Simple Summer Squash

Our CSA has been packed full of summer squash in all shapes and sizes.

Although you can definitely steam them, 

I prefer to roast them.

Even in the summer heat, I can't get enough roasted summer veggies.

I find that steamed squash becomes a very liquidy puree 

which can be really great if that's what you need in a recipe.

However, roasting the squash eliminates all that extra liquid.

It also brings out the sweetness and preserves the most nutrients.

The summer squash we are using are pattypan, yellow crookneck, zucchini.

You can use any kind you like.

Summer squash have the thin skins versus the thick hard shells of winter squash.

If you are looking for Simple Winter Squash recipe you can find it here.

Simple Summer Squash

Any amount of your favorite summer squash

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Gently wash your squash and slice both the tops and the tips of the bottoms off.

Slice into 1 inch rounds and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with extra virgin olive oil
OR you can lightly coat the veggies with extra virgin olive oil.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the squash is golden and fork tender.

Place in a food processor and puree to desired consistency, adding water as needed.

~Although you can see the skins, I find that it breaks down completely in the food processor.
The skin is packed with nutrients and anti-oxidants.

~Truth be told, we usually cut them into spears or long strips because that's the way that B & I eat them.
We just season half for us and eat them straight off the pan.
I always burn my tongue.

*Variations
-Combine with pear, apple, carrots or sweet potato
-Add onion to the pan when you roast it
-Use herbs like basil, oregano, cilantro, chives, parsley or thyme
-Puree with cooked turkey or chicken

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

*Benefits
Summer squash is high in potassium, vitamin A, beta-carotene, lutein and manganese.

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Sweet Potato & Spinach

Spinach had been on my list of things to incorporate into Peanut's diet.

It's just that there are so many foods to create dishes with that 

I seemed to have been dragging my feet on spinach.

Plus, growing up I had a super aversion to spinach.

I have a story I'll share with you someday about when my mom made me eat canned spinach.

Anyway, I have no idea why I hadn't made this dish before.

It's really yummy.

Spinach is the easiest thing to cook and I paired it with sweet potato, 

which is something Peanut just loves.

Moral of the story?

Just because you didn't like it before, doesn't mean you won't like it now.

So try it again.

And, um, even if you don't like something you should still 

give it to your kids so they can judge for themselves.

And, um, 

better late than never.

And, um,

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

OK, that has nothing with anything but it's the first proverb that popped into my head.

Has anyone seen that Geico commercial? 

I love that commercial.

Sweet Potato & Spinach

1 sweet potato

6 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup water

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Prick your sweet potato with a fork several times, place it on a baking sheet 

and bake for about 45 minutes.

It's done when the skin looks loose and the flesh is soft when squished or poked with a knife.

I usually do several at a time and refrigerate until I need them.

Place your spinach in a skillet over medium heat

 with about 1/2 cup water and cover with a lid.

Allow it to cook/steam for several minutes until the spinach is wilted.

Place the spinach (reserving liquid) in the food processor and pulse until the spinach is cut up a bit.

Add your cooled sweet potato and puree to the desired consistency, adding water as needed.

Alternatively, you can chop the cooked spinach with a knife and 

hand mash the sweet potato for some added texture.  

Just make sure there aren't any long strings of spinach that could cause a choking hazard. 

*Variations

-Add lean cooked meat like chicken, turkey, beef or pork

-Add herbs like parsley or basil

-Sautee spinach with a bit of onion, leek or garlic

-Sprinkle with a little grated cheese

*Storage

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

*Benefits

Spinach is packed with goodness for your little.

It has tons calcium.  It also has selenium, magnesium, folic acid, iron and vitamins A C, D 

as well as vitamin K which helps your bones absorb the calcium.

It's kind of a big deal.

Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, lots of fiber, antioxidants, potassium and a bit of calcium.

-Spinach is on the dirty dozen list, so buy organic if you can.

