Recipe Book Contents Apple Chicken Dinner 08 Apple Ham Dinner 08 Applesauce 04 Baby Food Safety 02 Bananas 04 Beginning Baby On Food 03 Blueberries 04 Broccoli 06 Broccoli Chicken Dinner 08 Carrots 06 Cauliflower 06 Cereal Combinations 04 Cereal For Baby 03 Combinations 09 Dinner Combinations 09 Fruit and Veggie Combinations 09 Fruity Combinations 09 Green Beans 06 Kiwi 05 Melons 05 Papaya 05 Peaches 05 Peas 07 Pear Chicken Dinner 08 Pears 05 Plums 05 Pumpkin 07 Squash 07 Sweet Potato Turkey Dinner 08 Sweet Potatoes 07 Tips and Hints Do's 02 Tips and Hints Dont's 02 Vegetable Combinations 09 Tips and Hints - Do's * Use ice cube trays to freeze pureed foods. Each cube will be about 1 ounce. Once frozen, pop out cubes and place in a sealed, labeled and dated ziploc bag. Place in freezer bag. Use within 2 months. * Start by giving baby 1 food cube. Increase and mix as baby gets older. * Thaw cubes by putting in a baggie in a bowl of warm water, defrosting on low in microwave, or placing in a baggie in the refrigerator overnight. * Discard any unfinished food immediately. Bacteria forms quickly. * Give new foods at a rate of 1 per week in order to detect allergies. * Make sure baby accepts most veggies and fruits before meats. * Thinners: water from steaming [certain foods you can not use, follow recipes for that information], formula [after thawing only], apple juice or broth are best. * Thickeners: baby cereal [especially rice], small amount of mashed regular or sweet potato, older babies 10+ months may have plain yogurt. * Steam, microwave, or bake veggies and fruits to retain as many vitamins and minerals as possible. Tips and Hints - Dont's * Don't use honey in any baby foods under age 1. * No beets, spinach, collards or turnip greens under age 1. * Do not add salt, sugar, or spices to homemade foods. * Do NOT boil fruits, veggies or meats. * Do NOT thin foods with formula before freezing. * Do not overcook fruits and veggies, it will cause vitamins to be lost. * Never use canned veggies unless marked no sodium. They are loaded with sodium and additives. Check all frozen veggies for sodium. Low sodium is okay for older babies 10+ months. * Never use frozen formula or breastmilk in any recipe. Use noly fresh made formula or pumped breastmilk from that day. Baby Food Safety * Rinse all 'equipment' and utensils with very hot water. Rewash everything between different foods, uncooked and cooked foods. * Store only 2 months in freezer. Never refreeze thawed foods. * Use refrigerated pureed fruits and veggies within 3 days. Use refrigerated meats within 24 hours. * Always store in sealed bags or containers in fridge or freezer. * To avoid leftovers, start with 1 cube to introduce food for 4 days. Increase as baby grows. Standard ice cube trays = 1 ounce cubes. Adjust as needed for combination meals, but add equally. * Fresh foods are better for your baby when prepared correctly. Processed prepared baby foods loose nutrients during the processing stage. Homemade foods taste different and have a different texture. It is believed a baby that begins with homemade foods will be less fussy about foods when transitioning to actual solids. Beginning Baby On Food * Baby is ready for foods when he/she can sit with support and hold their head steady. It is also best to start baby's first feeding for dinner time. * Start by preparing the Rice Cereal, directions in the Baby Cereals section starts below, during one of baby's naps. Freeze all but 2 servings. * Breastfeed or give baby a few ounces of formula so he/she is not over hungry. Then place baby in high chair and offer a small amount of cereal by spoon. * Repeat this process for 3 more days with the rice cereal if baby seems ready. * Day 5: Sweet Potatoes for 4 days. * Day 8 add cereal for breakfast. * Day 9: Apples for 4 days. * Day 13: Carrots for 4 days. * Day 17: Bananas for breakfast, fruit or veggie for dinner. * Day 21: Oatmeal Cereal for breakfast, fruit or veggie for dinner. * Day 25: Cereal for breakfast, Squash for dinner. * Day 29: Cereal for breakfast, Pears for dinner. * Day 33: Cereal for breakfast, Peas for lunch, fruit for dinner. * Day 37: Cereal for breakfast, Papaya for lunch, veggie for dinner. * Always breastfeed or give formula to baby at each meal before or after food. * Increase serving amount as baby gets older. Continue adding new foods at the appropriate age for baby. * If at any time you see a change in baby or a rash, discontinue that food. Your baby may not be able to tolerate it yet and is having an allergic reaction. Wait a few days before introducing the next new food. During that time, feed baby what he/she has tolerated up to that point. Baby Cereals * Rice Cereal - Use any type of short-grain whole-grain rice. Grind rice in food processor to get 1/4 cup. Bring 1 cup water to boil in saucepan. Add 1/4 cup rice powder while stirring constantly. