9 MORE Super Baby Foods that Don't Come in a Jar! (Part 2)

First, there is NO rush with infants eating food, new foods, etc.  They have their WHOLE life, so take your time!

Traditionally, and definitely in the beginning, foods are best introduced to babies INDIVIDUALLY.  Space a few days to one week between the introduction of each new foods to distinguish reactions to one food or another.

Be CHOOSY about what you feed your child.  

You have a huge opportunity here!  You can shape and mold your child’s TASTE preferences so that she prefers healthy foods!  This AMAZING GIFT to your child will last her whole life!

Here is a discussing taste in the context of PICKY eaters; specifically there is an article linked there that interestingly discusses the up-sides of “liking” foods.

Here is a link to my TOP 5 QUICK and EASY BABY FOODS!  And now for another 9!

~ Canned PUMPKIN puree -- seasonally, this comes on sale, best time to buy, since it’ll last forever!  Plus, you can look for deals on amazon for the smaller organic cans.  Also, seasonally, you can MAKE IT FROM SCRATCH, but here, I am really going for the very EASIEST options that are also really HEALTHY choices.  
Another post to come about making baby food from scratch.

You can divide the pumpkin puree into smaller portions and freeze it -- here is a post on how silicone cupcake pans can help with FREEZING.

~ Trader Joe's Fat-Free REFRIED BEANS -- any can that has NO hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list is great -- and this is one product I know fits the bill!

~ Egg YOLK (free-range, organic is best!); you can try egg whites later since they are more difficult to digest.

~ COTTAGE CHEESE (although expensive, organic is ideal, and if you’re just buying it for your baby, it will go a long way, so it’s a small expense!)

~ UNsweetened APPLESAUCE-- adding a little cinnamon is nice! Best to start fruits after LOTS of veggies, since babies are VERY likely to enjoy sweet fruit, especially after veggies!

~ Any HEALTHY recipe you make -- PUREED!

Once several foods have been introduced, after a few months of eating table foods, around 12 months or so, AND IF you (the parents) aren’t particularly susceptible to allergies, you can make simple recipes, my recipes often have few ingredients, and if all goes well, you’ll know your baby is ok with all the foods in the recipe.

This will help your baby to become familiar with and enjoy a variety of FLAVORS, flavors which you would like to serve him or her in the FUTURE!  Who wants to make separate meals for each child?  Not me!  I like to figure out ONE HEALTHY MEAL and have everyone eat that!

A food processor, even a small one, is a super useful investment for anyone who wants to eat a healthy and delicious diet, and especially when you have a LITTLE one!  

You can blend up any meal: pasta with sauces, beans and rice dishes, casseroles, even eggplant "Parmesan"!  

You could try Easy Eggplant Parm blended with pasta!

Or "Chicken" Artichoke Casserole!

~ HUMMUS -- here is a SIMPLE RECIPE; go easy on the garlic at first, then add more with each batch, because your baby will get used to this very healthy food for life! 

In light of “taking your time with table foods” as discussed above, you can hold off on the SWEETS for a long time!  By doing this, rather than neglecting them of a happy childhood, YOU are doing them a FAVOR!  They don’t even know what they are missing, I promise!  

This is harder to get away with when feeding children who have an older sibling, since they see what their older siblings enjoy.  

On the other side, if you teach the FIRST-BORN good habits, he will likely teach his younger siblings what he has learned, both verbally and by example.

Here are 2 early desserts!  SO healthy, they could be eaten daily for breakfast ;)

~ TRADER JOE’S FROZEN MANGO (love this stuff!) and frozen pineapple make FABULOUS mango SORBET!!, frozen dark tart cherries or peaches from Gordon Food Service are other tasty options, and of course anything fresh will blend to a mash quickly and be eaten in a flash by your little one!

Thanks to www.binging-for-food.blogspot.com for this photo!

~ Chocolate chip COOKIE DOUGH!  ...minus the chocolate chips!

