Baby nutrition is a whole can of worms that I barely want to get into. But it’s very topical in my house and hopefully you’ll enjoy these recipe ideas.
We make adult size servings of the following five recipes for our daughter, Pia, because I inevitably steal half of it.
Pia is 11 months old. We’ve been experimenting with food since she was 6 months. I say ‘we’, but I deserve little acknowledgement. Lindsay has been doing the hard yards, hand-making every meal she eats. She’s also been breastfeeding Pia since day one. Therefore most of Pia’s nutrition comes from mother’s milk and food is just a compliment.
I don’t fully understand the nutritional needs of a baby but everything I read says their diets need to be high in fat, predominately because it’s essential food for their developing brain. So we look for coconut milk, avocado, almond butter and other plant based ingredients. And we’re trying to get Pia on the fruit and veggie bandwagon early. All of the vitamins and minerals that adults thrive off have to help a baby. Plus, we can’t let Pia develop the vegetable hating palate that I had for the first 25 years of my life.
Other vitamins and minerals that we try to target are iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc. They’re all critical, and often deficient, in babies. But you’re better off speaking to a pediatrician with current food knowledge or a qualified baby naturopath/nutritionist for more info. We’re seeking one out professional help now as most of the information online reflects the 1980’s food pyramid. I refuse to believe that milk, cheese and commercially produced powder from another species is the perfect food for a developing human being.
Until we find professional expertise, we’ll continue feeding Pia simple recipes that use ingredients high in vitamins, minerals and fat.
Baby Smoothie
Pia isn’t a massive fan of eating greens. We try sautéed spinach and steamed broccoli in various dishes and she’ll pick it out. Even when I get it into her mouth in a mixed spoonful she’ll reach in and dig it out!
So we turn to the blender for sneaky greens.
I make an adult size smoothie and share it with her. The green moustache gets me every time.
Ingredients
- Frozen banana – 1
- Baby spinach – big handful
- Flax seed meal – 2 tablespoons
- Almond butter – 1 tablespoon
- Pitted date – 1
- Cinnamon – 1/2 teaspoon
- Coconut milk – 1/4 cup
- Water – 1 cup
Method
- Blend until creamy and share with your child
Sweet Potato Pancakes
The recipe calls for vitamin C rich sweet potato flour but you can use oats or any other flour you prefer. Pia goes bananas for these. I love foods that you can put in front of her and she feeds herself.
Ingredients
- Ripe banana – 1
- Free range eggs – 2
- Sweet potato flour – 1/2 cup
- Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
- Coconut milk (from can) – 1/4 cup
- Water – 1/4 cup
- Optional – Organic blueberries – 2 tablespoons
Method
- Using medium heat, fire up your fry pan with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
- Blend all the ingredients together except the optional blueberries; I use my NutriBullet
- Blend for like 5-10 seconds, it doesn’t take long
- Stir in blueberries to the mixture and pour three or four pancakes into the pan
- Turn when they begin to bubble and let them cool before serving
Coconut Chia
A big creamy serve of brain nourishing coconut fat with the omega-3s of chia. Plus, chia is full of fibre which we focus on because Pia makes bowel movements look more painful than childbirth.
When you’re looking for coconut milk it should be in a can. Our organic grocer has the good stuff. It has one ingredient. Coconut. Another goodie is described as coconut extract and water. Don’t buy any other kind; two ingredients max.
Ingredients
- Coconut milk (can) – 1
- Chia seeds – 1/3 cup
- Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
Method
- Add all three ingredients to a mason jar and shake it aroud
- Repeat every five minutes for 20 minutes
- Serve with finely chopped fruit
Almond Butter Quesadilla
The most common tortilla wraps, at least in Australia, are full of preservatives. They stay ‘fresh’ for months at a time, and that isn’t a good thing. If you can, put some time into finding the best tortilla wrap. We use a store bought product that is made of quinoa flour. Any wholewheat or alternative flour recipe without preservatives is a winner.
Ingredients
- Wholewheat tortilla – 1
- Ripe banana – 1
- Almond butter – 1 heaped tablespoon
Method
- Lay your tortilla out on a chopping board and spread your almond butter across half the surface
- Dice banana and place on top of almond butter layer
- Fold the tortilla over so it’s a half circle
- Warm your fry pan with medium heat and add a teaspoon of coconut oil
- Add your quesadilla and brown both sides
- Depending on the age of your child, you may need to cut the is up skinny or triangular
Coconut Oatmeal
I rarely use the microwave. This is an exception. It’s so much faster and cleaner than cranking out the stovetop. But up to you.
Ingredients
- Rolled oats – 1/2 cup
- Coconut milk – 1/4 cup
- Water – 1/2 cup
- Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
- Fruit (any) – finely chopped
Method
- Finely chop any fruit; pear or apple work well here
- Add everything to a bowl and stir
- Put in the microwave for 1 minute on high
- Stir, taste and potentially cook for another 20 seconds if the oats are still too firm
- Serve after cooled