Making Your Own Baby Food

Baby Food Recipes
• Back to Making Your Own Baby Food

• Basic Recipes for Home Made Baby Food
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Meat
   • Beef
   • Fish
   • Poultry
• Meat Alternatives

Recipes adapted from "Making Your Own Baby Food", Metro Foodshare, Toronto.

Vegetables

Ingredients

Fresh or frozen vegetables
Water

Method

Wash, peel and slice fresh vegetables or use frozen vegetables.
Stovetop Method: Place vegetables into a steamer or a small amount of boiling water and simmer just until tender.
Microwave method: Place vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl with a small amount of tap water and heat at a high setting until vegetables are tender.
Remove from heat and drain vegetables. Purée vegetables with a small amount of cooking liquid. You can also use breastmilk, formula, or boiled water that has been cooled.
*Caution - if they are "nitrate containing" vegetables, do not use the cooking water. ** Please refer to the section Special Concerns When Introducing Vegetables.
Freeze as directed.

Remember…

Fresh or frozen vegetables are the best choices. Canned vegetables may be high in salt and often become too runny when blended.

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Fruit

Ingredients

Fresh Fruit
Water

Method:

Wash, peel and slice the fruit. Remove any seeds or hard parts.
Combine sliced fruit and a small amount of water in a saucepan.
Stovetop Method: Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Microwave method: Place sliced fruit and a small amount of tap water in a microwave safe bowl and heat at a medium setting until fruit is tender.
Drain cooked fruit, reserving the cooking liquid.
Mash or blend fruit, using a small amount of cooking liquid if needed. You can also use breastmilk, formula, or boiled water that has been cooled.
Freeze as directed.

Remember…

Fruits for babies should be fresh, unsweetened, frozen or canned in their own juice or water.
Canned fruit in syrup has a lot of sugar, so these fruits are not a good choice. Bananas do not need to be cooked. A ripe banana will mash very easily.
Canned fruits do not require cooking. You can puree or mash them easily. WATCH FOR SUGAR CONTENT.

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Meat

• Beef
• Fish
• Poultry

You can save a lot of money by making your own meat. Limit the sauces, spices and fat that you may be using on meat for the rest of your family.

Remember…

Cut away fat and remove any skin or bones.
Over-cooking will make the meat tough and hard to purée.
Make sure the meat and chicken are no longer pink inside.
For a smooth texture, mix meat with a small serving of rice cereal and breastmilk or formula.

Beef

Ingredients:

500 g (1 lb) of boneless lean meat cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes
500 ml (2 cups) water

Method:

Stovetop Method: Place meat and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until meat is tender.
Microwave method: Place meat and water in a microwave safe bowl and heat at a high setting until meat is tender.
Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
Blend or puree the meat with some of the stock.
Freeze as directed.

Fish

Ingredients:

250 g (1/2 lb) of fish fillets with bones taken out
(sole, cod, ocean perch, haddock)
125 ml (4 oz) whole milk

Method:

Stovetop Method: Pour milk in a large frying pan or saucer and gently heat milk. Do not boil!
Add fish fillets to the milk. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Microwave method: Place fish fillets and milk in a microwave-safe bowl and set at a medium setting until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Blend or puree the fish with some of the milk used in cooking.
Freeze as directed.

Poultry
Chicken, Turkey

Ingredients:

1 1.5 kg (2 lb) chicken or turkey pieces
750 ml (3 cups) of water

Method:

Stovetop Method: Place chicken/turkey and water in a pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked and the meat separates easily from the bones.
Microwave method: Place chicken and tap water in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at a high setting until meat separates easily from the bones.
Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Take skin and fat off the meat. Remove meat from the bones and then cut the meat into small pieces.
Puree the chicken meat with some of the stock.
Freeze as directed.

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Meat Alternatives
Legumes (chick peas, navy beans, split peas)

Ingredients:

250 ml (1 cup) dried legumes, lentils, or beans
750 ml (3 cups) water

Method:

Add 1 cup of dried legumes to 3 cups of water. Slowly bring to a boil and boil gently for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.
Drain and add 5 cups of fresh water to the legumes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 to 60 minutes.
Remove from heat and process to desired consistency by adding 200 ml (3/4 cup) liquid (breastmilk, formula or water) to the cooked legumes.

Remember…

Legumes are a less expensive alternative to meat. They are packed with protein, iron, and other important nutrients. Red lentils do not need to be soaked. They can be boiled in enough water to cover the legumes in the pot until they are soft - time varies, but about 20 minutes. Canned beans and legumes are already cooked and do not need to be re-boiled. They can be mashed and mixed with enough water to achieve desired consistency.

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