Finger Food: Baked Sweet Potatoes

My son's always loved sweet potatoes.  In fact, they were one of the first foods I offered him!  So, when making the transition to finger foods, these seemed a natural choice for a jumping-off point.  After all, the texture of baked sweet potatoes isn't that different from the pureed version!

Baking sweet potatoes is super easy!  You might recognize the picture above from an adult-version I made my my husband and me (separate recipes also posted today!).  And yes, that is rosemary on my sweet potatoes; along with introducing texture to my son, I'm introducing fresh herbs and spices and flavor so that eventually my little one will be eating the exact same menu as my husband and me!  Fingers crossed, of course!

Preheat an oven to 375.  Pop a chunk of butter (a couple tablespoons or so) and perhaps a drizzle of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet.  Let that melt while the oven preheats.  Once melted, use a fork to ensure the entire sheet is coated.  Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt and pepper over the melted butter if you'd like.  Add other seasonings, like rosemary, too, if you want.

Wash two sweet potatoes.  Cut them in half length-wise (be careful; this is harder than it seems).  Leave the skins on!!  Place the sweet potatoes, cut side down, on the baking sheet. If you used other herbs, you may need to press them into the flesh of the potato to make sure it stuck!

Bake 30-35 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces the skin of the sweet potato.  Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet.  Once cool to the touch, if the potato is cooked enough, you can pick up the potato in one hand (kinda like you're holding a football) and squeeze the "meat" right out of the skin!  Cutting each half into thirds or fourths, depending on the size of your potato, should be good for one serving.  I store these large chunks in a Beaba food storage tray, and when ready to serve, I heat one chuck at a time for about 30 seconds and then cut into smaller bite-sized pieces for my son to pick up and feed himself.

Yo, Baby

Given my son's lactose issues early in his infancy, I was quite hesitant to try any other dairy products with him.  However, I was also not 100% convinced he was lactose intolerant, and really struggling to find ways to incorporate protein into his diet once he started eating more finger foods (he had an aversion to the texture of meats at first).  Yogurt seemed an excellent choice, and I knew that if necessary I could probably find a soy option if the cow's milk variety didn't work out.

My mom assured me that when I was a baby I had milk issues and had to be on soy formula as well, but that by my first birthday I'd outgrown whatever allergy I had and was totally fine.  She gave me the encouragement I needed to try introducing dairy to my little guy.  So, around the nine-month mark, after also clearing yogurt with my pediatrician, I bought some YoBaby yogurt.  I was careful to get a flavor my son knew (in this case peach) rather that something like strawberry, so that if there was an allergic reaction, I could isolate it to the lactose.

Guess what?!  He did just fine!  I was flabbergasted, but also super pleased to find that my son could eat dairy without a projectile mess all over me and the kitchen!  But I was also confused. Why can he eat yogurt but when I gave him cow's milk-based formula just a few weeks before (it was an emergency on a flight when I'd misplaced my spare soy formula) he hurled everywhere for three hours?!?  I started doing some research and this is what I learned:

"Lactose is broken down with the culturing of the yogurt or cheese and milk proteins are either semi-removed or limited. The culturing makes yogurt and cheese easier to digest. Many people with lactose intolerance often are be able to eat cheese and/or yogurt without trouble. The same is often true for some people with a milk protein (either to the casein or the whey) allergy."

So go ahead and try yogurt with your little one!  Starting around seven months should be totally fine for most babies.  Just keep a few things in mind when introducing yogurt:

• Yogurt is not a substitute for breast milk or formula.  Please keep pumping your baby with that most important source of nutrition until his or her first birthday (or as recommended by your pediatrician).
• Please be mindful of the sugar added to yogurt.  Lactose (naturally occurring "milk sugar") is fine, but added sugars should be very limited in your baby's diet, if included at all.  YoBaby contains natural organic sugars that are not processed or chemically processed, but there are other, less expensive options on the market for those who are mindful of their budgets (and who isn't, these days?).
• Whole milk yogurt is best, as it provides extra fat for growing babies!

Baby's Easter Eggs

On Easter, I made a special breakfast for my husband and me, which we enjoyed when we returned home from Mass, which is also about the time my son is gearing up for lunch.  I was struggling with the desire to make him something special for Easter, while also experimenting with new finger foods, and exhausted from all the Easter preparations I'd done over the previous couple of days.

