Homemade Baby Food… Real Food From the Beginning!

Homemade Baby Food… REAL FOOD from the beginning (Part 2)
Breakfast, For the Kiddo’s, Health, recipesAdd commentsJan 112015My twins at nine months eating cooked organic boysenberries from their grandparents garden 🙂
 (READ: MAKE YOUR OWN BABY FOOD PART ONE HERE)
If you have ever taken a good look at store bought baby food you would notice that the colors are bland.  They are lacking in color and vibrance.  Yams should be bright orange and berries, dark purple and peas bright green.  Why is that?  Commercial baby food is cooked at a high temperature and nutrients are lost.
Here is a little visual for you that I got from Eat.Craft.Parent showing the different in homemade baby food, from the pouch, and from the glass jar.  Can you tell the difference?  Which looks more appetizing?

Apple puree and pea puree
Store bought food lacks in flavor.  Homemade baby food gives your kids the palate to enjoy whole food flavors from the beginning and they will become more adventurous with their palate as they grow.
Homemade Baby Food
Stage 2 (8 to 10 months)
Now the real fun begins!  We are moving out of purees and into some fun!  Spices, texture, and finely chopped raw fruits, cooked vegetables, meats, whole grains, and food combinations!  One reason we introduce single food items in the beginning is to ensure there isn’t a food allergy. Once that is cleared you are safe to combine and get creative.
Get Creative With Homemade Baby Food Combining
Choose Organic:
Peachy Sweet PotatoesApples and CarrotsBlueberry, Apple, and Pear SaucePears and Bananas (can be raw)Bananas (raw) and BlueberriesAvocado (raw), PeachesApples and PearsPeaches and BananasBananas (raw), Blueberries and PearsApples and PlumsBlueberries and ApplesPears, Peaches and Apples
Introducing Proteins
Organic Chicken, beef, egg yolk, fish, turkey, lentils, legumes, and tofu are all safe at this stage.  I began by making batches of pureed meats and adding them to pureed yams and/or vegetables and then as they progressed I made blended “chunkier” purees of a protein, carb and vegetable, for example.  Here are some recipes to get you started on introducing proteins…
Turkey Purée 
Ingredients:
1 c cold and cooked boneless turkey – chopped into no bigger than 1 inch pieces or use ground turkey1/4 c cooking juice (save the juices that you cooked the meat in) or plain water
Directions:
Place turkey chunks or cooked ground turkey in blender or food processor and puree until a powdery mix is formed. Slowly add water and puree further until a smooth consistency is created. Add as much liquid as needed to make a consistency appropriate for your baby.
Chicken Purée 
Ingredients:
1 cup cold and cooked boneless chicken – chopped into no bigger than 1 inch pieces or you can use ground chicken breast1/4 c cooking juice (save the juices that you cooked the meat in) or plain water
Directions:
Place chicken chunks in blender or food processor and puree until a powdery mix is formed. Slowly add water and puree further until a smooth consistency is created.  Add as much liquid as needed to make a consistency appropriate for your baby. You may add veggies or fruits to this puree as you like.
Beef Puree
Ingredients:
1 cup cold and cooked boneless beef – chopped into chunks no bigger than 1 inch or ground beef such as sirloin1/4 c cooking juice (save the juices that you cooked the meat in) or plain water
Directions:
Place meat chunks in blender or food processor and puree until a powdery mix is formed. Slowly add water and puree further until a smooth consistency is created.  Add as much liquid as needed to make a consistency appropriate for your baby. You may add veggies or fruits to this puree as you like.
Egg Yolks (Wait to introduce the white until 12 months. Read more on egg allergy here!)
Ingredients:
Eggs (Try to buy organic omega 3 eggs whenever possible)
Directions:
1. Hard-boil an egg2. Peel shell away and cut in half3. Scrape or pop out the yolk4. Mash the yolk and mix in formula, breast milk, applesauce, veggies, or whatever you choose that is appropriate for your baby.