~Don't forget to enter my giveaway HERE for a chance to win a NurturMe feeding gift pack!~

Chicken with green beans & brown rice

Green beans are just one of those things I haven't made much of.

They are great as a first food but you lose so much in the cooking,
pureeing and straining process that I never really did it.

However, now that Peanut is used to texture in his foods, it's perfect.

I also had this great brown rice blend from Trader Joe's that I used,
which is why there are dark spots that almost look like pepper.

Chicken with Green Beans & Brown Rice
1 small chicken breast (about 4 oz) cut into chunks
8 oz frozen green beans (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup brown rice
2 cups water (or unsalted stock), divided

Bring 1 cup water to a boil and add the chicken.
Rinse green beans to remove ice crystals and add to the boiling water.
Bring back to a boil, cover, reduce heat and
simmer for 4 -5 minutes until fork tender.
The color should be bright green, if they are starting to turn brownish/dark then pull them out.

Meanwhile, grind your brown rice in a blender or spice grinder.
You can grind to a powder, into smaller pieces or not grind at all,
depending on the texture you want for your little.

When the green beans and chicken are done, add them to the food processor,
reserving the liquid.
Puree, adding cooking liquid as needed.

Bring 1 cup water to a boil.
Sprinkle brown rice powder into the boiling water, whisking constantly.
Turn the heat down to simmer the mixture,
whisking constantly until the liquid is absorbed and the grains cooked.
Mine was ground to a powder and it took about 8 minutes.

Add the rice mixture to your pureed veggies and stir in
(or pulse the food processor to incorporate).

Enjoy!

*Variations
-Although Peanut loves this I thought it would be even better with herbs.
Add some minced fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, chives or parsley.
-This would also be good with a bit of garlic or onion
-Substitute a different kind of rice or grain like barley, quinoa or spelt.

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
When you reheat, make sure you heat completely to bring it back to a nice consistency,
 then allow to cool to the right temp for your little.

*Benefits
Green beans are high in folate, potassium, vitamin K, fiber and even a bit of calcium and vitamin A.
Chicken is a great source of lean protein in addition to potassium, phosphorus, niacin,
calcium, iron, selenium and zinc.
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 vitamin B6, magnesium and manganese.

Roasted Roots

Although this might seem more a fall dish, I make it pretty often because Peanut loves it.

A combination of several different "roots",

I used carrots, parsnips, rutabaga and sweet potato but

you could certainly use any kind of root vegetable in this.
Typically I don't even have equal amounts of everything.

Roasting brings out their natural sweetness, requires very little as far as effort goes

and maintains a maximum amount of nutrients.

I usually do twice as many veggies as listed below, splitting the batch

and placing half on a sheet tray for B & I.

Toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and roast.

Roasted Roots

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

1 small sweet potato or yam, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

1 small rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Place all your roots into a baking dish and cover/seal with a piece of foil.

Bake for 45- 1 hour or until fork tender.

Puree to the desired consistency, adding water or unsalted stock if needed.

If you want to make your puree chunky then puree only half of the cooked vegetables.

Mash the other half with a potato masher or fork and add it to the puree.

*Variations

-Use any combination of root vegetables

-Add fruit like apple or pear to the mix before baking

-Once cooled, mix in minced herbs like oregano, sage, chives or basil

-Add in some onion for some extra flavor

-This would be perfect mixed with cinnamon or nutmeg
-Add cooked chicken or turkey

-Top with a pat of butter and serve the family for dinner

*Storage

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

*Benefits

Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, potassium, fiber and beta-carotene.

Parsnips are packed with folate, calcium, potassium and fiber.

Carrots are a great source of antioxidants, boosting the immune system and building eye strength.

Rutabaga has loads of potassium as well as calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and fiber.

Turkey with Sweet Potato & Peas

Peanut is a big fan of peas and this is a great combination.

You can do this in several variations and with strained peas or peas with skins.

I usually double this recipe as I do many of these recipes.

