Sweet Potato Apple

I got some surprise sweet potatoes. Sean doesn't like them and they're not my favorite, but I don't like to waste good food. I had been given some free babyfood in a jar that was sweet potato apple but she wouldn't eat it. Then an idea! Here's my chance to test my theory. Does Augustina not like sweet potatoes or is she just so spoiled that she doesn't like processed jar baby food? Will she eat homemade?

I pricked the potatoes with a fork and baked them in the oven. (400 degrees for 45 min or so, my timing wasn't exact)

I pricked the potatoes with a fork and baked them in the oven. (400 degrees for 45 min or so, my timing wasn't exact)

I let them cool and then pulled the peels off with my fingers. I then used the manual food processor to mash. It can also be masked with a fork.

This is apple mash from making apple juice (I'll be posting that later this week) I pulled out the apple peels the same way I did the sweet potatoes. Easy peasy.

I had blended the apple mash.

Mixed the sweet potatoes and apples.

The verdict is in, she loves homemade, even sweet potatoes.

The mash is much to thick for the pouches, so I blended sweet potato, apple mash, apple juice and a little bit of warm water.

It made it just right.

Apple / zucchini

This was Augustina's first favorite combination. Maybe it's because zucchini was the first food I introduced her too and she didn't like it one bit. Maybe it's because she likes almost anything with apples in it. Maybe it's because her food is made with love. Or maybe it's just because it was the first combination I made for her. Whatever the reason, here it is.

Always wash the fruits and veggies, even if you're going to peel them. 

I slice the apples, tossing the cores, and place the slices in the steamer. I steam for the maximum my machine can do, 30 minutes. I'm lazy so I don't peel my apples plus, I don't currently have a working peeler. Peeling the apples will give a much smoother texture, while leaving the peels on will give more body and very tiny bits of peel that don't blend down completely. The tiny bits are easily swallowed and don't cause any issues.

I steam peeled zucchini for 5 minutes and unpeeled zucchini for about 10-15 minutes max.

I blend up the apples and zucchini together with enough apple juice to let it blend all the way. If the blender is fighting and only the very bottom is blending, then I add more juice.

Then place in your favorite babyfood storing container, Tupperware, bowl with lid, etc...and freeze. Anything in the fridge is only good for two days while in the freezer it lasts for 6 months. Dating it makes sure you use older stuff first.

Pumpkin soup for augustina

Our garden produced only one pumpkin this growing season, the second pumpkin was eaten up by bugs. I had planned it for Halloween but we ended up not making jack-o-lanterns this year and I didn't want to waste our one good pumpkin. 

Today was baby food making day, so I figured I'd try a pumpkin recipe. Originally I was going to simply mix pumpkin with steamed apples until I saw this "creamy pumpkin soup" recipe from the wholesome baby foods website. I'm always up for trying something new to see what Auggie will and will not eat.

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/pumpkin-babyfood-recipes.htm#.UoL-8nm9Kc0

First I cut the pumpkin into 4ths and used the small scooper from pampered chef to scoop out all of the insides.

Thencut up the quarters of pumpkin into smaller sizes so they would fit in my small rice cooker/food steamer.

They steamed for 15 minutes and came out a very tiny bit tough, not mushy soft (an extra 5-10 min would make them much softer), but I wanted to lose as little pumpkin flavor as possible and steaming can steal away flavor.

After letting the pumpkin cool a few minutes, I was able to peel the meat off the rind with ease into the magic bullet blender. (I have not been as impressed with this product as I thought I would be. The motor isn't that strong, but for baby food it works great.)

I veered from the recipe by cooking the onion and carrots in a tiny bit of oil first. Then I continued with adding the broth and such.

The soup was then poured into the blender and puréed with some of the pumpkin, then returned to the pot. The rest of the pumpkin was blended with the evaporated milk. I only used one 12oz can instead of the 2 cups in the recipe. The soup came out silky smooth, with no lumps. 

I filled 2 bowls for the fridge, 2 bowls for the freezer and then used this nifty pouch system Augustina's grandma bought for us. Thanks mom.

The soup was a little too smooth, creamy and thin. It didn't work as well as other combinations I've used and made a mess. It seems this soup is only best for bowls.

I didn't label my baby foods when I first used the system, figuring that it was obvious what foods I'd made. Plus I usually have one day where I make a huge batch of baby food, so dating would be pointless, right? Wrong. 

1) After a few days I'd look at the colors in the pouches and realize I forgot what I'd just made. 

2) Sometimes when making my next set of batches I'd still have left overs and the dates would get mixed up. 

3) And lastly, I have easily forgotten what date I made them in the first place. It's better all around to not skip this step.

Augustina thought the soup was too thin as well. It could be because I didn't add the sour cream or 

It could be that she just likes her foods thicker. Either way, the problem was solved by adding a small amount of baby rice cereal. After that, she was in baby heaven.