When the time came to introduce solids to my son, I was excited about all the different foods I would get to expose him to. However for many busy parents, adding this to their list of daily tasks isn’t always viewed as an exciting one.
We all want what's best for our children, but sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. I can relate! When my son was only eating a couple tablespoons of food each day, the added “meal prep” that he required really wasn’t much. However, this didn’t last long for my little foodie. Very quickly his intake increased and we went from one small meal to two pretty significant meals each day (and then increased further from there). As a dietitian mom, I know the importance of giving variety and frequent exposure to children starting solids, so preparing just a handful of foods wasn’t an option any longer.
Enter my short cuts!
I chose to use some frozen fruits and vegetables for a few reasons. Frozen foods are often overlooked when in fact, can be more nutritious options than fresh, when those foods are not in season. Fruits and vegetables that are available in a frozen format are picked when ripe then flash frozen to retain nutrition (and flavour!). For some of my simple, single purees, I thawed the frozen foods in the fridge, added water and/or cooked the foods to help soften them, then purred them until a nice, smooth consistency was reached in my vitamix. I did this on weekends when I had some extra help at home, so my son would be entertained while I got some meal prep done. My shortcuts allowed me to add more variety to my son’s fruit and veggie rotation, and the whole process could be finished in a couple hours.
We hope you and your kiddos enjoy some of our favourite recipes!
Coconut-Mango Puree
Author: Andrea Carpenter, RD
Recipe Type: Baby Food; Sides, Snacks, and Apps
Serving: 8
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup coconut water or coconut milk
2 cups frozen mango, thawed with juices
DIRECTIONS:
Allow the frozen mango to thaw, and add the mango with the juices to a blender. Add plain water, coconut water, or coconut milk to the blender and puree until smooth.
Store in glass air-tight containers for 3 days in the fridge.
Berry-Banana Puree
Author: Andrea Carpenter, RD
Recipe Type: Baby Food; Sides, Snacks, and Apps
Serving: 8
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup water
2 cups frozen strawberry, raspberry, or blueberry, thawed with juices
1 medium ripe banana
DIRECTIONS:
Allow the frozen berries to thaw, and add the berries with the juices to a blender. Add plain water to the blender, a ripe banana. Puree until smooth.
Store in glass air-tight containers for 3 days in the fridge.
Coconut-Butternut Squash Puree
Author: Andrea Carpenter, RD
Recipe Type: Baby Food; Sides, Snacks,
and Apps
Serving: 8
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 cups frozen butternut squash, thawed
DIRECTIONS:
Allow the frozen butternut squash to thaw. Bring to a heat in a small saucepan and cook until heated through and tender. About 5 minutes.
Add coconut milk to the blender and puree until smooth.
Store in glass air-tight containers for 3 days in the fridge.