Before we get to the recipes, here are a few tricks that I have learned:
- Once you get the hang of mixing different fruits and vegetables together, you will find that there are an unlimited number of combinations that work. The nice thing about making your own baby food is that it actually tastes good when you try it yourself. If a combination tastes good to you, it will most likely taste good to baby too! If you prepare several recipes and freeze them, it is very easy to grab and for a meal.
- Mix unflavoured baby rice cereal to thicken and add texture to any puree.
- Add breast milk to sweeten or dilute any puree.
- Add oatmeal or other cereal to any fruit puree for a more interesting and balanced breakfast.
- Mix yogurt with any fruit puree.
- Add scrambled egg yolk to any vegetable puree to add texture and protein.
- Add cottage cheese to fruit purees (ie. watermelon).
Fruit
- Apple Puree
- Pear Puree
- Banana Puree
- Cream of Fruit Puree
- Three-Fruit Puree
- Peach Puree
- Cantaloupe Melon Puree
- Mango Puree
- Plum Puree
- Avocado Puree
- Peaches, Apples, and Pears Puree
- Avocado and Banana Puree
- Banana and Blueberry Puree
- Yogurt and Fruit
- Carrot Puree
- Sweet Potato, Rutabaga, or Parsnip Puree
- Potato Puree
- Cream of Carrot (or any vegetable) Puree
- Butternut Squash Puree
- Zucchini Puree
- Broccoli and Cauliflower Puree
- Green Bean Puree
- Potato, Zucchini, and Broccoli Puree
- Pea Puree
- Corn on the Cob Puree
- Spinach Puree
- Tomato Puree
- Carrot and Pea Puree
- Sweet Vegetable Medley Puree (carrot, rutabaga, potato or butternut squash or pumpkin, and parsnip)
- Leek and Potato Puree
- Sweet Vegetable Puree
- Cauliflower Cheese Puree
- Fillet of Cod with Sweet Potato
- Chicken Salad Puree
VEGETABLES (First Tastes)
Carrot Puree
Peel, trim and slice 2 medium carrots. Place in a saucepan of lightly boiling water, cover, and simmer until very tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and puree to a smooth consistency, adding as much of the reserved cooking liquid as necessary.
Cream of Carrot (or any vegetable)
A creamy puree can be made with many different vegetables by adding milk and baby rice. Make a puree. Mix unflavoured baby rice with your baby's usual milk. Stir the baby rice mixture into the vegetable puree.
Sweet Potato, Rutabaga or Parsnip Puree
Use a large sweet potato. Scrub, peel and chop into small cubes. Cover with water and simmer, covered, until tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Puree, adding some liquid if necessary.
Sweet Vegetable Medley
1 cup carrot, peeled and chopped
1 cup rutabaga, peeled and chopped
1 cup potato, butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 1/4 cup water or milk (can use cow's milk in cooking from 6 months)
Put the vegetables in a saucepan with water or milk. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and puree the vegetables in a blender, together with as much cooking liquid as necessary to make the desired consistency.
Butternut Squash Puree
Peel a butternut squash. Seed and cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes. Steam or cover with boiling water and simmer for about 15 minutes or until tender. Transfer the squash to a blender and make a puree with a little of the cooking liquid.
Potato
Wash, peel, and chop potatoes, just cover with boiling water and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Blend with some cooking liquid or breast or infant formula milk to make the desired consistency. You can bake potato or sweet potato in the oven. Preheat to 400 degrees for 1-1 1/4 hours or until soft. Scoop out the inside and mash with a little breast or infant formula milk. *Avoid using a food processor or blender to puree potato as it breaks down the starch and makes a sticky pulp. Use a food mill instead.*
FRUIT (First Tastes)
Banana
Choose a ripe banana and mash it very well with a fork to make it as smooth as possible. Add a little boiled water or breast or infant formula milk if it is too thick and sticky for your baby to swallow.
Pear Puree (with Baby Rice)
Peel, halve, and core 2 pears, then cut into small pieces. Cover with a little water, cook over low heat until soft. Puree. Mix with baby rice if you like.
*Apple and pear make a good combination.
Apple Puree
Peel, halve, core, and chop 2 medium apples. Put into a heavy saucepan with 4-5 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook over a low heat until tender. Puree.
Cream of Fruit
Combine a fruit puree with unflavoured baby rice and baby milk.
Three Fruit Puree
Mix 2 teaspoons each of pear and apple purees with half a banana, mashed. You could also use half a raw ripe pear, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks. Puree this and the half banana in a blender until smooth, then mix together with the 2 teaspoons of cooked apple puree.
VEGETABLES (After first tastes accepted)
Zucchini
Wash 2 medium zucchini carefully, remove the ends, and slice. (There is no need to remove the skin.) Steam until tender, then puree in a blender or mash with a fork.
Potato, Zucchini. and Broccoli
Peel and chop two medium potatoes. Boil in water below a steamer until soft. Place 1/4 cup of broccoli florets and 1/2 cup sliced zucchini in the steamer basket, cover and cook until all the vegetables are tender. Drain the potato and puree all the vegetables in a food mill, adding enough breast or infant formula milk to make a smooth consistency.
Peas
Cover 1 cup frozen peas with water, bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 4 minutes until tender. Strain, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Puree using a food mill or press through a strainer and add some of the cooking liquid to make the desired consistency.