I'd done some research on eggs, and decided to give it a whirl.  Every time I worried, I reminded myself that my mom gave my brothers and me eggs at an early age and we are perfectly fine.  Worst case scenario was that my son would have an allergic reaction and likely throw up.  I checked and double checked my favorite website, Momtastic, which assured me that the American Academy of Pediatrics had changed the rules (sound familiar?!) and that babies could safely eat the entire egg, rather than just the yolks:

"A 2008 study, and many studies done after, indicated that waiting to introduce eggs to your baby may not prevent any atopic diseases. Many are now suggesting that babies may be introduced to whole eggs from the start."

Reassured, I also reminded myself that egg yolks were previously deemed ok for babies from eight months, and whites beginning at one year.  At ten months, my son was right in the middle of both those ages, so I took the gamble.  Don't judge me; we all know that every mother takes a gamble at some point in her child's life, making the decision she thinks is best for her situation.  If I needed another push in the direction to give my son his first taste of eggs, it was simply the reminder of all the yummy goodness one little egg contains!

And so, I scrambled.  This way I mixed the yolk and white together, so he wouldn't get a big mouthful of one or another, which in my peabrain lends to the idea that any reaction might be less than if he just ate an egg yolk.  That might just be me being naive though.

Anyway, I heated a bit of olive oil over medium heat.  I beat one egg.  I added it to the heat and stirred, just like I do with my own scrambled eggs (except that I didn't add salt and pepper).  Once cooked through and fluffy, I served it to my son with one piece of turkey sausage.

He loved it all!

And he didn't throw up, develop a rash, or have funny poop.

Just sayin'.

Smashed Blueberries

I had some blueberries leftover after the latest Crazy Cooking Challenge and couldn't think what I wanted to do with them.  I didn't have the patience to make more muffins, nor did I want to boil them, as I did for baby food puree, to use in my son's cereal.

So I washed a couple and tossed them on his tray with his lunch one day.  He tried one and made a face and that was that.

The next day I stirred a few into his oatmeal, thinking that it was the berry skin that bothered him, and if I could mask that, he might just take it.  No dice.

However, each time I scooped up a spoonful of oatmeal with a blueberry, he'd reach out and try to take the berry off the spoon.  Finally I relented, letting him pluck the fruit out of the spoon.  I plopped it into his mouth and made a face at the texture.  Then he started to chew.  And then he made the same face I made the first (and last) time I was dared to eat a lemon slice!

A-ha!  It made sense!

When the berry burst in my son's mouth, he didn't like the instant tang or the juicy berry explosion!

So I took each blueberry between my thumb and forefinger and gave them a squeeze!

And not only did that make it easier for my son to pick up, but he gobbled those berries up!

Jolly Green Bean Giant

The other day, I wanted to serve my little guy his first actual meal.  I gave him a meat ball and two apple quarters and wondered what else I could give him that he could pick up and eat.  I looked in my fridge and saw a tupperware of green beans from my own dinner the night before.

When I started on this baby food making journey, I bought fresh produce for my little guy.  But when it came to green beans, I prepared both frozen and fresh.  He liked the fresh decidedly better.  And I can't blame him!  After all, I've never been a fan of frozen green beans.  I love them fresh, but when it comes to convenience, I'm a canned green bean kind of girl.  I bristled at the thought of feeding my little gourmand canned beans, but then I reminded myself that in just a few short months, that is the type of green beans he's most likely to eat!  I don't buy frozen green beans for my husband and I (neither of us cares for them), and I only prepare fresh green beans for special meals, when I have the time to snap them and prepare them the way my grandmother does: "fried" in bacon fat with onions and bits of crunchy bacon!  My little guy's 10 months old now, so I felt he could handle the canned beans, and, like I said, I have to be realistic.  I'm not going to continue making him a special meal, and I won't pressure myself into snapping fresh green beans nearly every day (yeah, we eat green beans a lot)...better now than never!

So, I pulled out the tupperware of beans, and tossed about 10 on my son's tray.

And he loved them!

Baby's Baked Apples

Yet another revisit to one of my son's favorites!  Apples!  As with my entire baby food making journey, I figured that the natural progression to finger foods would be to bring back all those tasty purees in a revised texture.  Since I've already found what my son loves, likes, and merely tolerates, this seems the best way to get him used to "big boy food"!

