Just Bananas "Ice Cream"

I've been seeing this one ingredient ice cream on the internet for years and recently tried it out for my 52 Food Adventures challenge.  We've been making it ever since.

As the only ingredient is frozen bananas, it really couldn't be simpler.

Your baby will get a unique treat when eating, your older children will consider it dessert,

and it would be perfect to help soothe the gums of a teething baby.

Just Bananas "Ice Cream"

Banana (the more ripe the banana is the sweeter it will taste)

Take your banana, peel and slice it and place the pieces on a plate or tray.

Freeze the bananas and then puree in a food processor.

At this point you can definitely serve as is.  The texture will be that of soft serve.

If you like it to be more like traditional ice cream then stick it back in the freezer for another couple hours.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-Add peanut butter, cocoa powder or nutella

-Roast your bananas first to intensify the sweetness and add a note of caramel

*Storage

Simply place in an airtight container in the freezer

*Benefits

Bananas are packed with potassium and fiber but they are also good for the digestive system.

They've been known to be binding and I think this would be the perfect that for a sick baby or child with diarrhea.

Have you had the one ingredient ice cream before?

Sweet Carrots

This is one of those super easy recipes that seems almost silly to blog

but it makes a great snack, finger food and puree.

It's basically apple-glazed carrots but I felt that the word glaze makes them sound

sticky, as if there was a, well glaze, which there really isn't.

The liquid in this is thinner, without any extra sugar.

I make a batch, stick it in my refrigerator and use it during the week.

It's good cold or warm and Peanut likes to pick them up himself to munch on.

We both end up snacking on these during the day.

Sweet Carrots

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch coins

1 1/2 cups apple juice

1 1/2 cups water

Put them all in a medium pot or saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until tender.

In hindsight I would have liked to add a pat of butter as it helps baby's body absorb the beta-carotene...

and it tastes so darn good.

In that case, you could just melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in the saucepan 

before adding your liquids.

*Variations

-Spiced sweet carrots: add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice 

or any mix of spices like nutmeg or clove

-Gingered sweet carrot:  add a peeled and crushed piece of fresh ginger into the liquid

then discard afar cooking

-Puree:  puree to desired consistency add juice if needed

-Real apple glazed carrots: Saute your carrots in 1 tbs butter, Omit the water, use 1 cup apple juice, add 1 teaspoon honey (or 1 tbs brown sugar) to liquid and cook as directed.

-Add apples to the mix at the end of the cooking process

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to a 5 days

*Benefits

Carrots are packed with different kinds of carotenoids which work as antioxidants, convert to vitamin A,

boost the immune system and protect and enhance your eyes.

Pumpkin, Pear & Apple

Well, the blogging's been slow around here but fall has come and 

is bringing it's bounty.

I adore fall foods and I'm excited to dive into some new dishes for our littles.

I have more posts coming up and some small giveaways as well.

Today I'm showing a puree of some of the best of fall... pumpkins, pears and apples.

Although I know you can get pears and apples year-round in grocery stores...

these are in season now so stop by your local farmer's market and let yourself be

amazed at how flavorful and delicious they are.

This is my first attempt at cooking pumpkin and it was soooo easy.

It makes me wonder if it's worth it making pumpkin pie from scratch.

It wouldn't actually be very hard.

Thoughts?

Oh and if you have canned pumpkin that would be fine...

but only the plain stuff, not the pumpkin pie mix.

Pumpkin, Pear and Apple

1 baking or pie pumpkin, cut in half and gutted :)

2 pears, skinned, cored and cut into chunks

2 apples, skinned, cored and cut into chunks

pat of unsalted butter optional

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

As for the gutting of the pumpkin- just take out all the seeds (bake these for an adult snack)

and all the stringy stuff by scraping it with a spoon.

Place your pumpkin face down on a baking sheet.

Place your apple and pear in a small dish (I used a loaf pan).

Put the pumpkin, pears and apples in the oven.

Bake for about 20 minutes and then cover the apples and pears with a piece of foil.

Make sure you seal it around the top, using a pot holder of course, 

so that we create some steam and get some juices going.

We don't want it to get dry and want to use that liquid for the puree.

Bake for another 10 minutes or so.

At this point your fruit will be ready and you can check your pumpkin.

If the skin is easily pierced with a fork then it's done (as mine was).

If not then leave it in until ready.

