Tag Archives: homemade baby food

Baby Food – Pumpkin puree

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The Fact: Believe it or not – Pumpkins are fruits! Pumpkin is a member of the gourd family, just like cucumbers, gherkins and melons.
Baby Age: You can feed your baby avocado mash as soon as you introduce your baby to solids or when your baby turns 6 months old.
Nutritional Value: Pumpkins are rich in Vitamin A and Beta Carotene (that also breaks down into Vitamin A in the body). They are also good sources of potassium and magnesium, rich in protein and fiber. Pumpkins are good for the heart, they strengthen bones, aid in digestion and add a warm glow to the skin.
The Inspiration: I was busy nibbling at some coconut cake at the dining table when I noticed my beautiful baby girl, Hope, staring at me and my piece of cake. I couldn’t believe that my until-now-breastfed baby wanted cake! That’s when I knew that my food blog needed a new category—Baby Food!
As a working mom, I knew that I’d have to rely on the various ready-to-make cereals, but I definitely didn’t want to start my baby off with something I didn’t make from scratch, more for the nutritional value and absence of preservatives than for sentiment. And so I decided to make my own baby meals.

The Method

  1. Buying pumpkin

Buy one small pumpkin or one wedge from the local market, as per your requirement. Make sure that the pumpkin is just ripe—firm on the outside and gives a little when you press the flesh on the inside; it should definitely not be squishy. Another way to tell that your pumpkin is ripe is by looking at the colour—the deeper the colour, the riper the fruit.

Buying a pumpkin

  1. Cleaning and readying the pumpkin

Wash the pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds from the inside. You can wash, dry and bake these seeds separately as a munchy for you; not for your baby. Separate the flesh of the pumpkin from the skin. While doing so, avoid the less ripe portion that’s closest to the skin. Next, cut up the cleaned out flesh into pieces or cubes.

Pumpkin cut pieces

  1. Cooking the pumpkin

You can either steam the pumpkin pieces (about 20 mins or until you can easily mash them with your finger), cook them in a cooker (for 1 whistle) or boil them in a few tablespoons of water (about 15 mins or until they’re soft to touch and you can easily mash them with your finger). Steaming preserves the most nutrients. However, boiling without discarding the water is also a good way to keep the nutrients in.

Boiled pumpkin pieces

Always run cold water over the pieces after cooking to prevent them from cooking further.

  1. Pureeing the pumpkin

Once cool, mash the pumpkin pieces with a masher or blend them in a blender for a smoother puree. The smooth puree is better for smaller babies, while babies who are 10 months old or older prefer a slightly chunkier mash.

Pumpkin puree or mash

  1. Eating pumpkin puree

Feed your baby the mash or the puree directly. You can also combine it with other vegetables, cereal or khichdi (for older babies).

6. Storing pumpkin puree

Store the remaining pumpkin puree in freeze trays or jars. Don’t forget to leave a little room at the top of the freeze jar since most foods will expand a little when frozen.

Pumpkin puree in freeze jars

 

Baby Food – Avocado puree

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The Fact: Avocados are one of nature’s perfect foods because they are said to contain everything a person needs to survive.
Baby Age: You can feed your baby avocado mash as soon as you introduce your baby to solids or when your baby turns 6 months old.
Nutritional Value: Avocados are full of ‘good fat’ and are a perfect first food for your baby. “Sodium- and cholesterol- free, avocados contain valuable nutrients including 8% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for folate; 4% DV for fiber and potassium, 4% DV for vitamin E; and 2% DV for iron. A serving of avocado also contains 81 micrograms of the carotenoid lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene. Per serving, avocados have 3.5 grams of unsaturated fats, which are known to be important for normal growth and development of the central nervous system and brain.” http://www.californiaavocado.com/nutrition
The Inspiration: I was reading up on the need for babies to build up their fat reserves—good fat, to be precise. It’s so very important! With all of us being health conscious these days, it’s easy for us to think that any kind of fat is bad, but please remember that your baby needs fat. Good fats are crucial in your baby’s first year—they’re good for physical growth, brain development and to build up your baby’s immune system. So please please please give your baby some avocado. I was so desperate to give my baby some that I ordered a couple of avocados online since it’s off season where I live 🙂

The Method

  1. Buying avocado

Avocados should be firm on the outside, yet should give a little when you press them. They can range from a dark green colour with a bumpy skin to a less dark green variety with a smooth skin. I ordered the bumpy skin variety so I’ll speak for them.

The perfectly ripe avocado

  1. Cleaning the avocado

Wash the avocado. Gently roll it before you cut it to separate the flesh from the solid stone/seed in the centre. Run a knife around the seed, along the entire length of the avocado; don’t try to cut through it!

Cutting an avocado

Gently rotate both halves and try to pull them away from each other.

Cutting an avocado

Now, to get the seed off the one half it’s stuck on, use a tablespoon and simply scoop it out—this gets a little messy but it worked better than the ‘poke your knife into the seed’ procedure I read up online. You’ll now be left with the two halves that are buttery and creamy on the inside (that’s how they’re supposed to be when ripe). If they’re not creamy and soft in texture and are firm instead, I wouldn’t feed it to the baby. If your avocado is ripe, it’s ready to eat because ripe avocados don’t need any cooking.

Cut and pitted avocado

  1. Pureeing the avocado

Using a tablespoon, scoop out the flesh of the avocado and separate it from the skin. You can get as close to the skin as you want because that’s where the goodness is.

Scooping out avocado flesh

Scooped out avocado flesh

Cut up the flesh into rough bits.

Cubed avocado

Mash the avocado bits with a masher or blend them in a blender for a smoother puree.

Cubed avocado in a blender

You can add a tablespoon or two of water or breastmilk/formula to water down your puree and make it easier to swallow for your baby. The smooth puree is better for smaller babies, while babies who are 10 months old or older prefer a slightly chunkier mash.

Avocado puree or mash

  1. Eating/Storing avocado puree

Feed your baby the mash or the puree directly. You can also combine it with other vegetables, fruits or cereal.

Since avocados can be hard to come by, I divided my avocado puree and froze them in individual puree trays.

Avocado puree or mash in freeze trays

If you store the leftover puree/mash in your refrigerator, it turns brown, which is why freezing is the better option. I try to feed my baby at least one cube every day.

Avocado puree or mash in freeze trays and jars