Baby Food : Fruits Recipes 1

Fresh and Simple Fruit Recipes for Homemade Baby Food

Try these simple and tasty fruit baby food recipes. Your baby will love the taste of fresh fruits and you will love how quick and easy it is to make these fruit recipes.

A word about cooking fruits for baby - Most pediatric sources recommend cooking fruits that will be fed to an infant until that infant is about 8 months old. Bananas and avocado are a few of the exceptions. For infants who start solids prior to 6 months old, cooking fruits is really a good idea. Cooking fruits breaks them down thus enabling easier digestion in an immature tummy. An older baby will be better able to handle the fibers and sugars of raw fruits than will the baby who is younger and just starting on solids.

Apples/Applesauce (4-6 months)

(Use Gala, Braeburn, Rome or Macs)
Vitamins: A, C, Folate
Minerals: Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium

This recipe is written so that you may use any amount of apples you wish. We recommend Fuji, Gala, Braeburn or Macintosh

Directions:

1. Peel, core and cut apple into slices/chunks
2. Place slices or chunks into a pan with just enough water to slightly cover apples and boil/steam until tender; be sure to check on the water level and stir
3. Apples may be mashed with a potato masher to achieve a smooth applesauce consistency. If your masher will not achieve a puree type of consistency, then follow steps below:

4. Reserve any left over water to use for thinning out the apples
5. Place into your choice of appliance for pureeing and begin pureeing.
6. Add the reserved water as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin puree - add cereal (if desired) to thicken.Ask your pediatrician about adding some cinnamon for new tastes.

You may also buy an "Adult" jar of Natural applesauce from your local grocers. Make sure you buy Natural Applesauce however. Read the labels if you are unsure. The only ingredients should be apples and water or just apples. A few companies may add ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or citric acid to their Natural Applesauce; this is fine.

If your baby is constipated, you might also use the juice that is leftover from the cooking to mix into cereals, or with water in a bottle or sippy cup.

You may use breast milk or formula to thin out any puree instead of water

Avocado (yes, avocado is a fruit.)
Vitamins: A, C, Niacin, Folate
Minerals: Potassium, Phosphorus, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium

1 ripe avocado

Directions:

Peel and take out the pit of a ripe avocado - do not cook
Cut “meat” out and mash with a fork
There should be no need to use a machine as just like bananas, avocados have a very soft consistency and texture. Avocados do not need to be cooked.

How to Select an Avocado - When selecting an Avocado, you want a dark green color with bumpy texture. The fruit should be firm yet yielding when gently pushed. When an avocado is sliced in half, the flesh color should be a green that gently transforms into a buttery yellow around the pit. Visit our Avocado Topic for more recipes and information.

Apple ‘Cado (4)6-8months+ 

Ingredients:

1/2 of a peeled and pitted avocado
1/4 cup applesauce

Directions:

Mash the avocado half.
Mix mashed avocado with applesauce (homemade or natural) and serve.

Bananas
Vitamins: A, C, Folate
Minerals: Potassium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Magnesium, Calcium

1 ripe banana

Directions:

1. Peel ripe banana - do not cook
2. Place banana in a food processor/food mill or blender and puree
You can also mash the banana in a bowl using a regular fork – heat in microwave for 25 seconds prior to mashing for extra softness
Add formula/breast milk or water to thin or add cereal (if desired) to thicken up.

Bananas and banana puree may be frozen. Using a bit of lemon juice will help to prevent the browning of a banana (and most other fruits) when freezing it. It is the citric acid or the ascorbic acid that aids in the preservation of fruits. The exposure to oxygen and the enzymes in a banana (and most other fruits) are what cause it to go from green to yellow, and then brown to black, as it ripens. A blackish or brownish banana is not necessarily rotten or bad.

