Favorite Baby Purée Recipes

January 5, 2017 1 Comment

Category: Motherhood
Tags: Baby food purees, Favorite Baby Purees, baby food

Calling all new mamas,  are you looking for ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner? I’ve got you covered for the best baby food purees that your little one will love. Best of all, these are all healthy, hearty and packed with the nutrients your little one needs to grow.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’d know exactly how much I cook and not just for myself, but for Chloe, who’s now almost 10 months old. After my recent post “Baby Food for Beginners“, I got a lot of inquiries about my favorite puree recipes, so I wanted to share a few.

Since Chloe was 6 months old, I have made all of her meals (well, with the exception of a few organic pouches when we’re on the go). Honestly, I didn’t really go into parenthood anticipating being that mom, but after seeing a minced up jar of chicken with the title “baby food” (ew!), I decided to give it a shot and haven’t looked back.

One of the reasons I love to cook is that I can control the types of foods my family and I are consuming. I can always ensure that Chloe is eating healthy, nutritious meals without refined sugar and processed carbs which is important to me. Instead, I aim for lean proteins, vegetables, fruits and whole grains. As much I believe in the importance of diet for my own health, I think it’s just as important, if not more important, that a growing baby receive the same treatment.

When making baby purees, I started off simple with one-ingredient recipes (if you’re just starting to transition to baby foods, you can read my Baby Food for Beginners post here). Since then, I’ve transitioned into blending complete meals.

When making purees, I consider a few things:

• Rather than make one or two ingredient purees, I aim to make complete “meals” so I often include one protein, one veggie and one fruit. It makes my life a lot easier when I am short on time and can easily pop one mix into the microwave and serve – plus, I know it’s a balanced meal.
• I also always include a fruit because you’ll want to mask the veggie taste with something sweet otherwise the baby may refuse the food (pear and apples are always a hit)
• I use minimal spices and avoid salt and honey.
• Coconut milk and chicken broth are great options to help make consistency of meals smoother (note: I always get full fat coconut milk, the lower fat option just has added sugar)

Here are some of Chloe’s favorites

 Breakfast

~Avocado, Banana with Cinnamon~

~Pear, Cantaloupe & Greek yogurt~

~Apple, Banana & Steel Cut Oats~

Lunch & Dinner Options

~Chicken, Lentils & Carrots~
~Butternut Squash, Apples & Chicken~

~”Orange chicken” – Mandarins, Chicken and Peas~

~Lentils, Broccoli and Coconut Milk~

So how do you make these items into purees? So easy. Follow my 5 step guide here. Once you soften the items, you simply blend and serve, or store in the freezer in these containers (see below). A typical batch includes roughly 25 1 oz servings. I usually make 3 or 4 batches of these “recipes” at a time and have enough food for a month.

Sadly, as I write this post, Chloe’s baby puree days are coming to an end at 10 months old. She loves to now pick up foods herself so I’m starting her on soft solids. (It’s funny, right as you start to get comfortable with a baby stage, they grow out of it!). I’m now coming up with some fun, baby friendly beginner recipes that I’ll share soon.

Do you have any favorite recipes that your kids love? I would love to know what’s a hit in your kitchen!