Give your food an extra favor with a special sauce


Make Your Own Baby Foods

Making your own baby food is simple,
convenient, and can save you money.Total  Calories  Per  Cube:  17
Nutritionally, it's hard to beat the
wholesomeness of foods right from yourBASIC  VEGETABLE  RECIPE
kitchen. You can feed baby some of your
family's regular foods knowing that they are(Makes  8  food  cubes)
free from the additives and fillers found in
some  store-bought  baby  foods.Do  not  add  salt,  sugar,  or  fat.
Family foods, if prepared with salt, spices,1 cup cooked fresh or frozen vegetables
sugar, or fat, are not suitable for infants.without salt (use potatoes,green beans, peas,
You will need to prepare foods separately, orcarrots,  yellow  squash)
remove the baby's portion before salt, sugar,
or  other  seasonings  are  added.4-8 Tablespoons cooking liquid, formula, or
water
Making your own baby food doesn't require a
lot of expensive equipment. At a minimum, allPress vegetable chunks through a sieve or
you need to get started is a clean pot tobaby food mill, thinningwith cooking liquid
cook in and equipment to get the foods to theor formula to eating consistency. Or,
right  consistency.pureevegetables and liquid in blender until
smooth.  Serve  or  freeze.
EQUIPMENT  FOR  PUREEING  BABY  FOODS
Note: After trying single foods, good
Some foods, such as bananas and other ripecombinations are potatoesand carrots or
fruits, require only a fork for mashing. Acarrots  and  peas.
potato masher also works well to puree cooked
apples, winter squash, potatoes, or carrots.Total  Calories  Per  Serving:  varies
Be sure to remove lumps, pieces of skin,
strings,  orseeds  before  feeding  to  baby.FRESH  FRUIT
A fine mesh sieve or strainer may be used to(Makes  4  food  cubes)
strain  cooked  foods.
Try different varieties of fruit in this
Most foods can be pureed with a blender. Berecipe.
sure to remove tough peels and seeds from
vegetables and fruits before blending or they3/4 cup ripe fruit (uncooked peaches,
will be ground into the food. Use a blendernectarines,  bananas, pears,apricots, apples)
to grind a handful of uncooked brown rice,
cook well until soft and smooth, and you have1  teaspoon  unsweetened  fruit  juice
a nutritious, inexpensive cereal for baby.
For agood source of protein, nut butters1 teaspoon lemon-flavored water (1 teaspoon
(like peanut butter) can be made in a blenderlemon juice to 1 cupwater to prevent
from whole nuts. Thin with water or formuladarkening)
into a consistency suitable for older babies.
Remove skin and seeds from fruit. Puree
Raw or cooked foods can handily be preparedingredients in baby food mill or blender
in a small, hand-operated baby food mill.until  smooth.  Serve  or  freeze.
Peels and seeds are strained out of the food,
and its small size is perfect for taking toTotal  Calories  Per  Serving:  varies
the  table  or  restaurant.
SOYBEAN  PUREE
Some foods are ready to serve baby right from
the grocery store. Try canned pumpkin,(Makes  2-1/2  cups  or  12  food  cubes)
unsweetened applesauce, instant mashed
potatoes, Cream of Wheat or rice cereal forServe  this  nutritious  dish  to  your baby.
quick,  ready-to-eat  additions  to  meals.
1  cup  dry  soybeans
PREVENT  FOOD-BORNE  ILLNESS
3  cups  water
Cleanliness is a priority when making foods
for baby. Bacteria can easily upset a baby's3/4  cup  unsalted  tomato juice for thinning
digestive system; so anything that touches
the food -- your hands and all equipment --Rinse and soak the soybeans overnight in the
must be absolutely clean. The same rulerefrigerator.
applies when storing, heating, and serving
baby  foods,  too.Simmer beans in 3 cups water for about 2
hours. Puree with anyequipment, adding tomato
Always wash your hands and equipment withjuice  to  thin.
hot,  soapy  water,  rinse,  and let air dry.
Total  Calories  Per  Cube:  34
COOKING  METHODS
FRESH  ORANGE  SHERBET
Steaming is one of the best cooking methods
to preserve vitamins and minerals in foods.(Makes  1-2  cups)
Place the food in a steam basket, sieve, or
colander above boiling water and cook in theBabies  will  love  this  dish.
rising  steam.
1 sweet orange, peeled, sectioned, and seeds
Microwave cooking is another way to prepareremoved
foods, especially vegetables,which cook
