Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Baby Food Recipes to Make Baby Food with Fruit




The following are baby food recipes I used to feed my daughter. I switched exclusively to homemade baby food at around 5 - 6 months of age.
Preparing fruit is definitely the most easy way to make baby food. Mainly because there are a lot of fruits that do not need to be cooked in order to prepare them. These foods are naturally soft when ripe. I will cover the easiest fruits for baby food recipes first and move on to fruits that must be cooked to use in baby foods.
Peaches
This is the easiest to make and my daughter loved them the most. They are great in many fruit based baby food recipes. Peaches are great because they are very soft and puree easily. There is no need to add juice just cut them up into small chunks, pop em' into the baby food processor, and off you go.
When picking out your peaches make sure you purchase already ripened fruits if you intend to use them right away. Otherwise place them in a paper bag and leave them on the counter top for a day or two. Make sure and keep an eye on them so they don't over ripen and go bad.

I also always kept a couple of small jars of canned peaches on hand. These are only for emergencies. If for some reason or other you run out of fruit for the baby food recipes, or her fruit goes bad, you can rely on your back up of canned peaches. Make sure and buy the kind that are packed in pear juice, not heavy syrup. OK, on to the baby food recipes...
Recipe: Peach puree
Use one to two whole ripe peaches
cut the peach in half and remove the pit
cut the remaining halves into slices
remove the skins and cut the slices into small chunks.
Place in small food processor and blend to desired consistency



Bananas
OK, another of the easiest fruits to prepare ever. Bananas do not even require a food processor really. The best thing about using bananas to make baby food and in baby food recipes is that you can combine them with just about any fruit. But
I'll get more into that later.
To prepare basic plain banana just break of what you intend to feed your baby and mash
it with a fork. Make sure and mash it up very
well for younger infants who are un-
accustomed to chewing. The older and more accustomed your baby is to eating, the less you have to mash, all the way up to simply cutting it into chunks.



Apricots
Apricots are quite similar to peaches in texture. Although in my experiences you sometimes may need to add a little water or juice to the baby food recipes to puree them smoothly.
Recipe: apricot puree -
Slice one or two apricots in half and remove the pit
cut each half of the apricots in half again and use a small sharp knife to remove the skin
dice the remaining slices into cubes and puree them to desired consistency
Add a tablespoon of water or apricot nectar to the mixture to help it puree smoothly
keep adding additional tablespoons of liquid until you reach desired consistency



Mango
Mangoes are super juicy when you get them ripe but you may still need to add a little water or apple juice to the baby food recipes to puree them. Cut them in chunks and add a tablespoon of juice or water until they are blended smooth. Another alternative is to add a little mango or pear nectar to help smoothen the puree.


Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe can be slightly difficult to work with in baby food recipes. In order to get your cantaloupe to puree correctly it needs to be at a peak of perfect ripeness. You know, when the cantaloupe is so ripe and tender that it is almost like eating sherbert. If it is not very soft it will not puree well even if you add liquid. This is OK if your baby is used to a chunkier consistency but infants new to spoon feeding may have a bit of trouble.
cut 1 to 2 slices from the cantaloupe and store the rest in the refrigerator or cut up and store in tupperware for easy snack for the rest of the family.
Remove the outer skin from the slices you cut using a sharp knife.
Cut the remaining cantaloupe into small pieces.
Place fruit into processor and puree



Fruits for Baby Food Recipes that Require Cooking

Apples and Pears
The following is applicable to either pears or apples.

How to make apple sauce - First peel, core, and cut your apples. The apples should be cut into slices and then cut in half. Place the apples into boiling water and cook until soft. Drain the water from the apples and place into separate bowl. Mash the apples with a potato masher or fork. For younger infants mash until smooth and then strain through a very fine screen strainer to remove any lumpy consistency.(optional) Add a teaspoon of apple juice or other fruit juices and cinnamon to flavor.
Bake apples to make apple sauce - Use a shallow roasting pan to bake the apples. core the apples before baking. Place the apples into the roasting pan and add a small amount of water in the bottom of the pan. Cover with tin foil. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake the apples for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Poke them with a fork to check if they are soft enough to mash. If not then place them back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Once the apples are cooked let them stand uncovered for 30 - 45 minutes to cool down. Use a sharp knife to cut each apple in half. Peel off the skins and place them into another bowl. Cut them into chunks and either mash them with a fork or place them into a food processor to puree. For young infants new to spoon feeding you may want to strain the apples using a fine strainer.

Pear and apple puree
Follow either of the methods above to prepare the pears and apples to be combined together. When each fruit is soft, peel and/or cut them into small pieces and place into a food processor. Puree until smooth and give a good stir to combine. If you wish to have the smoothest consistency possible then follow pureeing with straining. Strain the pears and apples through a close mesh wire strainer. Feed to baby immediately, or store in take and toss bowls for later meals. This can also be made in large batches and stored in the freezer to use at a later date.
                                  Great Fruit Combinations for Baby Food Recipes

banana and strawberry puree
Peel and slice one banana and place in food processor. Slice the tops off of 4 fresh strawberries and cut into smaller pieces. Add to processor. Add one to two tablespoons water. Blend for about a minute. Stop to stir a bit and puree until smooth. Pour this mixture into a wire mesh strainer and strain into a separate bowl to remove seeds. Feed immediately or store in fridge or freezer.


banana and peach puree
Peel and slice one whole banana and place into food processor. Cut one whole peach in half. Remove the pit and skin. Cut into chunks and add to the food processor with the banana. add one tablespoon water or apricot nectar. Blend until smooth. Feed immediately or store in fridge or freezer.


banana and mango puree
Peel and slice one whole banana and place into food processor. Cut one whole mango in half. Remove the skin and cut into chunks Add to the food processor with the banana. add one tablespoon water or apricot nectar. Blend until smooth. Feed immediately or store in fridge or freezer.


banana and cantaloupe puree
Peel and slice one whole banana and place into food processor. Slice the cantaloupe in half and then slice one half in half again. You are left with a quarter of the cantaloupe. remove the outer skin of the cantaloupe. Slice the fruit into small pieces and add to the food processor. Add one to two tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth. Feed to baby immediately or store in fridge or freezer.


apple and blueberry puree
This puree should be combined to about a 2 to 1 ratio. If you have one cup of apples use about half a cup or more of blueberries. Start by placing your blueberries into a food processor. Add a tablespoon or two of water. Puree the blueberries until smooth. Strain the blueberries through a fine mesh strainer to remove skins and seeds.
Peel and core your apples. Slice the apples into chunks and place in boiling water. Cook until soft. Remove from water and strain. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes to cool. Place into food processor. Add processed and strained blueberries. Blend and stir. Serve immediately or store in fridge or freezer.



raspberry and pear puree
Start by placing about 1/2 a cup of raspberries into you baby food processor. Puree the raspberries about 45 seconds until they are mostly smooth. Strain the raspberries through a fine mesh wire strainer into a separate bowl. This is to remove any seeds.
Peel and core two to three Bartlett pears. Cut them into pieces and place them in boiling water. Cook them until soft (can easily pierce with fork). Strain the water from them and let stand 20 minutes or so to cool down. After cooling place the pear pieces into your food processor along with the raspberry puree. Puree until smooth stopping to stir in between. Serve immediately or store in your fridge or freezer.



These are just examples of some of the fruit baby food recipes I prepared for my daughter. Feel free to experiment with different combinations or different and more exotic fruits. Remember, if you are unsure about a food or whether your baby is ready to start solids consult your pediatrician.

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