Baby Food Prep | 4+ Months | 5 Recipes
Making baby food for Hanky Pank has become part of my weekend routine. I prefer to set aside time either Saturday or Sunday to make baby food instead of trying to make it here and there during the week. And while I love going to the grocery store and picking whatever fruits and vegetables catches my eye, I’ve found a few minutes of planning helps cooking go much smoother.
Running low on time? Try my Baby Food Prep | 4+ Months below. These are my favorite recipes for Hanky Pank. And this Baby Food Prep provides a great combination of fruits, vegetables, and grains, and puts almost 100 ounces of baby food in the freezer. I recommend following the directions below to save time. Or you can make each recipe individually if you’re more comfortable doing so.
Recipes and Yield
- Butternut Squash (32 ounces)
- Sweet Potatoes (16 ounces)
- Apples (16 ounces)
- Pears (16 ounces)
- Oatmeal (16 ounces)
Grocery List and Preparation
- 1 butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 2 sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch wedges
- 2 apples, cored and sliced
- 2 pears, cored and sliced
- 1 cup quick-cooking steel-cut oatmeal
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon cloves, optional
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, optional
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place squash flesh side up in a baking dish. Sprinkle with cloves.
Toss sweet potatoes in 2 teaspoons olive oil with nutmeg. Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Place butternut squash and sweet potatoes in oven. Bake for 25 minutes.
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a steamer. Add apples and sprinkle with cinnamon. Steam until tender, about 8 minutes. Reserve cooking water.
Transfer apples to food processor or blender using a slotted spoon. Add 1/4 cup cooking water and puree until smooth. Spoon apples into ice cube trays and rinse food processor or blender.
Remove sweet potatoes from oven and allow to cool. Continue to bake squash for an additional 20 minutes.
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a steamer. Add pears. Steam until tender, about 8 minutes. Reserve cooking water.
Transfer pears to food processor using a slotted spoon. Add 1/4 cup cooking water and puree until smooth. Spoon pears into ice cube trays and rinse food processor or blender.
Remove squash from oven and allow to cool.
Transfer sweet potatoes to food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup water. Puree until smooth. Spoon sweet potatoes into ice cube trays and rinse food processor or blender.
Transfer squash to food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup water. Puree until smooth. Spoon squash into ice cube trays.
Place oats in food processor and pulse until powder consistency.
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Add ground oats to water and reduce heat to low. Simmer until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Spoon oatmeal into ice cube trays.
Once frozen, transfer purees to ziplock freezer bags, label and date.
Notes
Store for 3 days in refrigerator or 3 months in freezer.
Ideal age is 4+ Months.
Use leftover cooking water from apples and pears in butternut squash and sweet potato purees.
If puree is too thick, add 2 tablespoons of water at a time to reach desired consistency.
If not enough ice cube trays for freezing, store purees in refrigerator overnight and spoon into ice cube trays once available.