Butternut baby

I promised you baby food recipes via the cookbook "Baby Love".

So easy.  So good.

First up?  Butternut squash.

It is a nutritional all-star!

It's packed with vitamin A,

along with Vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized butternut squash

~4 oz water

~5 oz natural apple juice*

*'Tis apple season, if you can't find the natural apple juices at the farmer's market or your local grocer (looks like apple cider - cloudy, no sugar-added), you can always purchase the "Simply Apple" brand {HERE}.  Regardless of which variety of fresh apple juice you choose, be sure to use it up within 7-10 days of opening.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut squash lengthwise and remove seeds with a spoon.

Place squash halves fresh side down on a sheet tray.

Pour a little water onto the sheet tray.

Roast approximately 60-75 minutes until tender (should be caramelized & bubbly).

Allow to cool 10-15 minutes so you can easily handle.

Spoon out the flesh and place into the blender.

(Be sure to scrape all the caramelized liquid off the tray - baby likes tasty food, too!)

Add the liquids and puree until smooth.

Pour into two ice cube trays and allow to cool.

(You are simply not going to find prepared baby squash in that vibrant hue.)

Wrap and freeze overnight.

In the morning, pop food out of trays and into a gallon-size freezer bag.

(I double bag it to ensure no freezer burn!)

Label and you're good to go for 3 months!

Eventually, a baby will eat 2 cubes, three times a day.

So for one squash and a tiny bit of effort, you have yourself

28 servings (or 14 meals) + 3 "tasters"...more on that below.

Kid-tested, mother-approved...isn't that the old adage?
The proof is in the pictures...b-nut euphoria!!!

(I wish I could say such positive things about his gas.)

A quick note about servings...

When starting to feed your baby solids, it is advised to begin with a ratio of

1 tsp of pureed food to 4-5 tsp breastmilk (or formula).

I call this combo a "taster".  :)

So, this recipe allows you to have 3-4 "taster" sizes to keep in containers in your fridge for up to 3 days, in addition to 2 full ice cube trays.

With that being said, this is ideal because you should also abide by the "Rule of 3",

or even "4" if you're super cautious.

What that means is that you should only introduce one food at time,

and wait at least 3 days before introducing a new food.

For example, bananas only for 3 days....then it is safe to try apples.

That way, you will know which food is the culprit for any "allergic" reactions!

(Read:  Making the "Apple-Banana-Pear" puree, which I presume is delicious, is not something to START with.  Go with the basics and work your way up!)

Happy Pureeing!

~photos by b~