3 easy recipes for you & your baby

I tried making homemade baby food for both of my babies and it always ended up being a waste. I would steam all these wonderful fresh vegetables and puree them with some filtered water or breast milk and maybe spices and neither of them were into it. After trying and trying, and the baby food eventually finding its way into my smoothies, I just gave up. Some babies love purees but mine never did. My son who is now 2, was completely disinterested in anything but breastmilk until 12 months and then baby led weaning worked well for him. My now 10 month old daughter is a lot more interested in solids than her brother and I’ve been making chunky baby foods that I can feed her if I just don’t feel like cleaning up smeared food from every crevice of the high chair (which goes along with BLW). Today I am sharing three “recipes” of sorts for some baby food that my 10 month old daughter has been into lately. I often just use my pinky finger to put it in her mouth because it works better than a spoon. The great thing about these “recipes” is that if your baby doesn’t eat them, you can eat them yourself!

MASHED AVOCADO WITH HEMP SEEDS

Healthy fats are important for your baby’s brain development and this recipe is packed with them. All you need is a ripe avocado, peeled and mashed in a small bowl, mix in some hemp hearts or hemp powder for added omega-3 fats and protein. Alternatively, you can slice avocado and sprinkle the hemp seeds on top so baby can grab a piece for baby led weaning. If your baby doesn’t eat this, smear it on a piece of whole grain toast or throw it in a blueberry smoothie.

Avocados contain 8% of our recommended daily value of omega-3 essential fatty acids, all the B vitamins (except B12), 20% of our daily value of vitamin C as well as phosphorus, manganese and copper. They lower risk of heart disease, improve blood levels of LDL (good cholesterol), and lower levels of oxidative stress in the bloodstream. Hemp seeds are a complete plant protein, meaning they contain all 9 essential amino acids we need as humans. Hemp is also one of the world’s most sustainable crops because it grows in nearly every climate and is used all over the world as a source of food, fiber, textile, paper and even fuel!

MASHED ROASTED OR STEAMED SWEET POTATO

All you need for this is a sweet potato, peeled and sliced into thick rounds, and steamed or roasted until soft when pierced with a fork. Mash it or cut them into “fries” for baby led weaning. If you have extra for yourself, throw in a salad or smoothie!

Remember your mom saying to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Well, it is true. The orange color in carrots, sweet potato and other orange vegetables and fruit is from the antioxidant beta-carotene and is important for eye health! Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A. The antioxidants which are anti-inflammatory, may possibly even lower the potential risk of heavy metal exposure.

APPLEKRAUT

All you need for this is an organic apple, and a jar of wild fermented or lacto-fermented sauerkraut or kimchi. My favorite brand here on the east coast is Real Pickles available at Whole Foods Market or Dean’s Natural Food Market. Pour some of the liquid from the sauerkraut into a small jar and grate the apples into it. You can also use some of the grated cabbage (or whatever other fermented vegetable you are using) and mix half and half apples and cabbage. If you start your baby young on this, they will acquire a taste for it. I love eating it straight out of the jar but it’s also great in soup and on top of tacos!

Scientists and doctors are discovering more and more how important the diversity of our gut microbiota is, which is why it is so important to feed our babies fermented foods. Especially if your baby was born via cesarian, if they were not breast fed, or if they have been administered antibiotics. Before a baby is born, they are sterile, and their descent through the birth canal is what populates their skin with healthy bacteria/microbes from the mother. Breast milk provides healthful bacteria to populate the new baby’s digestive tract as well as indigestible fiber which feeds the bacteria in the large intestine. Since some 60% of the volume of our immune system and 80% of the work of our immune system lies right behind the gut lining, these microbes play a huge role in building a strong immune system in your baby!