squash, Cinnamon

Yogurt, Banana, Peanut Butter

Sweet Potato, White Bean, Cinnamon (Margot’s favorite)

I hope this inspires you and makes homemade baby food less intimidating!