As with the pureed apples, I peeled and cored my apples.  I cut each apple into fourths and popped them in the Beaba, just to steam.  You can click on my link above to see my steaming method, or you can use your own.

Once steamed and cooled, I stored my apple slices, two at a time (so, half the apple) in a Beaba storage container.  When ready to serve, I cut each apple quarter into pieces my little one could pick up easily, which happened to be about 6 to 8 chunks per quarter in my case.

Monkey Fingers

I don't know what baby doesn't like bananas.  Nor do I know a mama who doesn't love the convenience a banana provides!  When it came to finger foods, these were the first thing that popped to mind!

I started simple.  I cut medallions of banana, then cut those into bite-sized pieces, and gave them to my son.  Didn't work so well.  They were pretty slippery, and grubby fingers couldn't quite get them from tray to mouth.

So, I got thinkin'.  And I came up with monkey fingers.  I simply took a half a banana and cut it into quarters length-wise.  Voila!  Monkey Fingers!  Larger pieces that my little one could easily pick up and bring to mouth, and I wasn't worried he'd try to bit off a chunk too fat for his little esophagus.

As we graduated to Stage 3, I simply peeled half the banana and broke it in half, giving my son both pieces.  He'd gobble them up, learning to take bites and gum each bite until he could swallow!  Easy peasy!

Meatballs for Baby

Disclaimer:  This Intro to Meat post will be a bit lengthy as I describe my journey into creating a carnivore.  If you don't want the background, just scroll to the bottom now.

I don't know about other mamas, but I was at a loss when it came time to introduce my little guy to meats. My own mother was here visiting, and pressuring encouraging me to bite the bullet and let him try meat.  Afterall, he was going on nine months old and had four teeth.  It, apparently, was time to start incorporating textures, finger foods, and meats.

I was nervous.  I was overwhelmed.  I was weeks away from my son's next well baby checkup. I was the first of our mommy and me group to start solids, so the other mothers in our class certainly wouldn't be a help.  I figured that there was no time like the present; besides, my mom was here to help me as we made this next transition.

Off to the grocery store we went!  I mentally decided that we'd try chicken first.  And I sorta of decided I wanted to try ground meat first since it seemed like the texture my son was most likely to tolerate.  Healthy, versatile, and relatively inexpensive, I wouldn't care if an entire pound of meat went to waste since it wasn't a filet mignon!  Mom and I scoured the meat coolers at the grocery and there was no ground chicken.  We decided to improvise and very finely dice (and then whiz through the food processor) some sauteed chicken breast.  However, on a whim, Mom check the freezers and found a tube of organic frozen ground chicken!  Even better!  We grabbed it and headed for the check out counter!

That evening, we thawed the chicken and sauteed it in a tiny amount of olive oil.  I gave it a few pulses in the processor and portioned out about a tablespoon for my little guy to try.  He ate it!!! My husband cheered!  Our (thus far, we're hoping he'll grow out of it) lactose-intolerant son wasn't destined to be a vegan!  Nothing against vegans, of course; that's just not our lifestyle.

The next day, nada.  Wasn't having it.  No chicken.  I wasn't too upset; I know babies can be a bit choosey when it comes to new foods.  But one day three, and again on day four (when he threw up all over my aunt's kitchen floor, much to the delight of her Westie) it was clear that he just didn't like meat.  Or at least ground chicken.  And I was in San Diego (seven hours from my house).  And the baby food I'd prepared and packed in a cooler was now not going to suffice, since it included the repulsive chicken.  I tossed it and went to a local store and bought my babe, for the second time in his life (the first being when I made an emergency trip to the Midwest for a funeral) store-bought baby food.  This was an organic brand I'd never heard of, but there was a selection of stage two foods that were meat and fruit/veggie blends.  I decided to give them a try, if anything, to introduce the meat flavors to my little guy.  Once again, he ate it!!!  OK, maybe the meat thing would work afterall!  I breathed a sigh of relief, and, when my mom and I returned to Monterey after our San Diego weekend, we went to Whole Foods and found the same brand of baby food and bought a few of the dinner options that included meats.  

