Apple Cinnamon Puree - Recipe

Hello recipe #1!

I've come up with a no-brainer, user-friendly,  apple cinnnamon puree recipe today. I chose to start off with this one because apples are a great starter food for baby. They're tasty, but not too harsh for baby's sensitive palate.

Readers: here's the nitty gritty about health benefits of apples for baby. Scroll down if you're just here for the recipe, but I'm here to tell you this is some interesting stuff!

Pregnant mamas take note, eating 4ish apples per week can reduce the risk of your baby developing childhood asthma. Apples contain phytochemicals (plant substances) I know, hard to believe, right?? Anyway, these phytochemicalas are linked to improved lung health. Besides improved lung health, apples can reduce the risk of certain cancers,  so that saying about an apple a day... yeah, I'd start following that advice!

Apple Cinnamon Puree

Good for babies - 6 months and up

Difficullty level - Easy

Time - 30 minutes-ish

Servings - 9, 2ounces each

What you'll need:

4 Golden Delicious or Red Delicious apples, quartered and cored JUST before cooking

1/4 teaspoon of good Cinnamon *optional*

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in your stockpot. Place quartered apples, skin still on, in steamer basket and set in stockpot. Cover and let steam about 10 minutes. Pierce with a knife, if tender, they are done. Make sure not to steam too long or they will become water logged, similar to potatoes. DO NOT DISCARD COOKING LIQUID!

Let apples cool in the fridge while you set up your processor. 

Remove skins and discard, and place apple flesh in processor.

Puree apples until smooth adding cinnamon now if desired, SLOWLY add some reserved cooking liquid to desired consistency. Adding it too quickly will result in random apple chunks which are not good for beginner eaters.

The puree is now ready for storage. Remember the Beaba container I was telling you about? Well now is the time to put it to use. Store your airtight container full of  puree in the freezer for up to 3 months (note: over time,  slight discoloration is normal, no need to worry!) You can even label it with some masking tape and a Sharpie with the food item and date you made it to ensure good handling. My Culinary instructors would be so proud...

So there it is, apple cinnamon puree... I may or may not have made a snack out of my photo model below, it's THAT good!

Happy Eating!

PS~ I would LOVE to get some feedback if you have made this/are going to make this recipe. Let me know how easy it was, if the instructions made sense and if your little one liked it!

Getting started: The goods!

So, there isn't much special equipment you need to make your own baby food. Some of the basic kitchen tools you'll need are: a knife, a stock pot, food processor/ food mill or blender, steamer basket, and a few individual portion storage containers.

 

This Beaba storage container is what we have and I love it. It's silicone, so once you have frozen your food, you can just pop out individual portions a few hours before you need it to defrost in the fridge. If you don't want to spend the money on a fancy storage container you can hit up the dollar store and buy a few ice cube trays. When I am making multiple batches at a time that's what I use. They work just as well. Once your puree is frozen, pop them out and store your purees in Ziplock freezer bags. Easy as that!

Follow us along for a DIY baby food journey!

As a baker and wedding cake decorator and my husband being a chef, we put a lot of thought into what goes into our now 7 month old's mouth.  I am here to demonstrate how simple it is to make fresh baby food from start to finish, using Oliver as my model. Everything from recipes and ingredients, to food storage will be highlighted, along with food cost (thank you culinary school!) and  nutritional benefits, WITH photos of course!

If your baby has a similar reaction to Oliver's after eating jarred green beans, this blog may be for you!

Giving your baby prepared baby food is convenient, fairly inexpensive, and just plain EASY. There are so many brands, varieties and options available in plenty of stores now-a-days. Organic, non-organic, meat and meat-free, mixed fruits, mixed veg, fruits with granola, veg with brown rice blended in, even spoonable baby "smoothies,"

I don't know about you, but I couldn't imagine living off of canned mixed veg, blended prunes, canned green beans or pureed meats with gravy (?!?). You and your baby may find these things appealing, but I do not, and that is exactly why I decided to start this blog, for all the grossed out babies out there along with their moms and dads who want to give them something better so slurp on.

After trying some of my recipes, THIS should be your baby's reaction after mealtime!

Stay tuned for more updates. I can't wait to teach everyone a little something along the way!