Pumpkins!

I had a great time with the pumpkin recipes today! My kitchen has seen better days...but the fruits of my labor paid off when Taylor immediately scarfed down two helpings! The skinny little thing that she is devoured it! So to cook pumpkins...buy the baking pumpkins and slice them in half. Fill a casserole dish with an inch of water and bake at 400 for one hour. Then you just scoop out the meat (not the stringy part or seeds!) Today I made pumpkin/oatmeal/apple, pumpkin/banana/pear, and pumpkin/banana/peach and am set for food for a good 3 weeks. Total cost to me was $4.00 vs. $21.00 if I had bought the jars!

Apple Pumpkin Puree Baby Food Recipe (6-8 months)

1 sugar pumpkin
3 Apples, peeled & cored (use Macintosh, Gala, Braeburn or Granny Smith)
water
cinnamon, nutmeg (optional - sprinkle into the cooking water or when you puree/mash)

1. Halve the pumpkin, peel and de-seed it then cut into cubes
2. Slice the apples
3. Add 3 inches of water to a pot and then insert a steamer basket - add the pumpkin cubes and apples
4. Bring water to a boil and then steam gently until soft and cooked. Be sure to check on the water level

Puree or mash as needed for your baby.
Pumpkin is very watery so baking is the best method - you may peel, de-seed and steam chunks of you prefer.

Apple, Pumpkin & Oatmeal Breakfast Baby Food Recipe (6-8 months)

1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cup (cooked) oatmeal
Dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and/or ginger

Mix spices, applesauce, pumpkin puree and oatmeal
Stir thoroughly or blend if needed

Pumpkin Baby Food Recipes - Yummy Bananas & Pumpkin (6-8 months)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 small bananas

Mash 2 small bananas
Add pumpkin puree
Mix thoroughly, blend if needed for your baby's texture preferences. Makes a yumy addition to baby's cereal or yogurt!

Baby's Pumpkin & Pears (6-8 months)

½ cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 pear, peeled & cored & diced

Mash the pear and then mix in the pumpkin – puree if needed.

Pumpkin, Banana & Peaches (6-8 months)

½ cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 pear, peeled & cored & diced
1peach – peeled, pitted & diced

Combine all food (steam pear and peach together if need be and mash or puree if needed.


Savory Pumpkin Puree - A Yummy Baby Food Recipe (8-10 months)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1 to 2 cups pumpkin peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (butternut squash may also be used!)
2 cups vegetable stock
pepper, rosemary, basil
pinch of turbinado sugar if desired

Heat the oil in a medium saucepot then add the onion and squash cubes. Saute until the onions are soft and translucent then add the vegetable stock.

Bring the mixture to a slow simmer and simmer until the squash is tender enough to puree. Season to taste with pepper, rosemary and basil

You may make this a sweet puree by using nugmeg, ginger and cinnamon as the spices instead of the savory spices and herbs.

Toss this mixture with cooked brown rice, couscous, lentils or even quinoa for a hearty meal!

Baked Pumpkin Slices (8-10 months)

halve a sugar pumpkin then cut into slices as you would a melon

pat slices with a wee bit of butter (or olive oil if you prefer) then place slices on a greased (olive oil) baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with water

drizzle with pure maple syrup or sprinkle slices with brown sugar (if desired) and then sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of ginger.

We like to mix these spices together first for an even mix so that no one spice overpowers the other.
Pumpkin Risotto (8-10 months)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine (or apple juice)
About 6 cups of hot chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 sugar pumpkin, one half baked in the oven and then pureed; the other half, peeled, cut into small dice, and sauteed in a little oil and butter until tender
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

In a medium-size heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring continuously, just until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice and continue to stir, using a wooden spoon, to coat the rice with the oil.
Add the white wine and continue cooking, stirring often, until it has been absorbed by the rice. Pour in enough chicken stock to cover the rice completely, about 3 cups, and continue to cook, stirring often, until all the liquid is absorbed.

