making food for baby
By admin on Sep 3, 2010 in Home and Garden
A couple hours' work yields food that can be frozen for the next few weeks: carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, acorn squash, apple sauce, and brown rice.
My second son is coming up on his 1st birthday and he’s turning into quite the chowhound. I have had to cut plenty of corners being a working mom, but making food from scratch is one of the things I haven’t compromised on. The key for me has been to make a bunch of foods at once, which can be refrigerated or frozen in batches. Along with having other staples around (bananas, avocados, peaches, berries) this strategy means we’ve (almost) always got enough to make quick and nutritious meals throughout the week. There are two basic cooking techniques that I use when making baby food, and a couple of tools that I find especially handy.I like to use organic produce, dairy and eggs when I cook for Cosmo, but if the cost is prohibitive, I stick to in-season items and purchase from the farmers’ market whenever possible. The great thing about feeding a baby is that a little food goes a long way.
My little guy is just bridging the gap between purees and finger foods, so rather than putting everything in the food processor, I’ve been dicing or roughly mashing things. For coarse purees, I love using my food mill (great for apple sauce). I pack cooked foods into plastic containers and freeze anything I won’t use in the next 5-7 days. If you have a FoodSaver, these are AMAZING for sealing up baby food and taking it on the go. Try it! Most of the baby food books say not to salt baby food, but I usually add just a tiny pinch—am I bad???
For the most part, I steam or roast produce. Both methods are hands-off, which means I can be pureeing one batch of food while the next one cooks. Here are some winners that lend themselves well to the steamer basket:
Sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peels left on (they slip right off when the sweet potatoes are done), cut into wide disks. When very tender, dice, mash, or puree in a food processor. 4 potatoes makes a BIG batch
Carrots, scrubbed, peels left on, cut in half crosswise. When very tender, dice, mash, or puree in a food processor.
Butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into chunks. When very tender, dice, mash, or puree in a food processor.
Cauliflower and broccoli: trim and cut into large florets. When very tender, dice, mash, or puree in a food processor.
Zucchini: cut into large pieces. When very tender, dice, mash, or puree in a food processor.
Sweet peas and green beans: steam (or boil), then serve whole for finger food, mash, or puree in food processor.
Roasting adds sweetness, especially to squash. It’s also nice to have a couple of things in the oven and a pan or two on the stove–that way you’re not using up every pan in the house at once.
Cosmo, covered in pastina.
Other great things to have on hand to round out meals:
Steamed brown or long grain rice to mix into purees or serve on its own
Ground flax seed to mix into purees or yogurt (adds omega-3s)
Cooked quinoa
Pastina
Plain yogurt (cow, sheep, or goat’s milk—when baby is ready for dairy)
Cottage cheese (when baby is ready for dairy)
Maple syrup—babies shouldn’t have honey until at least their first birthday (our pediatrician said to wait till 2 years). Use as a sweetener for yogurt, squash, etc.
Hard-boiled eggs (after at least 9 months of age, our pediatrician said to start with just the yolk)
and of course . . . CHEERIOS!
I’m sure you’ve all got tricks and tips of your own . . . so please let us know what your babies love to try at home!
Credits to:Everyday Food Blog – MarthaStewart.com