Making Baby Food From Grapes

As summer approaches making baby food from grapes is a good idea. It is a very cooling fruit that is full of immune system boosters and antioxidants. The darker the color of the grapes are the better they are thought to be for you. Grapes contain a lot of vitamin A, most of the Bs, Vitamin C, Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Calcium, Sodium, Iron, Zinc and Copper.

When buying grapes for your baby try to buy the organic types as other kinds might be highly contaminated with pesticides. Choose grapes without soft spots or cuts and try to avoid grapes that are imported from Latin and South America as they are more likely to be tainted with pesticides. Wash the grapes well, especially if they are coated with a bit of a dusty looking substance. Be sure that you do not blend any mould into your purees by inspecting each grape to make sure it is not overripe or fermented. Fizzy grapes can cause upset stomach in a baby.

Until your baby is about two years old it is best to peel them and mash them up. They are a choking hazard. The simplest way to make grape baby food is to simply take a cup of grapes and pure them. You do not want to overdo it as it is easy to simply reduce it to grape juice if you blend them too hard. Adding a bit of yogurt can help thicken the mixture.

A nutritious savory baby food recipe using grapes is –
• 1 12 oz. package couscous
• 1 3/4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock/broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3/4 cup finely mashed up grapes
• 1/2 cup finely diced cooked chicken

Cook the cous cous according to the package directions and then pour into bowl. Add oil and lemon juice. Add the grape mash and the chicken and stir together. If the baby is under a year be sure to puree it before serving.

If you do not have cous cous you can also use any kind of rice or even quinoa. Just make sure that if the baby is under a year to blend the mixture very well. If this tastes bland you can try adding a bit of cheddar cheese or a touch of soy sauce to the mixture as well.

Other foods that go great this a pureed grape mash are blueberries, avocado, peaches, pears, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potato, chicken and yogurt.

Parenting Tips
, , , , , ,

Making Baby Food From Peas

Making baby food from peas is easy peasy. The good news is that one cup contains more protein than a tablespoon of peanut butter. They also contain calcium, vitamin A and C and Iron. They also contain potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc.

The best time to introduce peas into a baby's diet is after the baby has turned six months old. One of the nice things about peas is that they are not a toxic food that is treated with loads of pesticides. Look for ones with a bright green color and that look fresh. Buy medium sized pods because if they are too large it means that the peas are too mature.

To make the fresh peas extra tasty cook them in homemade vegetable, chicken or beef stock. You can also use frozen peas but fresh ones just taste better.

A very tasty recipe for making a big batch of Creamed Pea Baby Food and Meat involves combining the following ingredients –0
• 4 cups peas
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt pepper
• An ounce of chicken stock or beef stock
• Bite sized pieces of chicken, pork or beef
Melt the butter in a saucepan and whish in flour. Slowly add milk while whisking to prevent lumps and then add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the mixture thickens and add meat. You can serve this warm alone or with rice.

Another nice version of this combines scallions, chicken broth and instant brown rice along with chopped fresh mint into a sauce pan. You can puree this mixture after cooking or if the baby is older than 18 months, serve it to them as a rice and pea mixture.
Other foods that mix or puree great with peas are apples, carrots, green beans, white potatoes, sweet potato, squash, lentils, mushrooms and tofu.

Some babies really love it when you mix a can of tuna with peas and then add a little grated cheese and warm it up. Another variation of this is to cook up some Kraft Dinner, add tuna and peas and then puree it in a Baby Bullit or a blender to make a spectacular babyfood mix.

Here is a final helpful tip. After cooking the peas you will achieve a smoother texture after pureeing them if you plunge them into a bowl of ice cold water afterwards.

Parenting Tips
, , , , , , ,