OR
1. Crack an egg and separate the white from the yolk (you may use the shell for this or use an egg-separator)2. Warm olive oil or butter in a frying pan3. Scramble the yolk in a bowl with formula, breast milk, and transfer to frying pan4. Cook over medium heat, scrambling constantly, until thoroughly cooked
Tofu
Ingredients:
1 Package of Firm or Extra Firm Organic Tofu
Directions:
Blend it up with a banana and serve by spoon. You may blend it with any type of fruit(s) or veggies like apples, strawberries, blueberries, apples, carrots, broccoli, yams, parsnips, green beans, etc.
Baby’s Clean Eating Combo’s
These were some of my go to’s for Rocco and Maximus. Remember I was cooking for two so I made large batches…
Chicken and Butternut Squash
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken1 whole butternut squashCinnamon (optional)
Directions:
1. Sautée chopped Chicken breast or ground chicken in a little olive, avocado oil, or coconut oil2. Cut butternut squash in half, scoop out seeds, place cut side down in a 1/2 inch of filtered water. Bake at 400 for about 45 min to 1 hour.3. Scoop out flesh of squash and add cooked chicken to food processor or blender with a little water and puree. Save some/freeze some in trays.
Ground Beef Green Beans and Brown Rice
Ingredients:1 lb Ground Beef1 lb Green Beans (or vegetable of choice)1 cup Brown Rice
Directions:
1. Sautee beef in a little olive, avocado, or coconut oil2. Trim steams and Steam green beans3. Cook 1 cup of brown rice in 2 cups of filtered water.4. Puree in blender or food processor with a little of the green beans cooking water. Save some/freeze some in trays.
These are two basic recipes that you can change up! Alternate the proteins, alternate the vegetables, and the grains. Add seasoning so they get used to newflavors!
Lentils with Carrots and Brown Rice
Ingredients:
4 cups of water1 1/2 cups of red split lentils1 cup peeled and diced carrots1/2 cup brown rice
1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.2. Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Check on the level of the water and add water as needed.3. The mix will be finished when the rice is done, the carrots are soft and the lentils have “melted.” Puree and thin with water, but leave a little texture.
Baby’s Stage Two Spices and Seasoning
vanilla – pepper- garlic minced or powdered – basil – rosemary – dill – oregano – lemon zest – ginger – cinnamon – mint – nutmeg – tumeric – anise- curry powder
Baby’s Stage Two Grains, starches and seeds
Yams- Acorn Squash – pumpkin – Butternut Squash – Brown Rice – Wild Rice – Quinoa – Brown rice pasta – Barley – Millet – Kamut – Spelt – Flax – Whole Rolled Oats – Chia
Baby’s Stage Two Vegetables
Zucchini – Green Beans – Broccoli – Parsnips – Carrots – kale – Asparagus – Spinach – Chard –  Cauliflower – Beets – Peas – Onions – Peppers – Eggplant – Mushrooms – Summer Squash – Artichoke
Baby’s Stage Two Fruit
Avocado (raw) – Apricots – Apples – Bananas (raw) – Blueberries – Cantaloupe – Cherries – Cranberries – Dates – Figs – Grapes (pureed or chopped tiny) – Kiwi – Mangos – Nectarines – Papaya – Peaches -Pears – Persimmons – Plums – Prunes
Use these to mix and match!  Get creative!  Whole foods are fun and your baby will love it!  Not only that, when your baby DOESN’T turn into a “picky toddler,” everyone will want to know your secret!  Start your baby on real food from the beginning, with homemade baby food!
From my Natural Health Blog to you!

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Posted by Love Life Naturally at 12:29 pmTagged with: baby food, clean eating, clean eating kids, eat organic, eat seasonally, eating for wellness, for the kiddo’s, organic food, real food, real food recipeOne Response to “Homemade Baby Food… REAL FOOD from the beginning (Part 2)”
Make Your Own Baby Food… REAL FOOD from the beginning says:January 11, 2015 at 12:39 pm[…] (SKIP TO PART TWO OF FEEDING YOUR BABY REAL FOOD HERE!) […]