Making organic baby food

Aug 18, 2009 4:44 AM by Molly Cerreta Smith

Posted in Food & Recipes / Organic Foods & Recipes / Organic for Kids

Baby Food Recipes And Tips

Providing your baby with the freshest, most wholesome fruits and vegetables is a great way to introduce him to the world of food. If you plan on making your own organic baby food, here are a few tricks of the trade as well as some easy recipes. They are so good, you might find yourself sneaking spoonfuls of baby's lunch! (It's okay -- we don't blame you.)

Start at the source

Scour your local farmers' market for the season's freshest organic produce. When you get home, carefully wash it all.

Boil fruits and vegetables in water (separately, of course), or steam them until tender. Tasty ones to start with include apples, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, bananas and avocados. (Skip the boiling process on the latter two.)

Allow food to cool a bit before transferring to a grinder, blender or food processor. Puree with a small amount of liquid -- either breast milk or formula. The amount of liquid you add depends on how advanced your little eater is. If you are just starting her on food, the mixture should be very thin. If she has been eating baby food for a while, a pasty consistency should suffice. For more experienced eaters and older babies, small chunks are okay. Start with a small amount of liquid. You can add more, but you can't take it away!

Pour the mixture into ice cube trays, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Once the food cubes are completely frozen, store them individually in small snack bags. Don't forget to label them and mark the date. Frozen baby food expires two months from its freeze date.

To serve, warm the food cube in a cup set in a pan of boiling water. Stir and test the food before serving to make sure it's not too hot.

Mixing it up

If you are just introducing foods, try one food at a time for a few days and monitor your baby for allergic reactions. Once you have tried each food individually, you can begin to mix them. Mix the combinations below in equal proportions, adding breast milk or formula to desired consistency.

Bananas and oatmeal
Green beans and brown rice
Peas and barley
Apples and sweet potatoes
Carrots and brown rice
Peaches and oatmeal

When your baby is 8 months old, you can introduce proteins. To prepare meat, boil it until it is no longer pink at all. Then blend it as you do fruits and vegetables.

Try blending the following combinations:

Chicken and sweet potato
Brown rice, broccoli and chicken
Chicken, carrots and noodles

Making your own organic baby foods ensures your baby gets the freshest foods available, without pesticides, hormones and other additives. It's just this easy -- and oh-so-delicious!