Homemade Stage 2 Baby Food Purees
Now that my second daughter is over 7 months old, I am able to become more adventurous with the foods she is able to eat. At 7 months, babies are able to consume slightly thicker textures, as well as enjoy more complex flavors. I am attempting to be more audacious with my food presentation the second time around in hopes of raising a "foodie baby" who enjoys a variety of flavors and isn't afraid to try new ones!
Over the past week I presented her with two new food purees that I made in my kitchen with the help of my rice cooker/steamer and The Baby Bullet food processor.
- Ø The first is pureed BLUEBERRIES!
When I researched the best way to puree blueberries, most sites recommended boiling or simmering them in about a ¼ cup of water on the stove. I decided, instead, to use my steamer to soften the blueberries and their skins. Although this worked and the blueberries were easily able to be pureed, the water used to steam the blueberries turned a deep purple and clearly much of the blueberry juice was lost into the steamer. Based on my own trial and error, I do recommend softening the blueberries in a shallow pan on the stove in a small amount of boiling water. Let the blueberries simmer and soften in the pan. When placing the blueberries into your food processor or Baby Bullet, add the boiling water to the processor to help ensure a smooth and thorough puree.
When feeding to baby...pureed blueberries are delicious all on their own or when combined with pureed pears and apples!
- Ø The second is pureed GREEN BEANS!
In my opinion, plain pureed baby green beans from your local grocery store taste painfully bland. Neither of my babies ever showed much interest in store-bought baby food peas or green beans, but when I gave my older daughter real peas for the first time, she loved them! Well, when I gave my now 7 month old homemade pureed green beans this past weekend, she had a similar reaction. Her little mouth opened again and again for the creamy and naturally sweet mashed vegetable. Steamed and pureed fresh green beans really have a deliciously sweet flavor that even I did not expect!
Enjoy experimenting with new flavors!