Pour in 1 cup more of the remaining stock and stir and cook until it has been absorbed. Repeat with 1 more cup. Add the remaining cup and cook, stirring, until the rice is al dente, tender but still very chewy, and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Stir in the pumpkin puree and the diced pumpkin and reduce the heat to very low so that the risotto doesn't simmer anymore. Stir in the Parmesan and butter to give the risotto a nice, creamy finish. Spoon it immediately into heated shallow serving bowls.
I think we found this from the food network - it's printed on now tattered paper and "network" is in the upper left-corner. It's tattered because of over-use but now, I have it down without the need to read!

Creamy Pumpkin Soup (8-10 months)

Ingredients:
16 ounces Pumpkin (canned or fresh pureed)
13.75 ounces Chicken Broth or Homemade Stock
1 Large Onion
2 Carrots (Wheels or Diced)
2 cups half and half or evaporated milk (sub. with yogurt if desired)
1/4 cup Sour Cream (optional)
1/8 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Dash of Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/3 teaspoon( or less) Salt

Preparation Directions:

1. In a large pot add, chicken broth, onions, carrot, baking soda, salt and pepper.
2. Simmer uncovered for ten to fifteen minutes until carrots are soft.
Optional: Put vegetable and broth into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot.
3. Add pumpkin and half and half or yogurt. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Pour into soup crocks or soup bowls. Top with sour cream (optional)

Autumn Smoothie (8-10 months)

1/2 cup plain, vanilla or banana yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of ginger
1 frozen banana

Combine in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
Serves one grown-up and one baby.

The Autum Spoon (8months+) A new twist on the Autumn Smoothie

1/2 cup plain, yogurt
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of ginger
1 banana

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until a thick consistency is created. Add some wheat germ for even more cling!

Banana Pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients:
1-cup milk or plain yogurt
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
(or homemade puree pumpkin)
1 banana
dash of cinnamon (8+months old)

Directions:
Blend in blender until smooth and foamy.
Serve immediately.

Foods Good to Mix With Pumpkin:

Apples
Bananas
Blueberries
Peaches
Carrots
Butternut or Acorn Squash
Sweet Potato
Brown Rice
Lentils
Chicken
Yogurt

Peaches!

Our first food..Peaches. We are going a little out of order. Normally babies start with veggies, but Taylor has had some bowel issues and the doctors had advised us to start fruits to help her out. So here is what I have learned about peaches. The longer you cook just about anything, the more nutrients it will lose. So it is best to steam or bake them. I used 3 peaches, cut them half and then baked them on 400 until they got soft. Then I peeled off the peel and magic bulleted them(my new verb.) Here is a great peach recipe

Peach Baby Food Recipes - Peaches & Tapioca
8 months+ with Yogurt and 6 months+ without

½ Cup Water
1/3 Cup Quick-cooking Tapioca
1 Peeled & pitted Peach
½ Cup Vanilla Yogurt

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Gradually add tapioca, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low & cook 5 minutes, continuing to stir constantly. Separately puree the peach & add to the mixture. Blend tapioca with yogurt & peach.

Foods that go great with Peaches:

Apples
Avocado
Bananas
Blueberries
Carrots
Butternut or Acorn Squash
Sweet Potato
Chicken
Pork
Yogurt

Come on in!

Welcome to my baby food blog! While trying to save every penny to buy a house, I have decided to take up making my own baby food!
Let me start with Rule Number 1: Buy a blender of some sort. I recommend the Magic Bullet. It comes with different shaped attachments and is so fast and easy!
Rule Number 2: Have a system to freeze your food once made. It will be much easier to make larger batches and freeze them. I have found these wonderful trays with tethered lids that work great! Ice cubes trays work well too, just be sure to cover them to avoid freezer burn! The trays I have stack nicely and the individual cubes are portable. They can be found at http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=534472&cmSource=Search

Check back for lots of fun recipes!