quickly  in  very  little  water.1  cup  fruit  juice
Boiling or simmering fruits and vegetables isIn a blender, liquefy the fruit. Add the
an acceptable cooking method but will resultjuice and blend. Pourinto loaf pan, cover,
in loss of some nutrients in the cookingand  freeze  until fairly firm, about 1 hour.
water. Be sure to use only a small amount of
water and save the cooking liquid to thin thePour back into blender, and blend at low
pureed  food  to  eating  consistency.speed until smooth. Return to pan and freeze
until  firm.
Since babies do not have a preference for
salty or sweet, you should not add salt orTotal  Calories  Per  2  Tablespoons:  7
sugar to their food. It's a good idea to keep
your child from developing an early taste forHOMEMADE  FRUITY  GEL
such  additions.
(Serves  4)
Studies suggest that feeding babies too much
sodium may trigger high blood pressure laterThis recipe uses fruit juice instead of sugar
in life in those individuals who are likelyto  add  sweetness.
to  develop  high  blood  pressure.
Agar, the thickener, is derived from seaweed.
SERVING  AND  STORING  BABY  FOODSIt is available innatural food stores and
food  co-ops.
Pureed foods spoil more easily than other
foods; so baby's food must be used1/2  cup  cool  water
immediately or frozen for future use. If you
store food in the refrigerator, keep it in1  Tablespoon  agar  flakes
there only 2 to 3 days. If you don't use it
by then, it should be discarded. Remember:1-1/2  cups  fruit  juice
refrigeration does not killbacteria; it only
slows  down  their  growth.1  cup  pureed  fruit
Large batches of pureed foods can easily bePlace water in small saucepan. Sprinkle in
frozen in ready-to-use serving sizes. Oneagar  and  stir  to  dissolve.
such method is to pour pureed food into
plastic ice-cube trays, cover with waxedAdd juice and heat for 1 minute, stirring
paper, and freeze. When frozen, transfer towell.  Pour  into  4  small  cups.
freezer bags. Another method is to "plop"
drops of pureed food on a cookie sheet,Place in refrigerator. After 1/2 hour, stir
freeze, and then transfer to freezer bags.in  pureed  fruit.
These frozen portions will keep about one
month.Total  Calories  Per  Serving:  varies
Thaw cubes in the refrigerator, in a doubleSWEDISH  HARD  BREAD
boiler, in the microwave (at low setting), or
in the plastic bag under cold water. Do not(Makes  20)
thaw  at  room  temperature.
Unlike store-bought varieties, this homemade
WHAT  TO  SERVEversion of "hardtack" crumbles and melts in
baby's  mouth  and  is  great  for  teething.
Fresh and frozen fruit juice, fruits and
vegetables  without  added  sugar  or  salt.1  cup  all-purpose  flour
Home-canned and frozen fruits and vegetables1  cup  rye  graham  flour
without  sugar,  salt,  or  seasonings.
2  Tablespoons  sugar  or  other  sweetener
Whole-grain cereals such as rice, oats,
barley,  corn,  and  other  grains.1/2  teaspoon  baking  soda
As with any new food, wait 5-7 days before1/2  teaspoon  baking  powder
adding another new food to see if any
allergic  reactions  occur.8  ounces  commercial  corn  muffin  mix
Honey Alert: Do not feed honey in any form to3  Tablespoons  margarine
infants under 1 year of age. Serious food
poisoning  (infant  botulism)  may  result.3/4  cup  soy  milk
RECIPESMix dry ingredients. Cut in margarine. Add
soy  milk.  Mix  well.
Here are some simple baby food recipes to get
you  started.Roll thin, cut into shapes and bake 10-15
minutes  at  350  degreesuntil  brown.
COOKED  LEAFY  GREENS
Total  Calories  Per  Cracker:  116
(Makes  10  food  cubes)
CARROT/APPLE  MIX
Many of the most nutritious veggies,
especially the green leafy ones, are not(Serves  2)
available in commercial baby foods. It's easy
to  make  your  own.This  is  a  delicious  dish.
1  pound  fresh greens (kale, collards, etc.)1/2 medium apple, cored and peeled 1/2
carrot,  washed  and  peeled
1  Tablespoon  water
2  Tablespoons  fruit  juice
3  Tablespoons  fruit  juice
1  teaspoon  lemon  juice
Wash leaves thoroughly. Steam most greens
5-15 minutes, leaving the lid off for thePuree all ingredients in blender. Or, grate
first few minutes. Puree in blender with theapples and carrot andmix with juice before
waterand  juice.serving.



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