Turkey with Sweet Potato and Peas

1 medium sweet potato (about 1/2 lb) or 1/2 a large one, peeled and cut into chunks

1/4 cup lean ground turkey or cubed turkey breast

1 cup frozen peas

Place your sweet potato in a saucepan and add enough water to cover.

Boil your sweet potato until it's fork tender.

Meanwhile, rinse your peas and set aside.
Running water over them helps remove any ice crystals.

Add in your turkey meat to the boiling water and stir to break it up.

The turkey will cook thru almost immediately.

After a minute add in your rinsed peas.  Let it boil for a minute and take it off the heat.

Allow your mixture to cool.  This gives the peas time to cook all the way thru.
Place the mixture in the food processor and puree.
There will be skins from the peas in your mixture.

~~~

If you do not want the skins from the peas you can cook your peas separately.
 Increase the amount of peas to 2 cups.
Simply steam or boil them and then rinse with cold water.
Puree with a bit of the water and then strain by pressing the mixture thru a fine mesh sieve.
Add the strained peas to the cooled mixture of sweet potato and turkey.

~The pictures of the purees are of the mixture with strained peas.~

*Variations
-Use this as an introductory food by eliminating the turkey
and following the directions for the strained peas.
-Use chicken breast instead of turkey
-Substitute broccoli or spinach for the peas.

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

*Benefits
Turkey is a great source of protein for baby.  It also has niacin, vitamin B6 and tryptothan which is an amino acid.  I wish I could say it would also put baby right to sleep but there just isn't enough turkey for that thanksgiving-like food coma.  :)
Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin A and a bit of calcium.
Peas are high in vitamin K & C, manganese, thiamin, folate and potassium.
As peas are on the sweet side it's a great way to introduce green foods and round out baby's diet.

Gingered Carrot

I love the combination of ginger with carrots.  

The sweetness of the carrots is the perfect vessel for the ginger which,

 in a larger amount can be a tad spicy.

Here we're adding just a small amount to brighten up a dish your baby is probably already used to.

Gingered Carrot
5 or 6 medium carrots (or the equivalent of 1 lb), peeled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

I slice my carrots into 1/2 inch rounds (with the thin tips cut longer)
 because they steam faster in smaller pieces.
Steam in basket over 1 inch of water for about 15-20 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.
Cook the minimum amount of time possible to retain the most nutrients for your babe.

Add your carrots and the freshly grated ginger and puree.
Use the water from the steamer to get your puree to the desired consistency.

*Variations
-Add 1/2 cup cooked, pureed chicken
-Add a small dollop of plain, whole yogurt
-Mix with pureed apple
-Add a pinch of mild curry
-Add 1/2 teaspoon of minced cilantro

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

*Benefits
Carrots have loads of different kinds of carotenoids which work as anitoxidants,
convert to Vitamin A, boost the immune system
as well as protect and enhance your eyes.
Ginger has a soothing quality that calms the stomach and rids you of nausea.
It has also been known to increase circulation and immunity in addition to anti-inflammatory properties.
All wonderful things of for your little peanut.

This recipe is classified as 8-10 months because of the use of spices.
You may introduce spices earlier or later than this.

Pea, Edamame & Apple

I saw this recipe floating around the internet and am still unsure about it's origins.
From a source called Baby Love?

However, I found that the copies of this recipe I came across 

had different pieces of the directions missing.

I changed the ingredients just a tad as I had no apple juice, so I added apples.

My only hang up is all the boiling and rinsing of the ingredients.  

I don't mind as much with the peas and edamame but it seems a shame to boil and rinse apples.

Feel free to cook them separately (either steamed or simmered with a tbs of water)

 and skip the rinsing part completely.

Just make sure to cool the apples or you'll add them in and overcook your peas.

I also cut back on the amount of liquid added, which originally calls for 1/2 cup apple juice.

For simplicity's sake I followed directions and did it all together.

Peas, Edamame & Apple
(adapted from Baby Love)

1/4 lb frozen peas

1/4 lb frozen edamame (soybeans)

2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces

Fill a pot with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile get a large bowl and fill with ice and cold water.