Broccoli and Cauliflower Puree
Use 1 cup of either. Wash well, cut into small florets, and add 2/3 cup boiling water. Simmer, covered, until tender. Strain, reserving the cooking liquid. Puree until smooth, adding a little of the liquid, or breast or infant formula milk, to make the desired consistency.
Alternatively, steam the florets for better flavor and retention of nutrients.
*Good mixed with a cheese sauce or root vegetable puree like carrot or sweet potato.
Green Bean Puree
Wash the beans (young), top and tail, and remove any stringy bits. Steam until tender, then blend. Add a little boiled water or breast or infant formula milk to make a smooth puree.
*Good mixed with root vegetables such as carrot or sweet potato.
Corn on the Cob Puree
Remove and discard the outer corn husks and silk from the corn and rinse well. Cover with boiling water and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Strain and then cut off the kernels of corn using a sharp knife. Puree. Alternatively, cook some frozen corn and then puree.
Spinach Puree
Wash 2 cups of spinach leaves very carefully, removing the coarse stalks. Either steam the spinach or put in a saucepan and sprinkle with a little water. Cook until the leaves are wilted. Gently press out any excess water.
*Good combined with potato, sweet potato, or butternut squash.
Tomato Puree
Plunge 2 medium tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer to cold water, skin, seed, and roughly chop. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and saute the tomato until mushy. Puree in a blender.
*Good combined with potato, cauliflower, zucchini, or corn.
Carrot and Pea Puree
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup frozen peas
Put the sliced carrots in a saucepan and cover with boiling water. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the peas and cook for a further 5 minutes. Puree with sufficient cooking liquid to make a smooth puree.
FRUIT (After first tastes accepted)
Peach
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Cut a shallow cross on the skin of 2 peaches, submerge them in the water for 1 minute, then plunge them into cold water. Skin and chop the peaches, discarding the pits. Either puree the peaches uncooked or steam them first for a few minutes until tender.
*Peach and banana make a good combination.
Cantaloupe Melon
Cut in half, remove the seeds, scoop out the flesh, and puree in a blender.
Mango Puree
Peel a ripe mango, removing the pit, and puree the flesh. No need to cook.
*Good mixed with mashed banana.
Plum Puree
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Cut a shallow cross on the skin of 1 large plum, submerge in the water for 1 minute, then plunge into cold water. Skin and chop, discarding the pits. Either puree the plum uncooked if soft or steam first for a few minutes until tender.
*Good mixed with banana or yogurt.
Avocado Puree
Cut a well-ripened avocado in half and scoop out the stone. Use 1/3-1/2 and mash the flesh with a fork, maybe adding a little milk. Serve quickly to avoid it turning brown.
*Good mixed with mashed banana.
Avocado and Banana Puree
1/2 small avocado
1/2 small banana
Remove the flesh from the avocado and mash with the banana until smooth. This should be eaten soon after it is made or it will turn brown.
Peaches, Apples, and Pears Puree
2 dessert apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 tablespoons of water
2 ripe peaches, skinned, pitted, and chopped
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
Put the chopped apples in a saucepan and add the water. Simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes. Add the peaches and pears and cook for 3-4 minutes more. Puree.
VEGETABLES (7-9 months)
Potato and Leek Puree
2 tablespoons butter
heaping 1 1/2 cups of leeks, finely sliced
2 1/4 cups potato. peeled and chopped
1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons whole-milk yogurt
Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the leeks and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes and pour over the water. Cover and cook for about 12 minutes or until tender. Strain the vegetables and puree, adding as much cooking liquid as necessary to make a smooth consistency. Stir in the yogurt.
Sweet Vegetable Puree
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
3/4 cup carrot, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 cups potato, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons corn
1 tablespoon peas
Fry the onion and carrot gently in the oil for about 5 minutes. Stir in the potato, add the water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and peas, simmer for about 5 minutes. Puree.
Cauliflower Cheese Puree
1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
Cheese Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
Wash the cauliflower carefully and steam until tender. Meanwhile, for the sauce, melt the butter over a low heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir in the flour to make a smooth paste. Whisk in the milk and cook, stirring, until thickened. Take the cheese off of the heat and stir in the grated cheese. Keep stirring until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the cauliflower to the sauce and puree.
FRUIT (7-9 months)
Banana and Blueberry Puree
1/4 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon water
1 small ripe banana, peeled and sliced
Put the blueberries into a saucepan with the water and cook for about 2 minutes or until the fruit just starts to burst open. Whiz with a hand blender, together with the sliced banana, until smooth.
Yogurt and Fruit
fresh fruit (ie. 1 ripe peach, small mango, or a combination)
2 tablespoons of whole-milk natural yogurt
a little maple syrup (optional)
Peel the fruit, remove and pits, mash the flesh, and mix with the yogurt. Stir in a little maple syrup to sweeten if necessary.
FISH (7-9 months)
Fillet of Cod with Sweet Potato
2 cups sweet potato, peeled and diced
3 oz cod, skinned and filleted
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup orange juice
Put the sweet potato into a saucepan, just cover with water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until soft. Put the fish in a suitable dish, add the milk, dot with butter, cover, and microwave on High for 2 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Alternatively, poach the fish in a saucepan with the milk and butter for 6-7 minutes or until just cooked through. Put the cooked sweet potato, strained fish, and orange juice into a blender and puree until smooth.
CHICKEN (7-9 months)
Chicken Salad Puree
2 tablespoons cooked, boneless chicken, chopped
1 slice cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 small tomato, skinned, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup avocado, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon natural yogurt
Put all the ingredients into a blender and puree to the desired consistency. Serve immediately.