In the meantime, still wanting to make my own babyfood and get my son to accept non-pureed foods, I chopped a frozen chicken breast into one-inch cubes, popped them into a zip-lock, and then back into the freezer.  That evening, I thawed one chicken cube, sauteed it in a bit of olive oil, garlic, salt (a tiny bit), and pepper right alongside the chicken breasts we were placing over our Caesar salads.  When the chicken was cooked through, I diced it into the smallest bites I could manage and placed them on my son's high chair tray. He tried it, but wasn't a huge fan.  I tried the same thing for a few days with no success.  I gave up on the chicken; I just didn't have the energy, and clearly my son wasn't ready.  And then my mom, my cheerleader, my coach, left and went back to the East Coast!

I decided to simply supplement my homemade fruits and veggies with store-bought meat-combos.  He wasn't a huge fans of those either, but I could typically get some into his belly.

A couple of weeks later, I made spaghetti for dinner.  On a whim, I gave my son one of my homemade meatballs, thinking that maybe he liked beef better than chicken.  He gobbled it up!!!  Darn!  Why didn't I save more meatballs for him, rather than dumping them all into my spicy sauce?!  We had a weekend trip to San Francisco coming up, so I once again (now for only the third time) bought the jarred stuff since I didn't know if we'd have a 'fridge in the hotel room, and I needed easily packed food to feed him while we toured the city.  He ate all those, though they were very pureed and therefore quite thin.  While there, my son also ate, with vigor, a few bites of my husband's pulled pork.

When we returned home, I was totally lost.  I knew he'd eat meat; he simply didn't like the textures.  But he liked meatballs.  I went to the store and bought three jars of stage three chunky baby food meaty dinners.  For the most part, my son loved those, especially the spaghetti version.  I was feeling like a failure.  And a hypocrite.  I wanted to make 100% of my son's food.  I didn't want to feed him jarred stuff.  I didn't want to move backwards in the texture journey (the jarred stuff was so runny compared to my homemade foods).  Here I was, telling all these people how great it is to make your own babyfood, yet I was buying my son's food now.  I was about to give up.  And then a light bulb went off in my head!

He liked jarred baby food spaghetti!  He liked my homemade meatballs!  I know my grocery store sells ground chicken, pork, turkey, and beef!  I can do this!

I high-tailed it back to the store.  I bought ground chicken and pork to start.

The first week I made the chicken.  I made the meatballs just like this recipe, only using the chicken instead of beef.  My son loved them!  Each day he had one meatball with his lunch and one with dinner.  I heated them individually for 30 seconds, then cut them into small pieces and let them cool.  Once on his tray, they were gone in a matter of minutes!

The second week, I used the pork.  This time, I used the same base recipe, but rather than Italian breadcrumbs I used Panko.  Rather than two eggs I used one egg and some BBQ sauce (I checked to ensure there was no honey in my sauce).  Instead of parsley I used a bit of grill seasoning.  I baked them a bit longer.  These were eaten with equal gusto!

And with that, we were well on our way to finger foods and meats!

Blueberries

I love fresh blueberries!  Not quite as much as I love blueberry muffins or pancakes, but I'm working on it.  So a few weeks ago, when I was checking out the fruit at the grocery and saw these beauties, I thought I'd see how my son liked them!

You've heard that blueberries are stuffed with antioxidants, but did you also know they're packed with fiber, Vitamins A and C, and thought to help reduce cholesterol?  They're a perfect snack, and for older babies, super easy to tote along:  just wash and toss in a zip-lock!

OK, but what about the berry allergy that we all worry over?  Well, check with your pediatrician first, but note what Momtastic says about these tiny gems:

"Blueberries are actually related to cranberries and are in the Heath family. The blueberry shares no 'family' relationship with the strawberry or blackberry or raspberry. Blueberries are not related to strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Those 'true' berries may be mild to highly allergenic. By 'true berries' I am referring to those berries that pose allergy problems for infants and are in the same family. There are horticultural differences in blueberries/cranberries and in strawberries, raspberries and blackberries as well."

Blueberries are super easy to prepare, if you choose to cook them, which I did upon first introduction to my son.  They can be pureed or chopped raw, if you'd like, or if your little one has tried them before with success.

Step 1:  Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil.  Add a 1/2 pint of
washed blueberries to water.  Reduce heat and simmer
15 minutes. 

Step 2:  Drain blueberries, reserving cooking liquid to mix
with cereal later.

Step 3:  Puree until desired consistency.