Put it all in a food processor and puree, 

thinning with water or unsweetened apple juice until the desired consistency.

Otherwise you could also mash for a chunkier texture.

The fat in butter helps the body absorb the beta-carotene.  

Enjoy!

*Variations

-I added 1/4 tsp of cinnamon

-Try adding curry, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom or ginger

-Puree with chicken, turkey or pork

-Add herbs like mint or cilantro

-You could also steam the ingredients instead of roasting

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Pumpkin is packed with potassium (3 times a banana) and is packed with beta-carotene, lutein (for your eyes), fiber, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus.

Pears are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, E, K and B2, copper as well as potassium.

Apples are loaded with fiber, vitamins C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, potassium,

phosphorus and calcium. 

Roasted Banana & Apple

Banana and apple are obvious first foods but roasting them brings out a whole new flavor profile.

The sweet caramel flavor of the roasted banana is offset the tartness of granny smith apples.

This is a nice way to change up first foods for your little one 

when you are still in the introduction phase of solids.

Roasted Banana & Apple

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & cut into chunks

3 bananas, peeled and cut (or smooshed by your free hand) into pieces

Preheat your oven to 400.

Place the fruit in a baking dish, cover with a piece of foil and roast for about 15 minutes.

By now your kitchen should smell delicious and they fruit will be bubbly and fork tender.

Mash or puree to the desired consistency.

Enjoy!      

*Variation

-Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie seasoning

-Use a different kind of apple or try pear

-Mix with any kind of grain or oatmeal

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Benefits

Apples are loaded with fiber, vitamins C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, potassium,

phosphorus and calcium. 

Bananas are packed with potassium and fiber but they are also good for the digestive system

and have been known to be binding.

Simple Peas

Have you ever noticed that 90% of baby foods are all in the orange color range?

Sometimes they are orange or yellow or beige or brown

but there really isn't that much green (or grayish/brownish green in stores).

Did you know that when you eat to much orange food your skin (think nose, palms, soles of feet) can take on an orange tinge?

It's not really a big deal but it does help to offer your baby a rainbow of colors when it comes to food.

Peas were one of those recipes that sounded super easy but I was a little confused about.

I read a bunch of recipes that just said to cook 'em and blend 'em but

as a first food I was a little concerned about the skins being a choking hazard.

I ended up straining it, which yields a lot less but makes me feel good about introducing peas early on.

I think peas were the third food we gave Peanut and to this day are one of his favorite.

Simple Peas

2 cups frozen (or fresh) peas

Place your frozen peas in the steamer basket while you get your water going.

Bring about 1 inch of water to boil.

Meanwhile, rinse your peas with cool water to help rid of any ice.

Steam your peas until bright green and easily mashed, about 5-7 minutes.

When you remove your steamed peas, reserve the cooking liquid and

run the peas under cold water to stop the cooking.

Puree the peas with enough cooking liquid to make a nice smooth puree.

At this point you could serve this to a baby.

If you are introducing this as a very first food I suggest placing the mixture in a fine mesh sieve

and pressing it thru with a spoon or spatula.

What you press thru will be perfect for a baby just learning to eat solids.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-mix with pear or apple or puree with pear, apple or white grape juice

-add some rice or other grain

-fantastic with sweet potato

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Bright green means they have retained the healthy chlorophyll and other nutrients haven't been destroyed during the cooking process. 

Peas are a great source of fiber, vitamin A and protein.

Oh and vitamin K which will help your baby absorb the calcium in his/her diet.

Simple Grains (Cereal)

Although there are just a handful of baby cereals (oatmeal, rice and multigrain) on the market, 

you can make your little one a variety of different grains to try.

We skipped the rice cereal phase completely and jumped straight into veggies but I find myself using

grains all the time now to add to Peanut's meals.

In the first row you see brown jasmine rice, brown rice medley, red quinoa

and then pearled barley and regular quinoa.

For some reason I didn't show oats but I use those all the time as well.

Don't limit yourself or your baby to the same grains all the time

and don't assume that your little one won't like something.

It's amazing what they will eat when you expose them to knew things.

Also remember that just because they don't immediately dive into something that they don't like it.

Try and try again.

If you don't want to buy an entire box or bag of grains try out stores like Whole Foods or Sprouts that

have the option of scooping from a barrel. 

It's a great want to try something out and deciding if you like it.

These grains aren't going to be the same as their store bought counterparts.

