• 1 1/2 pound of frozen steamable peas in a bag
  • 8 ounces of cold water
  • *Optional: 2 large red apples
  • 8 ounces of apple juice

Whoever invented the idea of combining veggies and fruits together for babies was simply a genius. I am assuming it probably was the outcome of a tired frustrated mom who was trying to kill two birds with one stone so to speak and feed baby both veggies and fruits at once, limiting the number of bowls and time. Regardless of how it happened or why incorporating a hint of sweetness in a bland bowl of veggies is music to a baby’s ears. Now luckily, so far my son enjoys a few of his veggies just as they are but I like to surprise him at times by using apples with his peas or pears with his squash. I even put blueberries in his sweet potatoes- you should have seen his face light up! Heck, I took a bite and my face lit up too!

Some people have an opinion that you should not mask the taste of vegetables with fruit and though I understand their reasoning and agree it should not always be done I personally see nothing wrong with livening things up a bit with fruits. It’s like adding parmesan cheese to your toddlers broccoli or brown sugar to sweet potatoes. They simply just taste better!

I always use frozen peas when making baby food because they are so easy to cook (just steam in the bag) just as cheap as fresh and its quick! Whether you bake or steam your apples is up to you but baked apples tend to go better with hearty vegetables like squash and sweet potatoes while steam apples and pears compliment the lighter veggies such as peas, broccoli and corn.

Directions:

If using frozen steam-able peas, cook in the microwave according to the package directions. Remove from packaging and place in a cold ice water bath. At this point you can decided to just have pureed peas or combine them with apples. If choosing for just peas, place peas in the blender with the water and puree until smooth. To incorporate apples: Wash and peel your apples. Cut them in quarters and place in a stockpot covered with 8 ounces of apple juice or water. Cook covered on medium-high for 8 minutes. Remove from the pot and place in the blender with the peas. Puree until you reach your desired consistency using the cooking liquid as needed. Pour into ice cubes and allow to cool. Cover or wrap and store in the freezer.