Belleicious Baby

Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Blueberries and Apple

admin — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 02:10:20 +0000

Its a whole lot of flavors going on at once in your baby’s mouth! We are talking savory, a little sweet and even some tang. It is rich, delicious and statysing and you will have one happy baby on your hands when they see this coming their way. I got the idea from a blend Ella’s Kitchen does in their Sweet Potato and Blue Berry pouches. I added in my own pumpkin and apples as I always love the taste of those two together.

Pumpkin is an extremely nourishing choice for babies. It is loaded with Vitamin A and beta carotene. Beta Carotene is one of the plant carotenoids that when eaten and digested, turns into Vitamin A in the human body. Beta Carotene may reduce the risk of cancer as well as heart disease. It also may be responsible for combating or putting off the degenerative effects of ageing.

Pumpkins are also good sources of potassium, protein, and iron. Pumpkin seeds also contain a good amount of protein and iron so eating the seeds does provide some nutritive value. We don’t recommend that you offer your baby or toddler pumpkin seeds however. Pumpkins are wonderfully low in fat, low in calories but high in fiber. Wholesome Baby Food

Hands down a winner and if you sneak a taste of it yourself (the horror I know:) you will see what all the fuss or lack there of is about:) LOL!

Directions:

Fill a baking pan with 1/2 cup of water. Place the sweet potato halves skin side down and poke a few holes in each. Bake at 400 for 30-45 minutes or until the flesh is soft. Remove and allow to cool. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon into your blender or processor of choice along with the canned pumpkin.

Meanwhile, steam the apples and blueberries in a large pan with 1/2 cup of water and apple juice. Cover and steam for 10 minutes or until the apples are soft. Place apples and blueberries in blender along with the cinnamon, sweet potato and pumpkin. Puree until desired consistency. Store in the freezer safe containers or ice cube trays for up to 3 months.

Apple and Banana Puree

admin — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:19:51 +0000

It amazes me how siblings can be so alike yet so different. My first son loved his bananas- my second son- not so much. He is a no go on eating them straight up and by no means does he liked them cooked. Instead he prefers them mixed with other fruits or vegetables. I found his favorite combination is bananas and apples. He goes crazy over this puree and I know your baby will too!

Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, low in sodium and a wonderful choice for a babies first food. Too many bananas may lead to constipation but adding a reasonable amount to your babies diet can also aide in diarrhea. One of the main problems relating to bananas is how quickly they turn brown once peeled. Below are a few help tips to remember next time you are handling bananas for your little one.

1) Select bananas from the store that are yellow to yellow-green in color, without many black spots. The banana is ready for your baby when most of the green has turned to a yellow hue, and the banana pulls from the bunch with ease.

2) Store bananas in their jackets at room temperature, not in a refrigerator.

3) Try stirring a little fruit juice (lemon, orange or pineapple) into your pureed or mashed banana. But please note that some babies react to the acid in citrus fruits, so you may want to check with your doctor first.

4) Mix the banana with natural yogurt. Not only does this help reduce the browning, it adds a nice dose of calcium to the dish!

5) Try freezing the dish immediately following preparation, ensuring that it’s covered as it thaws, then serving it as soon as it’s fully thawed.

Apple and Banana Puree

Directions:

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 banana. Puree until you reach your desired consistency using more water or apple juice as needed. Pour into ice cubes and allow to cool. Cover or wrap and store in the freezer.

Broccoli, Pears and Peas

admin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 12:16:31 +0000

Broccoli! Its a super food that is full of fiber and as many of you know a great way to help “aide” in the digestive area if you know what I mean. With that said, gas in babies is NOT and I repeat NOT fun at any time at any age. So what is a mom to do? Well, many parents shy away from giving their babies broccoli period but when it is properly cooked and paired with another veggie or fruit it can be a wonderful puree for babies and get this- its actually tasty.

The truth is, once babies have tried several other types of fruits and vegetables and handled them well, broccoli is an excellent choice for babies. While this recipe is for broccoli combined with pears and peas you can by all means try different versions by using potatoes, carrots and even rutabaga. Getting infants used to a variety of vegetables early on will help them to develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.

Wonder where I get my baby food ideas? Well, I have 2 amazing baby food cookbooks that I will swear by but other than that I go to diapers.com and write down all the different veggie and fruit combinations from brands like Ella and Plum and then I go simply make my own. Its really that easy.