"Collie Flower"

We had collies growing up. And so, I always thought these "little white trees" (as opposed to broccoli's green ones) were named after my pup! I loved this creamy veggie, even when my mama served it without melted cheese! So, when perusing the grocery for a new veggie to offer my little guy, this jumped out as a good option!

Cauliflower is a fabulous food for little tummies! It's packed with goodness and disease fighting vitamins and minerals. It can cause gas with younger babies, so waiting until 8-10 months is probably a good idea.  According to Momtastic:

"Cauliflower is packed full of phytochemicals which are said to help prevent cancer. Just one cup of cauliflower is packed with Vitamin A, Vitamin C and even calcium. Cauliflower is a great addition to a healthy diet but it causes many people to be a bit gassy."

 When purchasing cauliflower, frozen is fine, but it you prefer to buy fresh, make sure you choose cauliflower that is completed wrapped in green leaves and not bruised.  To store, wrap in plastic (or a zip-lock bag) with the stem down so moisture doesn't build up in the curds (flower part).

To cook, steaming retains the most nutrients (but overcooking will yield a bitter taste), while baking and roasting are also good options:

Step 1:  Peel and clean cauliflower (if using fresh) and cut
into florets.  Steam in a scant amount of water.

Step 2:  Puree until desired consistency.  You will
probablynot need to use any of the cooking water as
cauliflower retains lots of moisture.

Popeye the Sailor Man

Thus far, my son has eaten everything I've introduced.  Usually with gusto.  While he hasn't refused anything, he's certainly balked, letting me know those foods of which he's not a huge fan.  Those foods happen to be green vegetables at this point.  Yes, he'll eat peas and green beans, but the look on his face says he'd much rather something different.  My theory is that it's a texture issue, and he doesn't like the skins of these veggies.  I will persevere, and eventually we'll find a way for him to learn to love green veggies.  In the meantime, I called my mom, asking for her thoughts on what I should/could offer next.  We've done a lot of fruit, and while I'm glad my son loves them all, I know he needs some veggies - some green veggies - in his life!  Mom suggested lima beans.  I simply can't stand limas.  It's probably the one thing I absolutely refuse to eat.  I won't do it.  So why give them to my son?  If he ever eats a lima bean, it'll be because he gets it somewhere else!  Mom continued to make suggestions.  She mentioned spinach, and all I could think of was the nasty slimy stingy stuff in the cans or frozen in a block. Yuk.

But then I remembered that I had a half bag of baby spinach already in the 'fridge!  What about that?  I asked my mom if there was a reason I couldn't make fresh baby spinach for my little guy, and she told me absolutely not, that it was perfect...and has a different texture than the peas and beans did; maybe it would do the trick!  I did some google research and polled some mama friends on Facebook, and of course I checked Momtastic!  While spinach is a great food for babies, full of calcium, Vitamin A, and iron, there are some things of which to be aware:

"Spinach is truly a wonderful leafy green that packs a lot of nutrients. Spinach is an oxalate food [oxalate binds with calcium and iron and causes an inability for the body to properly use these nutrients and can cause kidney stones in adults] as well as a nitrate [nitrate turns to nitrites, which hinders proper oxygen transportation in the red blood cells, and may cause slow asphixiation] food so for babies under the age of 8 months, eating homemade spinach in moderation, if at all, is a good idea. Studies have shown that if not properly stored, nitrate levels may increase in spinach."

All that said,  nitrate poisoning is quite rare, and most likely caused by well-water contamination, rather than from fruits and veggies.  And foods containing oxalates are totally safe as long as you don't over-eat them everyday.  So, put your fears aside and know that with a well-balanced diet, your baby can certainly enjoy spinach!  Therefore, in order to make it, here's what I did:

Step 1:  Heat a tiny bit of olive oil (maybe a teaspoon or two)
in a skillet over medium-high heat).  Add cleaned and
drained spinach (this is about half a 10-ounce bag)

Step 2:  Saute until shrunk and wilted (see how much
it cooks down?), stirring often.

Step 3:  Puree, adding fresh water (if you steamed, rather
than sauteed, the spinach, do not reuse this cooking
water) as necessary, until desired consistency.

PS My son loved his spinach...particularly when I mixed in a little apple!

