Easy Homemade First Foods

I'm just beginning to integrate more and more solid foods into my daughter's diet. Sometimes I buy her premade food, but I prefer to make my own so that I know exactly what she's getting. Plus, it's more fun to get creative and experiment with different flavors! Here are my top five simple vitamin-packed baby food recipes that I've started her off with:

Carrot-Apple Chicken
Ingredients:
1 small apple (cored & seeds removed)
1/2 small onion
12 oz carrots
8 fl oz water
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp olive oil
14 oz chicken breast

• Peel and chop the onion, carrots, and apple
• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sautee the onion until soft. Add the chopped carrots, water, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Cut chicken into cubes and add to the saucepan along with the chopped apple. Cook for another 10 minutes.
• Remove bay leaf and puree the mixture in a blender.

Vanilla-Cinnamon Sweet Potato/Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients:
1 medium sized sweet potato
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon to taste

• Bake your sweet potato in the oven, or boil it on the stove until easily punctured with a fork.
• Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. If the puree seems too thick, add water in 1/4 cup increments as needed.

Apple/Green Bean/Broccoli Puree
Ingredients:
2 apples
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup green beans

• Core and chop the apples, trim and chop the green beans.
• Place apples, green beans, and broccoli into a steamer pot over boiling water and cover. Cook for 10 minutes or until all vegetables can be easily punctured with a fork.
• Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. If the puree seems too thick, add water from your steamer pot in 1/4 cup increments as needed.

Sweet Potato/Pear/Red Pepper Puree
Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
1 red bell pepper
1 pear

Peel and chop the sweet potato.
Seed and chop the pepper.
Core and chop the pear.

• Place sweet potato in a steamer pot over boiling water, covered, for 10 minutes. Add red pepper, pear, and steam for another 5-10 minutes, or until the pear is tender.
• Add all ingredients to the blender and puree until smooth. If the puree seems too thick, add water from your steamer pot in 1/4 cup increments as needed.

Apple & Coconut Milk
Ingredients:
6 apples
1/2 cup canned coconut milk (full fat)
1/4 tsp clove

• Peel, core, and chop apples.
• Place apples, coconut milk, and cloves in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until apples can be cut in half with the back of a spoon.
• Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.