When you’ve got one soft, ripe mango, one banana and one hungry baby, that’s a perfect combination! Smooth and creamy, this Mango Banana Puree is an ideal first food for any little one. Your baby will be getting more than her fair share of Vitamins A, C and B6, dietary fiber, Potassium and more. With all these exciting facts, you don’t need to be on the National Mango Board to know this puree will be a real winner!

Mango Banana Puree (Makes 8 Baby Food Servings)

1 Mango, cut into chunks
1 Banana

1. Place the mango and banana chunks in to a food processor.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Serve.

We used this to freeze this recipe:

Baby Cubes

I always find it funny how parents, including myself, get so hung up on only giving babies “breakfast” foods for breakfast. I’m sure that if you gave your little one Baby Beef Stew for breakfast, you wouldn’t hear any complaints from them, but there’s something about starting the day with traditional breakfast foods like oatmeal that seem to make more sense to most parents.

Bananas, oatmeal and molasses are all incredibly nutritious, and when mixed together, a great treat for kids. Bananas are filled with potassium, molasses are packed with calcium and iron and oatmeal is a true super food, rich in nutrients like B Vitamins, iron and fiber.

No matter what time of day I made this dish for Chloe when she was 9 to 12 months old, Kenya would beg me for some also (it’s funny how sibling rivalry reveals itself at such a young age). Whether you make this for your baby, toddler or even your spouse for breakfast — or really any time of day — it’s a creamy, sweet and delicious meal.

Banana, Molasses Oatmeal Mash (Makes 1 Baby Serving)

1/2 Banana
3 Tbsp Oatmeal Cereal
1/2 Tsp Molasses
2 Tbsp Water

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork to
combine.
2. Serve.

Yes. That’s it. Just avocado. And no, I’m not being lazy with today’s recipe! Let me explain:

Every week at our local farmer’s market, without fail our favorite avocado farmers split an avocado, drizzle each half with lime juice, add a pinch of salt and give them to Kenya and Chloe to eat in their stroller. Five minutes later, all that’s left are the paper plates and the avocado shells. This ritual has been going on for over two years and I think it’s the most satisfying and complete meal either of my kids have all week. It’s always the simple pleasures in life that make us the happiest, and since weelicious is all about fast, fresh and easy, what could be a better recipe to post today than just….avocado.

I’m not exactly sure how many avocados my family goes through each week, but suffice to say it’s a lot. We use them in tons of recipes like guacamole, (yes, shakes!), sandwiches, dips, quesadillas, sushi, salads and more. Avocados are a superfood that should be an essential addition to your kid’s diet as they provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-Vitamins and folic acid. They’re also one of the best sources of monounsaturated fats of any food. And don’t forget, avocado is actually a fruit and its creamy, smooth texture and mild taste not only make it a perfect ingredient for both sweet and savory dishes but are also food qualities kids tend to love.

No matter how you decide to eat your avocado, one thing I can assure you of is that you’ll be happy!

Avocado (Serves 2)

1 Avocado
1 Small Lemon or Lime
1/4 Tsp Salt

1. Using a sharp knife, cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed.
2. Hold the knife in one hand and the avocado half in the other and gently tap the knife into the pit with just enough force that the blade of the knife goes into the avocado pit.
3. Gently twist the knife until the pit comes out.
* At this point I like to cut through the avocado into a checkerboard pattern like the picture above, but you can also leave it as is.
4. Squeeze a bit of the lemon juice onto the avocado halves and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
5. Serve with a spoon.

Avocado Tip: If you want to know how to pick and when serve avocados, check out these two links that feature great tips:
How to pick a ripe avocado
How to pick ripe avocados

I’m extremely excited and honored to be co-hosting Pregnancy Awareness Month in May with Ricki Lake and Josie Maran. Through PAM, co-founders Anna Getty and & Alisa Donner aim to empower pregnant women and new parents with information, “how to” ideas and inspiration to incorporate PAM’s four key initiatives – education, exercise, nutrition & wellness and nurture– into their life routines and to show how easy it can be to make healthy changes in their lives, for themselves, and their children.