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly. Freeze. * Oatmeal Cereal - Rolled oats, NOT instant or quick oats. Grind oats in food processor to get 1/4 cup. Bring 3/4 cup water to boil in saucepan. Add 1/4 cup oatmeal powder while stirring constantly. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly. Freeze. * Add formula, breastmilk, juice and/or fruits when preparing from frozen state to get desired thickness. * Save time and money. Make a whole package of rice or rolled oats at once. Grind into powder like consistency. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. Prepare as directed above, allowing premade fruit additions to thaw while cooking. Cereal Combinations Use these ideas and create your own! Use 2 cereal cubes and 1 fruit cube for 2 ingredient combinations. Use 2 cereal cubes and 1 fruit combination cube for 3 ingredient combinations. Apples and Oatmeal Apples an Rice Bananas and Oatmeal Bananas and Rice Blueberries and Oatmeal Blueberries and Rice Pears and Oatmeal Pears and Rice Pumpkin and Oatmeal Pumpkin and Rice Apple Banana Oatmeal Apple Banana Rice ** Mix and Match and Have Fun creating for Your Baby!! ** Just remember to try each food alone first for food allergies. Please watch the age restrictions before making combinations. Fruits For Baby Best First Fruits: Apple, Banana, Papaya, Pear Applesauce Wash, peel, core, and chop 4 medium apples. Simmer over medium-low heat until tender OR steam until tender. Puree apples with 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice in food processor. Bananas One of the easiest 1st baby foods. Slice a fully ripe banana, place in a food processor. Add a little formula, breastmilk or unsweetened apple juice. Puree until smooth. Blueberries *8+ months* Steam 1/2 pint of fresh or frozen blueberries over boiling water until soft, about 15 minutes. Place in food processor adding water from steaming to puree to desired thickness. Kiwi *10+ months* Peel a ripe kiwi. May be mashed with a fork or pureed and have cereal added to thicken. Because of baby's age it does not need seeds removed or cooked. Melons *8+ months* Cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon are in this category. Remove rind and seeds. Slice 1/4 cup fruit. Mash with a fork or puree. At this age baby can typically tolerate raw fruits. Papaya Cut papaya in half and remove all seeds. Scoop out the flesh and put in food processor. Puree until smooth, adding breastmilk or formula for desired consistency. Peaches There are a few simple ways to prepare peaches: * Frozen: Slightly thaw in microwave. Place in food processor with a bit of water to thin. Puree until smooth. * Fresh: Rinse well. Cut Peach in half to remove pit. Microwave on low [defrost] or steam until soft. Peel and cube. Place in food processor with a little water to thin and puree until smooth. * Canned: Rinse syrup off well. Place in food processor and puree until smooth. Water may be added to thin if needed. Pears Peel, core, and chop pears. Simmer over medium-low heat until tender OR steam until tender. Puree pears with 1/3 cup unsweetened apple or pear juice in food processor. Plums Peel, remove pit, and cut into chunks. Steam until tender. Puree in a food processor, using water from steaming, until desired thickness. Veggies For Baby Best First Veggies: Carrot, Sweet Potato, Peas, Squash Broccoli *8+ months* Wash broccoli very well. Cut into 2 cups of pieces. Place into steamer basket over 2 inches of water in a tightly covered pot. Place steamed broccoli and 1/3 cup of steaming water into food processor. Puree to a soft consistency. Carrots Wash, remove skin, rinse well. Cut into 2 cups of small pieces. Place into steamer basket over 2 inches of water in a tightly covered pot. Place steamed carrots and 1/3 cup water [NOT water from steaming] into food processor. Puree to a soft desired consistency. Cauliflower *8+months* Wash cauliflower very well. Cut into 2 cups of pieces. Place into steamer basket over 2 inches of water in a tightly covered pot. Place steamed cauliflower and 1/3 cup of steaming water into food processor. Puree to a soft desired consistency. Green Beans Rinse fresh green beans well. Cut into 2 cups of small pieces. Place into steamer basket over 2 inches of water in a tightly covered pot. Place steamed green beans and 1/3 cup of steaming water into food processor. Puree to a soft desired consistency. When using frozen green beans, buy the largest cheapest bag/box available. Cook according to package directions. Puree in food processor using water to thin to desired consistency. Peas Fresh Peas: Open pods and scrape out peas. Steam peas in steamer basket until very tender. Place in food processor and use water from steaming to puree to desired consistency. Frozen Peas: Buy largest cheapest bag/box available. Cook according to package directions. Puree in food processor using water to thin to desired consistency. Pumpkin *8+ months* Buy a can of pumpkin - ingredients need to be pumpkin or water and pumpkin only. DO NOT buy the pumpkin pie mix. Pumpkin does not need to be cooked. May be pureed with formula, breastmilk, or unsweetened apple juice. Squash Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scrub 1 acorn squash, butternut squash, summer squash or zucchini. