How to Make Homemade Carrot and Apple Baby Food Puree

Why make your own baby food?

Many parents and care givers choose to make their own baby food:

To Save Money

No Added Sugars

No Preservatives

No Chemicals

No Dyes

When are Carrots or Apples safe to introduce?

The American Acadamy of Pediatrics recommends:

"Because the intake of naturally occurring nitrates from foods such as green beans, carrots, squash, spinach, and beets can be as high as or higher than that from well water, these foods should be avoided before 3 months of age, "

Apples are a wonderful first food for your child. They are high in insoluble fiber and soluble fiber. This helps with bowel regularity (which can help prevent diverticulosis and colon cancer). Just be sure to peel that skin!


How to Make Homemade Carrot and Apple Baby Food: 

 * Choose 3 organic apples and one bag of organic baby carrots. Apples are on the "dirty dozen" according to the EWG. The "dirty dozen" are a list of foods which are highly contaminated with with pesticides, so choosing organic is wise.

* Wash your food! Even if you are peeling it. 

* Peel your apples. 

* Then cut in half.

* Then scoop out center and remove stem and butt with knife. Use a circular scoop motion to save as much apple as possible.

* Now chop the apple into equal pieces and place on a roasting pan with parchment paper or a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. I used a french sea salt but table salt will do as just as well. This is to add flavor and keep them from browning (light browning will occur naturally).

* Roast apples in oven at 375 degrees from 20-30 minutes until tender. Baking the apples will keep all the nutrients in. If you choose to boil that is fine but you will loose some of the nutrients. 

* While apples are roasting; boil your carrots on the stove top. Boil until fully cooked and tender (they should float to the top as the become more tender; floating doesn't always mean the are 100% done though).  Check with a fork for tenderness.

* After the apples and carrots are tender blend them using whatever device you choose (Baby Bullet; Cuisinart Hand Mixer...)

* Once blended put into individual containers.

 

* You do not need to wait for the vegetable to completely cool before freezing or refrigeration (you do wait for meats to cool before freezing). If you are able to freeze them it will be like blanching. Your newly made puree will only be good for 24 hours in the refrigerator. If you want to keep some longer you can freeze them, which will keep for up to 30 days in a freezer, or up to 60 days in a deep freezer. I would suggest putting your containers IN a Ziploc freezer bag or into ANOTHER larger container to avoid freezer burn. Once you defrost a frozen container it is only good for 24 hours.

Make sure to label your food. I use a small piece of tape and a Sharpie to label. This way I can easily identify and rotate my food but not permanently mark my containers. 

How to Make Homemade Zucchini Baby Food

Why make your own baby food?

Many parents and care givers choose to make their own baby food:

To Save Money

No Added Sugars

No Preservatives

No Chemicals

No Dyes

When is Zucchini safe to introduce?

Zucchini is a safe food to introduce after you child is at least 6 months old. Once they are 8 months you may keep the skin in the puree. Before an infant is 8 months they are unable to digest the skin of a zucchini. However, the skin is where practically all of the nutrients are. This post will be for my son who is not yet 8 months, so the skin will be removed.


How to Make Homemade Zucchini Baby Food:

* First choose 2 small organic zucchinis. You want them to be small because they are the most tender.

* WASH your food! Even if its organic. Even if you will be peeling it. Then peel if you choose to.

Even if you are peeling it you HAVE to clean it. You might be thinking

"No way, you are just tossing the skin anyway!"

That is correct in the macro sense of things. But think of the micro sense; if you use a peeler or a knife and are cutting off the skin you are then pushing the dirty bits into the flesh of your food with every swipe.

* After peeling, chop them into small equal circles.

* Now you will steam or boil your zucchini. I placed mine into a small pot of water. I turned it to medium heat. Once at a nice rolling boil I turned it down to a low boil. Let it boil until soft.

* After they are soft, remove the cooked zucchini from the pot with a slotted spoon. You will want to save the water if you choose to make your puree ever thinner. This water has some of the nutrients from the vegetable so you would want to use this water over fresh filtered water when thinning.

You will place the zucchini in your blender. I will be using a Baby Bullet, but any blender will do the trick. I sometimes use a Cuisinart Hand Blender.

* Once it is at the consistency you desire you will place them into individual feeding containers. I will be using the containers which came with a Baby Bullet System but any Tupperware container will do. Make sure you NEVER feed your baby out of a container and put it back in the fridge. Once a spoon which has entered a mouth and was dipped back into the food the food now has bacteria in it which will cause you to be unable to reuse it later. If you will not use the whole container at the feeding simply move the quantity you desire into a different dish.

* You do not need to wait for the vegetable to completely cool before freezing or refrigeration (you do wait for meats to cool before freezing). If you are able to freeze them it will be like blanching. Your newly made puree will only be good for 24 hours in the refrigerator. If you want to keep some longer you can freeze them, which will keep for up to 30 days in a freezer, or up to 60 days in a deep freezer. I would suggest putting your containers IN a Ziploc freezer bag or into ANOTHER larger container to avoid freezer burn. Once you defrost a frozen container it is only good for 24 hours.

Make sure to label your food. I use a small piece of tape and a Sharpie to label. This way I can easily identify and rotate my food but not permanently mark my containers.

I hope your little one loves his or her new food experience!