Even if you don’t consider yourself to be an expert in the kitchen, making your own baby purees is just about the easiest thing you can take on. And sure, you could go to the store and buy some pre-made purees, but when you make your own you know exactly what your baby is eating. Not to mention, you save money, and you can generally finish a batch of purees in about the same amount of time it would take to head to the store and back. So why not give it a try?
Since your little one only recently started eating solid foods, you probably want to stick to single-ingredient purees for now. Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beets, pears, spinach, and apples all make good starter purees.
Here are some puree recipes you can’t go wrong with:
- Sweet Potatoes: Peel and cube 2 sweet potatoes, steam for 20 to 30 minutes (or roast whole for 1 hour at 400 degrees). Add to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, adding water or breast milk for the desired consistency.
- Butternut Squash: Peel and cube 1 butternut squash, steam for 20 to 30 minutes (or roast, halved and de-seeded, for 45 minutes at 400 degrees). Add to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, adding water or breast milk for the desired consistency.
- Beets: Steam 2 beets with the skin on for 30 to 40 minutes (or roast whole for 1 hour at 400 degrees). Add to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, adding water or breast milk for the desired consistency.
- Pears: Peel, core, and chop 2 ripe pears and steam for 8 to 10 minutes (or roast for 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees). Add to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, adding water or breast milk for the desired consistency.
- Spinach: Steam spinach for 5 to 10 minutes (or roast for 5 to 7 minutes at 400 degrees). Add to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, adding water or breast milk for the desired consistency.
- Apples: Peel, core, and chop 2 apples and steam for 15 minutes (or roast for 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees). Add to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, adding water or breast milk for the desired consistency.
From there, you can serve fresh, or portion the remaining puree out into ice cube trays for freezing. Once frozen, you can place the cubes in a plastic bag and thaw overnight as needed in the refrigerator.
See! Easy peasy.
Written by Leah Campbell, infertility advocate, adoptive mama, writer and editor. Find me @sifinalaska on Twitter.
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general informational basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.