These have a really creamy consistency similar to Cream of Wheat or Malt-O-Meal.

Simple Grains (Cereal)

1/4 cup grains of your choice

1 cup water

Grind your grains to a powder.

I use a coffee/spice grinder but you can also use a blender.

Bring your water to a boil and sprinkle in your ground grains, 

whisking constantly.

Turn the heat down to low and whisk occasionally, letting it simmer for about 5 minutes.

The mixture will get thick and creamy and all the water will be absorbed in the grains.

Alternatively you can sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ground powder 

into 1/2 cup boiling water for a smaller portion.

Store the remainder of the powder in a sealed container in a cool, dark place.

Serve this warm (cold rice/grains aren't the best texture) and thin it down to the desired consistency with

breast milk, formula or water.

*Variations

-Add fruit purees or mashed fruit like banana

-Use this as a thickener for runny purees

-Add this to any of your veggie or vegetable and meat purees to complete the meal

-Serve this with breakfast, lunch and dinner

*Storage

This is best served warm and freshly made

 but really who has the time to make fresh cereal all the time?

You can easily refrigerate it, just be sure to heat thoroughly, mixing in additional liquid if needed, and let it cool to an luke warm temperature for your little.

Heating thoroughly brings back the creamy texture.

Yes, you can freeze it.  It comes out a bit rubbery.

When this happens just heat it, then add your liquid and stir it up as you would the refrigerated grains.

I would suggest making small batches vs. huge batches for this reason.

When used with other foods, the heat thoroughly rule still applies.  

Noone likes to eat cold rice.

*Benefits

Brown rice still has it's bran layer which allows it to retain more fiber (4x more then white rice)

as well as nutrients like niacin, iron, vitamin B6, magnesium and manganese.

Quinoa is not actually a grain but a seed and is packed with protein and essential amino acids.  

It's far more nutritious then rice and has more calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, fiber and zinc than many other grains.

Barley has loads of fiber, iron, selenium and niacin.  Typically you see pearled barley but dehulled barley is unprocessed so get it if you see it.

Oats are a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. 

They also have tons of manganese, vitamin E, zinc, and protein.

Simple Dried Fruit (Prunes, Apricots, etc)

Well, these aren't the prettiest of purees but they taste great and are very nutritious.

The drying process really concentrates the sugar, so you end up with a fantastically sweet puree.

Dried fruits compliment an incredible amount of foods.

Pictured above are both prune (the darker of the two) and apricot purees.

Off the top of my head you could use prunes, apricots, peaches, raisins, figs or dates... 

I'm sure there are a ton more out there.

For this recipe I used prunes

Dried Fruit Puree

1 cup prunes (you can do any amount of dried fruit)

water

Place your dried fruit in a small saucepan.

Add just enough water to cover the fruit.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes.

The fruit should be easily pierced with a fork.

Just give it a test-mash in the pan.

Add the fruit to the blender or food processor and puree,  

adding as much liquid as needed.  

I used all my water but if you do have extra then don't toss that juice,

give the cooled juice to your little to drink.

Apples & Prunes

You can thin it all the way down to the consistency you would need to serve it to baby.

In this case you would most likely need more water.

I like to leave mine on the thick side and then freeze it into cubes.

This way, if I make something later on that needs to be sweetened and/or thickened

I already have some frozen purees ready.

Then I just pop in a cube or two to perfect the recipe.

~~~

Look for unsulfured fruit.  You want fruit that is naturally dried.

Read the ingredients and avoid sulfur dioxide or paraffin.

Some babies and adults may be allergic to sulfides.

Sulfur dioxide does preserve the lovely apricot color 

so keep in mind your unsulfured fruit will be brown, as shown in the pictures.

Try to find organic raisins or domestic raisins if you can as imported grapes fall on the "dirty dozen" list.

Yay, California raisins!

*Variations

-Mix with apples, pears or other fruit

-Great to mix with yogurt as it adds an intense sweetness to the tart yogurt

-Add to oatmeal or other grains

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Dried apricots are a good source of beta-carotene, vitamin A, potassium and iron.

Prunes are high in fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium, iron and tons of antioxidants.

Raisins also have antioxidants, potassium, calcium & magnesium.

Dates have calcium, magnesium, fiber and potassium.

Figs are packed with fiber, potassium and calcium.

Simple Stone Fruit (Plum, Peach, Nectarine, etc)

This puree can be done with any stone fruit or any combination of.

I needed to use up several different kinds so I ended up with a combination
of donut peaches, nectarines and plums.

There are all 3 in both of the purees shown but one has more plums then the other.

There are a so many different types of stone fruit on the market these days.
There are different varieties of fruit as well as hybrids like apriums and pluots.

Simple Stone Fruit 
3 medium nectarines, plums or other stone fruit (or combination of)
-make sure your fruit is ripe-

Boil a pot of water.  Meanwhile wash your fruit and cut an X on the bottom of each piece.
Place the fruit in the boiling water for a few minutes.
Remove and run cold water over the tops and simply peel back the skin.
Cut the flesh from the pit and puree.

If you are using this as a first food and prefer to cook it
 you could also place the fruit in a small saucepan and simmer until fork tender, then puree.
~~~

