So I admit that until a couple of days ago, I wasn’t cooking for Blake…Even bigger shocker is that I never cooked for Brook when she was a baby either. But, Carol bought me a while back this baby food steamer/puree all-in-one machine called the Beaba Babycook. You don’t need one of these because it’s basically a steamer and a small food processor, but it is nice to have it in one bowl…less mess. There is some controversy about it leaching BPA, but the website says it doesn’t and really I think making homemade food is much safer and healthier overall. I was feeding Blake organic babyfood before (that is what Brook ate too), but it still always smelled and tasted bland and kinda gross.
Carol also gave me a baby cookbook called Cooking for Baby which is great for beginner cooks or someone who wants ideas. I thought some of the recipes were “filler” meaning once you know the method just tell the reader what veggies or fruit work with that method instead of making individual recipes of all of them. In the beginning it was kind of redundant, but it got better as it went along which makes sense since your baby will like more variety and texture of foods as they get older.
So far I have made Blake fruit sauce of plums, nectarines and peaches. He really likes this, which makes sense since it is sweet. Another good thing about making his food here is that I keep the skins on (I buy organic so I can do this).
Fruit Puree of Plums, Nectarines and Peaches
Today I made him a puree of carrots and put in a 1/2 teaspoon of fresh dill and a teaspoon of fresh mint and a pinch of salt and about 1 teaspoon of agave nectar. I use the agave nectar because it has a better glycemic index then other sugars and it really adds a nice flavor to food. He was not as interested in this dish as the fruit puree, but then I decided to add some organic applesauce to the recipe that I bought at Whole Foods and by golly he liked that. So here is the carrot puree recipe if interested.
5 carrots washed (not peeled) cut into chunks
1/2 tsp fresh dill
1 tsp fresh mint
1 tsp agave nectar
small pinch of salt
Steam the carrots for about 10 minutes or until soft. Put steamed carrots along with the fresh mint and dill, salt and agave nectar into a food processor. Add some of the cooking liquid left over from the steamer. Start with 1/8 of a cup and add more if you need to depending on what kind of consistency you will want. Puree till you get the consistency your baby will like or needs. If needed mix the carrot puree with some applesauce in a 1 to 1 ratio for picky eaters. If possible buy organic since you will be using the peels in this recipe.
Another thought…
I think I might make some elbow pasta for Brook and make some “macaroni and cheese”. In the cheese sauce though, I’m going to stir in some of this carrot puree without the applesauce. Mmmmm….healthy mac and cheese! If I do this, you will get the recipe!
Happy Eating!
. This is the influence of Abby, she admitted…and honestly, it’s fine, I just am so amazed how their brains absorb everything…EVERYTHING!
