Rhubarb Peach Oatmeal Baby Food Recipe

If you have a friend with rhubarb growing in their garden, you'll want to scoop some up this summer for this awesome and nutritious oatmeal recipe for your babies and toddlers.

If you are just starting out with solids for your little one, adding a cube of pureed rhubarb and a cube of pureed peach to their oatmeal is definitely a treat!

I like to roast my rhubarb. It's a super easy way to cook it down, without having to add any additional sugar. I tend to mix the rhubarb with things like apples, peaches and pears to add a bit of sweetness since it is often rather tart on its own.

For older children, diced bits of soft cooked rhubarb and peaches are easily mixed with a bowl of oatmeal and enjoyed as a hearty breakfast before school or even in the evening as a substantial snack.

In terms of nutrition, peaches are an excellent stonefruit that can help with tummy troubles and constipation. Lots of fibre, Vitamin A and Vitamin C, and it is easily digested and enjoyed by little ones. Rhubarb is high in calcium and potassium, important for growing bones and bodies!

Oatmeal with Parsnips and Blueberries #babyfood

One of our favorite vegetables is parsnips and at around 9 months, was something that Graeme really enjoyed. I would mix it with beef and broccoli, but I started wanting to figure out other ways to offer this nutritious, nutty vegetable to him and it dawned on me...breakfast!

This pairing is really amazing for babies. My guy is a bit of a tank, so adjust the amounts according to your own baby but you can introduce this around 7-8 months. It even makes a really hearty breakfast for toddlers and preschoolers!

3 tbsp oatmeal (cooked with a bit of water in the microwave)
3 cubes of pureed parsnips
2-3 tbsp frozen blueberries

Parsnips, when pureed, make a great substitution for apples when you are trying to transition to chunkier foods, like the whole frozen blueberries. For this recipe, I took the cubes of parsnips and frozen blueberries out of the fridge the night before and let them thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, the next morning, I added the freshly made oatmeal and he chowed down.

Parsnips are rich in fibre and potassium, as well as antioxidants, making them an excellent choice for baby food!

Green Beans, Squash and Oatmeal Baby Food Recipe

I know, I know...super weird combination but it's one of those ones that is sweet from the acorn squash, hearty because of the oats and rich in vitamins with the green beans. It's sort of a super food meal for baby, packed into one serving.

3 cubes green beans
2 cubes squash
1-2 tbsp prepared oatmeal

I like to defrost my cubes in a dish overnight in the fridge, then add freshly made oatmeal to the puree mix. It makes the mixture creamy and warm, very hearty for your little ones' tummy!

I introduced this recipe when our baby was 8 months old, but you could certainly do it closer to 6 months. As you can tell from the pictures, my mixture is chunky however you can make it the appropriate consistency for your own child.

Chicken and Peaches #babyfood #recipe

Finding great recipes that incorporate lean fats and protein into baby food is a lot easier than what you think. Sure, pureeing meats isn't for the faint of heart, but they hold great nutrition for your growing babe and their busy body.

Mix together

2 cubes of pureed chicken
2 cubes of pureed peaches
2 tbsp of infant oatmeal cereal

If you are making your own baby cereal, I find that it is best to add the oatmeal while it is still warm to defrosted cubes of baby food. Then, let it all mix and sit over night and you will have a really hearty breakfast for your little one.

To make pureed chicken, poach your chicken breasts or thighs in boiling water until cooked through, then puree in your blender or food processor. Otherwise, do like I did and roast them! I love roasting nearly all of my baby food ingredients. It heightens the flavour, and I can set a timer and go on about my day while the oven is cooking. Two roasted chicken breasts will yield approximately one ice cube tray of chicken puree.

If your baby isn't a fan of peaches, try this recipe with pears, apples, plums or even cauliflower!

Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas, please! #babyfood #recipe

Now that our guy is a few months into solid feeding, we are getting into combination foods. This is something that I really loved doing with Owen, and it was great to know that at one sitting he could experience two, three or sometimes four different flavors and foods all at once.

One thing that I never thought to give him were chickpeas. Back in the fall, I was searching Pinterest for some ideas and came across one that used chickpeas as one of the ingredients. I got thinking about all of the different things that I could mix together, essentially making baby hummus, and came up with this awesome baby food recipe.

Preheat your oven to 350F. Peel your sweet potato, chop into chunks, and put into a baking or casserole dish. Add 1/2" of water to your casserole dish and put the lid on.

Roast for approximately 45minutes to an hour, or until the flesh of the sweet potato is tender. Allow to cool slightly in the pan, then put into your food processor or blender.

Add canned chickpeas and blend until smooth, using the water from your roasted sweet potatoes to thin as needed.

Yield 42 cubes

Simple Baby Food Combinations: Beef with Pear and Sweet Potatoes

When I got to making homemade baby food purees with my first baby, I experimented with combination foods and adding spices and herbs to vegetables and fruits. This time around, I really like sticking to pure foods and then mixing them up to create mini one-pot meals for our baby.

While making pureed beef isn't for the faint of heart, it is really nutritious for baby and if you get the texture just right, thickens other purees. It is great combined with things like parsnip and carrots, but I wondered about combining the beef puree with pears as they are (currently) our baby's favorite.

I mixed on cube of beef puree with two cubes pureed pears and two cubes of pureed sweet potatoes, and the combination was a huge hit with our little guy.

Since trying the combination, we have experimented with a few other beef based combos that are likely unexpected, but delicious for baby.

Beef with peaches and parsnips
Beef with oats and green beans
Beef with apples and carrots

I like storing all of my cubes in separate bags in the freezer so that I can mix and match combinations as needed.

Simple Baby Food Recipes: Squash Apple Carrot Puree

We are right in the thick of experimenting with solids. It was my absolute favorite time with our first son, Owen, and I am loving the experience with Graeme so far. Whether you choose to go with baby led weaning or start with purees, all of the recipes that I will be sharing here on the blog will be easy to make at home, and nutritious for your little one!

Ingredients

Acorn squash
2 large apples
1 small bag of baby carrots

My favorite method for prepping ingredients for baby food is roasting. Set your oven to 425F and while it is preheating, prep your veggies and fruit.

To prep your acorn squash, simple cut it in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. I saved the seeds to roast them later, at the request of our 4 year old who learned about them at school, but certainly you can toss them, or try your hand at planting them in your veggie garden. Place your squash flesh side down in a casserole dish, and add about a quarter inch of water to help it steam. Cover and set aside.

In your second casserole dish, place your rinsed carrots and cored apples. Add about a quarter of an inch of water to help with steaming.

Put both casseroles in the oven for 25minutes to roast. When your timer goes off, remove the dish with your carrots and apples and leave it to cool. Continue to roast your squash for another 20 minutes.

Once both pans have cooled, scoop out the flesh of the squash with a spoon.

Now, puree! Using your immersion blender, food processor, blender...whatever device you use for blending and pureeing in your kitchen, blend together the apples, squash and carrots. Divide into ice cube trays or your baby food freezing system and freeze, then pop the cubes into a freezer bag for storage!

Apples, carrots and squash are all great first foods for your infant and can be introduced from 4 months on (with the approval of your pediatrician of course!).

Yield: 60 cubes

To adapt for baby led weaning, chop your squash, carrots and apples into bite sized chunks and lightly steam until soft and easy for your baby to pick up off of their tray.