Ingredients:
As much frozen or fresh spinach as you’d like
Olive Oil

1. Heat spinach in a pan till fully cooked and most of the water has evaporated.
2. Allow to cool for a bit and then puree.
3. Add water as necessary to reach desired consistency.

As your child gets older you can adapt this recipe to your child’s developmental stage by simply cooking and chopping instead of pureeing, or adding spices as desired.

When I first introduced spinach to Lorenzo he didn’t like it. And I quickly learned that spinach as a side dish was just too strong of a flavor for him. BUT, if I combined little pieces with bites of other foods that he loves (rice, chicken, fish, pasta, or egg ) he had no problem eating it.

You can also combine different flavor enhancing foods to make it a creamy spinach dish. Lorenzo likes it when I mix a little grated Parmesan, for a more cheesy version.

Baby Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 ripe banana, mashed
1/8 c + 1-2 tbs oat flour (add the 1-2 tbs depending if you prefer a thicker, firmer, consistency)
1-2 tbs water
*this recipe is for if your baby is not yet ready for egg or soy flour. Once your baby is ready for egg, it makes the baby banana bread that much yummier.

(Optional)
1 egg OR substitute with 1 tbs soy flour + 2 tbs water
dash of cinnamon
dash of vanilla

1. Mash banana
2. Mix with oat flour and water (or egg or soy flour + water)
3. Add cinnamon and vanilla (optional)
4. Take a piece of foil (or cookie sheet) and grease (I like to use a little butter)
5. Spread mixture into a thin rectangle sheet
6. Bake at about 400 degrees for about 10-15 mins, or till golden brown
7. Allow to cool
8. Cut into bite-size pieces

Lorenzo LOVES his baby banana bread.  It’s a great alternative to a store bought snack, and really easy to whip together.  Like banana bread, it will go bad if not properly stored.  I keep mine in the fridge and like to make these smaller batches since it’s so easy to make.

**Note that this recipe can be adapted to your baby’s age.  If your baby is too young to have egg, just make the dough with water.  As your baby gets older and you have made sure it’s the proper time to introduce egg to your baby, you can add it in for an extra boost of yumminess.

Ingredients:
As many carrots as you’d like to make
Water

1) Wash and peel carrots.
2) Cut carrots into medium size chunks
3) Place in a pot with a steamer basket and water
4) Steam till tender. (Time will vary depending on how much you make. Do a knife or fork pricking test every few minutes till reaching desired softness)
5) Cut into bite size pieces and serve

*This was one of Lorenzo’s first finger foods, which he loved! It’s firm enough for him to easily grasp, but tender enough for him to eat with no problem. Mealtime has become that much easier with finger foods because he loves feeding himself, and it’s a great distraction to sneak in a bite of his other food.

Ingredients:
As many fresh carrots as you’d like to make
Water
Parsley

1)Wash and peel carrots. The carrot peel doesn’t mash well and can be difficult for baby to digest, so it’s always a good idea to peel carrots.
2) Cut carrots into medium size chunks
3) Place in a pot with a steamer basket and water
4) Steam till tender. (Time will vary depending on how much you make. Do a knife or fork pricking test every few minutes till reaching desired softness)
5) Place parsley in a cup of boiling water and allow to blanch for a minute or two.
6) Place carrots and parsley in preferred appliance and puree, adding fresh water as needed (do not use water from steaming due to possible nitrates)

* For babies that are already enjoying more textures, skip step #6, mash the carrot for more texture, chop up parsley very finely and mix.

*Lorenzo is really enjoying more texture in his food, so these days I am doing more mashing than pureeing. Although I do like to use the carrot puree as a sauce for other foods since he’s not eating tomatoes yet.

*As with most other homemade baby foods, you can make a big batch, if you don’t want to keep making a fresh batch every couple days, and freeze it using ice cube trays or, my personal favorite, Baby Cubes.

Jarring may seem like a big undertaking, but once you get the hang of it, it can be quick and easy. I’ve really gotten into jarring these days. Instead of freezing, which sometimes can change the texture of certain foods when thawed, like applesauce, I’ve been jarring. If done correctly, it can have a long shelf-life like any other jarred or canned good. The key is sterilization and pasteurization.

