What Kate Ate: Beef, Leek, Spinach, Broccoli + Apple Puree

I used to have a hard time with meaty baby food purees but I've learned to embrace them over the past few months. Kate will basically eat anything and I love knowing that she's getting in good, healthy protein as well as a good servings of vegetables. I always test taste a little bit of her food and this combo is seriously good. The texture isn't at all what I expected and the flavors are so bright. Kate ate every last bite! 

Steaming the steak was a tiny bit questionable to me but my Little Foodie cookbook hasn't failed me yet so I just went with it. I bought an organic, grass-fed ribeye that was on sale but I'm sure any good quality beef would work well. I have been paying attention to grocery store specials and trying to buy organic meats as much as possible, especially when I'm cooking for the minis. This puree is packed full of protein and nutrients and has been a hit with the little princess lately! 

Pump Some Iron Beef Puree
recipe from Little Foodie 

1/2 lb. organic beef, cubed
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
2 leeks, white and green parts only, chopped
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 cup trimmed and roughly chopped packed spinach
1/2 cup water, reserved from steaming (or unsalted beef stock)

Fill a medium saucepan with 2-3 inches of water. Heat on medium heat until it comes to a boil. 

Place the beef in a steamer basked (I use a metal mesh strainer on top of a saucepan) over the boiling water and cover for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli, leeks, apple and spinach to the steamer basket and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until all veggies are tender and the meat is cooked through. Let cool for a few minutes.

Place all cooked ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until you reach your desired consistency, adding reserved steaming liquid or stock as needed. I also add a pinch of salt at the very end. 

Refrigerate and use within 3 days or store in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

What Kate Ate: Pink Applesauce

Pink applesauce for my little princess! What more could a baby girl want!? Will wanted nothing to do with this because it wasn't "just applesauce", but Kate couldn't get enough! 

I'm all about hiding vegetables in my kids' food and apples seem to mix well with so many of them. I love the idea of beets with apples, since beets, when cooked, take on a really sweet flavor. They mix well with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and anything made with beets is just so bright and beautiful. 

Beets are a superfood and full of so many vitamins and minerals. They are bursting with iron, potassium, magnesium, vitamins A, B and C, and lots of beta-carotene. I always feel good knowing when my kids are getting an extra boost anywhere they can get it! 

Chopped apples and beets simmer with spices for half an hour creating a sweet mixture of fruits and warm spices. 

Pink Applesauce
recipe adapted from the Little Foodie cookbook

6 organic apples, peeled, cored and shopped
1 small organic beet, peeled and chopped
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup water

Place apples, beets, spices and water in a medium sauce pan, covered, on low- medium heat for 35-40 minutes. 

When the mixture has cooled, place in a food processor and blend until desired consistency. 

What Kate Ate: Baby Food Basics, 6-8 Months

Nothing makes me quite as satisfied as making fresh and healthy meals for my family- baby food included! I've had so much fun making Kate's food these past couple of months and she is honestly loving everything that she eats! Summertime has also been ideal because there is such an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetable available. 

As soon as Kate turned 6 months old, I started her on vegetable purees. I did a new food every 2-3 days so that I could watch out for any reactions. As time went on, I didn't wait as many days to try new foods but was careful not to give her vegetables that may cause any extra gas, as she has a sensitive little tummy! (see also: I learned my lesson with cauliflower!) 

COOKING METHODS + APPLIANCES

I use my Beaba Babycook to steam and puree all of the baby food and I am still loving it as much as I did when Will was a baby. In fact, my original machine actually died shortly after Kate turned 6 months old. Beaba was a dream to work with and sent me a reconditioned Babycook- all I had to pay was shipping! I just love the convenience of having one appliance that steams and purees everything. It's so easy to have it running while I'm doing other things around the kitchen or the house. When my Babycook was out of commission for those few weeks, I simply set up a steam basket in a small pot and then pureed in my mini Cuisinart food processor. 