Taste your puree.  If the end result is too tart
 you could add pureed dried apricot or prunes for additional sweetness.

*Variations
-Mix this puree with just about any fruit under the sun
-Mash with banana (another easy way to sweeten)
-Add 3/4 teaspoon minced mint
-Add a generous pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (about 1/8 teaspoon)
-Mix with oatmeal or other cereal

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits
Peaches have lots of vitamin C and K as well as potassium, calcium and fiber.
Nectarines are high in antioxidants and vitamin A along with beta-carotene and potassium.
Plums are a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin C, K and A.

What is your favorite stone fruit?

I'm particularly obsessed with donut (or saturn) peaches right now.
The white flesh is so full of flavor with a hint of almond and
are much sweeter than some of the other stone fruit.
They are really easy to eat as the tiny little pit can be removed easily,
leaving you with tons of the yummy flesh.

Simple Vegetable Puree

This is just the basic recipe that you will use to build upon.

Although shown with carrot you can use this with a number of different veggies.

From here, the possibilities are endless.

Simple Vegetable Puree
5 or 6 medium carrots (about 1 lb), peeled and sliced

Place in a steamer basket over 1 inch of water and steam for about 15-20 minutes
(depending on the size of your sliced veggies) or until fork tender.

Puree your carrots with a bit of water from the steamer.
You may want to add just enough water to make the puree smooth
and then store it.

At the time of feeding add breast milk or formula thinning to the desired consistency for your little.

*Variations
-Try steaming other veggies like squash, parsnip, rutabaga, or peas
-Mix your veggies with first fruits like apples, pears or peaches

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

Simple Winter Squash

I thought we should really kick off summer by featuring a recipe for winter squash!  Yay!

Your winter squash are the hard shell squash like butternut squash, spaghetti squash and acorn.  I used acorn for this recipe simply because I have no idea if I would be able to cut a butternut squash without taking off at least one appendage.  I usually have B cut the squash because I'm pretty accident prone.  

I've read that you can partially cook a squash and then cut it.  

When I try that I will get back to you on the result.

Acorn squash is much more manageable.  And it's so tasty too!

Basic Winter Squash

1 acorn squash 

(look for a heavy squash with smooth skin and no dents or holes)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Take a large, sharp chef's knife and cut your squash in half.  

I got stuck halfway thru.  What can I say... I have mush in the place of muscles.

If you are like me, you can use a rubber mallet to very carefully continue your cut.

Or I can send B to your house to cut your squash.

OR maybe you do have muscles, in which case I say, would you like to come cut squash for me?

Scoop out the stringy flesh and seeds and discard (although I wish I would have baked my seeds)

Place your acorn squash, cut sides down on a baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.

The skins will be soft and easily pierced with a fork.

Let your squash cool and blend or mash to your desired consistency, adding water as needed.

This puree turns out so smooth and creamy, it is absolutely delicious.

Do you see how the back half of the squash looks like it started to decay in the oven?

It didn't.

Those are fork marks where we were eating it hot out of the oven.

For a minute I thought about adding butter and real maple syrup, eating it 

and making baby food another day.

But then I remembered that Peanut needed some veggies made.

Motherhood can be such a nuisance :)

*Variations

-Add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

-Puree with 2 baked or steamed apples or pears

-Use unsweetened apple or pear juice to puree

-Use as a thickener for other fruit or veggie purees

-Substitute with butternut squash
~Serve this for your dinner! Instead of water add a pat of butter and some milk.
Use the squash by itself or mashed with potatoes~

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Acorn squash is not surprisingly full of healthy fiber but it is also packed with potassium and iron.