I often see Anna at our local farmer’s market and I know how much she loves cooking for her family. Because we both happen to be in the baby food making stage with our second children, Anna sent me this recipe and told me that her entire family enjoys eating it. I knew Chloe would be delighted with it, but I was curious to see how my 3 year-old Kenya would react. I put some in his school lunch the other day and was psyched when the container I put it in came home completely empty. My husband finished off what little remained in the fridge, so this puree delivers as promised!

Apple Fennel Puree (Make 6 Baby Servings)

1 Fennel Bulb, fronds removed and fennel bulb (the white part) chopped
2 Apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I like to use Gala, Pink Lady or Fuji apples)

1. Place the fennel in a steamer pot over boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Add the apples to the pot and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until fennel and apples are fork tender.
3. Place the mixture in a food processor and puree.
4. Serve.

Recently, I made Baked Maple Bananas for Kenya. Everyone who tried them couldn’t get over how delicious they turned out. They’re intensely sweet, creamy and have a delicious caramel note to them. I felt like there were more recipes to be mined from that one. Pears are in season and abundance at our farmer’s market, so I thought I would try roasting them together with bananas to make baby food for Chloe. There’s nothing wrong with pureeing ripe pears and bananas together, but when you roast them it just intensifies the flavors and texture even more.

Pears and bananas are a good source of fiber, so they’ll also help to get things moving when your little one gets stopped up (TMI?)

How did it come out? Amazing! I have no other words. In fact, if you don’t believe me, check out this quick video I posted here on Twitter of Chloe taking her first bites of it. Now the hard part is trying to keep this puree away from everyone else in the family! It’s so yummy, you’ll want to serve it on top of yogurt or even to spread on a bagel with almond butter. It’s funny how these days everyone in my family wants to eat Chloe’s baby food!

Roast Pear & Banana Puree (Makes 6 Servings)

2 Bananas, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 Pears, peeled and cut into wedges (I used Bartlett pears)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the bananas and pears on a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking sheet.
3. Roast for 25 minutes.
4. Puree until smooth.
5. Cool and serve.

Chloe’s had an exciting introduction to solids, trying just about every fruit and vegetable available at the farmer’s market over the past 2 months. It’s been so exciting for us to watch her very first reactions to all these new flavors. While she has obviously enjoyed a lot of what I’ve made her, it is clear that persimmons are by far her favorite. When I first pureed some for her, I wasn’t sure how she would react. Persimmon isn’t a typical first food for a baby. It would be unlikely to find a jar of it in the baby food section at any grocery and fresh persimmons are not always easy to find, depending on what part of the country you live in. But here in California, where basically all U.S. persimmons are grown, they are everywhere you turn this time of year. I was totally surprised when Chloe ate the entire first batch I made for her — in one sitting! It was the most I had ever seen her eat.

Persimmon puree is really thick and smooth, has a beautiful bright orange hue, is sweet and is perfect for one of baby’s first foods. There are 2 varieties of persimmons: Fuyus and Hachiyas. The tastes are similar though there are some big differences to note. Fuyus are rounder and can be eaten firm. They have an apple-like texture, where as Hachiyas are heart shaped and need to ripen until REALLY soft before you try eating them. I usually buy ripe Fuyus, and peel and chop them for this recipe (there is no cooking involved). You could also use Hachiyas for this, just make sure they are super soft before eating them yourself or using them for this puree.

Persimmons are a great source of vitamin A, C, beta-carotene and soluble fiber — which is very important for baby . Whenever you feel like your wee one is a bit constipated, just give her a “p” fruit (peaches, pears, plums, papaya and especially persimmons), because the “p” also stands for poop! Seriously, it works every time!

