Weird and Wonderful Purees Your Baby Will Love

An 8-month-old baby will generally devour a bowl of mush that a two-year-old won’t touch (not with a 10-foot pole). Babies haven’t formed culinary inhibitions. They aren’t fussy and approach each mouthful with an open mind.

This precious window of time, before they get too picky, is great for introducing new foods, expanding their palate, and filling their tummies with healthy goodness.

Here’s the best part:

Making baby food can be quirky and fun. You don’t need to follow the usual rules. You have free reign to get creative with ingredients and flavor combos. As long as it’s simple and healthy, then the proof of the puree is in the tasting.

 I recently bought a baby food maker. It’s awesome and inspires me to go wild mushing and whizzing just about everything I can get my hands on. After some Frankenstein-style experimentation, I landed on five super-healthy yet totally wacky fruit-veggie purées that shouldn’t work, but do. (This has been confirmed my 8-month-old son, and taste-tester, Dara.)

Zucchini, Carrot, Blueberries & Basil

It’s the basil part that raises eyebrows with this puree. “Aren’t baby foods supposed to be bland?” No, as it happens. It’s best to stay simple but this doesn’t have to mean boring. My little one seemed to enjoy it more with the basil.

Age: 6+ months

Weird-o-meter: 6/10

Best bit: Basil is an antioxidant and immune booster.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini
• 2 carrots
• 16 blueberries
• 2 fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup of water

Instructions:

I’d like to encourage you to experiment, so I’ll keep instructions minimal and loose. Just remember to keep it simple; wash your hands and the ingredients; peel, core, dice and steam your fruit ‘n’ veg; then puree in a food processor or baby food maker. Hey presto!

For this recipe:

1) Dice the zucchini. Peel and dice the carrot.

2) Steam them both.

3) Roll the basil in your hands to get it bruised and limp.

4) Chuck all the ingredients into a baby food maker or processor and whizz. Add the water bit by bit until you have a perfect baby-friendly puree.

5) Cool and serve.

 

Cucumber, Peas, Pear & Mint

Minus the peas, this sounds like a cold soup for a fancy garden party. My son loved the peas, however, so they stayed in. (Perhaps he knew they contained vitamin K, manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin B1, copper, vitamin C, phosphorus and folate. Clever boy.)

Age: 6+ months

Weird-o-meter: 5/10

Best bit: This puree is vitamin rich and high in fiber. Plus, the mint is good for indigestion.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 cup of peas
• 2 pears
• 4 fresh mint leaves

Instructions:

1) Peel the cucumber and cut in half (length ways). Scoop out the seeds and dice what’s left.

2) Peel, core and cube the pears.

3) Steam the fruit and veg until nice and soft.

4) Finely chop the mint.

5) Throw everything into a baby food maker/processor and whizz. Add water if required.

6) Cool and serve.

Lentil, Potato, Avocado, Coriander & Breast Milk

Okay, to my palate, things are getting stranger now, but stick with me. All of these recipes went down a storm with my little one, so don’t judge before you try!

Age: 8+ months

Weird-o-meter: 7/10

Best bit: Great source of healthy protein. Contains folate, Omega-3 fatty acids and a decent amount of vitamin C.

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of cooked red lentils
• 1 potato
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 cup of breast milk (can be water or formula if you prefer)
• A pinch of coriander powder

Instructions:

1) Cook the red lentils according to their instructions.

2) Scoop out the avocado flesh.

3) Peel and dice the potato, then steam it.

4) Throw everything into a baby food maker/processor and add the coriander powder. Now whizz. Add extra milk if required.

6) Cool and serve.

Green Beans, Butter Beans, Pears, Coconut & Garlic

Noooo! This shouldn’t work. But baby knows best, and he loved it.

Age: 8+ months

Weird-o-meter: 8/10

Best bit: Green beans are high in fiber and protein. Butter beans are an excellent source of molybdenum. Garlic fights colds and infections and is great for blood and the heart.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup diced green beans
• 1 cup of butter beans (pre-boiled)
• 2 pears
• 1/2 clove of garlic
• 1 tsp of coconut oil

Instructions:

1) Cook the butter beans according to their instructions. (Pre-cooked tinned ones will save time.)

2) Wash and chop the green beans. Peel, core and dice the pear.

3) Steam the fruit and veggies all together, including the garlic.

4) Throw everything into a baby food maker/processor. Add the coconut oil, then whiz.

5) Cool and serve.

Tofu, Quinoa, Asparagus, Apple, Ginger & Turmeric

As baby food goes, this treads the line between genius and “what were you thinking?”. It may sound gross but this recipe is packed with superfoods and has become a Dara favorite.

Age: 8+ months

Weird-o-meter:10/10

Best bit: Tofu is a great source of protein containing all eight amino acids. Asparagus contains tons of goodies, including vitamins B1, B2, C and E. Ginger and turmeric are medicinal super-foods that aid digestion, boost immunity, fight bacteria and improve skin.

 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pack tofu (the plain and soft variety)
• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1 apple
• 1-inch fresh ginger
• 1/4 tsp turmeric

Instructions:

1) Wash the asparagus. Break off the bottoms, leaving the tips. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

2) Boil some water. Stir in the quinoa and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 mins.

3) Peel, core and dice the apple.

4) Peel and finely dice the ginger.

5) Steam the fruit and veggies all together until very soft.

6) Throw everything into a baby food maker/processor. Add the turmeric and ginger, then whiz. Add a drop of water if needed.

7) Cool and serve.

Wrapping up

Cooking baby food for my son has been an awesome adventure. Yes, often I don’t have time or just can’t face it. On these days, I’ll just buy some. (If you’re interested, I’ve written a whole guide on the best organic baby food brands). But when I do get round to making my own, I find it both fulfilling and liberating. It puts me in total control of what is going into my baby’s tummy, both in terms of quality and variety of ingredients. The best part, though, is that it can be a lot of fun. Be childlike. Experiment and explore. Leave food dogmas at the door. You’ll be amazed at the healthy recipes and fantastic flavors your little one will love; go forth and discover them.

 

Neve blogs at WeTheParents.org with where she seeks to bring out the humor in parenting and gets nerdy researching and reviewing the gear that moms and dads (apparently) need. You can also catch her on Facebook and Twitter