Preparing home-made baby food puree is not only fun, it's
also extremely simple. You will be surprised to see that it really will take
less time to puree baby food than you imagined.
Though the recipes say ‘Purees’, you don’t always need to
puree them till very smooth. These fruits and veggies can be mashed to the
desired consistency using a fork or spoon. No fancy equipment is really
necessary to puree or grind your baby’s food, a good quality hand-blender/stick
blender is a sensible and good buy though. A hand-blender/stick blender helps
you to alter the consistency of the purees as your baby grows bigger. A few
lumps here and there is not quite a problem with most children, but watch out
for frequent spit-ups and gagging.
You can also be super adventurous and create your very own
signature veggie and fruit combos. For example, Spinach and Apple Puree! Now
how does that sound? Go on and cook up a storm for your little one everyday, he
or she will love it. Enjoy!
Please
read up the below link on more information on how to puree and store home-made
baby food.
With these simple pureed baby food recipes, discover which
delicious fruits and vegetables you can introduce to your little ones. Puree
and blend your baby foods as your creativity and your baby’s age allow.
Caution: Some recipes make use of cheese, cottage
cheese/paneer and other dairy products as ingredients. Please use this only on
advice of your pediatrician or child’s doctor.
No Cook Purees
1. Banana Puree
Ingredients
1 small banana; peeled & skinned
Breastmilk or Formula Milk; just enough to adjust
consistency (if necessary)
Method
Peel the banana and mash with a fork or spoon.
During the first stages of weaning, add a little milk if
necessary to thin down the consistency and add a familiar taste.
2. Banana and
Strawberry Puree
Ingredients
1 small Banana; peeled & skinned
2 to 3 Strawberries; hulled & quartered
Method
Simply mash or puree the bananas and strawberries
together and serve.
3. Banana and Mango
or Papaya Puree
Ingredients
1 small Banana; peeled & skinned
75 grams Mango; peeled & stoned OR Papaya; peeled &
deseeded
Method
Mash the ingredients and serve.
4. Papaya Puree
Ingredients
1/2 of a small Papaya
Method
Cut the small papaya in half and remove black seeds. Puree
or mash the flesh until smooth.
5. Avocado Puree
Ingredients
1 small Avocado
Method
Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone, scoop out the
flesh using a spoon.
Mash together with your baby’s usual milk or serve as
it is.
6. Avocado and Banana
Puree
Ingredients
1/4 Avocado
1/2 small ripe banana
1 or 2 tablespoons baby’s usual milk or thick yoghurt
Method
Mash the avocado together with the bananas and milk or
yoghurt. Serve.
Notes:
1. You can also substitute the flesh of half a small papaya
for the avocado.
2. You can combine almost any other fruit or veggie along
with avocados. Apples, pears, carrots etc. to name a few.
Cooked Purees
1. Apple Puree/Applesauce
Ingredients
1 sweet eating Apple (eg; Shimla, Royal Gala etc.)
2 to 3 tablespoon water
Method
Peel, halve, core and chop the apples. Put into a heavy
based saucepan with the water. Cover and cook over a low heat for 5 to 6
minutes until really tender.
Puree in a food processor or place in a bowl and use a hand
blender.
Notes:
1. You could also steam the apples for 5 to 7 minutes until
tender. If steaming, you can add some of the boiled water from the bottom of
the steamer to thin out the puree.
2. Apples can also be cooked in the pressure cooker for
about two whistles with a little water. After the two whistles, open the lid of
the pressure cooker immediately, puree and serve.
2. Pear Puree
Ingredients
1 large or 2 small ripe pears; peeled, cored & chopped
Method
Place the chopped pears in a steamer, cover and steam for 3
to 5 minutes depending on ripeness.
Puree in a food processor or place in a bowl and use a hand
blender. Serve.
Notes:
1. You can add some of the boiled water from the bottom of
the steamer to thin out the puree.
2. Pears can also be cooked in the pressure cooker for about
two to three whistles with a little water. After two to three whistles, open
the lid of the pressure cooker immediately, puree and serve.
3. If the puree is too runny, stir in a little baby rice to
help thicken it.
3. Apple and Pear
Puree
Ingredients
1 sweet eating Apple; peeled, cored & chopped (eg;
Shimla, Royal Gala)
1 ripe Pear; peeled, cored & chopped
2 tablespoon water
A pinch of ground Cinnamon (optional)
Method
Put the chopped fruit into a saucepan together with water
and a pinch of cinnamon (if using), cover and cook over a low heat until tender
(about 5 to 6 minutes)
Blend the fruit to a smooth puree.
