Then I gathered the necessary baby food making tools.

• KidCo baby food mill or a mini food processor
• organic veggies
• some of Anna’s milk {my milk} to thin out the food. It is important to use the milk or formula your baby is used to when making their first baby food. It is the taste they are used to and their body is comfortable with, so it should make trying new foods easier.

For the apples, my family ventured to our local apple orchard to get local apples! We had fun putting Anna in the pumpkin patch and chowing down on fresh kettle corn while we were there.

The Cooking

There are a few basic cooking methods for making baby food. Baking and steaming are great methods because they allow the food to keep most of the nutrients during the cooking process. They are also easy and convenient.

Baby Applesauce:

• 5 apples
• 1/2 c. water

1. Peel the apples
2. Cut the apples into little pieces, discarding the core.
3. Simmer with water on medium low, stirring frequently
4. Cook until apples are soft and break apart
5. For babies who are newer to solids, puree in the food processor or baby food mill

While the food cooked, the girls got a lesson on football…

Organic sweet potatoes and butternut squash baking

When the sweet potatoes and squash were baked, I scooped them out of the skin.

And put them through the food mill to make sure there were no rough or big pieces.

Then added a little milk, and stirred them up!

Baby Pureed squash and sweet potatoes

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 butternut squash (or part of)
• baby’s milk ( a splash)

1. Bake sweet potatoes and squash at 400 until very soft
2. Scoop out flesh of veggies
3. Smash the baked potato and squash with a fork
4. Puree or process until all chunks are removed
5. Stir in baby’s milk to make smoother

Organic green beans steaming

Baby Green Beans

• organic green beans

1. Steam green beans until very soft
2. Puree or process soft green beans until smooth (they are much more chunky than the potato/squash mash)

While we were making baby food, I also made dinner for us! We had the same meal as the girls, in “grown up” form!

Roasting the butternut squash with sweet potatoes.

The Meal

Addie’s Plate

Maple Mustard Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash

Whole Wheat (oil free) Pumpkin Bread

Grilled Chicken

Green Beans with almonds

Tossed Salad

Brown Rice and Lentil Combo

Cottage Cheese

Pinot Noir

Addie’s Plate

Addie was able to eat a little of everything except the almonds on the green beans. Her food was cut into little pieces that she could pick up with her fingers and with her spoon.

Anna’s meal – pureed brown rice, green beans and sweet potato/squash

Not sure what to think of things. She sat at the table in her hook on chair.

She was hungry, so it was perfect timing!

Her first bites…

hmm….

She liked it!

Not a fan of the rice…

That was exhausting…

Addie is a professional eater. She loved her dinner. 🙂

She even “showed Anna how to use a spoon”!

Our meal was a fall feast for everyone!

Dessert was apple crisp and applesauce. Can you guess who had which treat?!

Recipes

Maple Mustard Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash

• 5 sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 large butternut squash, diced
• cooking spray
• 1 T. EVOO
• 2 T. dijon mustard
• 1 T. maple syrup
• salt and pepper
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar

1. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and cover with diced veggies
2. Roast diced veggies in the oven at 425 for about 40 minutes. until soft. Check and move veggies around throughout cooking.
3. Make dressing by combining EVOO, mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper and vinegar.
4. When veggies are done, drizzle dressing on top
5. Serve warm

Homemade Local Apple Crisp

• 6 large apples, peeled and cut into pieces
• cooking spray
• 1/4 c. white sugar or stevia baking mix
• 1.5 t. + 1.5 t. cinnamon
• 2/3 c. oats
• 2/3 c. multigrain baking mix
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. coconut oil

1. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, combine apples, sugar of choice, 11/2 tsp. cinnamon. Stir to coat
3. Place apples in the 9×13.
4. Make topping: combine 1.5 t. cinnamon, oats, baking mix, brown sugar and oil.
5. Stir topping until crumbly.
6. Cover apples with crumb topping.
7. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes [until golden brown and bubbly].
8. Serve!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

• 2 cups sugar of your choice
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (instead of oil)
• 4 eggs, lightly bean
• 16 ounces canned unsweetened pumpkin
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray two bread pans with cooking spray.
3. Stir together sugar and applesauce.
4. Stir in eggs and pumpkin.
5. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl.
6. Blend dry ingredients and water into wet mixture, alternating.
7. Divide batter between two bread pans.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
9. Let stand 10 minutes.
10. Remove from pans and enjoy!

Green Beans and Almonds

all measurements are approximate and according to your tastes

• 1 lb. fresh, rinsed, snipped green beans
• sliced, toasted almonds
• Good Seasonings Italian dressing (the dry packet), made as directed

1. Blanch green beans – cook them in boiling water for a few minutes – make sure they are firm
2. Drizzle with dressing
3. Sprinkle with almonds
4. Enjoy!

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