Butternut Squash and Pears

Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash
2 Pears

Directions:
To prepare your squash, peel the skin off being sure to remove the skin down to the orange flesh. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds in the middle. Cube the squash and steam it for about 12-15 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile peel and core the pears and place them in your food processor or blender. Wait to blend them until the squash is tender and then blend the two until they are a nice puree. You can add liquid if necessary from water used to steam the squash, or apple juice works well too. Place puree in ice cubes trays and freeze. Once solid, remove the puree cubes to a freezer container or baggie and keep frozen until needed up to 3 months. Makes about 24 cubes.

*You can also add the pears to the squash for the last few minutes of steaming and then transfer all the ingredients to the processor/blender.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/butternut-squash-pear-puree
Introduce to Baby: Makes a good beginner food.

Sweet Potato and Apple Puree

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
2-3 sweet apples (such as gala, jonagold, jonathon, etc.)

Directions:
Prepare your sweet potato by either baking it or steaming it. If you bake it, follow this recipe. If you steam it, then you need to peel your potato and cut it into cubes. Steam it for 6-8 minutes or until the pieces are tender when poked.

Prepare your apples by steaming them as well. Peel, core, and cut apples into thin slices. Steam for 6-8 minutes until tender.

Place the potato meat and the apples in a food processor or blender. Add enough water from the steamer to make a smooth puree. Spoon the puree into ice cubes and freeze till solid. Transfer cubes to a freezer container or baggie. Makes about 12 ice cubes.

To serve: Thaw ice cubes overnight in a fridge or under hot water in a baggie until the puree is warm. You can add more liquid before serving or baby cereal if you want. Discard any leftovers.

Difficuly: Easy
Time to Make: 20 minutes - 1 hour (depending on how you prepare the potatoes)
Recipe Origin: online somewhere
Introduce to Baby: Makes a good beginner food.

Sweet Potato Puree

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes

Directions:
Scrub your sweet potatoes to clean them and wrap them in foil. Prick holes in the potatoes for steam vents and bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until they are tender. Cool slightly and unwrap the sweet potatoes. Scoop out the meat of the potato and place it in a food processor or blender. Add a little liquid such as breast milk, water, or apple juice and puree till smooth. Spoon into ice cube trays and cover with wrap. Freeze until solid and then transfer the cubes to a freezer container or baggie.

To serve: Place an ice cube or two in a baggie and thaw under hot water until the puree is warm. You can add baby cereal or more liquid if necessary before serving. Makes about 24 ice cubes.

Difficulty: super easy
Time to make: about an hour start to finish
Recipe Origin: online somewhere
Introduce to Baby: Makes a good beginner food.

Pear Puree

Ingredients:
6 Pears, ripened, peeled, and cored

Directions:
Place cored and peeled pears in a food blender. Blend till smooth and then pour into ice cube trays. Cover with plastic wrap and place in trays in the freezer. Once frozen, remove pear cubes and place in a freezer bag or container. Thaw in a plastic bag under hot water just before serving and mix with baby cereal. Add water if necessary to get the desired consistency that you want.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown
Introduce to Baby: Makes a good beginner food.

Superfoods Puree

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tsp. olive oil
1 small shallot, or small piece of onion, minced
1⁄2 cup ground turkey
2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves, washed but not dried

Directions:
Put the sweet potato in a steamer and steam until tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from the steamer and reserve the steaming water. While the sweet potato is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, add the shallot and turkey, and stir-fry until the turkey is browned and crumbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked sweet potato and 4 Tbs. of the steaming water. Cover and simmer gently for about 5 minutes.

Put the contents of the frying pan in a blender and blend to a puree. Thin with a little of the steaming water, if necessary. Cool quickly, then refrigerate. Freeze in individual portions; when needed, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. To serve, heat the puree in the microwave or a saucepan until piping hot. Let cool slightly and check the temperature before serving.

Makes about 23 ice cubes.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: about 25 minutes
Recipe Origin: Annabel Karmel (baby food book author)
Introduce to Baby: Makes a good food for more experienced eaters.