Please do not be overwhelmed by the lengthy list of instructions, it is not difficult or overly time consuming to make your own baby food. I simply wanted to ensure that I seamlessly laid out the entire process for you so that your time in the kitchen would be efficient, fun and easy. Also, be sure to check out the tips and tricks at the bottom of the post for ways to save additional time and money. Now that that’s out of the way let’s get to it!
Recipes:
Squash Apple Cinnamon
Broccoli Apple Kale
Apple Carrot
Zucchini Banana Chia
Spinach Pea Pear
Banana Blueberry Quinoa
Peach Banana Quinoa
Ingredients:
2 lb zucchini (approx 4 medium), diced*
1 bag of frozen broccoli (approx 5 cups), thawed*
6 carrots, peeled and diced
1 bag of frozen peas (approx 3 1/3 cups), thawed
12 ounces spinach*
12 ounces kale, woody stems removed and chopped*
5 cups (20 ounces) squash or pumpkin, diced+cooked or pureed, fresh or frozen*
4 pears, peeled and diced*
8 apples, peeled and diced*
8 bananas, peeled and diced
2 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen+thawed
4 peaches, peel and diced, fresh or frozen+thawed
2 cups quinoa, dry*
1/2 cup chia seeds, optional
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp organic extra virgin coconut oil, organic grass-fed butter or organic extra virgin olive oil
Supplies:
7 large bowls, one for the contents each recipe listed above
2 cup glass liquid measuring cup
At least 2 large saucepans outfitted with steamer baskets and lids
1 medium sized saucepan with lid
Rice cooker or large saucepan with lid to cook grains
Freezable storage containers for finished baby food: ice cube trays, fillable smoothie packets, BPA-free plastic bags, glass storage containers, etc. – I used the Infantino Fresh Squeeze Station
Prep and Assembly:
The night before:
Place the dry quinoa in a large saucepan or bowl of a rice cooker along with 2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar and water (as called for on package, usually a 1:2 ratio) and soak or at least 8 hours. This step is optional, but will increase the digestibility of the grains, see this post for more info on soaking grains.
If using frozen peas, blueberries, peaches, squash or spinach move these from the freezer to the fridge to thaw at least 12 hours prior to cooking. Be sure to set them in a bowl or on a plate to collect any liquid.
The morning of prep:
Cook quinoa according to the package directions and allow to cool. Divide in half and place each half in its own large bowl.
Ready, set, go:
Wash, prepare and chop all of your fruits and vegetables, per the ingredients list above.
In a medium sized saucepan place carrots along with an inch or two of water. Steam until soft. Alternatively you can roast or sauté the carrots until very soft. Reserve the cooking liquid to aid in blending. Place the carrots in one of your large bowls.
In a large steamer basket add water and steam the zucchini and broccoli. When the zucchini and broccoli are finished steaming move them each to their own large bowl.
Try to keep vegetables segregated as much as possible, but don’t to be too critical about veggies/fruits not mixing together/touching. Honestly, these will all end up in your baby’s tummy one way or another.
In another steamer basket steam the apples and pears. Place half of the apples in with the broccoli and the other half into the bowl with the carrots. Place the pears in their own bowl.
Remove the steamer basket from the saucepan that you just used to cook the broccoli and zucchini. Reserve water from bottom of pan by pouring it into your glass measuring cup, this will make it easier to pour later. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in the saucepan and sauté the kale until it is wilted. Depending upon how large your saucepan is you may have to do this in batches. Once wilted, add the kale to the bowl with the broccoli.
Add your remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the saucepan and sauté the spinach until wilted. Again, you may need to do this in batches. Place the wilted spinach in the bowl with the pears.
Reserve all cooking liquid to ease the blending process below.
Add the defrosted/cooked squash and cinnamon to the bowl with the apple.
Add 4 bananas and the chia seeds to the bowl with the zucchini.
Add the defrosted peas along with the drained liquid to the bowl with the pears and spinach.
Add the defrosted blueberries along with the drained liquid and 2 bananas to a bowl of quinoa.
Add the defrosted peaches along with the drained liquid and 2 bananas to the other bowl of quinoa.
Blend + Store:
In a large blender, high-speed blender or food processor add the contents of the large bowl that contains the Squash, Apple and Cinnamon. Blend until it reaches your desired consistency, adding reserved cooking water to facilitate the blending process. Older babies may enjoy a thicker and chunkier texture while younger babies should have a thinner and smoother consistency. Scrape the blended food into your desired storage container(s) and clearly label with recipe name and today’s date. Freeze until ready to use.
Repeat this process until you are finished blending and storing each of the following recipes. You do not need to bother cleaning out your blender between batches, as the residual food from the previous batch will not impact the flavor or quality of the following batch of food.
Squash Apple Cinnamon
Broccoli Apple Kale
Apple Carrot
Zucchini Banana Chia
Spinach Pea Pear
Banana Blueberry Quinoa
Peach Banana Quinoa
Makes: 60 Four Ounce smoothies
*Tips:
Remember that choosing farmer’s market fresh organic produce will get you the most bang for your buck nutritionally and it will save you money over store bought produce.
Feel free to use fresh broccoli in place of thawed frozen broccoli, it will simply need to be steamed longer to ensure that it is soft enough to blend thoroughly.
You can substitute pears for apples and vice versa. Please consider purchasing organic apples and pears because they are very high in pesticides. If you are using a high-speed blender, these do not need to be steamed.
If purchasing organic and you plan to use a high-speed blender you do not need to peel the apples, pears, peaches and carrots.
Squash can be pre-pureed either frozen or canned (BPA-free) or you can use fresh diced + cooked squash or pumpkin if it is in season. There is no need to pre-puree the cooked squash before preparing the baby food.
Please consider purchasing organic zucchini because most conventional zucchini is grown from GMO seeds.
Rolled or Steel Cut Oats can be substituted for quinoa, simply prepare 8 servings.
To save time you can use frozen spinach and/or kale. Simply defrost in the fridge overnight in a colander set on top of a large bowl lined with a kitchen towel. In the morning pick up the towel and squeeze out the moisture over the sink. If using this method you will not have to steam your greens. Please consider purchasing organic spinach and kale because they are very high in pesticides.
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