Banana Applesauce Mush

Ingredients:

2 apples (gala, braeburn or mac)
1 ripe banana

Directions:

1. Peel, core and cut apples into slices/chunks.
2. Place slices or chunks into a pan with just enough water to slightly cover apples
3. Boil until tender; be sure to check on the water level.
Apples may be mashed with a potato masher to achieve a smooth applesauce consistency or you can puree in a blender or food processor.
4. Peel a ripe banana and mash in a bowl with a fork (heating in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds will soften the banana up if needed).
Add applesauce to the banana and sprinkle with wheat germ* or crushed cheerios*
Puree if necessary but mashing with a potato masher will typically get this mix smooth
*8months+

Banana ‘Cado

Ingredients:

1/2 of a peeled and pitted avocado
1 small ripe banana

Directions:

Mash the avocado half and mash the banana
Mix mashed avocado with banana & serve

Pears
Vitamins: A, C, Folate
Minerals: Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Calcium

Ingredients:

2 ripe pears (Bartlett, Red or Comice)

Directions: Steam gently until tender if baby is between 4-6 months old otherwise peel & mash - removing the seed portion
Peel and cut into chunks so as to avoid the little seed portion.

Or

Cut the pears in half (no need to peel unless your little one has issues with digestion) and cut out the seed/core portion then dice the pear halves. Peel and cut into chunks so as to avoid the little seed portion.

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a shallow pot with a steamer basket insert.
Add the pears to the steamer basket in the pot and then steam until soft and tender.

You may also add the pear dices to wee bit of boiling water and steam them this way if you do not have a steamer basket.   Using a scant amount of water ensures that you are not boiling them.

Place in a blender/food processor and puree until smooth. You may be able to just use a fork too.

Use the leftover cooking water if needed but Pears tend to be very runny and watery without adding liquid.  Add some baby cereal to thicken if needed.

Apples & Pears

Ingredients:

1 apple – cored & peeled
1 pear – cored & peeled

Directions:

Dice apple & pear and simmer together until tender. Mash or puree as needed.

Baked Apples (6-8 months)

Macintosh Apples - any number you desire

Directions:

1. Core apple and leave peel on
2. Place a wee bit of butter (if baby is ready for or has had dairy) on the inside of the cored apple (sprinkle a bit of cinnamon in the apple if your desire and if baby is ready for or has had cinnamon)
3. Place in a pan with just enough water to slightly cover apples – about an inch of water
4. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes or until tender; be sure to check on the water level.
5. Once baked, either cut apple into little bits and serve as a finger food or mash as directed above in the Apples/Applesauce recipe.

Apple Peach Banana (6-8 months)

Ingredients:

1 peach – pit & peel
1 apple – cored & peeled
½ ripe banana
1/4 cup of water

Directions:

1. Dice apple & peach and simmer together in a small pot with water until tender.

2. Mash the banana into the apple & peach mix and then puree as needed.

Apricot Puree (6-8 months)
(using dried, un-sulphured apricots)
Vitamins: A, C, Folate
Minerals: Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium

Ingredients:

1 pound dried apricots

2 c. white grape juice or apple juice. Plain water is ok but the puree may be a bit bitter. Some babies actually like a bitter taste however. Consider using ½ water or ½ juice if you disagree with the juices or if baby cannot have juice. You can always mix in another fruit such as peaches or bananas and leave out the juice entirely.

Directions:

1. Bring liquid and fruit to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Reserve any left over liquid to use for the puree
3. Place into your choice of appliance for pureeing and begin pureeing.
4. Add the reserved liquid as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin puree or
5. Add cereal (if desired) to thicken up
6. Note: puree will not freeze solid, but into slightly soft/slightly frozen cubes.

Mango* Creamy Puree (6-8 months)
Vitamins: A (1262 IU in one cup.), C, E, K, Folate
Minerals: Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium

If your infant is currently not eating yogurt and/or you do not wish to use any juice, simply peel, de-seed and mash the mango with some water until the proper consistency for Your Infant is achieved.

Ingredients:

1 Ripe Mango
Plain or Vanilla Yogurt OR
Water, Apple or Pear Juice

Directions:

Peel, seed and mash mango until smooth -
Add Yogurt or Water or Juice until the proper consistency for Your Infant is achieved.

*Mango does not need to be cooked as it is typically introduced at an age where baby can tolerate raw fruits. Mango may be steamed to tender and then mashed if you prefer without harming it. HINT. You may use mango as a great Baby Finger Foods. Simply peel, de-seed and then cut into dices or chunks that are manageable for your baby. You may wish to coat the mango pieces with "cheerio dust", wheat germ or another cereal "dust" to help baby easily pick up the bits. 

Remember, always consult with your pediatrician regarding introducing solid foods to your baby and specifically discuss any foods that may pose allergy risks for your baby.