Pour the peas and edamame into the colander and run cold water over them to remove any ice crystals.
Add your ingredients to the boiling water and cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
Pour the mixture back into the colander to drain
(reserving water- do this by putting a bowl under the colander)

and run cold water over the mixture.
Add everything into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.  Chill for a couple minutes.

Puree in a blender with reserved cooking liquid (or unsweetened apple juice if you have it)
until it is the desired consistency.

*Variations
-Substitute pears for the apples
-Bake the apples for a more intense apple flavor
-Leave out the edamame and use as a first food

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

*Benefits
Did you know that peas are actually legumes?
Your peas, when cooked, should always be a bright green color.
They should not be the dull color of canned peas as the healthy chlorophyll and other nutrients have been destroyed during the cooking process.
Bright green means they have retained as much nutrients as possible.
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.

Edamame is packed with protein and potassium.
It also provides fiber, calcium, magnesium, folate and vitamins A and C.

Apples provide fiber, antioxidants and vitamins A, B and lots of C.

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.

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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

Baked Apple & Carrot

This may be more of a fall recipe than a summer recipe but I just wanted to prep some foods and then not have to worry about them for a while. 

Ever have those days?  Of course you have.

Peanut and I both have colds with lingering coughs and he has both eye and ear infections.  It was kind of gloomy here in the morning and I was really feeling like some comfort food.

What we ended up with is a puree that had me licking the spoon during clean up.



We got these carrots in our CSA this week.  They taste delicious and are packed full of great nutrients for baby.  

Did you know that cooking carrots makes some of their nutrients even easier to absorb into the body?  



Baking the apple and carrots only intensify their natural sweetness and we aren't losing any nutrients to water.

The apples need to be peeled, halved or quartered and cored. 


Don't worry about the apple being the same size as the carrot.  The carrots will take much longer than the apple to cook so the pieces are fine large.
I find that apples are great with pretty much everything.  They add sweetness and texture and Peanut loves them.


Baked Apple & Carrot
4 medium carrots
2 apples
-optional pat of unsalted butter*

Preheat oven to 375.  Peel and chop carrots.  Peel, halve or quarter and core apples.  Place all in a baking dish, add optional butter, cover with foil and bake for about an hour.  The carrots should be fork tender.

Blend or mash to the consistency that is right for your little one. 

Enjoy! 

*cartenoids and vitamin A are fat-soluble nutrients which means that eating them with just a bit of fat helps the body absorb them.

Chicken with Sweet Potato & Apples

Chicken with Sweet Potato (Yams) and Apples

1 chicken breast
1 sweet potato (yam)
2 apples

Trim any fat off your chicken breast and cut it into chunks.  Peel your sweet potato/yam and cut it into chunks.  You'll want to use any kind of yam (the orange flesh) for a purely aesthetic reason.  A regular sweet potato would be just as good but the mix will be an unappetizing whitish color.

Put both the chicken and the sweet potato in a pot with just enough water to cover.  Bring to a simmer.  Meanwhile, peel and cube your apples.  When the sweet potato is tender (and the chicken cooked) throw in your apples, mix and cover.  Cook for another couple minutes.  Everything should be fork tender.

Place all your ingredients, reserving cooking liquid, into the food processor.  Add as much liquid as you would like to produce the consistency your baby likes.  I used all of it.



Peanut is a big fan of this puree and it has lots of nutrients for him!

Carrot & Parsnip

I love parsnips for many reasons. They look like an albino carrot but differ in both taste and texture. 

The flavor of a parsnip is very sweet with a bit of spice that I love.  I can't put my finger on it but the spice reminds me of cinnamon? Cardamom?  Cooked parnsips also mash or puree easily.



Parsnips are very high in folate, calcium, potassium and fiber.  All of these factors and you have a perfect candidate for baby food.