Nectarine of the Gods

I've been ready to try a new fruit with my son for a while now, but nothing ever caught my eye at the store...until earlier this week!  Nectarines were on sale, which I found strange because they're not even in season yet in the US.  These, however, are Chilean, which explains why they showed up in my grocery so early!  Before I go on, I should make you aware that peaches and nectarines are one of the "Dirty Dozen", so organic is your best bet.

I also saw peaches in the store on the same day.  I almost bought them instead, but decided against it based solely on the price.  After all, 

"the only difference between peaches and nectarines is the lack of fuzz on the nectarine skin. Nectarines tend to be smaller and more aromatic than peaches and have more red color on the fruit surface."

Bottom line:  I bought the nectarines, knowing that the nutrition and cooking method would be identical to peaches, if and when they are the more inexpensive choice.  Peaches and nectarines are high in Vitamins A and C and a wonderful source of fiber (a great choice if constipation is an issue for your little one, since they're a natural laxative with a diuretic effect). They're an easy-to-digest food, making a great first food for a younger baby, and pair well with many other fruits and veggies if you're trying to introduce some not-so-popular flavors.  Frozen peach slices are also a great pain reliever for teething babies (just pop them in a teething pouch)!

While peaches and nectarines are easily steamed, baked, poached, or even served uncooked, baking seems to retain the most nutrients, so that is the method I used!  That said, excessive cooking lends a much less nutrient-dense fruit, so overcooking is not necessary or encouraged.

Step 1:  Wash fruit well, particularly if you didn't purchase
organic.  Halve the nectarines, leaving the skin on.  You may
pit them now or later, but I found the pits easier to remove
after cooking.

Step 2:  Place fruit, cut side down, in a baking dish with
sides.  Fill dish with an inch of water.  

Step 3:  Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes, or until fruit is
easily pierced with a fork.

Step 4:  Allow fruit to cool completely (trust me!).  Then,
using a spoon to get just under the skin, remove the peel.
Skin may also be left on and served to baby, as it's easily
digested; I removed half the skins and left the other
half in tact.

Step 5:  Use a fork and knife to cut the meat of the fruit
away from the pit.

Step 6:  Puree to desired consistency.  For me, six large
nectarines rendered 14 servings.

Beans, Beans, the magical fruit...

For as long as I can remember, I've always loved green beans. I love them so much I'll eat them straight from a can. That said, my all time favorite style of green beans is the way my Mamaw made them: fried in bacon drippings with an onion...and the bacon that made the drippings, of course! Well, I wasn't going to introduce my favorite legume to my son quite like that...he'd have to settle for the healthier baby version: frozen pureed green beans. With no bacon. Poor kid!

Green beans are full of calcium, Vitamin K, and Vitamin C, making them a wonderful choice for your baby. Still not convinced? What about after reading this: 

"The many nutrients in green beans can help you prevent a number of different conditions, including Alzheimer's, atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, colon cancer, asthma, arthritis, acne, ear infections, and maybe even cold and flu. These are but a few good reasons to add green beans to your homemade baby food shopping list the next time you head to the grocery store."

While green beans are great for younger babies, the skins make them difficult to make into a smooth puree (the way my son prefers).  If you're working with fresh beans, a strainer might help smooth out the food after cooking and pureeing.  Or, consider using frozen green beans (the kind without added butter or flavorings) for a smoother consistency.  Other than that, they're quite easy to prepare:

Step 1: Clean, trim, and snap beans if using fresh (if using
frozen you may skip that part).  Place in a steamer  basket
and cook until tender.

Step 2: Puree the snot outta your beans.  Strain if desired,
and separate into individual portions.

Rabbit Food

After a couple of weeks of re-visiting fruits and veggies I've already introduced, along with a couple of new foods, I thought it was time to once again introduce a new veggie.  Lots of my in-real-life mommy friends tried carrots with babies much younger than my son, so it was on my radar.  And I was already buying some at the grocery for a dish I'm making later this week!

Carrots are famous for being high in beta carotene and Vitamin A.  I can vividly remember my dad telling me to eat my carrots because "they're good for your eyes".  Didn't help me much since I am now blind as a bat, but that doesn't mean that carrots are still super good for you!  Vitamin A, in addition to being good for eye development, is a key component of an infant's developing diet.  Carrots are also packed with Vitamin C and calcium!

