9 Tasty Baby-food Recipes for Spring

Ingredients:

• 1 large organic Bartlett pear, washed, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/4 head of organic broccoli, washed and chopped

Directions:

• Pour water into a medium pot until it is 1” deep and bring to a boil over high heat. Place the broccoli into a steamer basket and put the basket into the pot. The water should not touch the bottom of the basket. Cover with a tight fitting lid and let cook for 7 minutes.
• Place broccoli and pear into a food processor and blend until a mushy mash consistency is achieved. Mushy mash is a little thicker and lumpier than a smooth stage 1 puree. Just make sure the lumps are soft.
• Serve or store.

_Storage tip! _Broccoli & Pear puree will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Ingredients:   

• 1 big handful of fresh strawberries, about 8 to 10, washed and chopped.
• 1 medium-sized banana, peeled

Directions:

• Add strawberry slices and banana slices to blender.
• Purée until smooth.
• Add a bit of liquid to achieve desired consistency; you can add water, breast milk or regular milk.
• Place purée through strainer to remove remaining peels.
• Serve immediately or store.

Shopping tip! Select strawberries that are firm, plump, lustrous, moist-looking, deep red in color and smell sweet. Select bananas that are not bruised. Properly ripen bananas.

Ingredients (makes about 10 ounces):

• 2 cups organic baby spinach, washed
• 1 cup of organic raspberries, washed
• 1 1/2 cups organic vanilla yogurt

Directions:

• Pour water into a medium pot until it is about 1” deep and bring to a boil over high heat. Place the spinach into a steamer basket and place the basket in the pot. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the basket. Cover with a tight fitting lid and steam for about 8 minutes.
• Put the spinach, raspberries and yogurt into a food processor and blend until smooth.
• Serve or store.

_Storage tip! _When stored in an airtight container, this Spinach & Raspberry Yogurt will stay fresh for up to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Ingredients:

• 1 big handful of cut and peeled carrots, washed.

Directions:

• Cut up the carrots into uniform pieces; discard the tip and the end.
• Steam the pieces together for 20 minutes or until tender, reserving the liquid.
• Place pieces in blender with the reserved liquid.

_Shopping tip! _At the store, make sure you’re buying firm, organic and fresh carrots.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of quinoa, rinsed in a strainer under cool running water
• 1/2 ripe banana
• 1 cup of cherries, washed, cut in half with pit removed

Directions:

• Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.
• Add the quinoa, let boil for 1 minute then reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed.
• Place the cherries and banana into your food processor and pulse until smooth.
• Mix cherry banana mixture with the quinoa and serve.

Storage tip! Cherry Banana Quinoa will stay fresh for up to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe mango

Directions:

• Slash peels off the mango with a sharp paring knife, then peel back the peel and scoop out the flesh. (You can also slice completely into the fruit to the pit and divide into two half bowls and scoop out flesh.)
• Place mango fruit cubes in blender and purée.
• Add a bit of liquid to achieve desired consistency, if needed. Water, milk or breast milk work best.
• Push purée through strainer to remove any seeds and/or peels.
• Serve immediately or store.

Shopping tip! Select firm mangoes that yield to gentle pressure. When ripe, mangoes are orange-yellow or red and feel soft.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 ripe avocado. (Look for avocados with an even deep green color that give a little when squeezed. Let under ripe avocados ripen on your counter for a few days before serving.)
• 4 medium organic carrots, washed, peeled and chopped.

Directions:

• Pour water into a pot until it is about 1" deep and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Place the carrots into a steamer basket and place the basket into the pot. (The water should not touch the bottom of the basket. Cover with a tight fitting lid and steam for 8-10 minutes, until the carrots are easily pierced with a fork.)
• While the carrots are cooking, cut the avocado in half lengthwise around the pit. Using a spoon, scoop the avocado out and place into a bowl. Store the avocado half with the pit in an airtight container in the refrigerator for later use. It will stay fresh for about 2 days.
• Place the carrots and avocado into your food processor and pulse until smooth.
• Alternatively, transfer the carrots and avocado into a mixing bowl and blend until smooth with an immersion blender. If desired, add a little breast milk, formula or water while blending to achieve a smoother consistency.
• Serve or store.

_Storage tip! _When stored in an airtight container, this puree will stay fresh for 1-2 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer. Some discoloration can be expected, but it’s still totally safe to serve to baby.

Ingredients:

• 4 large organic apples, washed, peeled, cored and chopped. (My favorite apple varieties are Gala, Pink Lady, Fuji and Honeycrisp. Almost any variety will work, but just avoid very tart apples like Granny Smith.)
• 10 organic strawberries, washed, hulled and chopped.
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Directions:

• Pour water into a medium pot until it is about 1" deep and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Place the chopped apples into a steamer basket and place the basket into the pot. (The water should not touch the bottom of the basket. Cover pot with a tight fitting lid and steam apples for about 7 minutes, until they are easily pierced with a fork. The strawberries do not need to be cooked.)
• Place the apples and strawberries into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. If desired, add some of the cooking water while blending to achieve a smoother consistency.
• Mix in cinnamon.
• Serve or store.

Storage tip! When stored in an airtight container, the Strawberry Applesauce will stay fresh for up to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Ingredients:

• 1 big head of organic broccoli, rinsed thoroughly, with stems removed so that only the florets remain.

Directions:

• Steam broccoli florets, 8-10 minutes or until tender, reserving the liquid.
• Place pieces in blender with some reserved cooking liquid.
• Purée until smooth. (You may need to add liquid to reach your desired consistency.)

Shopping tip! Look for medium bunches of organic broccoli with small, tightly closed green buds.

Plus, More from The Bump: 

Best Baby Food Makers

Creative Ways to Store Baby Food

Recipes the Whole Family Will Enjoy