Persimmon Puree (Makes 4 Serving)

2 Persimmons

1. Peel the skin off the persimmons and cut into cubes.
2. Place the cut persimmon into a food processor and 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

Chloe’s just over 5 months old now and we’re gearing up for an exciting end of summer and fall full of baby food purees. I’ve just started freezing purees using peaches, nectarines and mangoes and we’re gearing up for butternut squash, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and so many other delicious fall fruits and veggies. I made one of Kenya’s favorites, Plum & Banana Puree, so I could freeze a batch for Chloe and put a few spoonfuls on yogurt for my little guy.

This is Chloe’s weelicious debut! I hope you like the recipe.

There are THE most beautiful Santa Rosa plums at our local Farmer’s Market right now. I have to say that of all the fruits I love, when stone fruit is in season I could not be more excited. The dark purple hue of the plums is so beautiful and the meat is sweet and when pureed, perfect for a baby. I like adding banana to this recipe because it thickens the puree, adds extra nutrients such as potassium and makes a sweet food that babies adore.

You could easily peel the skin off of ripe plums and skip the step of pushing it through a sieve, but just in case your plums aren’t super soft, my directions call for simply cutting up the fruit, tossing it in the food processor and whizzing it up.

No matter how you make it, I guarantee your baby will love it!

Plum & Banana Puree (Makes 6 Baby Servings)

2 Plums, chopped and pitted
1 Banana

1. Place the ingredients in a food processor and puree.
2. Place the puree in a sieve over a bowl and using a spoon or ladle, push it through so the puree is in the bowl and plum skins remains in the sieve.
3. Serve.

*Place in Baby Cubes and freeze.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

I realized I haven’t done a new puree recipe for a while so I’ve been experimenting lately with a few new ideas. When Kenya was a baby, I used to love giving him all kinds of different purees like mango, kiwi and papaya. He was always game for all of them, so I find it funny that I never thought about blending them together. What a mistake! I don’t know if you could find a baby food packed with more nutrition than this tropical fruit puree. It’s great to mix with plain yogurt, oatmeal or just eat on its own.

Mangoes are considered a “super fruit” because they’re packed with vitamin C, dietary fiber and more. Kiwis are also a rich source of vitamin C, potassium (by weight, they have almost as much as bananas), vitamin A and E. Papayas, in addition to being rich in vitamins, promote good digestive health which can be incredibly important for babies little tummies.

I like to buy these fruits and cut them up for the puree when they’re soft and ripe. The day I made this puree my husband and Kenya wanted dessert after dinner, so I pulled it out. My husband looked at me like I was crazy for offering him “baby food” for dessert. That didn’t last long. He and Kenya devoured every last bite of it as if it were a bowl of ice cream.

Tropical Fruit Baby Puree (8 Baby Servings)

1 Mango, chopped
2 Kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 Cup Papaya, peeled and chopped

1. Place the ingredients into a food processor and puree.
2. Serve.

*Place in Baby Cubes and freeze.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

Surprisingly, I found myself eating this puree for MY dinner. People always tell me their toddlers won’t eat purees, but Kenya chowed down on this one when I made it so maybe there’s hope for you all. This recipe is a perfect mix of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables. Most parents that I talk to seem apprehensive about giving their little ones fish because they automatically assume they won’t like it. Not at all! I think fish that has a “fishy” smell turns kids off. Kenya loved fish from day on and still eats it twice a week and I think it has a lot to do with how you prepare the fish.

Sole is a great first fish for babies because it’s very mild, doesn’t contain bones and is generally less expensive then other types of fish. Other choices could be white fish of tilapia. With the addition of sweet peas and carrots and a sprinkling of vegit, this is a sure fire hit for your little one.

Veggies and Sole Puree (6-8 Baby Servings, Freeze 1/2)

1/2 Cup Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 Cup Carrots, peeled and chopped (*I like to use baby carrots, less work and they’re so sweet)
1/3 Cup Peas (I use frozen organic)
2 Sole Fillets (about 1/3 Lb)
1/4 Tsp Vegit

1. Place the potatoes in a steamer pot of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the carrots and continue to cook another 2 minutes.
3. Add the peas and fish and cook another 2 minutes or until all the ingredients are cooked through and fork tender.
4. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.
5. Add water from the bottom of the steamer pot to thin puree.
6. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor