Favorite Baby Purees

These are a few of my baby's favorite purees. She absolutely loves them! The recipes came from the book Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in making your own baby food. All of the recipes are very healthy and easy to prepare. This has been my first experience with making my own baby food and I love it! I love knowing exactly where the food is coming from and what is in it. Most of the recipes you can freeze. It is very convenient and economical because you can make numerous meals, freeze them, and take them out as you need them. It really is not that time consuming and it has made feeding time so much fun. I love trying the different recipes and introducing my baby to all different types of healthy food, not just the basic fruits and vegetables. I purchased these trays to freeze the food in, but I'm sure you can use ice cube trays as long as you cover them. I use a mini food processor, but I think any blender/hand blender/food mill/food processor will get the job done. The recipes that I listed below are for babies 7 months and up.

Potato, Leek, Carrot, and Peas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup washed and sliced white park of a leek
2 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
1 1/4 cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock
1/2 cup frozen peas
Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the leek for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and carrot and pour in the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the frozen peas and continue to cook for about 6 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Puree in a food mill or blender/food processor. This recipe is suitable for freezing.



Pasta with Butternut Squash, Tomato, and Cheese
1 small butternut squash, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons tiny pasta starts (I used tiny alphabet letters)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (**see note below)
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons milk
Steam or boil the butternut squash for 10 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, but without adding salt to the water. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and saute the tomatoes until mushy, then stir in the cheese until melted. Blend the cooked butternut squash and tomato and cheese mixture together with the milk using a blender/food processor, and stir in the pasta. This recipe is suitable for freezing.
**For the tomatoes: Plunge them into boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer to cold water, then peel, seed, and chop.



Blueberry, Banana, and Apple
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 banana, sliced
1/2 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
Put all the fruit into a heavy-bottomed pan and cook, covered, over low heat for 8-10 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 5 more minutes or until most of the juices have evaporated. Mash or puree fruit together by hand or with a blender/food processor. This recipe is unsuitable for freezing.



Yummy Banana
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small banana, sliced
3 tablespoons orange juice
Melt the butter in a small frying pan or saucepan and saute the banana for 1 minute. Pour in the orange juice and cook for another minute. Mash with a fork. This recipe is unsuitable for freezing.