Blueberry Pear Oatmeal

This recipe came after a lot of experimenting with blueberries and pears.  

It all started with a great sale on organic blueberries.

I did some reading on the internet and found that almost all the recipes were nothing more then blending the 2 ingredients together. I did and it tasted great. It had a nice pear flavor with bits of blueberry in it. Although the skins look alarming, they are so soft I wouldn't worry about them in the puree.

My complaint was that once pureed it was almost completely liquid. My pears were extremely ripe and juicy.  Oh and pears brown almost immediately, so expect your puree to take on a tan tinge.

Some say that for babies younger than 8 months, or when you are trying a new fruit on a baby, that it's better to cook the fruit first.  Cooking the fruit should aid in digestion.  Although blueberries are recommended for 8 months and older anyway.

My next step was trying to cook the fruit first.  As you can see, the puree differs dramatically in appearance.

I decided to address the consistency by turning it into an oatmeal.

On the left is the final recipe, on the right was my attempt to add cooked oatmeal to my fresh puree.

Although the fresh blend was tasty I loved the cooked blend.  The blueberries take on this deep flavor that I couldn't get enough of.   Just the smell of the cooking fruit was enough to make me crave more.

I'd love the puree served warm over pancakes.  Yum.

The result of all this shenanigans is one simple recipe.

Blueberry Pear Oatmeal

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, chopped into chunks (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup oatmeal

Add blueberries and pears to a medium pot or saucepan and place over medium to high heat.  No additional liquid is needed.   Bring to a simmer and continue simmering 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The fruit should be soft and the blueberries will be breaking down and letting out that gorgeous purple juice.  Take your pan off the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, grind your oatmeal.  This step allows you to control the amount of texture your baby gets in the finished product.  You can grind to a fine powder or not grind at all.  Transfer your oatmeal to a small bowl or cup.

Carefully place the fruit in the food processor and puree.  Transfer the pureed fruit back to the original pan and bring mixture up to a simmer.

Once the fruit is at a simmer, whisk in the ground oats.  Let the oats cook in the mixture, stirring occasionally.  I used quick cook oats and ground them down so it only took about 2 minutes to cook.  There are different types of oats so cook accordingly.

Let it cool and enjoy!

If the finished product is too thick for your little then go ahead and thin down with water.

Peanut approves!

*Variation

If you'd like to use the the oats as a thickener instead of as a main ingredient, simply cut down to 1/4 cup  of finely ground oats.

*Storage

Realistically I'm not sure I'll ever whip this up for breakfast.  I'm not a morning person, I don't get much done first thing in the morning.  Put this into an airtight container and you can keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.  Warm it and then check the consistency.
You may need to thin it out with water, formula or breast milk

Freeze for up to 3 months.  Once thawed it's slightly rubbery.  Simply warm it and add water, formula or breast milk until it is a good consistency for your little.

*Benefits

Blueberries are a super fruit when it comes to nutritional value. 

They are pure brain food, packed with antioxidants and vitamin C.

The list of health benefits go on and on, regardless of whether they are fresh or frozen.

Oats are a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. 
They are also a good source of manganese, vitamin E, zinc, and protein.
They are also a great way to introduce your little to different textures.

As compared to the commercial version.

Isn't ours pretty?

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. :)

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!

Tropical Fruit

This is a super simple fresh fruit puree.  No cooking, easy peasy.

I'll admit that this was the first time I've had papaya by itself and I really wasn't a fan.  However, just because I didn't like it doesn't mean that Peanut wouldn't. 

Once I added the mango and banana we both liked the puree.

Tropical Fruit Puree
1 papaya
1 mango
1 banana

Make sure all your fruits are ripe so they'll be sweet for your little.  Peel and cube the mango, slicing around the pit, and put in food processor.  Cut papaya in half, scrape out seeds and scoop flesh into food processor.  Add banana and puree.

This puree was perfect consistency for a beginning eater.  If you feel it's too thin you could add cereal to it.  It would also be great hand mashed for more texture.

Banana is a great source of potassium and fiber and they also have natural probiotic qualities.  Mangoes add to the potassium in addition to vitamins A, C, K, beta-carotene and calcium.  Papayas are a great source of vitamin C, folate, fiber, potassium and they aid in digestion.



Sometimes Peanut looks like such a big boy. 

I feel like I might just blink my eyes are he'll be running around.


Well, maybe he's not that big. 

It might be a while before he can run around in grandpa's work boots.