Peel and then slice 2 or 3 carrots and 2 or 3 parsnips.  Steam the slices until tender.  This took me about 15-20 minutes.  Poke them with a fork to see if they are soft enough to mash.  Reserve cooking liquid in case you would like to use it to thin down the puree.  Place them in a food processor and blend or mash by hand. 

I decided to steam them separately so that I also had plain parsnip puree for Peanut.



You can blend the carrots and parsnips together in the processor or mix them together by hand.

*Storage:  Place in an airtight container.  Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Don't overlook parsnip in your cooking at home.  We love them roasted and they also add a great flavor to mashed potatoes.

Have you had parsnip before?  How do you use them?

Simple Sweet Potato

Sweet potato was the first food I made for Peanut.  It's a big flavor after months of breastmilk and formula but we decided to jump right in anyway.  He was a little unsure the first day but ate it anyway.  By day two he seemed less confused and day three he was eating like a champ.

This is the first of what may be many baby food posts.  If you aren't interested just come back tomorrow- I promise not to post 2 baby foods in a row! :)



There are a lot of different sweet potatoes at both the supermarkets and local farmer's markets so don't be afraid to mix things up and experiment!

Left to right you see a standard sweet potato, Japanese white sweet potato, purple sweet potato and what most people/places call yam.

For the record, the last one is not really a yam.  I've never actually seen a real yam which is highly uncommon in the U.S.  Here we just call sweet potatoes with orange flesh yams. 



Place your potatoes on the baking sheet and poke a few holes in them with a knife.

I baked all of these at 425 for varying amounts of time.  The 2 on the ends took 45 minutes and the purple took a little over an hour.  After taking this picture I realized that the Japanese white still wasn't done so I placed it cut side down and baked it for another 25 minutes bringing it to about an hour and a half.

You know they are done when the skin looks loose and the flesh is soft when squished or poked with a knife.  Don't squeeze hot potatoes with your bare hands to test them.

I'm just sayin'.

When I cut these I was a bit surprised.  Having picked up the purple and the Japanese white from the farmers market I had assumed that they were actually the opposite.  Come to find out the Japanese white has the purple skin and the purple has the white skin.



You can scoop the flesh out with a spoon but I just end up peeling the skin off.

Simply blend in your food processor to the desired consistency.  During the blending I went ahead and added filtered water to make it smoother.  When you feed your baby you can dilute it even more with water, breastmilk or formula if you like.

No, I did not edit these photos at all.  Yes, the 3rd one looks blue.  Or even worse, kinda grey.

Left to right you are looking at them in the same order.  Sweet potato, Japanese white, purple and "yam".



As you start to introduce your baby to more texture, reserve part of the sweet potato and mash it with a fork, then add to your puree.  You could also just pulse the processor a few times leaving some bits in tact.  Ricers will give you a different result as well. 

Each different process will yield a different texture and a new mouthfeel for your little.

Lots of new experiences.

Don't forget that big kids (like us) can eat this stuff too.  I love sweet potato mash.



Although they are all sweet potato, they do vary in taste.

The Japanese white (the one that looks a bit green) is super creamy and by far the sweetest of the four.  The purple I found to be the least sweet and the most starchy.

Although I think they would all taste great mixed with other food, I believe the standard white sweet potato (bottom right) would be the best mixed with other food from a purely aesthetic view.  I would hate to think what broccoli and yams mixed together would look like.



Peanut obviously doesn't care that I'm mixing sweet potato and peas and I forget what else.

He still too young to know that the bluish/greyish/slightly purplish food isn't normal either.

I think we all know my poor Peanut is going to grow up with a very different idea of what "normal" food is.  :)

Why is it I feel the need to open my mouth every time I feed him a spoonful?



Jar up your food or place it in ice cube trays and freeze for later.  I'm passing some to my nephew, keeping some for Peanut and passing some to a friend.  Those 4 potatoes gave me 12 of these jars!  These will also keep in the refrigerator for 3 or so days.

Anyone need some sweet potato puree for your baby?  I'm making more food than I can store :)

*Storage:  Place in an airtight container.  Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.