VEGGIES

Avocado

Peas

Green Beans

Zucchini

Sweet Potato

Butternut Squash

Parsnips

Carrots

Yellow Squash

All of these veggies are great for baby's first foods! Aside from the avocado, which I mash myself, I steam all of the veggies prior to pureeing. The vegetables are listed above in the order that I gave them to Kate. I tried cauliflower early on but it really irritated her stomach! As a result, I also steered clear of broccoli until later. The only thing she really didn't love was green beans. I found that adding avocado to the beans made everything better! To add in some healthy fats and a little flavor, I frequently pour some olive oil in the veggie purees as well as add a tiny pinch of kosher salt. 

FRUITS

Bananas

Peaches

Blueberries

Apples

Strawberries

Watermelon

Mango

Cantaloupe

Plums

Since I started with dinner as Kate's first "meal", I stuck with vegetables for the first 2 weeks before adding in fruits. I then alternated fruit/vegetable when introducing new foods! 

HERBS

Basil

Thyme

Rosemary

Cloves

Cinnamon

I didn't wait too long before I started adding some herbs and spices to Kate's foods. It's a fun way to mix things up and makes the food extra tasty! Zucchini and summer squash with basil is one of her favorites! She also loves roasted blueberries with cinnamon and pears or apple with cloves. I add the herbs to the cooked fruits or vegetables and then puree them together.

STORING

Making big batches of food at a time is a great way to save from making food every single day! I typically store my food in the fridge for 3-5 days and in the freezer for 3 months. I love the Beaba multiportion silicone containers. The food freezes in little pods, pops out, and then I store them in small freezer bags, each labeled with whatever food is in them! So easy. 

For more on my Baby's First Food Essentials, see my list here! Happy baby food making!

What Kate Ate: Potato, Pepper + Olive Oil Puree

Kate is LOVING this potato and pepper combo this week! I have a huge post coming about the basics of baby food making, but I had to pop in and share this tasty puree. I found the recipe in my Little Foodie cookbook, which has been my go-to this time around! It's full of great recipes and tons of flavor mashups you wouldn't normally think of. 

The potatoes make this nice and creamy and the peppers give it a nice sweet flavor. I like to add good olive oil (like Ina!) to veggie purees for a flavor boost plus the good fats and a pinch of kosher salt always goes a long way. I bought some organic chicken breast this week that I'm going to be adding to this, too! 

Potato, Pepper + Olive Oil Puree

1 organic white potato, chopped
1 organic red bell pepper, chopped
1 TBSP. olive oil
pinch of kosher salt

Steam potatoes for 10-15 minutes, until they start to get tender. Add peppers and steam for another 5-7 minutes. Discard steaming liquid. Place peppers and potatoes in a mini food processor with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Add additional water if you need to thin it out a bit. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or in the freezer for 3 months. 

What Kate Ate: Baby's First Food Essentials

I am in total denial that she is even old enough for this, but here we are. Little Kate has entered the world of real food and when she had her first blissful taste of Avocado shortly after she turned 6 months we knew that she was more than ready. She was so excited with each bite and kept pulling the spoon to her mouth! She's tried tons of different vegetables and some fruits already and is doing so well with new flavors and textures. Another little food lover- I'm so proud. 

Pulling out all of my baby food making supplies made me so happy. I love cooking for my family and having little mouths to feed, although challenging at times, is so much fun. Here are some of my favorite baby food making products!

Beaba Babycook Pro- while not necessary, it certainly makes the entire process much easier! I love having one appliance that steams and purees and that is only used for baby food. Cleanup is easy, too. I love this thing!

Oxotot Baby Blocks- the best containers for food storage as well as taking on the go. They are freezer and microwave safe and also stack neatly in trays for tidy storage in the fridge or freezer.

Beaba Silicone Multiportions Container- These trays are my favorite for freezing purees. Each section holds a 2oz. portion and pops out easily when you are ready to use. I also use these to freeze my marinara sauce for pizza! I pop two out which is enough to cover a pizza and dip pizza knots in!

Beaba Silicone Spoons- the best baby spoons!

Cooking for Baby- This book is great! It was my go to for Will. The recipes are organized by baby age making it easy to work through and experiment with different flavors and food combinations.

Little Foodie- My newest discovery this time around. I'm loving this book and the Baby Foode blog is one of my favorites right now! 

Additionally, these mesh feeders are great for frozen fruits and veggies for teething babies. Bumkins bibs are easy to wipe down and throw in the wash. 

I'm looking forward to many more first food adventures with this little princess!