"Stage 2" Baby Food

You may recall, I posted at length about "Stage 1" baby food here. Nina is now over six months, so we're moving on to "Stage 2" food. In my first post, I outlined storage containers, the importance of a good blender, etc. I relied on gut instinct and just made what I thought would be good. She absolutely loved everything I made and it lasted us until about now. For this go around, I decided to make single and combo ingredient choices with new flavors to introduce. I bought Tyler Florence's book Start Fresh and went to town. The book is really fantastic.

Remember, amounts to feed, time of day to feed, and other important bits are up to you - the momma or daddy. In my first post, I recommend a few books I follow for guidelines. They continue to work really well for Nina and I. 

Nina is still eating basic purees of sweet potatoes, bananas, peas and carrots. I also am thinking of adding cauliflower puree and broccoli puree if I need more options. These are the easy ones - roast or steam, add a bit of water and puree. Done.

For some flavor combos, here's what I chose this stage. I know most of these are on the sweeter side, so for some more savory options I'll use my vegetables purees. 

Spinach & Banana Puree
12 oz fresh spinach + 2 bananas + 1/4 c. plain whole fat yogurt + 1/4 c. water (puree in blender)

Banana, Pineapple & Avocado Pudding
1 banana + 1/4 pineapple + 1/2 avocado + 1/2 c. plain whole fat yogurt (puree in blender)

Carrot, Mango & Apple Puree

3 carrots (peeled) + 1 mango (cut in chunks) + 2 apples (halved and cored)
     - For this recipe, roast ingredients in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Then, puree until smooth.

Roasted Apples & Cinnamon
4 apples (halved and cored) + 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp lemon juice
    - For this recipe, roast apples in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Then, puree all ingredients.