If you and your baby are entering the messy world of solids, give these healthy first food recipes a try!
When your baby is 4 to 6 months old, you’ll want to use simple, single-ingredient purées. This can help you to spot and identify a food allergy or sensitivity. Once you have proven your child’s tolerance to individual foods, you can try combinations to enhance flavor and likeability.
Banana Puree
Ingredients:1 small bananaMethod:Peel a small banana and mash with a fork.During the first stages of weaning, add a little milk if necessary to thin down the consistency and add a familiar taste.Serve with breast milk or formula if serving as First Foods Breakfast.
Avocado Puree
INGREDIENTS1 organic avocadomashed
INSTRUCTIONSIf Serving Fresh / ImmediatelyMash the avocado with a fork or blend it in a food processor.Mix with breastmilk, formula or water to reach desired consistency.
If FreezingMash the avocado with a fork or blend it in a food processor.Divide into ice cube trays, wrap/cover, and freeze.Thaw in the fridge the night before use, or thaw by putting the ice cube in a bowl over a bowl of hot water on the counter to defrost.Once defrosted, mix with breastmilk, formula or water to reach desired consistency
First Carrots
1 pound bundle of carrots (I found that the slim ones with the greens still attached were the sweetest)1 cup of water
Trim and peel carrots, then cut them into 1-inch segments. Put them in a medium saucepan with the water or broth. Bring to boil, reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes (this will take longer if your carrots are thicker). Let cool in cooking liquid. Purée in a food processor, blender or food mill and freeze in small portions.
Pea Purée
Ingredients
• 100g Frozen peas
• Water/breastmilk for a thinner consistency
Instructions
• Steam or boil the peas in a saucepan over a medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes until very soft.
• Purée the peas using a stick blender.
• Pass the purée through a fine mesh sieve to remove any pieces of skin.
• Make the purée thinner by adding a little water or breast milk, if desired.
Baked Sweet Potato Puree
Ingredients:2 medium sweet potatoes
Method:Preheat the oven to 400 F / 200 C / 180 C Fan. Scrub the potatoes and prick with a metal skewer or fork.Place on a baking tray and roast for about 45 minutes or until wrinkled and tender.Remove from the oven, cut the potatoes in half, scoop out the flesh and puree in a food processor until smooth. You can add a little of your baby’s usual milk to thin out the consistency if you wish .You can also use this method to bake potatoes – potatoes tend to take longer to cook than sweet potatoes so between 45 minutes and 1 hour. Do not puree ordinary potato flesh in a blender as it will break down the natural starches and produce a stick texture. Its best to puree potato in a baby food grinder or mouli or for slightly older babies simply mash with a fork.For a quick method you can microwave the Sweet Potato – Scrub the sweet potato and prick with a fork. Cook in microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until soft. Cut the sweet potato in half and scoop out the flesh, mix with a little breast of formula milk or cooled boiled water to make a smooth consistency.