Baby Food 101: More veggies!

Welcome back! I've taken a hiatus on the fun food stuff because Mr. C is literally eating me out of house and home. All of my free time has been spent making baby food, so it's been hard to write about it! But here we are.

Last time, we talked about sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Weren't they yummy? Today I'll show you how I like to prepare carrots, peas and the (dreaded) green beans, which are additional great first foods for baby.

Carrots

Babies just love sweet carrots. My favorite way to prepare them is in the oven. After peeling, cut carrots (try to use whole carrots vs. pre-cut "baby" carrots) into 2-3 inch chunks. If they're thicker, like closer to the stem, cut them in half long ways. Put them in a baking dish, fill with water to the half way point, and cover with tin foil. Put in the oven at 375, and bake for 30-45 minutes, until a fork can easily go through them.

Once they're placed in the container for your blending pleasures, they will likely need additional liquid to thin them about a bit. I love to use the water from the baking dish... It contains some of the nutrients from cooking. Sweet!

Place in your freezing container (I use these), and voila! Carrots for baby! Minus the cooking time, it takes no more than 15 minutes to prepare. One pound of carrots yields about 19-20 ounces of puree (due to added liquid). For Mr. C, that's 6-7 meals. Ya hoo!

Here's what I do with the frozen cubes after they're frozen.

Look at that beautiful orange color!

Peas & Green Beans

Of course, go fresh if you want to go fresh. There are so many great organic frozen veggies, and in the case of peas and green beans, I just feel like it's easier. I am all about easy! Our BJs sells organic frozen peas, so when I need a batch, I don't have to run to the store... I have a gazillion pounds of peas in my freezer. Easy-peasy! Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Anywho, I just throw however much of either the peas or green beans in a microwave safe bowl with water covering them, and pop them in the microwave for a few minutes. Drain them (but keep the water!!!), and place them in your blending container.

Peas are a bit starchy when blended, so you'll definitely need some liquid to thin it out. Use that cooking water!

Look at that gorgeous color. Can't get that in a jar.

Do the same for green beans, but a disclaimer on consistency. It is difficult to get a smooth consistency. I have tried all different sorts, from fresh to frozen, different cuts, etc. And I can NOT get it smooth.

It's a little watery, but then also chunky.
Not good for earlier eaters.

Miss E didn't really care, but without adding anything (other than water), Mr. C gags on it. But he LOVES green beans. I resort to one of two things: I add a fruit puree to it, or I just give in and give him the store bought stuff. It's not as pretty, but so much smoother. And to be honest, it must just be difficult to puree because even the (organic) store bought pouches still have the occasional bits and pieces in it.

With the addition of a fruit puree (2:1 veg to fruit ratio).
So much better!

And there you have it! Mr. C is a champion eater. He LOVES his purees! He even starts fussing if sister has started to eat and I haven't gotten his to him yet. Cracks me up.

So far I've covered the best veggies for early eaters. Next, I'll show you how I do my fruit purees. Fun stuff!

Until next time,

Mrs. Kuda