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, testing with a fork for desired softness. Allow to cool. Scoop squash from skin. Puree with about 1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice in food processor until desired consistency. Sweet Potatoes Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scrub 2 medium sized sweet potatoes. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, testing with a fork for desired softness. Allow to cool. Peel, then puree with about 1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice in food processor until desired consistency. Apple and Chicken Dinner Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and core 3 medium apples. Wrap each apple in a square of aluminum foil and seal tightly, place in a glass baking dish. Cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts with all fat trimmed away and apples for about 30 to 45 minutes, testing with a fork for desired softness. Remove foil from apples and cut into chunks. Dice chicken. Place 1 cup 'unpacked' chicken and 2/3 cup apple chunks in food processor. Puree using 2/3 cup chicken broth or unsweetened apple juice to desired consistency. Apple and Ham Dinner Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and core 3 medium apples. Wrap each apple in a square of aluminum foil and seal tightly, place in a glass baking dish. Cook ham and apples for about 30 to 45 minutes, testing with a fork for desired softness. Remove foil from apples and cut into chunks. Trim all fat from ham and dice. Place 1 cup 'unpacked' ham and 2/3 cup apple chunks in food processor. Puree using 2/3 cup unsweetened apple juice to desired consistency. Broccoli and Chicken Dinner *8+ months* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts with all fat trimmed away for 30 to 45 minutes until done. Meanwhile, rinse broccoli well, cut into 1 cup pieces and place into a steamer basket over 2 inches of water in a tightly covered pot. Place 1 cup 'unpacked' diced chicken, broccoli and 2/3 cup water from steaming into food processor. Puree until desired consistency. Pears and Chicken Dinner Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash 2 pears. Wrap each apple in a square of aluminum foil and seal tightly, place in a glass baking dish. Place pears in oven 10 minutes after chicken. Cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts with all fat trimmed away for about 30 to 45 minutes, testing with a fork for desired softness. Remove foil from pears and cut into chunks. Dice chicken. Place 1 cup 'unpacked' chicken and 2/3 cup pear chunks in food processor. Puree using 2/3 cup chicken broth to desired consistency. ** Chicken can be replaced with pre-cooked turkey. ** Cook chicken, ham, pears and apples all at once to make up several dinners to freeze for up to 3 months. This saves time and money all at once. Combinations Depending on baby's age, add each item equally. Younger babies 1 cube each, older babies up to 3 each. Just watch for food allergies and age restrictions. Each food is to be given by itself before mixing it with another. The frozen cubes make this so easy, healthier, and much cheaper than buying jars and containers of baby food in the store. Fruity Combinations Apple Banana Apple [Blue] Berry Apple Kiwi Apple Pear Apple Plum Apple Banana [Blue] Berry Apple Banana Pear Apple [Blue] Berry Pear Sauce Apple Peachy Pear Banana [Blue] Berry Banana Peachy Sauce Banana Pear Banana [Blue] Berry Pears [Blue] Berry Pear Peach Pear Sauce Veggie Combinations Carrots and Peas Squash and Sweet Potatoes Garden Veggie Medley - Carrots, Green Beans, Peas, Squash, Sweet Potatoes Fruit and Veggie Combos Apples and Carrots Apples and Green Beans Apples and Peas Apples, Carrots, and Peas Apple, Banana, Pumpkin Apple, Squash, Sweet Potatoes Banana Pumpkin Puree Peachy Sweet Potatoes Pears and Green Beans Dinner Combinations Peachy Chicken Delight Peachy Chicken and Rice Carrots and Chicken Carrots, Chicken and Rice Carrots, Peas and Chicken Carrots, Peas and Turkey Chicken and Rice Turkey and Rice Pasta can be added to dinners once baby is 10+ months of age. Cook Pasta until tender. Example of adding items together: Place equal amounts of fruit/veggie and meat into food processor [ex. 1/2 cup], then add 1/2 of that amount [ex. 1/4 cup] in pasta. Pasta can NOT be added to items and then frozen. For older babies you only to grind a little in the food processor. Mix and Match and Have Fun creating for Your Baby!