When choosing carrots, look for sprouting on the top and "hairs" growing along the entire root.  Both indicate that the carrot has been around for a while and you should pass it over in favor of a younger version!  Also, beware the "baby carrot"!  Momtastic says:

"'Baby' carrots are the product of modern technology and are specially formed by a machine that cuts them out from full sized older carrots. Some 'growers' add green food coloring at the 'stem' for further effect. One way to tell if a baby carrot is truly a baby carrot is to read its packaging. The common 'baby carrots' sold in the grocery store will actually say 'baby cut' carrots.

Baby cut carrots are cleansed in a solution that often contains chlorine so that they will not turn white while in the package. Skip these carrots and opt to peel and cut your own, especially if you will be making carrot baby food!"

Carrots are best stored in the 'fridge to retain flavor, crispness, and beta carotene.  When preparing, steaming is the cooking method which will create a more bio-available beta carotene, ready for the body to use right away.

Step 1: Wash and peel the carrots.  Then chop into 1-2
 inch chunks.

Step 2:  Steam (I used Water Level 3, or about 1 cup water,
in the Beaba) and use the cooking liquid for pureeing.

Step 3: Puree to desired consistency.  Seven carrots made
me eight servings.

Zucchini

My son's been eating quite a bit of fruit over the past several weeks, so I wanted to reintroduce him to green veggies.  Many of my favorites, however, produce gassy babies or are hard to digest, so I wasn't quite ready to try those.  I do love zucchini, however, and even though it's a summer squash, there were some good looking fresh ones at my grocery!

According to Momtastic, the skin of summer squash is not too difficult for babies to digest, but more sensitive babies might get an upset tummy, so use your own judgement when deciding to peel the squash or not.  Boiling and  steaming retain the most nutrients, but zucchini can also be sauteed in a tiny bit of olive oil.  Regardless, summer squash is super easy to prepare!

Step 1: Lop the ends of the squash and cut into inch-thick disks. 

Step 2:  Toss the zucchini into a steamer basket over 1/3 -
1/2 cup water.  I made four zucchini and had to do two
batches in the Beaba.

Step 3:  Steam, reserve the cooking liquid (you shouldn't
need it for thinning), and puree.  The color of the puree will
depend greatly on whether or not you skinned the squash.
My four zucchini made six servings.

Honeydew This and Honeydew That...

To go alongside our Christmas casserole, I served honeydew and strawberries.  Of course, since we only had two people with teeth at our table, we had half a melon left over.  I was afraid it might go bad if we didn't finish it right away, yet we don't often serve hot breakfasts with fresh fruit as a precursor around here.  My immediate thought, of course, was that honeydew would make excellent baby food!

I took a look at Momtastic, and they confirmed that melon is great to feed baby, and a wonderful source of Vitamins A and C, and even calcium!  That said, they also warned to 

"be aware that some babies may experience rashes from melons of all types. If your baby has a rash that maybe traced to melon, this is most likely due to the melon's "acidity" and not to an allergy."

Since Momtastic gave their blessing, I figured we'd give it a try.  I sorta "winged it" with my preparation, but it was easy and a tasty hit with my almost seven-month old!  To choose a melon, press firmly on the "bellybutton" and give it a sniff.  If the melon smells sweet and melon-y, it's good to go.  You don't want a piece of fruit that is too soft nor too hard.  If it's not quite ripe enough, you may leave it on the counter to ripen, if not, all melons should be stored in the refrigerator, even if they've not yet been cut open.

Step 1:  Cut the melon in half and scoop out the seeds.
Then cut the fruit away from the rind (I used a curved grapefruit
knife, but a spoon would work just as well on a ripe melon)

Step 2: Cut melon into chunks and place in steamer basket
with about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of water.  Steam, reserve liquid
for future use, and puree to desired consistency.

The honeydew cooked down quite a bit in the steaming process, and didn't need any extra liquid for pureeing, so I saved that to mix in with cereal in the future!  Half a melon only made two servings, and they were quite thin even though I didn't add cooking liquid to the steamed fruit.  Since my son likes things with a bit of thickness, I added in a few spoonfuls of oatmeal to thicken it.  Needless to say, it was a huge hit and my little one gobbled it right up!

