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.

Blueberry & Apple with cinnamon

I promise this is the last blueberry post for a while!
It's just that I had all these blueberries and Peanut loves them, so I couldn't help myself.

I had this craving for pie the other day and ended up eating this mashed up and still warm with nilla wafers and graham crackers and topped with whipped cream.

Not that it's a replacement for pie. 

It was late and I wasn't about to whip up a pie.

Yes, I did give some to Peanut.

Only without the extra fixins.

Blueberry & Apple with cinnamon

2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped into chunks (about 3 cups)

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon water

Place the ingredients into a pot or saucepan with a lid.  

Simmer for about 4 minutes or until fork tender, stirring occasionally.

Blend to the desired consistency.

Taste test!  I suggest starting with the 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and tasting to see if you would like to add more.  I ended up adding another generous pinch but I'm a big fan of cinnamon.

*Variation

-Switch things up a bit and try using 1/2 teaspoon of minced mint instead.

*Storage

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

*Benefits

Apples are a great source of fiber and contain nutrient that help regulate blood sugar.

Blueberries are full of antioxidants and vitamin C.  

Truly brain food, they help your little one maintain brain power.

Cinnamon has been said to lower blood sugar, improve blood flow, fight bacteria, relieve gas 

and reduce inflammation.

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

Banana & Blueberry

This recipe is super simple and completely delicious.  This is one of those, throw together at the last minute purees and your baby will love it.

Banana & Blueberry

1 medium banana

1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Place in food processor and puree.  

If using frozen blueberries just allow them to defrost a bit.  

Mine were still slightly frozen which worked out just fine.

*Variations

-Add a dollop of yogurt.  I usually do this when I've used a really ripe and sweet banana

-For some extra protein, add 1/4 cup of silken tofu.  It blends right in and the flavor hardly changes.
-Mash this with a fork for some texture
-Mix with prepared oatmeal

*Storage

This looks prettiest when eaten fresh as the banana will turn brown.

However, brown banana does not mean bad banana 

(unless of course we are talking about starting off with a rotten banana).

You can refrigerate for up to 3 days. 

I suggest placing cling wrap directly on the surface of the mixture to reduce browning if it bothers you.

You can also freeze this for up to 3 months (and I have frozen it) but it will brown as you thaw.

*Benefit

Blueberries are full of antioxidants and they help maintain memory. 

I'd say that's a huge perk considering the amount that your baby is learning on a daily basis.

Bananas are a great source of fiber and potassium.

They are also very good for the digestive system and have been known to remedy diarrhea(tmi?).

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

Minted Summer Peach

Stone fruit is in season and we've been getting the most amazing, gigantic, juicy and flavorful peaches from our CSA.  It always surprises me how much flavor farm fresh food can have.  

I mean the peaches taste like peach-scented products.  Does that make any sense?

It's just that occasionally you get food from the supermarket that looks like food 

but doesn't taste like much.

These have been so packed with flavor.

This recipe actually includes apples which I thought was great for the texture.  I'll have to admit that apples weren't in the original plan but we ate more peaches than I thought... 

so Peanut wasn't left with much.

That's what happens when you are lowest on the totem pole.

I wanted to start introducing Peanut to herbs and spices 

and mint sounded so refreshing for this time of year.

Minted Summer Peaches

1 large or 2 small peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 large or 2 small apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

3/4 teaspoon minced mint leaves

1tablespoon water

Place your peaches and apples in a saucepan or pot with the 1 tablespoon of water.  Put a lid on (or piece of foil) and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the fruit is fork tender.

Take your fruit off the heat, removing lid and allow the mixture to cool.   Meanwhile, chop your mint.  When the fruit has cooled, blend or mash to desired consistency.  Add in your mint.  I like to add the mint to cooled fruit as hot fruit will turn it all brown.

Enjoy!

*Variation

-Feel free to use frozen peaches
-This would be fantastic done with all peaches, all apples or even nectarines.

-You can eliminate the mint and serve this as a first fruit.

-Add a little plain, whole milk yogurt 

--Serve this semi-frozen with some berries as a treat for you--

*Storage

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

*Benefits

Peaches are a great source of vitamins C & K as well as calcium and potassium.
They are also high in fiber.
Apples have lots of antioxidants as well as loads of fiber.
Mint (just fyi even though there is such a teensy amount) containes Vitamins A, C and B12, calcium, potassium and folic acid.  I think it's a great way to introduce herbs and it just screams summer.

This recipe is marked as 8-10 months because of the mint.  Many people (like me) may introduce herbs and spices younger than 8 months.

I'm looking for pictures of your baby eating some Dandy Baby food for my blog!  
If you have one to share please email it to me at dandy7321@yahoo.com