4. Apple and
Strawberry Puree
Ingredients
1 cup sweet eating Apple; peeled, cored, chopped and cooked (eg;
Shimla, Royal Gala)
5 to 6 ripe Strawberries; chopped
2 tablespoon milk/water
Method
Liquidize the cooked apples and chopped strawberries
together in a blender. Strain to remove the seeds of the strawberry. Add
milk/water, mix well and serve immediately.
Notes:
You can also prepare a lip smackingly delicious smoothie
with these fruits by using fresh thick yoghurt instead of milk or water.
5. Apple and Spinach
Puree
Ingredients
1 cup sweet eating Apple; peeled, cored, chopped and cooked
(eg; Shimla, Royal Gala)
A small bunch of fresh green spinach; coarsely chopped
Method
Cook the spinach in a pan with a little water. Blend the
apples and spinach to a smooth puree and serve warm.
6. Carrot Puree
Ingredients
2 small carrots; peeled & chopped
Method
Put the carrots into a steamer set over boiling water and
cook until tender. Alternatively put the carrots in a saucepan and pour over
just enough boiling water to cover the carrots. Cover with a lid and simmer for
a few minutes until soft.
Drain the carrots and place in a blender, adding some of the
water from the bottom of the steamer or some of the cooking liquid and puree
until very smooth.
The amount of liquid you add really depends on your baby,
you may need to add a little more if he finds the puree difficult to swallow.
Spoon the puree into your baby’s bowl and serve lukewarm.
Notes:
1. In the first few weeks of weaning make sure that the
carrots are cooked for quite a long time, so that they are soft enough to puree
to a smooth consistency.
2. This method of cooking also works with any of the other
root vegetables like potatoes and sweet potato. Cooking times will differ
depending on which vegetable you choose.
3. You can follow this same recipe with almost any vegetable
you want to give your baby. Veggies like spinach, peas, pumpkin, cauliflower,
broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, leeks, etc. or combinations
of one or more of these vegetables.
4. To make these purees yummier, you can add grated cheddar
cheese or cream cheese to it.
7. Oven Roasted
Veggie Puree
Ingredients
1 small carrots; peeled
1/2 of a whole Green Bell Pepper/Capsicum
4 to 5 French Beans; cleaned
A small piece of Beetroot; peeled
A pinch of Garlic powder or 2 cloves of crushed Garlic/whole
unpeeled garlic cloves
Method
Place the veggies on a greased baking tray. (you can either place
the vegetables directly on the greased baking tray or layer it with greaseproof
paper/aluminium foil) Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle the garlic
powder over the veggies or place the crushed/whole unpeeled garlic cloves along
with the vegetables.
Bake the vegetables for a few minutes till they are cooked
completely or are fork tender.
Once done, remove the vegetables from the tray and puree in
a blender. If you find the puree too thick, you can add water to thin down the
consistency.
Spoon the puree into your baby’s bowl and serve warm.
8. Fruity Cheese Puree
Ingredients
1/2 cup home-made/store-bought Cottage Cheese or Paneer
2 to 3 tablespoon chopped fresh fruits (refer notes)
1 teaspoon Jaggery or Sugar (optional)
Method
Grind cottage cheese/paneer into a smooth paste. Add the
chopped fruits along with jaggery or sugar (if using) and blend again. Serve
immediately.
Variations:
1. You can replace fruits with deseeded and cooked dates.
Once your baby has completed 9 months, the dates don’t have to be cooked and
can be used as it is.
Notes:
1. You can use any fresh fruit in this recipe. Mangoes,
blueberries, strawberries are excellent choices. Apart from these, you could use
almost anything.
9. Spinach Pasta Puree
Ingredients
1/2 cup spinach; coarsely chopped
1 & 1/2 tablespoon whole wheat pasta
1 tablespoon home-made/store-bought Cottage Cheese/Paneer;
shredded
A pinch of Salt (optional)
A pinch of pepper
Method
Boil two cups of water. Once the water comes to a boil,
throw in the pasta and allow it to cook completely. Drain the water and keep
the cooked pasta aside.
Cook the spinach with half cup of water and simmer for two
to three minutes. Add the cooked pasta, shredded cottage cheese, salt and
pepper and combine well. Bring to a boil and switch off flame. Cool the pasta
mix and blend to a smooth puree. Serve warm
Notes:
As babies grow bigger and are able to chew on lumps, avoid
pureeing the dish and serve as it is. This sure is healthy and wholesome food
for your baby.
10. Date Puree
Ingredients
1/4 cup Dates; coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water
Method
Toss the chopped dates along with water into a saucepan.
Bring to a boil. Turn the flame to a gentle simmer and cook the dates for ten
to twelve minutes or till dates are completely cooked and soft. Mash to a smooth
puree. Cool and serve.
Notes:
Once your baby has completed nine months, and can chew
on lumps, dates don’t need to be cooked and can be served as it is.
Photo Courtesy: www.todaysparent.com
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