(READ: MAKE YOUR OWN BABY FOOD PART ONE HERE)

If you have ever taken a good look at store bought baby food you would notice that the colors are bland.  They are lacking in color and vibrance.  Yams should be bright orange and berries, dark purple and peas bright green.  Why is that?  Commercial baby food is cooked at a high temperature and nutrients are lost.

Store bought food lacks in flavor.  Homemade baby food gives your kids the palate to enjoy whole food flavors from the beginning and they will become more adventurous with their palate as they grow.

Homemade Baby Food

Stage 2 (8 to 10 months)

Now the real fun begins!  We are moving out of purees and into some fun!  Spices, texture, and finely chopped raw fruits, cooked vegetables, meats, whole grains, and food combinations!  One reason we introduce single food items in the beginning is to ensure there isn’t a food allergy. Once that is cleared you are safe to combine and get creative.

Get Creative With Homemade Baby Food Combining

Choose Organic:

Peachy Sweet Potatoes
Apples and Carrots
Blueberry, Apple, and Pear Sauce
Pears and Bananas (can be raw)
Bananas (raw) and Blueberries
Avocado (raw), Peaches
Apples and Pears
Peaches and Bananas
Bananas (raw), Blueberries and Pears
Apples and Plums
Blueberries and Apples
Pears, Peaches and Apples

Introducing Proteins

Organic Chicken, beef, egg yolk, fish, turkey, lentils, legumes, and tofu are all safe at this stage.  I began by making batches of pureed meats and adding them to pureed yams and/or vegetables and then as they progressed I made blended “chunkier” purees of a protein, carb and vegetable, for example.  Here are some recipes to get you started on introducing proteins…

Turkey Purée 

Ingredients:

1 c cold and cooked boneless turkey – chopped into no bigger than 1 inch pieces or use ground turkey
1/4 c cooking juice (save the juices that you cooked the meat in) or plain water

Directions:

Place turkey chunks or cooked ground turkey in blender or food processor and puree until a powdery mix is formed. Slowly add water and puree further until a smooth consistency is created. Add as much liquid as needed to make a consistency appropriate for your baby.

Chicken Purée 

Ingredients:

1 cup cold and cooked boneless chicken – chopped into no bigger than 1 inch pieces or you can use ground chicken breast
1/4 c cooking juice (save the juices that you cooked the meat in) or plain water

Directions:

Place chicken chunks in blender or food processor and puree until a powdery mix is formed. Slowly add water and puree further until a smooth consistency is created.  Add as much liquid as needed to make a consistency appropriate for your baby. You may add veggies or fruits to this puree as you like.

Beef Puree

Ingredients:

1 cup cold and cooked boneless beef – chopped into chunks no bigger than 1 inch or ground beef such as sirloin
1/4 c cooking juice (save the juices that you cooked the meat in) or plain water

Directions:

Place meat chunks in blender or food processor and puree until a powdery mix is formed. Slowly add water and puree further until a smooth consistency is created.  Add as much liquid as needed to make a consistency appropriate for your baby. You may add veggies or fruits to this puree as you like.

Egg Yolks (Wait to introduce the white until 12 months. Read more on egg allergy here!)

Ingredients:

Eggs (Try to buy organic omega 3 eggs whenever possible)

Directions:

1. Hard-boil an egg
2. Peel shell away and cut in half
3. Scrape or pop out the yolk
4. Mash the yolk and mix in formula, breast milk, applesauce, veggies, or whatever you choose that is appropriate for your baby.

OR

1. Crack an egg and separate the white from the yolk (you may use the shell for this or use an egg-separator)
2. Warm olive oil or butter in a frying pan
3. Scramble the yolk in a bowl with formula, breast milk, and transfer to frying pan
4. Cook over medium heat, scrambling constantly, until thoroughly cooked

Tofu

Ingredients:

1 Package of Firm or Extra Firm Organic Tofu

Directions:

Blend it up with a banana and serve by spoon. You may blend it with any type of fruit(s) or veggies like apples, strawberries, blueberries, apples, carrots, broccoli, yams, parsnips, green beans, etc.

Baby’s Clean Eating Combo’s

These were some of my go to’s for Rocco and Maximus. Remember I was cooking for two so I made large batches…

Chicken and Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken
1 whole butternut squash
Cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Sautée chopped Chicken breast or ground chicken in a little olive, avocado oil, or coconut oil
2. Cut butternut squash in half, scoop out seeds, place cut side down in a 1/2 inch of filtered water. Bake at 400 for about 45 min to 1 hour.
3. Scoop out flesh of squash and add cooked chicken to food processor or blender with a little water and puree. Save some/freeze some in trays.

Ground Beef Green Beans and Brown Rice

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Beef
1 lb Green Beans (or vegetable of choice)
1 cup Brown Rice

Directions:

1. Sautee beef in a little olive, avocado, or coconut oil
2. Trim steams and Steam green beans
3. Cook 1 cup of brown rice in 2 cups of filtered water.
4. Puree in blender or food processor with a little of the green beans cooking water. Save some/freeze some in trays.

These are two basic recipes that you can change up! Alternate the proteins, alternate the vegetables, and the grains. Add seasoning so they get used to new
flavors!

Lentils with Carrots and Brown Rice

Ingredients:

4 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of red split lentils
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1/2 cup brown rice

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.
2. Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Check on the level of the water and add water as needed.
3. The mix will be finished when the rice is done, the carrots are soft and the lentils have “melted.” Puree and thin with water, but leave a little texture.

Baby’s Stage Two Spices and Seasoning

vanilla – pepper- garlic minced or powdered – basil – rosemary – dill – oregano – lemon zest – ginger – cinnamon – mint – nutmeg – tumeric – anise- curry powder

Baby’s Stage Two Grains, starches and seeds

Yams- Acorn Squash – pumpkin – Butternut Squash – Brown Rice – Wild Rice – Quinoa – Brown rice pasta – Barley – Millet – Kamut – Spelt – Flax – Whole Rolled Oats – Chia

Baby’s Stage Two Vegetables

Zucchini – Green Beans – Broccoli – Parsnips – Carrots – kale – Asparagus – Spinach – Chard –  Cauliflower – Beets – Peas – Onions – Peppers – Eggplant – Mushrooms – Summer Squash – Artichoke

Baby’s Stage Two Fruit

Avocado (raw) – Apricots – Apples – Bananas (raw) – Blueberries – Cantaloupe – Cherries – Cranberries – Dates – Figs – Grapes (pureed or chopped tiny) – Kiwi – Mangos – Nectarines – Papaya – Peaches -Pears – Persimmons – Plums – Prunes

Use these to mix and match!  Get creative!  Whole foods are fun and your baby will love it!  Not only that, when your baby DOESN’T turn into a “picky toddler,” everyone will want to know your secret!  Start your baby on real food from the beginning, with homemade baby food!

From my Natural Health Blog to you!