Starting Solids (Quick & Easy Homemade Baby Food Recipes)

Every time I start to share a baby update with you, I’m amazed at how quickly it goes!  Yes, time went by quickly with our son too, but it feels like everything with Jordan is happening even faster! She became mobile very quickly and started walking at 9 months! 
Now that her 1st birthday is coming up this weekend, I plan to do a one-year baby recap soon, but today, I’m excited to finally share a post many of you have been asking me about for a long time- how we started Jordan on solid foods and how to make them at home.  I’ve been meaning to put this post together for a long time, so thankfully I took pictures of purees and how to make them at the time, because we’re already beyond that now and onto finger foods! I told you it’s going quick!  

We waited to start solid foods until Jordan was 6 months old.  Our pediatrician advised to go ahead and start feeding her breakfast, lunch and dinner (even though it might only be a few tablespoons to start) after her bottle.  We didn’t start with rice cereal either, just went straight to fruits and veggies and then later I started giving her rice or oatmeal cereal with fruit mixed in.

I found this infographic that might be helpful as a guide.  I will say it’s actually really fun! to watch your baby delight in getting to try new tastes!  I wanted to try Baby Led Weaning, which we kind of did a combo of, but the worried part of me that was scared my baby was gonna choke kind of took over, so I mostly made Jordan purees when she first started eating solid foods.

Since I’m a stay-at-home mom and meal prep most of our food anyway, I figured I would try to make Jordan’s food from scratch (even though I didn’t do that with my son).  He ate all jarred baby food, so I have no judgment either way.  I think with him, I just didn’t realize how easy it could be to make baby food, so I bought it premade.  And I went back to work full time when he was a baby, so I felt stressed trying to juggle everything.  If jarred baby food makes your life easier, I say go for it!  
But it really is as easy as steaming some fresh veggies and then pureeing them in a food processor if you want to try making some baby food at home! Before she was big enough to sit up in a high chair, I fed Jordan right in her bumbo, then moved her to a high chair when she was a little bigger.
Here are a few of Jordan’s favorites:
SWEET POTATO PUREE
1.  Wash and pat dry the sweet potato.
2.  Cut into large chunks and put onto a baking sheet (I lined mine with foil to keep it clean).
3.  Roast at 400 degree for about 40 minutes, until a fork pierces the flesh easily.
4.  Let cool, then peel away the skins and mash the potato with a potato masher or for just a few seconds in a food processor.  You can add some water if you want a thinner consistency.

*These potatoes came out fine with a quick spin in the food processor, but whenever I tried to put white potatoes into the food processor, they turned into an inedible gummy mess- so don’t make my mistake!
5.  To make these potatoes easier to grab from the fridge, I separated them into small plastic bowls.  

SIGN LANGUAGE

It’s so curious how babies instinctively learn how to eat.  When Jordan started to get the hang of it, she would open her mouth like a little bird when she was ready for another bite.  It’s hard to know when babies are full or done eating, but I noticed she would always turn her head to the side when she didn’t want anymore.

A few months ago, I taught her the baby sign language for “All Done” and she uses that now.  I’ve also been trying more signs like, “Eat” “More” “Milk” etc, but so far All Done and sometimes Milk are the ones she’ll do. 

“All Done” 
SWEET POTATO BAKED ‘FRIES’
In attempting some baby-led weaning, hey say it’s easiest for babies to pick up something that is the shape of a finger because it’s easier to hold onto before their pincer skills are developed.  I tried making sweet potato fries around this stage, but she wasn’t really into it.
1.  Peel and slice the sweet potato into long slices.
2.  Toss with olive oil.
3.  Bake at 450 degrees for about 35 minutes. 


YELLOW SQUASH PUREE

1.  Wash and pat dry the squash.
2.  Cut into large chunks and put onto a baking sheet (I lined mine with foil to keep it clean).
3.  Roast at 400 degree for about 12 minutes.

4.  Puree in a food processor until smooth.




BROCCOLI PUREE 

1.  Wash and pat dry the broccoli.
2.  Cut into large chunks.

3.  Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan, add broccoli and cook until fork tender, about 12 minutes.

