I’ve been making this puree for Kenya since he started eating yogurt. I add a tablespoon to his yogurt for breakfast everyday. All the “baby” yogurt on the market, even the organic brands, are filled with sugar. By purchasing a huge container of Organic Whole Milk Yogurt and making this delicious puree, I’m saving money and giving him a snack with a sweet all natural flavor.
Make sure that you buy apricots without sulfur dioxide which can cause allergic reactions. The apricots won’t have that gorgeous bright orange color that most grocery stores carry, but they’re better for baby and just as delicious.
This puree can also be added to savory dishes such as Chicken Tagine with Apricots.

Apricot Puree (makes 2 Cups)

1 lb Bag Unsulphered Dried Apricots
2 Cups Boiling Water

1. Put apricots in a glass bowl and cover with boiling water.
2. Let stand for 15 minutes or until soft.
3. Puree in a food processor adding water from glass bowl until smooth.
4. Store in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to a month.

*Place in Baby Cubes and freeze.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

When you go to farmers markets, you think about getting the freshest produce possible. I could eat peaches and apricots until I’m blue in the face, and truly mourn when the last crop of O’Henry’s finishes for the season. What better way to satisfy a craving then by eating dried peaches and apricots.
I buy the most delectable Golden Flame Raisins from the owners of Peacock Family Farms. They’re so plump, juicy and have a gorgeous flame color. Make sure to buy unsulfured dried fruit which is darker in color. The bright orange fruit you buy at the grocery is treated with sulpher dioxite which can cause allergic reactions.
This is one of the bases that I always keep in the refrigerator. It lasts for weeks and you can add it to all kinds of purees, yogurt and cottage cheese.
Dried fruit is naturally sweet and a fantastic source of potassium and iron, which helps the blood carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Without sufficient iron, your child will feel tired and be more susceptible to infection.

Apricot, Peach and Raisin Puree (2 1/2 Cups)

1 Cup Dried Apricots , Unsulphered
1 Cup Dried Peaches, Unsulphered
1/2 Cup Raisins
Hot Water

1. Put all fruit in a bowl and cover with hot water.
2. Let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Puree in a food processor. Add hot water from bowl a tablespoon at a time or until puree is smooth.

*Place in Baby Cubes and freeze.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

Nothing makes Kenya happier then his oranges vegetables and since they’re both packed with beta-carotene, an antioxidant which protects skin and the lining of the intestines, lungs, nose and throat, it makes Mommy happy too.
These are three staples that I always have in the kitchen, so it’s quick and easy to prepare when you realize that you don’t have a meal in the house for baby to eat.

Chicken with Sweet Potato and Carrots (12 Baby Servings, freeze)

1 Chicken Breast
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed
15 Baby Carrots

1. Place the chicken breast in a steamer pot over boiling water for 3 minutes.
2. Add the sweet potato and carrots for another 5 minutes until all ingredients are tender and chicken is cooked through.
3. Put ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

One of my favorite things about baby food is that it’s just pure, wholesome and delicious. When these fruits are at their ripest, it’s so heavenly tasting, you don’t need to add anything.
Whenever I look at baby food jars in the grocery with artificial colors, preservatives and additives I think “do you really want your baby eating that crap”. I wouldn’t want it in my body, so why would I knowingly feed it to Kenya?
There’s nothing sweeter then a fresh banana, pear or peach. Even at this time of year, when peaches are out of season, I defrost frozen organic fruit and in an instant I can make this puree. This is the best dessert or breakfast food a baby would want.

Banana, Pear and Peach Puree (12 Baby Food Servings, freeze 1/2)

1 Banana
1 Pear
1 Peach (or 1 Cup Frozen Organic Peach Slices, defrosted)

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor.
2. Puree until smooth.
3. Serve.

*Place in Baby Cubes and freeze.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

One of my favorite flavor combinations is found in the Moroccan dish known as “tagine”. It’s also a cooking vessel in which you put meat, vegetables, spices, cover and roast it for an hour or so. There are few restaurants that make it, so I decided to prepare the baby version for Kenya.
This is one of those dishes that I thought “there’s no way he’s going to like it”. When I tell you that he acted like a little piggy snarfing it down. I think the combination of the chicken, apricots and the mellow spices turned him on. And of course watching me cook and taste it made him want to be part of the fun even more.

*Feel free to to double the chicken breast or thighs if you don’t want to buy 2 different cuts

Chicken Tagine with Apricots (16 Baby Servings, freeze 1/2)

2 Chicken Thighs, skinless
1 Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless
15 Baby Carrots
1 Tbsp Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, peeled
1 Zucchini, chopped
1/2 Cup Chopped Organic Tomatoes, canned or fresh
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Ginger or 1/4 tsp dried
2 Tbsp Apricot Puree

1. Put chicken. carrots, onion, garlic and zucchini in a steamer pot over boiling water.
2. Steam for 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove chicken from the bone and put with remaining ingredients in a food processor.
4. Puree for 2 minutes or until smooth.
5. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

I find it funny that everyone says Kenya looks tan. Both my husband and I are pale as ghosts so there had to be some long lost relative with a dark skinned gene. Nice try! He just eats so many orange vegetables, that his skin has taken on an orange hue. He does look handsome with his auburn glow, though.
There’s at least one deep orange vegetable for Kenya to snack on in the fridge everyday. They’re incredibly easy to make, nutritious, a beautiful color and super sweet. Yesterday, I baked his ‘once a week’ butternut squash. As it came out of the oven, I scooped out a bite to make sure it’s something I would eat. Not so sweet?! I was perplexed and didn’t want to throw away a perfectly good squash. I looked around the kitchen and found the gorgeous California Medjool dates I had bought at the market to snack on. Sweet as candy and rich in Magnesium and Potassium, I soaked a few and threw them in the food processor with the squash. Heaven. Kenya thought so too.

Butternut Squash and Date Puree (Makes 10 Baby Servings, freeze 1/2)

1 Butternut Squash, halved, seeds removed (refrigerator the other half for later
4 Dates

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Place one half of squash face down on a cookie sheet or in a pyrex dish.
3. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender.
4. Pour hot water over dates in a bowl and soak for 15 minutes.
5. Scoop cooked squash out of the shell and into a food processor.
6. Remove the pits from the dates and put them in the processor.
7. Puree until creamy.
8. Cool and serve

*Place in Baby Cubes and freeze.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

Yummy, delicious, creamy, nutritious.. All the words I think of when describing this dish. The first time I tried a cherimoya was 3 weeks ago at the Farmers Market and my “avocado lady” gave me one. In some Latin cuisine, cherimoya ice cream is popular. To me, it tastes like banana crossed with strawberries and pineapple. When Kenya isn’t in the mood to chew and I want to give him something sweet, pureed cherimoya is perfect. One night when he wasn’t in the mood for it, but was devouring his avocado, I decided to throw the two in the blender and it made this gorgeous light green mousse. Packed with vitamin B6 and potassium, this is a fruit every baby should have the opportunity to try.

Avocado & Cherimoya Mousse (makes 10 Baby Servings)

1 Avocado
1 Cherimoya

1. Wash both fruits.
2. Halve the avocado, remove the pit and scoop the light green flesh into a food processor.
3. Halve the cherimoya and remove the big black seeds. Scoop white flesh into a food processor.
4. Puree until smooth and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor