Here are some recipes that are quick to make and nutritious! I recommend making a large batch and freezing in ice-cube trays or meal-sized containers. These are tried and tested on my 7 month old baby.
I don't believe in over-pureeing - a quick whiz with a stick blender should do it. Lumps are good - it teaches them to move onto more solid foods. I supplement these 'mushy' foods with steamed vegies and cheese that my baby feeds to himself. He loves it! He also loves toast. I list these finger food ideas below too.
Lentil bolognese with risoni
- Simmer one can of tinned chopped tomatoes with one can of lentils (drained). Add a sprinkling of dried or fresh basil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add one small grated zucchini and one grated carrot to the lentil/tomato mixture. Mix in and continue simmering for about 10 minutes.
- Take off heat and puree gently, leaving the sauce quite lumpy.
- In a separate saucepan cook half a cup of risoni (pasta) until al dente. Drain. If your baby finds the risoni too big, you can chop them up to make smaller.
- Add the risoni to the lentil bolognese and mix well.
- Serve and/or freeze!
Green bean and spinach risotto with pumpkin and tofu
- Gently fry half a cup of arborio rice with a dash of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan.
- Once heated, start ladling in a light stock (I used a third of a cube of a Massel vegetable stock cube with 500 mls boiling water) stirring constantly. Add more stock as needed, still stirring.
- After about 10 minutes, add a cup of finely chopped green beans and/or snow peas to the risotto mixture.
- Continue cooking, adding more stock and stirring as required.
- After a few more minutes, add about 200 grams of finely chopped firm tofu to the risotto mixture. Keep stirring, adding more stock and cooking.
- When the risotto is nearly ready (taste the rice, it should be nearly soft; about 20 minutes) add in a few handfuls of chopped spinach (normal or baby). Stir until wilted.
- Remove from the heat. Add in pre-baked or boiled finely chopped pumpkin and/or sweet potato.
- Stir thoroughly; a bit of a mash with a wooden spoon or a blend with the stick may be needed if it's too lumpy for your bub.
Pumpkin with pear quinoa
- Peel and slice a pear and place in a saucepan with half a cup of quinoa. Cover with a cup of water and let simmer for 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is soft.
- In another saucepan/pot boil or steam a quarter of a pumpkin (cut into cubes). When cooked, mash or lightly puree.
- Mix the pear quinoa mix with the pureed pumpkin to serve.
This is my baby's favourite at the moment! The slight sweetness of the pear really complements the pumpkin. You can freeze the two separately and mix them together, or mix them with any other vegie mix.
IDEAS for FROZEN CUBES of VEGIES
It's good to have a stash if pre-cooked mashed vegies in the freezer that you can mix together to create different flavours for your bub.
I freeze mine in ice-cube trays (with lids) then transfer them into containers. I pull out the cubes and microwave them, making sure to mix well and let sit (and test) before serving.
I often also add canned beans (eg. cannellini, kidney), chick peas and lentils to the vegies and puree.
To turn into a more substantial meal, I'll add some cooked quinoa, cous cous, risoni or rice. I'll often pre-cook and freeze these as well so I can just add them to the vegie cubes before heating.
Green vegie mix: Cauliflower, broccoli and squash
- Boil or steam some cauliflower, broccoli and squash (and/or zucchini) until just soft.
- Lightly blend with a stick blender; make sure there are still a few lumps!
Orange vegie mix: Pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato and potato
- Boil or steam some pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato and potato until soft.
- Lightly blend with a stick blender.
Pink vegie mix
- Boil a fresh beetroot until soft (about and hour). Let cool, then peel the skin and chop into pieces.
- Also boil or steam some pumpkin and sweet potato and add to the beetroot.
- Blend!
Fruit
- Peel some fruit - apple, pear, nectarines all work well. You can do a single fruit or mix several together.
- Cut into pieces and place in a saucepan with a small about of water (about 1cm deep).
- Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the fruit is soft.
- Blend lightly using a stick blender.
Stewed fruit can be served with rice cereal or porridge for breakfast, or by itself or mixed with plain yoghurt as a dessert.
IDEAS for FINGER FOOD
Steamed vegies that my baby likes to feed himself:
- Broccoli
- Green beans
- Brussel sprouts (yes, really! he loves them)
- Carrot
- Cauliflower
You can boil them or steam them (or just steam them for a minute or two in the microwave in a covered bowl with a bit of water).
Baked vegies that my baby LOVES:
- Potato
- Sweet potato
- Pumpkin
Bake in the oven with a bit of olive oil.
Other finger food ideas:
- Sticks of tasty cheese
- Fingers of toast
