Lil Green Baby Food: Organic Carrots

Starting now, I'm going to try my best to come up with at least one delish recipe that uses the baby food puree recipe I feature. That way, older kids (and adults!) can get in on the action. Here goes:

Carrot Baby Food

Take 1/2 pound bag of Organic peeled carrots and boil them in water for about 30 minutes until mushy. Strain and put into food processor. Chop or grind until you reach the desired consistency. (It is difficult to make carrots creamy and they do tend to be a little dry. Try mixing with your favorite fruit or adding a little formula if your baby isn't ready for the thicker consistency.) Pour into freezable trays and let freeze overnight. The next day pop the 1-ounce portions out into a freezer bag marked 'Carrots'. Makes 12 1-ounce portions. My daughter really likes carrots mixed with mango.

Cooked carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A, a good source of potassium, and contain folic acid. And let's face it, they're better for you than cheetos! Here's how to sneak it in to regular dishes that your little ones will love. Once you get started, you'll start sneaking veggies into every dish!

This recipe from Deceptively Delicious serves 8. Eat half and save the rest for the next night!

Italian Meatloaf (with carrot)
1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1/2 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup carrot puree (8 1-ounce servings)
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1 cup bottled tomato sauce
4 slices turkey bacon

Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 9" x 5" loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in milk.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the celery and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add the turkey, Parmesan, carrot puree, ketchup, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

Turn the mixture into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Spread tomato sauce over the meatloaf and lay the strips of bacon on top. Bake until the center of the meatloaf is no longer pink and the bacon begins to brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.


Another quick idea is to mix pureed carrot into store-bought spaghetti sauce. Use 1/2 cup carrot to 1.5 cups sauce.

Enjoy!

Lil Green Baby Food: Organic Mango and Organic Pear

This morning I used about 30 minutes and made enough fruit baby food for L for the whole week. I took one softball size organic mango, peeled the skin off with my fingers, and sliced pieces off around the core. Once I got most of the fruit off, I pulsed it in the mini food processor for a few seconds, then poured it into my brand new Freshbaby food storage trays. It made 12 1-ounce portions.

Next I took 2 large organic pears, removed the skin, and sliced the fruit off around the core. Pulsed in the mini food processor for a few seconds, then filled up Freshbaby tray #2. Two large pears = 12 1-ounce portions also.

After they freeze overnight, I'll pop 'em out and put them into individual baggies for storage. I can mix and match flavors because I'll just pull out what I need. Fruits tend to be a little watery after defrosting, so you can add some rice cereal or mix with a hearty vegetable (like carrot) to thicken up.

As I was preparing the baby food this morning, I realized that getting into this food prep routine now will make it easy for me to continue to prepare healthy snacks for L as she grows. Making my own baby food, I can control the contents and consistency, tailoring each batch to my daughter's developments and tastes. Pre-packaged baby food only comes in so many variations, my homemade version is full of limitless possibility. As she tries new things and grows, she'll be more open to trying new things and I'll be used to preparing healthy snacks for her.

Lil Green Baby Food: Banana

I've got friends who act like parenting is a piece of cake. I am not one of those people. But here I am in the kitchen, whipping up my own baby food like some sort of Martha Stewart. It literally takes 30 seconds. I put the good parts of some VERY ripe bananas in the food processor along with about a tablespoon of apple juice and pulsed it. Then I scraped it into my brand new stack n seal, popped it in the fridge, and felt like I had accomplished something.

About 1/2 of a banana with 2 tablespoons of applejuice makes about 1/2 cup of baby food. I can't wait to see if she likes it tomorrow!

Baby food costs about $1/2.5 oz, so I figure I just made half a cup of baby food for about the price of one banana!

By the way, my daughter refused to eat Gerber banana baby food, but she gobbled this up!