It’s been an incredible 6 1/2 months; fortified by the love and support of my wonderful partner and primarily revolving around our vibrant wee honey bee! Watching Adira grow and develop is by far our favourite pleasure.

We have loved doing little photoshoots with her as to document her progress, above are a few of these photos.

Below are some baby food recipes for new Mommy’s who want to make their own purees rather than buying store bought. I found it hard to find neat recipes for our tiny gourmet that were interesting after doing the standard initiations of pureed apple, baby porridge and the rest.

Tried and tested- Adira says they pass the raspberries test- ie: they stay in the mouth rather than other places eh little munchkin ;) aand the first one- ‘Thai- style Fruit Pudding’ is bloody great for all of us- deliver to a parfait glass and top with vanilla mascarpone and a sprig of mint. Bless.

Bon Appetit!

Tropical Thai-style Fruit Pudding

Ingredients:

1 mango
2 bananas
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp. brown sugar (omit if you’d prefer refined sugar free)
1 tsp. lime juice

Preparation:

Peel, core and chop mango into chunks. Peel and slice banana into chunks. Over medium heat, pour coconut milk into a medium-sized saucepan. With a wooden spoon, stir in brown sugar and lime juice. Add mango and banana. Cook for 3 minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree to a smooth texture. Pour the fruit pudding into your freezer cube trays, cover and freeze until ready to use.

Serving:

Defrosted pudding cubes taste great alone, but try these options for variety:

Add fruit pudding to oatmeal for a great tasting start to the day.
Add a few cubes of fruit pudding to pancake batter to make Thai-inspired pancakes
Add mashed brown rice to create a fruity rice pudding
Toss 2-3 frozen cubes, 2 ice cubes and splash of fruit juice or milk in a blender for a frothy fruit smoothie.

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Ginger Pear Delight

Ingredients:

4-6 Pears
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Preparation:

Wash the pears. Peel skin and remove the core. Cut the fruit into 1-inch chunks or slices.
Microwave Method: Place the pears in a microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle the pears with vanilla and ground ginger. Cover with a lid. Cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. The fruit is done if a fork slides easily into it or it can be mashed easily. Place the fruit and 2-4 Tbsp. of the cooking juice into a blender or food processor. Stove Method: Pour 1 cup of water in a large saucepan. Set a steamer basket in the saucepan. Place the pear pieces in the steamer basket. Sprinkle the pears with vanilla and ground ginger. Cover the saucepan and place on a stove burner. Set the burner temperature to HIGH and bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. The fruit is done if a fork slides easily into it or it can be mashed easily. Place the fruit and 2 to 4 Tbsp. of cooking juice into a blender or food processor.
Puree the pears in the blender or food processor to a smooth texture. At least once during the puree process, stop the appliance and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Pour or spoon the pureed pears into ice cube trays and cover them. Put them in the freezer for 8 to 10 hours or overnight.
Write “PEARS” and the date on a freezer storage bag. Remove the baby food trays from the freezer and quickly run hot water over the back of the tray. Twist the tray to pop the pear cubes out and into the freezer storage bag. Place the storage bag in the freezer.

Baby Borscht Puree

Ingredients:

3 beets, peeled
1 apple, peeled
1 potato, peeled
1½ cups water or low-sodium chicken/ vege broth

Preparation:

Chop beets, apple and potato into 1-inch cubes and place them in medium saucepan. Add water or chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are fork tender. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool a few minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree to a smooth texture. Pour the Baby Borscht into your ice cube trays, cover and freeze until ready to use.

Serving:

Defrost borscht cubes and stir in a little plain yogurt for a creamy texture. Serve warm or cool

Shitake & Edamame Puree

Introducing Umami

Edamame and Shitake mushrooms are two very common ingredients in Japanese cooking. Edamame (pronounced ed-ah-MAH-may) are little green gems – packed with protein and loads of nutrients. Including Shitake mushrooms in this puree is a great way to introduce your baby to the distinctive taste of umami.

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Ingredients:

1/2 cup Shitake mushrooms, stems removed
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 cups Shelled Edamame
¾ – 1 cup Water
1 tsp. Soy sauce, optional

Preparation:

Bring 6 cups of water to boil in a stock pot. Add Edamame and cook for 4 minutes. Drain Edamame in a colander and place them in a blender or food processor. In a small sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat, add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, soy sauce and ¾ cup of water to the Edamame in the blender. Process until the mixture is a smooth puree. If needed, add additional water.

Spoon the puree into ice cube trays, cover and freeze until ready to use. Serve as a vegetable dish for your baby’s meal with mashed brown rice, meats or fish.