Idiot's Guides: Homemade Baby & Toddler Food 9781615648566, 9781615648, 1615648569

Table of contents :
Contents iii......Page 5
feeding and nutrition basics 3......Page 11
starting baby on solid foods 4......Page 12
baby-led weaning 6......Page 14
introducing new foods 8......Page 16
choosing organic foods 10......Page 18
food allergies 12......Page 20
encouraging picky eaters 14......Page 22
tools for making your own baby food 16......Page 24
5 to 6 months 19......Page 27
what baby is eating now: simple purées 20......Page 28
nutritional needs: 5 to 6 months 21......Page 29
meal plans: 5 to 6 months 22......Page 30
making purées 24......Page 32
freezing purées 26......Page 34
single-food purées 28......Page 36
mashed foods 29......Page 37
carrots and cumin 30......Page 38
7 to 8 months 33......Page 41
what baby is eating now: complex purées and finger foods 34......Page 42
nutritional needs: 7 to 8 months 35......Page 43
meal plans: 7 to 8 months 36......Page 44
purées on the go 38......Page 46
finger foods 40......Page 48
beets and berries purée 43......Page 51
pumpkin berry patch purée 44......Page 52
cherry, apple, and cloves purée 45......Page 53
cranberry apple pear purée 46......Page 54
apple, carrots, greens, and beans purée 48......Page 56
kale, apple, and sweet potato purée 49......Page 57
chicken, kale, and sweet potato purée 50......Page 58
quinoa, chickpea, apple, and veggies purée 52......Page 60
hard-boiled eggs 53......Page 61
indian-spiced black bean and spinach purée 55......Page 63
9 to 11 months 57......Page 65
what baby is eating now: chunkier foods 58......Page 66
nutritional needs: 9 to 11 months 59......Page 67
meal plans: 9 to 11 months 60......Page 68
easy freezer meals 62......Page 70
jam-filled breakfast muffins 64......Page 72
banana egg pancake 66......Page 74
instant oatmeal 67......Page 75
homemade yogurt 69......Page 77
whole-wheat sandwich bread 70......Page 78
whole-wheat bis-sticks 71......Page 79
whole-grain cornbread 72......Page 80
creamy broccoli noodles 74......Page 82
veggie curry 75......Page 83
roasted baby carrots 77......Page 85
tofu bites 78......Page 86
egg salad 79......Page 87
black beans 80......Page 88
chickpeas (garbanzo beans) 81......Page 89
slow-cooker baked beans 82......Page 90
asian ground pork 83......Page 91
roasted salmon 85......Page 93
italian meatballs 86......Page 94
chicken noodle soup 87......Page 95
frozen fruit pops 88......Page 96
baby biscotti 90......Page 98
coconut rice 91......Page 99
12 to 17 months 93......Page 101
what baby is eating now: table foods 94......Page 102
nutritional needs: 12 to 17 months 95......Page 103
meal plans: 12 to 17 months 96......Page 104
french toast bites 98......Page 106
baked oatmeal 99......Page 107
whole-grain waffles 101......Page 109
whole-grain pumpkin muffins 102......Page 110
chocolate peanut butter smoothie 103......Page 111
quesadillas 104......Page 112
ham and cheese pocket 106......Page 114
grilled cheese sandwich 107......Page 115
baby chili 110......Page 117
sweet potato and greens soup 112......Page 120
crispy crunchy breadsticks 113......Page 121
lime chickpea quinoa salad 115......Page 123
citrus beet salad 116......Page 124
easy barbecue chicken 118......Page 126
crispy baked potato fries 119......Page 127
very veggie lasagna 121......Page 129
vegetable-packed meatloaf 122......Page 130
barbecue tofu 123......Page 131
mac ‘n’ greens 124......Page 132
sloppy josephines 126......Page 134
chicken enchiladas 127......Page 135
tomato and black bean enchiladas 129......Page 137
squash soup 130......Page 138
spaghetti sauce 131......Page 139
all-natural microwave popcorn 132......Page 140
homemade hummus 134......Page 142
baby guacamole 135......Page 143
black bean dip 137......Page 145
three-ingredient cheese crackers 138......Page 146
wheat crackers 139......Page 147
cinnamon graham crackers 140......Page 148
blueberry banana bread 142......Page 150
cheddar apple bread 143......Page 151
first birthday cake 145......Page 153
protein-packed fruit pops 146......Page 154
fudge pops 147......Page 155
18 to 24 months 149......Page 157
what baby is eating now: toddler meals 150......Page 158
nutritional needs: 18 to 24 months 151......Page 159
meal plans: 18 to 24 months 152......Page 160
make-ahead breakfast sandwiches 154......Page 162
nut-free granola 156......Page 164
pumpkin pie steel-cut oats 157......Page 165
pumpkin chocolate protein bars 159......Page 167
pumpkin oat bars 160......Page 168
salsa eggs 161......Page 169
ham salad 162......Page 170
chicken salad 164......Page 172
honey mustard green beans 165......Page 173
potato salad 167......Page 175
creamy poppy seed vinaigrette 168......Page 176
baked falafel 169......Page 177
roasted broccoli and cauliflower 170......Page 178
chicken nuggets 172......Page 180
ranch dip 173......Page 181
fish sticks 175......Page 183
beef and tomato pasta bake 176......Page 184
tofu taco filling 177......Page 185
blueberry doughnuts 178......Page 186
index 180......Page 188

Citation preview

Homemade Baby & Toddler Food

Over 100 healthy baby food purées and tasty toddler foods

Easy make-ahead meals plus tons of time-saving kitchen tips

Handy menu plans for feeding little ones 6 to 24 months

Kimberly Aime and Natalie Weiss, RD

No one likes a know-it-all. Most of us realize there’s no such thing— how could there be? The world is far too complicated for someone to understand everything there is to know. So when you come across a know-it-all, you smile to yourself as they ramble on because you know better. You understand that the quest for knowledge is a never-ending one, and you’re okay with that. You have no desire to know everything, just the next thing. You know what you don’t know, you’re confident enough to admit it, and you’re motivated to do something about it. At Idiot’s Guides, we, too, know what we don’t know, and we make it our business to find out. We find really smart people who are experts in their fields and then we roll up our sleeves and get to work, asking lots of questions and thinking long and hard about how best to pass along their knowledge to you in the easiest, most-accessible way possible. After all, that’s our promise—to make whatever you want to learn “As Easy as It Gets.” That means giving you a well-organized design that seamlessly and effortlessly guides you from page to page, topic to topic. It means controlling the pace you’re asked to absorb new information— not too much at once but just what you need to know right now. It means giving you a clear progression from easy to more difficult. It means giving you more instructional steps wherever necessary to really explain the details. And it means giving you fewer words and more illustrations wherever it’s better to show rather than tell. So here you are, at the start of something new. The next chapter in your quest. It can be an intimidating place to be, but you’ve been here before and so have we. Clear your mind and turn the page. By the end of this book, you won’t be a know-it-all, but your world will be a little less complicated than it was before. And we’ll be sure your journey is as easy as it gets.

Mike Sanders Publisher, Idiot’s Guides

Homemade Baby & Toddler Food by Kimberly Aime and Natalie Weiss, RD

A member of Penguin Random House LLC

ALPHA BOOKS

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-61564-856-6 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2015904797

Published by Penguin Random House LLC Penguin Random House LLC, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA · Penguin Random House LLC (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) · Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England · Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) · Penguin Random House LLC (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) · Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India · Penguin Random House LLC (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore, Auckland 1311, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) · Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa · Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England 001-283818-November2015 Copyright © 2015 by Penguin Random House LLC All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. For information, address Alpha Books, 6081 E. 82nd Street, 4th Floor, Indianapolis, IN 46250.

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Note: This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice, a competent professional should be consulted. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book. Most Alpha books are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. Special books, or book excerpts, can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write: Special Markets, Alpha Books, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014. Trademarks: All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be or are suspected of being trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Alpha Books and Penguin Random House LLC cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.

PRODUCTION EDITOR Jana M. Stefanciosa

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Billy Fields

INDEXER Johnna VanHoose Dinse

COVER AND BOOK DESIGNER Rebecca Batchelor

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Printed and bound in China

PUBLISHER Mike Sanders

DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Ann Barton

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Interpretation of the printing code: The rightmost number of the first series of numbers is the year of the book’s printing; the rightmost number of the second series of numbers is the number of the book’s printing. For example, a printing code of 15-1 shows that the first printing occurred in 2015.

IDIOT’S GUIDES and Design are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC

EXECUTIVE ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Lori Cates Hand

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PROOFREADER Virginia Vasquez PHOTOGRAPHER Stephanie Kelley Photography

contents PA R T 1

feeding and nutrition basics . . . . . . . . . . .3 starting baby on solid foods . . . . . . . . . . . .4

food allergies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

baby-led weaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

encouraging picky eaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

introducing new foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

tools for making your own baby food . . 16

choosing organic foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

PA R T 2

5 to 6 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 what baby is eating now: simple purées . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

single-food purées. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

nutritional needs: 5 to 6 months . . . . . . . 21

mashed foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

meal plans: 5 to 6 months . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

applesauce with cinnamon . . . . . . . . . . . 30

making purées . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

carrots and cumin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

freezing purées. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

PA R T 3

7 to 8 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 what baby is eating now: complex purées and finger foods . . . . 34 nutritional needs: 7 to 8 months . . . . . . 35 meal plans: 7 to 8 months . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 purées on the go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 finger foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

apple, carrots, greens, and beans purée . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 kale, apple, and sweet potato purée . . 49 chicken, kale, and sweet potato purée . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