Before beginning there are a few things you should know. First of all, when doing a boiling water bath only high acid foods should be used. These are foods that can be canned at a temperature of boiling water, 212 degrees. Most fruits and tomatoes are high acid foods. Other foods, such as vegetables that aren’t pickled, are low acid foods and require higher temperatures. For these foods a temperature of 240 degrees is required to kill bacteria and safely preserve. To safely preserve such foods and reach a temperature of 240 degrees you would need a pressure canner.

Because I don’t want to spend a lot of money on all the equipment, I am only jarring high acid foods using the boiling water bath and using a homemade rig, which has worked great. All you need are the following kitchen supplies to do a proper boiling water bath:

1. large stock pot with lid
2. steamer basket or cooling rack that will fit at the bottom of the stock pot so jars don’t touch the bottom
3. non-metallic spatula or my personal favorite, a chopstick
4. good gripping tongs
5. something to cool the jars on (cooling rack or towels)
6. oven mitts, or something to handle hot jars with

When jarring, sterilization of the jars is important so that the end-product won’t get contaminated. You don’t want all your hard work to be for nothing. Pasteurization, or the boiling water bath, is important so that bacteria in the food are stopped and spoiling doesn’t occur.

Here are the steps to a boiling water bath:

1. Set up your stock pot with the steamer basket or cooling rack
2. Fill stock pot with water so that it will be at least 2-3 inches above the jars you’re using
3. Place jars and lids (not bands, if using mason jars) into water and allow to simmer NOT BOIL until ready to use (this is the sterilization part)
4. Once the food is prepared and ready, keep food hot, or on low heat, while taking jars and lids out of the stock pot. Keep stock pot water hot.
5. Fill hot jars with hot food leaving about 1/2″ at the top
6. Stir food with non-metallic spatula, or chopstick, to get air bubbles out
7. Wipe the rim of the lids to make sure they’re clean
8. Place lids on jars (and fasten bands on with Mason jars) so it’s tight, but not too tight
9. Place jars back into stock pot with water at least 2-3 inches above jars, place lid and bring water to a full rolling boil
   • Space jars apart, they should not knock each other or touch while boiling
   • Amount of time for boiling depends on what you’re jarring. For applesauce boil 20-25 minutes (count from when boiling begins)
   • Fruits in general should boil for roughly 20-30 minutes
10. Turn heat off and remove jars carefully, without disrupting them too much, using tongs and oven mitt
11. Allow to cool overnight on cooling racks or towels
12. Test lids for seal after 24 hrs. Lids should not flex up or down in the center when pressed if sealed correctly

Although it seems like a lot, trust me, if I can do it, you can do it too. Just pick a day when you have a little extra time to do it so you don’t end up stressing yourself out the first time you try this. Once you’ve done it a couple of times, you won’t even think twice about doing it because it will be like second-nature.
Good luck, and happy jarring!

How long do I hold out on delicious peanut butter?

As a relatively new parent, one of the most frustrating parts is trying to dissect all the information and make an educated decision on just about anything. It seems that, although in life there are many absolutes, when dealing with children there’s no such thing. How do you deal with sleep? Cry-it-out or co-sleep? When do you introduce foods? 4 months? 6 months? Later? What about the allergenic foods…when are those ok?

This post is about the latter of all my gray-area questions. I have been hearing that I should introduce peanuts to Lorenzo because there’s new evidence that by introducing allergenic foods early it may actually help with preventing allergic reactions later in life. But when I go to my pediatrician his perspective is that although there is “talk” about this new method, there isn’t enough empirically based evidence. So I personally err on the side of caution.

I happened to come across this article in the L.A. Times and thought I would share it with you all so that you can read and dissect and maybe even discuss with your own pediatrician to see where they stand. I feel like it’s good to keep my pediatrician on his toes. That way he knows I’m not going to be one of those complaisant parents that just takes his word, but that I’ll challenge him to make sure he’s current and offering the best care possible for Lorenzo. Although on this topic, it’s still gray to me.

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces

• I like to have pieces with bone and skin on so there’s more flavor. I also like to use both white and dark meat so that the puree is juicy. But you can use whatever kind of chicken pieces you prefer your baby to start with.