Butternut squash has tons of vitamin A and beta-carotene.

~I have a new page/tab up top featuring pictures of Dandy Babies!

If you have a picture of your baby eating a Dandy Baby recipes and would like me to include it, 

please email me at dandy7321@yahoo.com

Apples & Prunes

Prunes aren't just made into juice for your grandparents to drink.  They are highly underrated.

They are tasty.  Seriously.  They are sweet and their flavor packs a lot of punch.



Yes, prunes are good for regularity.  If your baby needs to get things moving then you might incorporate more prunes into your little's diet for a while.  They are high in fiber which is a benefit in itself.

Prunes also have a lot of vitamins A & C, iron and potassium, as well as tons of antioxidants.



Apples are easy to blend with pretty much everything.  They are fantastically good for you, you know, an apple a day and all.

This is all fine and good but the real reason this recipe is a winner is that babies (and adults) love this.


It just tastes good.  The texture is familiar, even to adults, as it is just like applesauce, if not a bit creamier.  Plain pureed prunes can get pasty so this is a perfect balance.



It's definitely one of those that has me licking the spoon or finishing off what Peanut doesn't eat.

Apples & Prunes
1 cup prunes
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 3 cups)

Put prunes in a small saucepan and cover with just enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil and then turn down the temperature and let it simmer for about 3 minutes.  Meanwhile prep your apples.  When the 3 minutes are up, go ahead and throw in your apple chunks.  Make sure the temperature is down to low and cover the pot with a lid.  Let the apples steam/simmer for about 5 minutes.

All of the apples should be fork tender, if the very top aren't then go ahead and give it a little stir.

Let it cool a bit and blend or mash to your desired consistency.  I usually dump all the contents, including the water, into the food processor.  Add water if needed.

There will be tiny bits of prune skin in the puree but it's so soft and small that you don't have to worry about baby eating them.

*Storage:  Place in an airtight container.  Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.  Prune puree does not freeze completely solid and may be slightly softer than your typical frozen item.

You can see how much Peanut likes Apples and Prunes puree HERE!

Simple Fruit Puree

An easy and very popular first food for baby are pears or apples.  From this basic recipe a million different combinations are born.



Pear Puree
Start with 4 medium pears quartered, then peeled and cored.  Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a pot, place pears in steamer over (but not touching) water, cover and steam for about 7 minutes.  They should be fork tender.  Really ripe pears don't actually need to be steamed if your baby has already tried them.

Alternatively you can take the peeled, cored pears and cut them into chunks.  Place them in a saucepan or small pot, cover and cook on low for 3 or 4 minutes.

Puree or mash for your little.  As baby gets more comfortable with eating solids you can easily thicken this puree with rice cereal.

Apple Puree
Start with 4 medium apples, peeled and cored.  Cut them into 2 inch chunks and steam as directed above.

Alternatively you can take those apple chunks and cook them in a saucepan or small pot.  Simply add 1 tablespoon of water (or unsweetened apple juice) and cook on low 6 or 7 minutes until fork tender.

Puree or mash for your little Peanut.



You can refrigerate these for about 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.  Although I often freeze my blends in jars, I like to freeze these basic purees in ice cube trays.  This makes it easy for me to add the purees to all kinds of other foods.  You can blend apple and pear together, sweeten some rice cereal, mix with vegetables or meats and add them to your commercial foods.

Apple Mango

Apple Mango
1 mango, peeled & chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 apple, peeled, cored & chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

Steam your apple for about 2 minutes until fork tender. Alternatively you can simmer in about 1 teaspoon of water. Use a small pot with the lid on. If you do this reserve water before adding to food processor. I usually just add any remaining (cooled) water to Peanuts cup.

Make sure your mango is nice and ripe. Blend the two together or mash them up.

This puree turns out thin and would be a perfect introductory food when you are ready for combinations. I'm thinking I'll blend it with some homemade oatmeal. I'll get back to you on that recipe.



*A ripe mango will give just a bit with gentle pressure. You can ripen them at room temperature or you can put it in a paper bag... just don't forget about it like some people I know. ~ahem~

Mangoes are packed with potassium, beta-carotene and vitamin A along with many other nutrients.

This puree would also be really great in a shake or mixed with yogurt for you or baby. Come to think of it... mixed with some ice, a splash of lime juice or even cranberry and vodka it'd make a nice cocktail. :)