Need Baby Food Recipies

Try these websites:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com
http://www.superbabyfood.com/
www.wholesometoddlerfood.com
http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/babyfirstfood.html
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/baby/baby.html
http://homecooking.about.com/od/specificfood/a/babyfooddo...

Love the book First Meals by Annabel Karmel. It has really good recipes for healthy things. I then branched out to make other things that I made up myself combining ingredients my kids liked.

That list of foods was great, but some of them (eg hot dogs, beef jerky) I wouldn't give at any age, personally. Others might work for some kids, but might not for kids w/o teeth. My 1st daughter had trouble with anything that needed chewing --she was a choker. We gave her baby food for a long time. Second baby won't touch it, she only has 4 teeth at 1 year but insists on finger food and does fine with Cheerios.

Ideas I haven't seen yet:
brown rice (pureed or milled if necessary)
otameal, plain or with raisins, other chopped dried fruit, etc. (milled)
sunflower seed butter (mixed into other foods)
soy yogurt (we don't do dairy)
teething toast (cut bread into 1"x3" pieces and toast in oven at 150 30 min or until hard)
avocado, in chunks or mashed
other fruits: banana, pear, peach, apple, mango, melon, etc. Soft fruits can be in chunks, hard fruits like apple might need to be cooked or pureed.
Veggies: soft-cooked beet, green beans, potato, sweet potato, whatever you are having milled or in small chunks
hard cooked egg yolk at 9 mos, I believe they say whole egg is okay at 1 yr if no family history of allergies.

At this age, most nutrition comes from breast milk (or fomula). It's more important to explore the new tastes and textures and learn to enjoy them, so don't worry if it seems like most of it ends up on the floor. Choosing fresh, unprocessed, whole foods as much as possible will give baby a good start on learning to make good food choices throughout life.

I recommend a book called "Feed Me I'm Yours". It's WONDERFUL! It tells how to make bagels, english muffins, & tons of finger foods! I used it with my little ones & my daughters have used it as well. With toddlers it becomes more important on the "presentation" than the food itself. You have to become creative. The grandbabies all love grandmas' whole wheat pancakes, SAME as moms. We make them into shapes & letters & sometimes use syrup, but sometimes cool whip & fruit or decorate the "faces" with fruit. They may not "like" eggs & toast, but they LOVE Bulls Eye or the toast being cut with cookie cutters into shapes...hearts, bunnies, bells, etc. Grandpa is the one that gets them hooked on Texas toast. Lightly buttered & pan fried (both sides) then cut into a big circle...it cuts the crust off & the babies like it better. Or egg posies - hard boiled egg sliced in rounds & formed into a "flower", using 1 pc of toast cutting center diagonally for the "stem" & using the now 2 pcs of triangles for the "leaves"....teaches them shapes while eating! TONS of ideas in this book, but mostly just gets you thinking outside the box... Just have FUN with them. They grow up WAY too fast! Then you just have grandbabies to feed & enjoy.... Here's a list though for 9 months-1 yr...

Apple, peeled & cut into 8ths
orange sections, peeled & loose membrane removed
peaches, ripe & peeled
egg, boiled, scrambled or poached
cheeses, soft
custards, soft
carrots & other veggies, cooked soft
macaroni pasta
egg noodles
rice
toast
bagel
tender meats, lamb, veal & some beef
spaghetti with meat sauce
fish without bones
tiny meatballs
bananas
applesauce
cooked cereals
cheerios
graham crackers
mashed potato
cottage cheese
yogurt
pudding
vanilla ice cream

1 yr & older:
carrot sticks, large
cauliflower
cherry tomatoes, halved
mushrooms
lettuce, cut up
avocado
asparagus
broccoli tips
green beans
sweet potato, cooked
french fries
peas, uncooked, frozen ones too
celery with all strands removed
pickle spears
small squares of cheese, variety of kinds
deviled eggs
hard boiled eggs
cottage cheese with fruit added
yogurt, may be served semi-frozen
pears, peeled
mandarin oranges, canned
fruit cocktail, canned
fresh berries, strawberries, grapes (halved), cherries, blueberries
watermelon
cantaloupe
crisp bacon
hotdogs
spareribs, well cooked
ham, cut in bite size pcs
luncheon meats
sausage
chicken or turkey, diced
tender roasts
tuna
hamburger, (try in different shapes)
ground turkey (like hamburger)
corn dogs
beef jerky
saltines
triscuts & fun crackers
pretzel rods
oyster crackers
bagel & cream cheese
grilled cheese sandwich
french toast (or french toast sticks)
pancakes (made into fun shapes)
macaroni & cheese
omeletes
finger jello
stuffed celery, with cheese, peanut butter, etc

