3 Easy Baby Food Recipes

Do you make your own baby food? Me neither. Well, sometimes I do. Let me explain. When I had baby B, I was the typical first time mom. I wanted everything to be brand new, organic, and perfect. I read a gazillion books on being pregnant, baby’s first year, birthing, etc. I was determined to be the “perfect” mom and being the “perfect” mom meant making my own baby food, of course! Plus, I put Chef and I on an all-organic diet so it was inevitable that baby B would be on the same diet. When I had baby J, I did things differently. I listened to my motherly instincts more, took as many hand-me-downs as possible, and went with the flow of life more. Baby J cried it out at night, and (gasp!) he drank formula at 6 months-old, and even ate jarred baby food. And guess what? He survived and is now a healthy, happy, one year-old!

Now the exception is; I can’t bring myself to give my babies jarred meats (don’t judge me and I won’t judge you if you do). I don’t think that it is bad and I’m sure they are healthy. However, I just don’t do it. I tried to make my own baby food in the first months of J eating fruits and vegetables, but as a working mom, I didn’t have the time or the desire to continue on. I was breastfeeding and pumping like a mad woman and something had to give so I switched to jarred food and I didn’t even feel guilty! When it was time for me to introduce meats, I decided to make a Chicken and Brown Rice Dinner. Once I started, I realized I could add other things that I had at the house, and came up with 3 very easy baby food recipes, Chicken and Brown Rice Dinner, Vegetable Medley, and Sweet Potato Dessert.

First, I cooked one sweet potato in the oven at 425 degrees for approx. 45 minutes. Just keep checking it until it is very soft. I pulled out my chicken breast, chicken broth, and brown rice. I prepared 2 cups of brown rice in the Microwave.

Meanwhile, I sliced one onion (I kept the slices thick so I could take it out before pureeing the meal) and added it to my chicken broth. I also added one cup of petite carrots, and my chicken breast. I let this cook until the chicken was done and the carrots were softened.

 

 

 

 

 
***It really is easy to make your own baby food. It is just more time consuming and less convenient because the food is usually    frozen and you can’t just scoop it out to feed on demand. You have to make sure you have access to a microwave to defrost it.

Next, I prepared to puree! In one bowl, I added 1/3rd of my sweet potato to 3/4ths of the cooked carrots, and corn from one cob that I had leftover in the fridge. Now I would not only have Chicken Dinner, but also Vegetable Medley (score!)

I also reserved 1/3rd of the sweet potato for a sweet potato dessert.

In the KidCo (thank you, Brandie), I put the roughly shredded chicken, sweet potato, broth, carrots, and brown rice and pureed the meal. I kept the Chicken Dinner slightly chunky since J had teeth, but you could puree it all the way. Once the Chicken Dinner was ready, I pureed the Vegetable Medley.

 

I scooped the Chicken Dinner and Vegetable Medley into ice trays and then pureed my Sweet Potato Dessert. The Dessert consisted of 1/3rd of a cooked sweet potato, one fresh peach, cinnamon, and a teaspoon of apple juice to thin it out a bit. Just a quick tip: It is best to keep your baby food thick when you freeze it and then thin it out later. The defrosting process makes foods more liquid-y then before they were frozen.

 

So there you have it! 3 easy recipes made with things I mostly had in the house already. When I feed my food to J, I usually add jarred apples to trick him with the sweetness:) Hey, if it makes him eat it, then I’m all for it. I also add cinnamon to a lot of foods because he seems to love it!

Recipe 1: Chicken and Brown Rice Dinner

• 16-32 oz of chicken broth
• 1 onion thickly sliced
• 1 cup of petite carrots
• 1/3rd of a baked sweet potato
• 2 cups of cooked brown rice
• 1 lb of chicken breast
• Directions: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the onion, carrots, and chicken breast in 16-32 ounces of chicken broth (make sure it is enough to cover the food). You can reserve any remaining chicken broth and add it during the pureeing process. Once cooked, remove the onions and roughly shred the chicken breast.
• Puree in a food processor or baby food maker: 1/4 cup of the cooked carrots, entire chicken breast, 1/3rd of the sweet potato, chicken broth, and the 2 cups of cooked brown rice. Scoop into an ice tray, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze overnight. Start with 1-2 food cubes per feeding.

Recipe 2: Vegetable Medley

• 1/3rd of a baked sweet potato
• Corn from one cob (about 1 cup)
• 3/4 cup of cooked petite carrots
• Puree all in a food processor or baby food maker. Scoop into ice tray, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze overnight. Start with 1-2 cubes per feeding or add one cube of the Vegetable Medley to one cube of the Chicken and Brown Rice Dinner.

Recipe 3: Sweet Potato Dessert

• 1/3rd of a baked sweet potato
• 1 large, fresh peach, diced (or 1 cup of frozen peaches if it is winter)
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (can also add nutmeg, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice)
• 1-2 tsp. apple juice to thin
• Puree all in a food processor or baby food maker. Scoop into ice tray, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze overnight. Offer 1 cube after dinner or in the morning mixed with oatmeal.