Easy Baby Puree Recipes

So Ben just turned 10 months in June. 10 months!! What in the world is going on? Time is flying by. 

He has been eating for 4 months now, but it seems like its been way longer than that. The boy is ready to eat big people food. He lunges at our plates trying to grab whatever it is that we are eating. He has 6 teeth now so it seems like he thinks that is enough is to chew in to some food. 

I've continued to make Ben baby food but have supplemented with store bought food. (Read about my new favorite brand here.) He's proving to be more particular with his flavor preference than Jackson ever was. I have had some utter failures with some of the concoctions I've tried to feed him. 

These days, Ben is not too interested in any purees and would prefer to feed himself exclusively. This is keeping me on my toes and referring back to my baby food books a lot. Some of his favorite finger foods are avocado pieces (and I just started rolling it in ground flax seed for extra nutrition and easier picking up), cooked egg yolk, roasted butternut squash and sweet potato pieces (dusted in cinnamon), steamed squash, mozzarella cheese, and watermelon. 

I have found a few puree combos that seem to still be well accepted and I'm sharing them with you today. This time around, I've tried to introduce Ben to new herbs and spices. This may be one of the reasons he doesn't always like what I've made, but I still think it's important to expose him to new flavors. 

Here's a few of my most successful baby food recipes. Give them a try and let me know if your little one likes them. 

{PS - For more on my baby food making tips, recipes and tools read this, this and this post.}

 

Garlicky Greens Baby Puree

2 cloves garlic

2 cups fresh green beans, thoroughly washed

1 cup chopped parsnips, thoroughly washed and peeled

Extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. 
2. Peel the garlic cloves, place on top of a square of aluminum foil, and drizzle with a very small amount of olive oil (about 1/2 teaspoon). Wrap up the square around the garlic into a pouch and twist the top to close. Place in oven (even if it's still cold). 
3. Trim ends of green beans and cut in to about 1" pieces. Trim ends of parsnips and cut into about 1/4" rounds. Place all veggies on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Toss to coat. Spread vegetables out evenly in one layer. Place in oven and roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove veggies and garlic from oven. Let cool for about 5 minutes. 
5. Toss veggies, garlic, and 1/4 cup water into blender and puree until very smooth. Keep top of blender slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Pour in to baby food containers. Let cool till luke warm temperature before freezing.

Makes about 10 oz or five, 2 oz jars.

Super Sage Squash Baby Puree

1 butternut squash

1 ripe, Hass avocado

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh sage

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Cut the top end off the squash, then cut off the bottom bell shaped section. Cut the kneck portion and the bell portion in half lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out the bell portion and discard. Place the four pieces of squash, cut side down, in to a 9x13 pan. Add water to cover the bottom of the pan by 1/2". Roast for 30 minutes.
3. Remove squash from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Then scoop out flesh of squash and dump into blender. Add the flesh of fresh avocado, 1/4 cup water and the fresh sage leaves to the blender as well. Puree until very smooth. 
4. Pour in to baby food containers.  Let cool till luke warm temperature before freezing.

Makes about 12 oz or six, 2 oz jars.