beets and berries purée . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

quinoa, chickpea, apple, and veggies purée . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

pumpkin berry patch purée . . . . . . . . . . 44

hard-boiled eggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

cherry, apple, and cloves purée . . . . . . . 45

indian-spiced black bean and spinach purée . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

cranberry apple pear purée . . . . . . . . . . 46

PA R T 4

9 to 11 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 what baby is eating now: chunkier foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

tofu bites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

nutritional needs: 9 to 11 months . . . . . . 59

egg salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

meal plans: 9 to 11 months . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

cooking dried beans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

easy freezer meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 jam-filled breakfast muffins . . . . . . . . . . . 64 banana egg pancake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 instant oatmeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 homemade yogurt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 whole-wheat sandwich bread. . . . . . . . . 70 whole-wheat bis-sticks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 whole-grain cornbread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 creamy broccoli noodles . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 veggie curry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 roasted baby carrots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

black beans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 pinto beans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 chickpeas (garbanzo beans) . . . . . . . . . . 81 slow-cooker baked beans . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 asian ground pork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 roasted salmon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 italian meatballs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 chicken noodle soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 frozen fruit pops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 baby biscotti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 coconut rice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

PA R T 5

12 to 17 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 what baby is eating now: table foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 nutritional needs: 12 to 17 months . . . . . 95 meal plans: 12 to 17 months . . . . . . . . . . . 96

quesadillas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 ham and cheese pocket . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 grilled cheese sandwich . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 nut and seed butter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

french toast bites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

baby chili . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

baked oatmeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

sweet potato and greens soup . . . . . . . 112

whole-grain waffles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

crispy crunchy breadsticks . . . . . . . . . . . 113

whole-grain pumpkin muffins . . . . . . . . .102

lime chickpea quinoa salad . . . . . . . . . . . 115

smoothies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

citrus beet salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

cherry berry smoothie . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

easy barbecue chicken. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

chocolate peanut butter smoothie . . .103

crispy baked potato fries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

very veggie lasagna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

baby guacamole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

vegetable-packed meatloaf . . . . . . . . . . 122

black bean dip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

barbecue tofu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

three-ingredient cheese crackers . . . . . 138

mac ‘n’ greens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

wheat crackers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

sloppy josephines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

cinnamon graham crackers . . . . . . . . . . 140

chicken enchiladas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

blueberry banana bread . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

tomato and black bean enchiladas . . . . 129

cheddar apple bread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

squash soup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

first birthday cake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

spaghetti sauce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

protein-packed fruit pops . . . . . . . . . . . .146

all-natural microwave popcorn. . . . . . . . 132

fudge pops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

homemade hummus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

PA R T 6

18 to 24 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 what baby is eating now: toddler meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

potato salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

nutritional needs: 18 to 24 months . . . . 151

carrot ginger dressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

meal plans: 18 to 24 months . . . . . . . . . . 152

creamy poppy seed vinaigrette . . . . . . .168

make-ahead breakfast sandwiches . . . . 154

baked falafel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

nut-free granola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

roasted broccoli and cauliflower . . . . . .170

pumpkin pie steel-cut oats . . . . . . . . . . . 157

chicken nuggets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

pumpkin chocolate protein bars . . . . . . 159

dill dip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

pumpkin oat bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160

ranch dip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

salsa eggs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

fish sticks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

ham salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

beef and tomato pasta bake . . . . . . . . . . 176

chicken salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

tofu taco filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

honey mustard green beans . . . . . . . . . . 165

blueberry doughnuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 contents | v

introduction Congratulations! You have decided to make your own baby and toddler food. In a time when fast and convenient are often considered better, this is a huge deal, and I applaud you. 0MZMQ[\PMOWWLVM_["UISQVO\PMNWWLQ[\PMMI[aXIZ\.WZ\PMÅZ[\aMIZ\PMPIZLM[\XIZ\IJW]\ feeding your little one will be the cleanup afterward. Once you move into the age of the toddler, you’ll LQ[KW^MZaW]ZKPMZ]JQ[I[ÅKSTMI[\PMaKWUM7VMLIa[PM¼TTTW^MJTIKSJMIV[\PMVM`\LIa[PM_WV¼\ touch them. Then she’ll love them again, and then she’s back to hating them. It’s a whirlwind to keep up! The solution? Making meals and snacks your entire family can enjoy so you are not a short-order cook for a temperamental toddler. This book provides recipes, tips for feeding, meal plans, nutritional information, and pretty much everything else you need to know to make delicious and easy meals for your baby or toddler. Here are some tips for getting started: •

.WZITTWN \PMJISQVOZMKQXM[aW]VMML\W\ZIKSLW_V_PWTM_PMI\XI[\ZaÆW]Z¸VW\_PWTM _PMI\ÆW]ZWZ_PQ\M_PWTM_PMI\ÆW]Z