14 easy homemade baby food recipes

75g baby carrots, chopped
165g mango, chopped
125g apple, peeled and chopped

Put carrots in a steamer pot over boiling water for 3 minutes. Add mango and apple and steam for another 2 minutes or until everything is fork tender. Put in a food processor until smooth. Cool and serve. Place in Baby Cubes and freeze. Makes 10 baby servings.

Best for Babies Age: 6 months and up

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4 tablespoons prepared iron-fortified oatmeal cereal (made with either breast milk or formula)
2 tablespoons Hiya Papaya puree
2 tablespoons sparkling pear puree

Combine all ingredients until smooth; makes 2 servings

Best for Babies Age: 6 months and up

Hiya Papaya Puree:
1/2 medium papaya
1-2 tablespoons breast milk or formula

Cut papaya in half lengthwise and scoop out and discard seeds. Scoop out the flesh of half the papaya; add breast milk or formula and mash with a fork until smooth. Refrigerate. Makes 3 servings.

Sparkling Pear Puree:
4 medium ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped

Add chopped pears to medium-sized saucepan; cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 7 mniutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Freeze extra portions for up to 8 weeks. Makes 6-8 servings.

Excerpted from 201 Organic Baby Purees (Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, December 2011) by Tamika L. Gardner

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340g fresh spinach, well washed and tough stems removed
2 bananas
60g plain whole-fat yoghurt
60ml unfiltered apple juice

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Makes four small servings or two larger servings.

Best for Babies Age: 6 months and up

Reprinted from: Start Fresh © 2011 by Tyler Florence. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc. Available wherever books are sold.

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2 tablespoons fresh blueberries
1/2 large ripe banana

Puree blueberries and banana in a blender; serve immediately

Best for Babies Age: 6 months and up

Excerpted from 201 Organic Baby Purees (Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, December 2011) by Tamika L. Gardner

• 12 ways to deal with separation anxiety

Best for Babies Age: 8 months and up

Excerpted from Baby Love (St. Martin's Press, 2010) by Norah O'Donnell and Geoff Tracy

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80g fresh green beans
170g fresh broccoli florets
170g green kale leaves
3 ripe medium bananas

1. Wash the beans and cut off the ends. Cut the beans into pieces about 1 inch in length. Steam the green beans for 20 minutes, or until tender.
2. Wash and cut the broccoli in pieces 1 to 2 inches in length. Steam for 10 minutes.
3. Wash the kale, cut off the stems, and wilt the leaves in a steamer for 5 to 7 minutes. Reserve the liquid from the steamer.
4. Peel the bananas and slice into 1-inch pieces.
5. Put the beans in a food processor with 60ml of the reserved liquid and puree until smooth. Add more of the reserved liquid as needed to reach the desired consistency. A runny consistency is fine at this point.
6. Add the broccoli to the green bean puree. Continue to process the mixture until smooth, adding more liquid to keep the mixture from becoming too thick.
7. Add the kale leaves to the puree and continue to process, adding more liquid as needed.
8. Add the banana pieces and continue to process, adding more liquid as needed until you reach the desired consistency for your baby.

Makes 6 servings

Best for Babies Age: 8 months and up

Reprinted from: Organically Raised © 2010 by Anni Daulter. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc. 

• 12 ways to deal with separation anxiety

1/2 banana
Pinch of cinnamon
3 tablespoon cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon whole-milk yoghurt

Place all the banana in a bowl and mash. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Makes 2 Servings

Best for Babies Age: 10 months and up

Recipe reprinted with permission from Weelicious

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180g cantaloupe, chopped
85g banana
50g yoghurt

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve. Makes 6 baby servings.

Best for Babies Age: 10 months and up

Recipe reprinted with permission from Weelicious

• 12 ways to deal with separation anxiety

2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pear, cored and cut into chunks
3 dried figs
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

In a saucepan, combine the parsnips, pear and figs. Add 120ml water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the parsnips are tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer the parsnips, pear, and figs along with the cooking liquid to a blender and puree until smooth consistency. Fold in the orange zest and maple syrup and stir until well blended. Serve warm. Makes four small servings or two larger servings.

Best for Babies Age: 6 months and up
 
Reprinted from: Start Fresh © 2011 by Tyler Florence. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc. 

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1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and seeded
6 small yellow potatoes, peeled
1 medium cooking apple, peeled, halved and cored
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
360ml water

Cut squash, poptatoes and apples into 1-inch chunks. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add squash, potatoes and apple and cook, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil; reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and simmer until vegetables are soft, 30-35 minutes. Mash or put in a food processor and puree until you reach the desired consistency for your baby. Makes 4 cups.

Best for Babies Age: 7 months and up

Recipe reprinted with permission rrom Williams-Sonoma's Cooking for baby (Weldon Owen Publishing)

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1 small ripe peach
2 tablespoons mashed, ripe banana
1 tablespoon breast milk or formula

Halve and pit the peach; place it, cut sides down, on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for one minute. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin. Puree the leach and banana in a blender; remove and whisk in breast milk or formula with a fork. Makes 3 servings.

Best for Babies Age: 7 months and up

Excerpted fromThe Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet (Fair Winds Press, 2010) by Karin Knight, R.N. and Tina Ruggerio, M.S., R.D., L.D.

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115g green beans
1 largebaking potato, peeled and sliced
4 large kale leaves, stems removed and coarsely chopped
240ml organic chicken stock
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

In a saucepan, combine the beans, potato, kale and stock and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat. Cook uncovered until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender and add the Parmesan and olive oil. Puree until as smooth as you prefer. Serve warm. Makes four smaller servings or two larger servings.

Best for Babies Age: 6 months and up
Start Fresh © 2011 by Tyler Florence. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc. 

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2 large pears (preferably Bartlett)
1 tablespoon raisins
2 kiwi fruits

Peel and core the pears. Cut the pulp into 1-inch pieces. Steam the pears and raisins together for 10 minutes, or until the pears are soft. Reserve the liquid from the steamer. Peel and cut the kiwis into 1-inch pieces. Combine the pears, raisins and kiwi in a food processor. Puree until the raisins are finely chopped. Add the reserved liquid in scant 30ml increments to achieve the desired consistency. Makes 2 servings.

Best for Babies Age: 8 months and up

Reprinted from: Organically raised © 2010 by Anni Daulter. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc. 

• 12 ways to deal with separation anxiety