Apricots

This week I wanted to try something a little different with my son.  We'd tasted the standard bananas, apples, and pears with great success, but I wanted to see about another favorite snack of mine: dried apricots.  The baby food cookbook I have had a recipe for pureeing dried apricots, so I looked into it.  Momtastic said using dried apricots were fine, as long as I checked the ingredient list carefully:

"If you will be using Dried Apricots, try to find those that do not contain sulphurs such as sulphur dioxide. Some people are allergic to sulphurs and sulphurs tend to be high in sodium."

Other than that, apricots are a great choice for babies six months and older.   They're high in Vitamin A (beta carotene, great for eye health!), Vitamin C, and Lycopene (aids in cardiovascular health, cancer prevention - especially prostate cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and possibly even male infertility).  THey also aid with tummy troubles and relieve constipation.  Don't say I didn't warn you!  Even though apricots are not among the "Dirty Dozen", I purchased the organic dried apricots pictured above since they were the only ones I could find that didn't list sulphur dioxide as an ingredient.  Keep in mind, however, that sulphur dioxide is what allows dried apritcots to maintain their bright orange color; dried organic apricots look much like prunes, dark brown in color.  Additionally, since apricots are only in season from late spring through the summer, they're hard to find fresh.  That said, they were very easy to prepare!    Below I'll show the method I used for dried apricots.  If you'd like to prepare them fresh, halve and pit the apricots and place them in a shallow baking dish with a bit of water, then bake, peel, and puree!

Step 1: Heat equal parts apricots and water over
high heat and boil.  This is four cups dried apricots and four
cups water. 

Step 2:  Reduce heat and simmer ten minutes.

Step 3:  Drain, reserving cooking water.

Step 4:  Using cooking water as required, puree
to desired consistency.  I know it looks gross, but
this puree is sweet and tasty.  My son loves it!

Was it worth it?  Well, each bag of organic dried apricots was $3.24. I purchased four bags, which made 14 servings.  So that is $0.92 per serving.  I couldn't find jarred apricots at my grocery, but if I were to guess based on the other jarred baby food, I'd say they'd end up in the $0.79 per jar category.  So mine were a bit pricier, but they were organic and they were what was available in the off season.

An Apple a Day...

You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that would tell you apples weren't a fabulous snack for children of any age!  And who doesn't love applesauce?!  Needless to say, I was really excited to serve my son apples, though, since they can be binding, I didn't want to chase bananas (another BRAT diet staple) with apples...

Apples truly are a fabulously healthy fruit with a plethora of benefits:

"One of the most important nutritional components of Apples is that they contain two types of fiber; insoluble fiber and soluble fiber. Both the insoluble fiber in apples and their soluble fiber pectin, help maintain bowel regularity (thus helping to prevent diverticulosis and colon cancer). The insoluble fiber works like roughage, while the soluble fiber (pectin), helps keep the bowels regular (avoiding constipation, avoiding diarrhea) and specifically affects the makeup of the stool. Pectin will firm up the stool as it is a soluble fiber."

Apples also help lower "bad" cholesterol, reduce the risk of some types of stroke, maintain a healthy weight, and promote lung, prostrate, liver, colon, and bone health.  They even help reduce the risk of certain cancers!

To retain the most nutrients and provide the tastiest apples, baking or steaming are the preferred cooking methods.  Since they are super juicy, apples might appear to boil down, so if you steam them, save the cooking water (and the nutrients that snuck into the liquid!) since you aren't likely to need it for thinning your puree!  You can mix the apple "juice" into cereals to add some sweetness and extra flavor according to your little one's tastes!

Because apples are one of the Dirty Dozen, you may want to consider purchasing organic.  I purchased a large bag of organic gala apples at my grocery.  The three-pound bag contained a dozen apples not unlike those we picked at a local orchard earlier this fall.  They were a bit pricier than their non-organic counterparts, but the extra money was worth it to me since apples are #1 on that "bad list" linked above!  The apples came out to $0.39 per serving, which was right on par with the price of non-organic baby food apples.

Step 1:  Peel, core, and quarter apples.  Place in a
steaming basket with a bit of water (this is  Water Level
2 - 1/2 cup - in my Beaba).  My steaming basket held 3 prepared apples. 

Step 2:  Steam.  Set cooking liquid aside and place apples
in the bowl of a processor.  See how those apples cooked
down quite a bit? 

Step 3:  Puree.  Add cooking liquid if necessary (it
probably won't be).