COMMENTS: What are your favorite foods to feed your baby? Do you (the adult) ever eat baby food? I LOVE baby food peaches :)

My FAVORITE Blog!

I've missed you and the blog while I was away, but I can't wait another SECOND to tell you about...

CHOCOLATE COVERED KATIE -- SHE is the sweetest baker I know!  She loves chocolate - wahoo!  And she is a runner, like me :)  Why are she and her blog so great?  AWESOME HEALTHY DESSERT recipes!  And the best part (on my healthy account) -- she doesn't like sugar!  SO she makes lovely creations -- she's a talented baker, photographer, and writer!

My favorite recipes?  Some on the top of my list -- I haven't even made yet!  But I know they'll be awesome!

Katie has always been making yummy recipes, many of which I have tried, many more of which I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all about!  The cool thing is that her ideas seem to be endless!  Her last few posts have just blown me away!  Check them out!

Chocolate mousse (just read about this one and the chocolate bars below tonight, after getting home from the Houston Marathon, and knew I couldn't delay this most for another moment!)

• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup plus 1 T cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• sweetener to taste (I used a little stevia, but any dry sweetener will do.)

Open the coconut milk, and leave the can (or transfer to a bowl) uncovered in the fridge overnight. (Don’t shake the can before opening.) It should get very, very thick. (If it doesn’t, you’ve gotten a bad can that won’t work for the recipe. I highly recommend Thai Kitchen, or especially Thai Kitchen Organic.) Once thick, transfer to a bowl (you can opt to leave out the watery bit at the bottom of the can, if you want it even thicker) and whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with a fork, or even beaters if you want to be fancy. (For the photos on this page, I didn’t use beaters. But I did pipe the mousse out using an icing tip.) Stored uncovered in the fridge, the mixture gets even thicker.

Homemade chocolate bars

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
• 1/4 cup agave or use NuNatural vanilla stevia drops (I use 10 drops. Triple or quadruple that amount if you don’t like extra-bitter chocolate.)
• optional: extracts, cocoa nibs, or other add-ins

Melt coconut oil, then add agave or stevia drops. Stir, then add cocoa powder (and add 3-4 T water or nondairy milk if using stevia.). Stir stir stir! Stir until it gets thick. Pour into any flat container (or candy molds or smush between layers of wax paper or in ziploc bags). Fridge or freeze until solid.

Thirdly, I just love the chocolate chip cookie dough!  Yum!  Baking with beans is such a cool way to add in extra nutrients,especially for people who don't eat beans otherwise!  Plus, my nephew, who prefers pasta and cheese to veggies and beans, LOVES this recipe!!!  SO cool!

Chocolate chip cookie dough

This is how I make it: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and it's so healthy that my kids have had it before for breakfast!

Nutella

I tried, unsuccessfully so far, to make a "Laraball" in Nutella flavor, and the creation was yummy, but resembled coffee flavor more than Nutella.  Hard to match with the first ingredient being sugar!  Katie's recipe for Nutella has a little sugar, but I am confident that she has created a nice, healthy match, and if that's the case, AWESOME!

Here is her recipe, and click on "Nutella" or the image above to see the whole post!

• 2 cups raw hazelnuts (240g)
• 1 1/2 T pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup plus 2 T agave or sugar (A sugar-free option is noted in the directions)
• 1 packet stevia, or 1 T more agave or sugar
• 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
• 2-3 tsp oil (Can be omitted, but it’ll be a little less smooth.)
• 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used Almond Breeze)

Roast hazelnuts for 10-14 minutes at 420 F. Rub them together in a paper towel to get the skins off. (It’s ok if a few stubborn skins won’t come off.) In a food processor, blend the nuts until they’ve turned to butter, then add all other ingredients and blend a long time until it’s smooth like Nutella! (I think I blended off-and-on for a full two minutes in my Cuisinart.)

Hope you enjoy my very FAVORITE blog!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Tell me in a COMMENT:  What is your favorite blog? What do you like about it?  Share with me and other readers!