Butter or olive oil
Sage

This was one of the bigger struggles in introducing food. I personally went back and forth on when the right time would be to introduce meat to Lorenzo. We made the personal choice to buy organic free range chicken so Lorenzo won’t get exposed to hormones…yet. Which, really made me more at ease about introducing chicken to his diet.
There is also the issue of when is the right time. I’ve seen that some people introduce chicken as early as 7 months. Personally, we waited until he was 10 months, and that’s just because that’s when I felt he was ready.

But when he was…let me tell you…he gobbled this up!

1. Rinse and pat chicken pieces dry, leave skin on
2. Chop sage
3. Warm a skillet at medium high heat
4. Place a little butter or olive oil
5. Place the chicken in, skin down, and cover
6. Allow to cook and brown and then turn over
7. Once both sides are browned, turn heat down to medium low
8. Add more oil or butter as needed. I like to use a little olive oil spay bottle
9. Add sage and allow to cook till chicken is cooked through
10. Once cooked, place on a cutting board and allow to cool
11. Once cooled, take skin off and pull apart chicken pieces/debone
12. Place chicken pieces with sage bits in food processor and add water as needed to achieve desired consistency

*This is a great recipe to make a bigger batch and freeze because it freezes and thaws well without any real consistency change.
*Don’t be afraid to mix and match this with some of your baby’s favorites. Lorenzo enjoyed his chicken with rice, potatoes, peas, and various other combination, even a breakfast egg and tofu scramble.

Ingredients:
1 zucchini
Water

1) Wash zucchini well
2) Dice zucchini into chunks, leaving skin on if baby is 8 months or older
3) Steam or boil zucchini till tender
4) Puree in preferred appliance
* No added water should be necessary as zucchini is a very watery vegetable
5) Serve immediately or allow to cool and store

I like to serve zucchini to Lorenzo with rice cereal, or a starch, because zucchini is so watery. It’s great to add as a thinning agent, and as an extra flavor, to foods that are too thick.
As with most other homemade baby foods, you can make a bigger batch and freeze. I like to use the Baby Cubes for freezing because the portion sizes are very convenient.

Ingredients:
Barley powder (hulled or pearled barley)
Water (1 c to every 1/8 c barley powder)
*use a bit less water if you want a thicker consistency. OR you can just cook it down to the thickness that you prefer
Breastmilk (optional)

1. Make barley powder by grinding hulled or pearled barley in food processor
2. Bring water to a boil
3. Add barley powder while stirring constantly
4. Cook on med/low heat while stirring continually for about 10 minutes
5. Add breastmilk at the end if desired or when serving for an added boost
6. Serve warm or store

Make sure to use hulled or pearled barley because regular unprocessed barley is not safe to eat in this way.

I like to make 1/8c at a time so that the cereal is fresh and not frozen. This amount usually lasts me about 3-4 days before Lorenzo finishes it off.

I usually have a batch of 2-3 different cereals or starch to keep in the fridge to alternate regularly and mix with different vegetables that I freeze.

Michelin Chefs Join the Bandwagon

I came across this article on ABC News that gives me hope.  It gives me hope because it seems as though the movement for making homemade baby food is really taking off.  To me, since having Lorenzo, it seems like common sense to begin introducing, right from the start, healthy, and tasty foods.  This translates to using fresh quality ingredients, as these Michelin Chefs are doing.

In this article there is also mention of the work that Jamie Oliver is doing in Britain for children’s eating habits in schools.  This is a whole other topic that I could really go on and on about.  How do we expect our children to be healthy, instead of obese, when school lunches are filled with processed fatty foods.  This topic will be left for another day…

I’ve seen recent articles also on chefs that are beginning to provide fresh baby food menus at their restaurants.  Now that sounds like a great idea!  To be able to go out to eat as a family and know that everyone can have something freshly made, that’s the kind of restaurant I would want to go to.  This article in the Washington Post really captures the growing popularity and awarenes of homemade baby food and its benefits.

When it comes down to it, from the beginning of time, babies have been born and fed what was available at the time in their homes.  Although I applaud advances in determining allergies, a part of me feels as though things have gotten almost a little too restrictive when it comes to baby food.  Personally, I’d like to go back to being a little more adventurous, in as safe a way as possible, with Lorenzo and his experience with foods.  These chefs give me hope and inspiration to continue exploring with Lorenzo and our homemade baby food.