I visited a web site that helped me a lot and offered lots of recipes and ideas called www.wholesomebabyfoods.com. I also found that I felt I wanted more variety in color and type of vegetable and fruit, but would sometimes forget what different kinds were out there, so I also picked up somewhere a list some where of all the different fruits and vegetable listed by color category.
You might be able to find something like this by searching the internet or looking on nutritional web site. The web site I mentioned might even have something.

A baby food masher/processor may be helpful to you also, for traveling, or mashing finer than a blender and last time I checked they are only around $10 for a basic one. Something else I never invested in, but may with my next baby are covered ice cube trays for freezing baby sized portions of pureed food you prepare ahead of time. I only saw these online, not in stores (advertised on the wholesome baby foods site.)

I like the book "feeding the whole family" by cynthia lair

Super Baby Food Book by Ruth Yuron helped me tons.
Enjoy, M. N.

Great book "Top 100 Baby Purees: 100 quick and easy meals for a healthy and happy baby" by Annabel Karmel. It is inexpensive and you might be able to find it at 1/2 price bookstore or online.

Good luck.
T.

I make my own blended mini meals, like chicken and sweet potatoes, or turkey and spinach(cooked), or rice. You can soft cook apples, peaches, ect...and blend your fruits to. Almost whatever we have goes into the blender, because at nine months, we also have no teeth. My only sugestion is to go fresh frozen over canned due to salt content. www.onestepahead.com has a couple of baby food books written by chefs if you are interested. I've never tried them but I hear they are good. Also, the what to expect when you are expecting series (first year/toddler years) has good recipies.

When the twins were born my friend gave me "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. It's excellent and has recipes for non-food items as well (think Play-Doh). You need this book!

You can always blend up chicken, peas, bascially anything you eat you can put in it the blender and feed it to your daughter.

try this really good website www.wholesomebabyfood.com
it is very helpful

I used to make my own baby food, too. I used frozen vegetables because there are no additives in them -- not like canned vegetables that have added salt and other stuff. Just remember to read the labels so you know what you are giving your little girl. You might try scrambled eggs and macaroni and cheese (you'll need to put that in the blender first). Does she like fruit? My kids were crazy about fresh fruit that I pureed in the blender. Only give her one kind of fruit at a time, in case she has a reaction, you'll know which fruit caused it. I learned this the hard way, my son had a reaction to pineapple but it took me a long time to figure it out because I was giving him different fruits almost every day.

One thing I think is important is not to season the food you give your baby. She shouldn't have salt or pepper yet. We think our food doesn't taste good without salt, but your baby hasn't developed a taste for salty foods. Most Americans need to reduce their salt intake, so you're doing her a favor by not giving it to her as a baby.

If you steam fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables for her baby food, she is probably getting all the vitamins she needs.

I hope this is helpful.

There is a book called Feed Me! I'm Yours! I can't remember the name of the author, but it has really EASY recipes and ways to store food.

When I was in college, I had a friend from Thailand who was shocked to see baby food in the grocery stores. She said they just mashed up regular food for babies. I never bought baby food, because I think its pretty much a scam by the baby food industry. I would buy bags of frozen veggies for about a dollar, and make the equivalent of 25 jars of baby food! I had a baby food grinder, and used it for both my kids.

First Meals by Annabel Karmel is a really good resource. Good luck!
T.

I used to put whatever my husband and myself were eating into a baby food grinder, add a little breast milk and that was it. My daughter never ate store bought baby food either. She hated it and I hated it. I wouldn't use much spice while cooking so she ate everything, including liver and onions. Good luck.

Hi T.. Our 3 children, now 33, 31 and 28 never had any canned or prepared baby food.

I made all of their food. I purchased a baby food grinder and also used a blender to make their food. It was 5-6 months before they ate any solids as I had breastfed them... for 12, 11, and 25 months!

