Week 2: Avocado and Sweet Potato/Yams
Avocado
Avocado For Your Baby
Avocado is a great first food for your baby. It is an excellent source of "good" fat, and it can be bought year round in the store. Avocados are ripe when they feel soft (but too soft can be spoiled so be careful when purchasing them). Another great thing about avocados is that they are easy to take with you. Just grab a spoon - shove an avocado in your bag and you have instant baby food (who needs those jars??). Like bananas, avocado is a fruit that you can buy early in the week and then use later on. If your avocado becomes soft before you want to eat it, just refrigerate it until you are ready. It will keep up to a week in the fridge uncut.
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When is baby ready?
4 months old
How to buy
Look for ones that have no blemishes and that are not too soft to the touch. The harder it is the longer it will take to ripen, but avocados ripen well on your kitchen counter.
Homemade Baby Food Recipe
Simply mash avocado with a fork in a small bowl - add formula, water or breast milk to make liquid enough for baby.
How to store
Obviously, baby can't eat an entire avocado so wrap the side with the pit still inside to keep it from getting brown. Unfortunately, because of allergies to citrus you cannot use lemon juice to preserve the avocado for your baby when he is four months old. If you are planning to eat it later, spritz a little lemon juice on the open slice and it will stay greener longer.
Are there baby food jars?
No.
Should I buy organic?
No. Avocados have thick, inedible skins which protect the fruit from pesticide contamination.
Adult Recipes
When you are looking for what to do with the rest of that avocado, just spread it on some toast instead of butter or cream cheese. It is delicious with a little salt and has no saturated fat!
Here is a great starter for dinner:
Easy Avocado Salad
(serves 2)
1 Avocado
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
Cut ripe avocado in half lengthwise and remove pit. Splash a little extra virgin olive oil and then a little vinegar in the center. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with spoon.
Sweet Potato/Yams
Sweet Potato/Yams For Your Baby
Here is a food most of us save for Thanksgiving and marshmallows, but it turns out to be easy to digest and a great source of nutrients for baby. It is also a nutritious alternative to potatoes if you are bored with them. Of course, you need to have the time to bake or boil them. Baking them means that you can just leave them until the timer rings. Always remember to put a timer on when you are cooking with a baby around. It is amazing the things you can forget to do when a little one is grabbing your attention.
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When is baby ready?
4 months old
How to buy
We also call these yams, but a yam is a different tuber (yellow flesh from Japan). Sweet potatoes are orange-fleshed with a kind of maroon peel and can be found all year round but are best in the fall. They should feel firm with no soft spots.
Homemade Baby Food Recipe
To Bake
You can make your own really easily by just baking them in the oven. Baking ensures the peel falls right off (no peeling), they get really soft, and you can make some extra for your dinner. VERY IMPORTANT - line baking pan with aluminum foil to make clean up easy (otherwise you will be scrubbing for days). Heat oven to 425 F, poke holes in potato with fork, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
To Boil
Just peel them, cut into quarters, cover them in water, and boil until soft (about 10 minutes).
How to store
Cool dry place (not in refrigerator) for 2 weeks.
Are there baby food jars?
Yes.
Should I buy organic?
Yes. Potatoes easily absorb pesticides so buy organic when possible.
Adult Recipe
Mashed Sweet Potato for Adults
Bake sweet potato for baby and add any of the following:
Butter or extra virgin olive oil
Chopped parsley, cilantro, mint or sage
Ground spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, or nutmeg
Eating tip of the week
As you add new foods - every 4 days to watch for food allergies - keep track of what your baby likes and dislikes. For example, if your baby spits out avocado - you could give up on it for a couple weeks - and then try it again. Babies' preferences can change instantly and your goal is to introduce a variety of tastes for baby to sample.
Week #2 Shopping List
Baby Food
- avocado
- sweet potato
Adult Food
- extra virgin olive oil
- red wine vinegar
- butter
- parsley, cilantro, mint or sage
- cardamom, cinnamon, or nutmeg