4.  Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.

5.  Puree in a food processor until smooth – you can add water if needed for consistency.


PEACHES & BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE

1.  Wash and pat dry the peaches and butternut squash.
2.  Remove seeds from squash and cut both into large chunks.

3.  Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan, add broccoli and cook until fork tender, about 12 minutes.

4.  Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.

5.  Puree in a food processor until smooth – you can add water if needed for consistency.

*Give baby a few “toys” to play with to help keep her occupied while you cook! 

PEAR PUREE
1.  Wash and pat dry the pears.
2.  Cut into large chunks.

3.  Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan, add pears and cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.

4.  Puree in a food processor until smooth.

PEAS & CARROTS PUREE 

It’s okay to use frozen veggies too, I usually buy frozen peas and carrots and just boil and puree them like I do the broccoli, but they are small, so they cook quickly!  Same thing with the spinach puree below.

SPINACH PUREE



CHICKEN & APPLE PUREE


When you’re ready to introduce meat to your baby, Jordan loved this chicken and apple puree.  It wasn’t much to look at because the color was pretty bland, but she gobbled it up! 
1.  Cook boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used tenders here) in a skillet for a few minutes on each side until cooked through.  
2.  Meanwhile, peel and cut the apple into chunks and boil until fork tender.  I added a couple dashes of cinnamon for flavor. 
3.  When the chicken and apples are cooked, puree them in a food processor. 


When Jordan was 8 months old, we took her to a restaurant and my husband and I were splitting the ribs.  She kept whining like she wanted to try them, and I gave her a taste and she wanted more!  I couldn’t believe it.  So, after I had scraped most of the meat and sauce off, I handed them to her and she “ate” three of them! 

Now we can’t keep her out of the refrigerator!  She is a really “good” eater and eats everything we’ve given her.

I hope this post was helpful to you mamas!  If you have any questions, just let me know and I’m happy to answer them for you!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a grand Dressing Room roundup, so hope to see you then!


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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

8 Comments

  1. Hi Megan,

    Thanks so much for this post! A quick question that may be silly, but my baby is 8 months and am wondering if you give Jordan grain, veggie, fruit, and protein all in the same day? It seems like a lot of food and my son either only gets 2 oz of veggies twice a day or 2 oz of fruits twice a day. I'm a clueless first time mom, as you can tell. Lol

    1. Yes, by 8 months we do give all in the same day, but let her determine the amount she's hungry for. She just had her 12 month checkup and the pediatrician said to make sure she's getting food from all three food groups, but didn't specify how to divide it up. When I have specific questions like that, I'll just call the dr and leave a message for the nurse and they usually get back to me quickly without having to go in.

  2. Hi Megan!

    I am an frequent reader of your blog and think Jordan is just so adorable! I am a first time mom, and my little girl is almost 8 months. I put puffs on her tray everyday so she can get the practice of picking food up and putting it in her mouth. I feel like she isn't really getting it though…did you find Jordan was better at picking up the sweet potato fries? Little girlfriend LOVES sweet potatoes so I think she will love these! Just wondering if you had any tips. THANKS! 🙂

    1. Thanks for reading Crista and congrats on your little one! Jordan didn't really take to those fries, but they do say at first it's easier for babies to pick up food that is a "finger" shape because it's easier to hold before their pincher grasp is developed. I continued putting cheerios out for Jordan and after some time, she got the hang of it. It's soooo cute when the start picking up little pieces of food and can bring it to their mouths to eat! It's one of my favorite things to watch!

  3. I love this post. I am pregnant expecting my first and would like to try this! I do remember you said you would post a what to pack in your hospital bag, did I miss that post?

    1. Oh you are right Bonnie and I never did that!! I should! Specific things I remember actually using were my own pillow and boppy (for nursing), outfits for baby, my own face and body wash and a robe/comfy pjs I could nurse in (button front). We were literally only there for 48 hours to the minute, so you really don't need too much. So exciting to be expecting! Sending you all the good wishes for a smooth delivery!

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