I suggest you google "baby food recipes". I just did and several websites came up. You should find lots of helpful information there.

I also would grind up or blend cooked food and freeze it in ice cube trays. When frozen, I would put them into baggies. Then I could take out appropriate amounts of veggies, meat, etc. for each meal. (Do not use microwave to heat baby food. It kills vitamins. Read up about it!)

It was wonderful traveling with our grinder (hand held). At a restaurant, I could order veggie soup, etc., and put the chunks into the grinder right there at the table.

R.

Now is a great time to get fresh vegetables and fruit to make your baby food! Just keep doing what you're doing...bake or steam them, then puree them in a blender or food processor. Some of the courser foods can be mixed with a little breast milk or formula, but your baby probably enjoys the texture since you mentioned that she doesn't like the store-bought variety. I had a great baby food cookbook when my boys were babies, the name of it escapes me now, but I'm sure you can find one at the library or on Amazon.com.

I take the store bought baby food vegetables (carrots, squash, peas, and green beans) and put them all in a blender with a whole banana and some yogurt. If it doesn't taste quite right I add some other fruit, but my daughter really likes it. Since she is a little older I also add hard boiled egg whites too for protein and ground flax seed. It is a yogurt-like consistancy and tastes fruity. I just adjust it a little every time I make it.

Hi T.-

I bought a book by Annabel Karmel and I can't remember the title but it is a wonderful book on preparing foods for first time eaters all the way up to five years old. She starts the book with great ideas on how to prepare baby food and then freeze it. She also moves to blends and introduces meats when your child is ready.
I'm sorry I don't know the title, but she is the author. She has an older kids book entitled mommy and me, but this is not the one.
I wish you good luck and enjoy those precious moments!
I am a mom of a five y.o. and twins who are 2.
Take care- H. F.

I got some recipes from the parents.com website. My LO likes red cabbage (shredded, cooked covered in the microwave) mixed with apples (cut, cooked covered in microwave) and then all blended in the food processor. Almost all veggies can be prepared this way so you don't have to use canned. We've also made sweet potatoes mixed with cinnamon and lots of raisins, garlic with broccoli and asparagus, collards green beans and brown rice, bananas blueberries and pear or apples banana and blueberries. So many combinations. My husband has been good about helping with prep and if you get another set of hands there is some one else there to suggest strange, but delicious combinations of whatever you buy. Careful with the home prepared carrots though, I've heard the nitrates can be hard on the kidneys. My doctor has never mentioned a concern, but I have read a couple of articles stating that's the case.

Both of my girls loved pureed bananas. I'd freeze them in individual serving containers and add formula or milk and rice cereal.

Try the book Super Baby Food book. The lady is a little over the top, but I made my sons food from this book, and I think as a result he is very good at trying new things, and typically does not turn his nose up at veggies. Avacado is one of the best things you can give your child. mix it with some mango if she doesn't take to it right away. One of his favorites was butternut squash and broccoli. Honey dew and cantalope were favs in the fruit. Just cut it up, blend it, and poor into ice cube trays (perfect serving size) then transfer to freezer bag, pull out as needed. For veggies, cook minumally, so you dont cook away vitamins. (microwave broccolie in covered casserole dish with a 1/4 c of water for 5 minutes, then blend. That book has alot of the veggies and mic cooking times to save your time. Good Luck.

I have four children and never believed in being a short order cook to my children. Everything that we ate we put in a blender, blended fine and that is what they ate. I did not seperate them, if we ate chicken, veggies, and rice, I would put in small pieces of chicken, lots of veggies, some rice and blend to a puree you can always add a little water or milk if it is too thick and as they got older and had more teeth into the chopper dinner went. It has taught my children not to be picky eaters, as they have tried everything. Good Luck.

I've just been doing the same, cooking up veggies (sweet potato, squash, greenbeans) and pureeing them. Also fruit (mainly pears). One thing, my doctor said to be careful with the carrots. If you cook them, strain them and add clean water when pureeing. This will cut down on the nitrates (from the soil) that could be too high for the baby.

I've also just mushed a banana, or an avocado (though he didn't like the avocado). My doctor also said we could give him little bits of pasta and bread. I just got some whole wheat bread, and he likes it. I tear it in little pieces and feed it to him one by one. (He can't quite do it himself yet).

I also did a search and found some recipes online.