Combination 2.0

Just a list of some new combinations we've tried and how they have gone over.

Broccoli, Beans and Ham (2 cubes broccoli, 1 cube beans and 1 oz ham)
Ratings:
Seren - 3 stars
Kendall - 3 stars

Butternut Squash and Broccoli (3 cubes squash and 1 broccoli)
Seren - 4 stars
Kendall - 3 stars

Carrots and Parsnips (2 cubes carrot and 2 cubes parsnips)
Seren - 4 stars
Kendall - 4 stars

Yams, Beans and Ham (2 cubes ham, 1 cube beans and 1/2 oz ham)
Seren - 4+ stars
Kendall - 4+ stars
*they LOVED this...they were whining and wiggling for more

Yams and Beans (2 cubes of each)
Seren - 4 stars
Kendall - 4 stars

Mango and Blueberry (2 cubes mango and 1 cube blueberry)
Seren - 3 stars
Kendall - 3 stars

*to be continued......(keep in mind my mixing ratio is for two kiddos so you can shrink it down)

Carrot Puree

 Initially going into homemade baby food I was concerned about some things that I read about nitrate exposure.  So finding this information/article on nitrate exposure made me feel a lot better.  Basically it states that food with nitrates (such as carrots and other "root" veggies) should not be prepared for a child younger then 3 months.  By the time most babies are introduced to solids the concern of nitrate exposure (which can cause infant anemia) is null and void as the child's body can digest nitrates.  Yeah!  What a relief.

So this is a simple carrot puree.  I used about 4 medium to large carrots.

Steamed them in the microwave (via Pampered Chef large steamer) with about 1/4 cup water for approximately 8 minutes until extra tender. 

Once they were tender I placed them in my small electric blender and voila! a delicious carrot puree.  

I used my pastry bag to dispense into the ice cubes trays and into the freezer it went.

Cost:  $1.50 (estimate...I'll keep better track next time)

Servings: 1 ice cube tray (16 cube ~ 1 oz each)

Prep Time:  10-12 minutes

Notes:  Froze well just mix it back together as the water separates.

Tools: small electric blender, microwave steamer, pastry bag and ice cube trays.

Rating:

Kendall - 3 stars

Seren - 3 stars

My kiddos weren't sure on carrots the first bite or two but loved them by the end.  I am also getting a little bit of a stock pile of purees going in the freezer.  I love this!  It is as easy or easier then breaking open a baby food jar at meal time.  I have been introducing new foods at their afternoon meal (allowing time to observe any reactions) and then a bottle and some cereal for bed time.  Usually they eat one cube of food (if they like it)...so I imagine we'll be bumping them up to two cubes as they get better at eating.  By then I will probably break out the big guns (my regular blender) but for now I LOVE my mini blender.