Baby Basics, First Foods and Recipes

Lots of discussion from our moms on breast feeding and when to start feeding cereal, purred food and solids.

Also jarred baby food or making their own.

Some of our moms are having a hard time with getting there babies to eat vegetables here where a few suggestions.

• To blend vegetables with apple sauce or add sweet potatoes
• Make a smoothly with yogurt and add lots of different vegetables with a banana 
• Blend lots of vegetables and add to spaghetti sauce
• Vegetables and add cheese sauce

Vegetable Recipes

1 Ripe Avocado

Directions:

1. Peel and take out the pit of a ripe avocado – do not cook
2. Cut “meat” out and mash with a fork
3. There should be no need to use a machine as just like bananas, avocados have a very soft consistency and texture. Avocados do not need to be cooked.

How to Select an Avocado 
When selecting an Avocado, you want a dark green color with bumpy texture. The fruit should be firm yet yielding when gently pushed. When an avocado is sliced in half, the flesh color should be a green that gently transforms into a buttery yellow around the pit. Visit Avocado Topic for More Information

Sweet Potato Custard

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato 
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 2 small) 
1 cup evaporated skim milk 
2 Tbs packed brown sugar
2 beaten egg yolks (or a cup egg substitute) 
1/2 tsp salt 
Nonstick cooking spray, as needed 
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1 Tbs sugar 
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together sweet potato and banana. Add milk, blending well.

Add brown sugar, egg yolks, and salt, mixing thoroughly.

Spray a 1-quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer sweet potato mixture to casserole dish.

Combine raisins, sugar, and cinnamon; sprinkle over top of sweet potato mixture.

Bake in a preheated 325º F oven for 40-45 
minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Fruit Recipes

Avocado Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 of a peeled and pitted avocado
1/4 cup applesauce

Directions:

Mash the avocado half.
Mix mashed avocado with applesauce (homemade or natural) and serve

Banana Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

2 apples (gala, braeburn or mac)
1 ripe banana

Directions:

1. Peel, core and cut apples into slices/chunks.
2. Place slices or chunks into a pan with just enough water to slightly cover apples
3. Boil until tender; be sure to check on the water level.
Apples may be mashed with a potato masher to achieve a smooth applesauce consistency or you can puree in a blender or food processor.
4. Peel a ripe banana and mash in a bowl with a fork (heating in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds will soften the banana up if needed).
Add applesauce to the banana and sprinkle with wheat germ* or crushed cheerios*
Puree if necessary but mashing with a potato masher will typically get this mix smooth

Meat and vegetable combination

Baby's First Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cubed cooked beef
1 peeled potato
¼ cup shelled fresh or frozen peas
1 peeled carrot
1 stalk of celery
1/4 cup uncooked pasta (try ditalini or other small pasta sizes)
4 cups of water

Directions:

Wash vegetables thoroughly and chop very fine.
Simmer the veggies for 20 minutes or until softened
Add the macaroni and cook for 10 minutes longer or until very soft.
Drain but save the water and use to mash into the stew
Mash or puree the mix until it is of a consistency adequate for baby

Apples & Chicken

Ingredients:

1/3 cup chopped & cooked boneless chicken* 
1/4 cup cooked apple (no skin or seeds), very soft
You can also use a 1/4 cup of Natural applesauce

Directions:

Puree chicken with cooked apple in a food processor or blender until desired consistency for baby is achieved

Some other great combinations are

• Green Beans with apple or pear
• Sweet Potato and chicken
• Butternut squash and meat chicken or beef

We also had discussion on when to introduce regular milk and the suggestion was at 10 months of age and add cereal for a thicker consistency.

As we know each baby has certain foods that they will like or may not like. It's all about introducing new foods and different consistency to figure out what they do like.