My little girl, Violet, is 6 months old and well on her way to becoming a foodie. She’s been eating solids for awhile now – I admit I started her much earlier than Cameron. At first I though there was no way that I was going to make food for her. I was too busy, and certainly not feeling motivated. But once Cameron started school I suddenly felt inspired to make her some simple purees while she took her morning nap. I remember my pediatrician in Brooklyn always told me that feeding Cameron foods that started with ‘P’ would help keep his digestion moving (a constipated baby is no fun!) Pears, peas, prunes, peaches…. So when making food for Violet, I try to keep that in mind. Here’s two of my recent purees with ‘P’ power -
Butternut Squash with Pears
Peel and cube one butternut squash and one pear. Steam them till they are good and soft (20 minutes?) Dump them in your cuisinart with some butter, if you like, and puree. The pears bring out the sweetness in the squash, so this is a super tasty one! It also works great with sweet potatoes for the same reason.
Frozen Peas and Beef Stock
Frozen peas are one of the few vegetables I buy frozen because most of the time, they will be better than fresh (since they are frozen pretty much immediately after picking and will remain sweeter). Plus, who has the time or patience to shell all those peas? Not this mom. Heat up the frozen peas in a little beef stock (chicken would be fine too – I just happened to have some beef stock in the fridge). I use stock instead of water to add a little extra protein to the puree – low sodium stocks are readily available, and these make a better choice for this recipe I think. Once the peas are good and tender, dump them in the cuisinart and puree.
Pump Up the Protein
I always try to include some protein in Violet’s meal. For breakfast she has yogurt, and for lunch and dinner I take a puree like one of the ones above and add either ricotta cheese (full fat version) or hummus to it. These are already nice and smooth so they stir in easily. If you like, you can throw some tofu into the cuisinart when you make your baby food.
When I was a kid my dad always used to make me cream of wheat – so it seemed like a natural choice when I was looking for things that I could eat along with Cameron. I’ve been making the Cream of Wheat with a little water and a little milk, as well as bananas, which add a natural sweetness. I add the bananas while the Cream of Wheat is still cooking – so it sort of dissolves right in there. Cameron loves it! Soon I’ll be giving it a try with some other fruits as well. Yum (for mommy and baby!)
Yum Yum Mum Mum
I first heard about baby Mum Mum from a mommy friend, Celia. I recently bought some at Elly’s Market on Dekalb (for the locals). Cameron LOVES them! And I love watching him eat them because he can easily hold them and feed himself. Here is a link to Amazon which also has the mum mums. I promise your baby will think they are yum yum!
This is the one I have
There are plenty of baby food making products out there, but I decided to go with something practical that I could use for years to come – not just for baby food. This is the Oxo good grips food mill. It’s nice for making the baby food because you don’t have to peel anything – they just don’t pass through. And the food ends up with a little texture which I think is good for baby to get used to. Plus, it makes great mashed potatoes for mom and dad!
I know, it sounds like a weird combination – but avocado and banana has been a big hit. I’ve also heard from other moms that avocado and apple is a good one too.
Cameron loves food... and spoons
Feeding solid foods has presented a whole new challenge – variety! Before the only choice to be made was breast milk, or formula? Now there’s a whole world of possibilities, and I find myself getting stuck in a rut a lot. One topic I always try and bring up at mommy group is “what are you feeding your baby now?” So, I thought I would try and do some posts about what Cameron is eating to give some ideas to the moms out there. Granted most of what I make isn’t groundbreaking, but sometimes all a mommy needs is a little inspiration!
So, today Cameron was eating Ricotta Cheese and some yellow summer squash (which had been steamed and pureed). Today was his first time having Ricotta. Apparently, it’s totally awesome!