Directions:
Cut off broccoli florets and place in a steamer. Steam for 8 minutes covered until broccoli is tender. Transfer to a ice water bath until ready to use. Meanwhile, steam your bag of peas in the microwave based on the package instructions. Place your pears in a saucepan with 8 ounces of apple juice, cover and steam on medium for 6-8 minutes until tender. Place the broccoli, peas and apples along with the cooking liquid from the apples in a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into ice cubes or molds and freeze. Stays for 3 months

Simple Veggie Purees

admin — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 12:16:44 +0000

By the time I had the okay to start Connor on solid food I was pumped and ready to go. Usually that is the case with your first child not second but seeing as how my first did not like his milk nor baby food (I did not make my own at that time) I was determined to give Connor everything I had to start him off in the right direction with eating. I learned the first vegetables a baby eats are particularly critical to their “take” on certain vegetables later in life. By feeding them vegetables they really enjoy it sets them up to make healthy choices as they grow up.

Now this is not to say that if you baby likes pureed carrots then he will always love his carrots, green beans, etc. but it does help them develop the taste and hence give a tired mom a little head start on the picky eater battle come toddler years.

You will find numerous of articles explaining methods of feeding veggies to your baby- before fruits, after fruits, mixed with fruits, etc. regardless of your decision the key here is to giving them YUMMY veggies. Veggies they will actually like and if you can take a bite or two without whencing then you are set. Peas, Carrots and Squash are the ones I started my son off with and he absolutely loves them. They are nutritious and an excellent choice for first veggies.

Peas

Small and round, peas are an excellent choice for your baby’s first vegetables, according to Baby Center. Peas contain protein, fiber and large amounts of vitamins A and C. They can be mashed or fed whole, depending on your baby’s preference. Like green beans, peas can serve as a step in the right direction for parents that want to gradually introduce their babies to green vegetables.

Carrots

Like sweet potatoes, carrots are a sweet-tasting vegetable. This can make the transition into eating vegetables much easier. Carrots are packed with calcium for strong bones, potassium, vitamins A, B and C, which support good vision and help make your little one less susceptible to illness. Mashed carrots are a popular kind of baby food that can be purchased from the grocery store, but you can make your own mashed carrots at home by boiling carrots, mashing them like potatoes and cooling them in the refrigerator. Avoid adding sugar or anything else to keep your child’s first vegetables as pure and healthy as possible.

Squash

“Squash, especially a winter variety such as butternut squash, are good early foods for babies and toddlers.”They offer a soft consistency when cooked and generally have a mild flavor. “Nutritionally, each squash has a unique nutrition profile dependent on the specific variety. “In general, winter squash varieties tend to be a good source of niacin, iron, beta-carotene and vitamin A. Squash can be baked, steamed, boiled, or poached. Different varieties of squash offer slightly different textures, but essentially all of them can be cooked to a soft consistency and then cut up for a soft finger food for babies with teeth or pureed for early eaters.Squash is also easily combined with other early baby foods such as apple puree, pear puree, etc. Information provided by Peggy O’Shea, a Boston-based nutritionist and president of the Massachusetts Dietetic Association on babyzone.com.

Information provided by Livestrong

Directions:

Squash

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down in a baking dish. Add about a 1/2 inch of water. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes, or until tender. Remove and let cool slightly. Remove flesh. Puree with apple juice and 2-3 ounces of water (more or less depending on your desired consistency). Puree until smooth.

Peas

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. Place peas in the blender with the apple juice and 2-3 ounces of water (more or less depending on your desired consistency) and puree until smooth.

Carrots

Peel the carrots if using large fresh ones and cut into chunks or remove carrots from bag if using pre-washed baby carrots. Place carrots into a steamer pan with 8 ounces of water. Steam until tender. Place steamed carrots in your choice of processor, blender. Puree with apple juice and 2-3 ounces of water (more or less depending on your desired consistency) until smooth.

Sweet Green Peas+Apples

admin — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 18:24:24 +0000

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.

Oatmeal with Apples and Raisins

admin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:56:18 +0000

Apple Pie! Who doesn’t love a slice of good old fashioned apple pie? Your baby is no different than we are. They are suckers for combinations of delicious ingredients and this version of oatmeal with apples and raisins is like feeding them a spoonful of apple pie. I got the recipe from the cookbook Pureed Baby Foods and Connor was instantly in love. The raisins give a nice sweetness to the dish, the apples a nutty sweet taste and touch of cinnamon with the oatmeal brings it all together. Treat your baby to a “slice of pie” and resist the temptation to grab a spoon for yourself!

Directions:

Wash and peel the apples, cut into quarters. Place the apples, cinnamon, juice, water and raisins in a large stockpot and cook on medium-high, covered for 6-8 minutes. Remove cover and add in the oatmeal, stirring for the next 2-3 minutes. Transfer to your choice of blender equipment and puree until smooth. You may add more of the cooking liquid to the puree to reach your desired consistency. Pour puree into ice cubes or freezer trays. Allow to cool, cover or wrap and store in the freezer.