Now that my third babe is over six months old I’m working on baby food recipes. You’d think after going through this twice already I would have saved the baby food recipes that were favorites. Well, #momlife.
Below you’ll find a helpful mix of baby food recipes (mostly stage one) and no-pressure information on feeding your beautiful babies.
When we were kids I don’t even think baby food recipes existed. Ok, they did… but my family was not the one using them. For years baby cereal was thought to be the first food for all babies. Now we know that there are other, more nutritious options.
I’m not faulting anyone for their choice to feed rice cereal, or any other type of cereal as baby’s first food. I believe we do the best we can with the information that is available to us.
Starting Solids
When to start solids is a discussion topic in itself. Depending on what you feel comfortable with, studies are showing that it’s acceptable to start solids between 4-6 months. This information has changed since my oldest was born and she’s only five! As moms, and parents, we can feel pressured by what everyone else is doing. Discuss with a trusted medical professional and do what feels right for you and your family.
How to Feed
I’m not going to go into how you should feed your child. As I mentioned above you have to do what feels right for you and your family. Whether that means baby food purées or baby led weaning. What I will do is give you three of the baby food recipes that I introduced first. They’re simple and nutritious.
Baby’s First Food
These baby food recipes came after I introduced a few “staple” foods to my daughter. I introduced the same foods to my two older daughters as well. My two older daughters’ first food was papaya. Lucky girls!
- Avocado – a healthy fat
- Sweet potato – a nutrition starch
- Banana – gentle on the tummy
Veggies before Fruits
I don’t believe that veggies need to come before fruits. The sweet taste of fruit is not going to ruin my child from eating vegetables in the future. At least it hasn’t thus far!
Baby Food Recipes
All the recipes included below are Stage One, or suitable around six months of age. Each recipe makes around 4+ oz of food. I store my baby food in 2 oz containers. If making more than one recipe at a time then I would freeze whatever I didn’t think my daughter would finish in 2-3 days.
Sweet Potato & Carrot Puree
Ingredients:
- 1 medium Sweet Potato
- 2 medium Carrots
- ~2 cups Water (depending on the size of your steam basket)
Instructions:
Heat water on the stove, bringing it to a boil. Peel sweet potato and carrots. Roughly chop sweet potato and carrots. Steam in basket for about 8 minutes. Check to make sure they are soft enough to blend. Reserve water from pot to add to sweet potato and carrots when blending. Add 1-2 TBS at a time of reserved liquid. Blend all ingredients together. Allow to cool before serving and store extra in freezer safe container.
When we think of baby food, herbs and seasonings are rarely mentioned. Yet, they are great for mineral content and taste exposure. This next baby food recipe may even include herbs that you can harvest from your own garden!
Pea, Sweet Potato & Basil Puree
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Peas (I used frozen peas.)
- 1/4 Sweet Potato
- 2 medium Basil leaves
- ~2 cups Water
Instructions:
Steam sweet potato for 8-10 minutes. Steam peas for 4 minutes, using a steam basket as described above. You can also boil peas for about 4 mins. Reserve water to use as liquid in blender. Rinse basil leaves to assure they are clean before mixing with peas. Blend softened peas and basil with reserved water, adding 1 TBS at a time. Allow to cool before serving and store extra in freezer safe container.
I call this next one the Orange Machine. The ingredients give it a vibrant orange hue and it’s full of nutrients. We have a Boon high chair with orange accents and this baby food recipe is made to match!
Orange Machine Puree
The surprising ingredient is orange bell peppers – not your typical baby food, but this was such a hit with my little one!
Ingredients:
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper (seeded and roughly chopped)
- 1 medium Carrot (peeled and chopped)
- ½ Sweet Potato (peeled and chopped)
- ~ 3 cups Water
Instructions:
Bring ~3 cups Water to a boil. Add all chopped ingredients. Boil 8-10 minutes. All ingredients will be soft and ready to blend. Reserve water from pot. Add bell pepper, carrot and potato to high speed blender. Add 1-2 TBS reserved liquid, more if needed. Blend until no chunks remain and all ingredients are well pureed together. Allow to cool before serving and store extra in freezer safe containers.
Nourishing Our Babies
All of the ingredients that I use are organic. If organic foods are not available to you, please be sure to thoroughly wash produce before cooking and feeding it to your precious babe! If you have older kids check out my snack ideas for toddler kids.
When you try one of the baby food recipes included here leave me a comment below. I’d love to know whether it was a hit – fingers crossed!
