Banana Puree for Baby

I tested out several other "make-ahead" recipes in the past couple of weeks. To my chagrin none of them were worth sharing. Trust me, a lot of money and work go into testing recipes for you and they either have to be really awesome or really horrendous to make the cut.

Needless to say I was out of money and ideas for today's post when it occured to me that little joey bear has started eating solid foods.

Side note: See those tabs at the top of my website, specifically the one that says "Food For Kids"? Well that tab used to say "Baby Food" because I have always planned on showcasing a few baby food recipes on the website. I guess at some point it just sort of hit me that my little boy won't always be a baby. Sigh. There will be no need for me to make pureed bananas for him when he is ten. Hence the name change on that tab.

Back to business: pretty much the only thing Joe eats right now are bananas. He loves 'em. He takes after his great grandpa. I really really really believe in giving babies homemade baby foods. Maybe its because I believe babies deserve the best possible nutrition ever. Maybe it is because I did not have the opportunity to breastfeed, which I was very frustrated about. Whatever the reason, my babies will always eat homemade baby food.

It is not like baby food is hard to make or figure out, so sorry if this post bores you. Just remember no added salts or sugar. Just pure, natural, nutritious foods and flavors.

Right here we have a mini food processor, three bananas, and one whole lemon. See?

Mini food processors are very cheap, easy to clean, and work really well. You don't need to buy a fancy baby food maker. I actually have no idea what brand mine is (it was used and given to me for free!), but it's a good little fella and I'm in love with it.

Enough about that. This is all so easy. Peel your bananas. Put them in your little food processor. I can fit two whole bananas in mine (cut in half) for this first step.

Process until smooth. Or you can leave chunks and texture depending on the age of your baby.

Squeeze the juice out of your lemon and add it (and another banana) to your food processor.

Process until completely pureed, or at the texture you desire for your child. I spoon mine into an ice cube tray and then stick it in the freezer. A few hours later I come back with my handy pal, a butter knife, and I pop these suckers out. Then they go into a freezer bag and go back into the freezer. They take maybe 10-15 minutes to thaw at room temperature until they are a mushy again and ready to give to baby.

In keeping with the title of my blog, yes, I did taste this. I know you were wondering. The truth is I would never eat the baby food bananas that you buy at the store. They smell weird. But I would lick this homemade stuff off my fingers any day of the week. Very sweet and yummy. I am glad I am feeding my baby something so simply delicious.

Banana Puree for Baby

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas, peeled
• 1 lemon, juiced

Cooking Directions

1. Combine bananas and lemon juice in food processor.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Spoon into an ice cube tray and freeze for at least four hours.
4. Quickly remove frozen banana puree from tray with a butter knife. Just stick it in on one side and it should come out easily.
5. Put cubes in freezer zip-loc bag and return to freezer.

To thaw: Remove desired amount of banana puree cubes from freezer and place in a bowl. Allow to thaw at room temperature for ten to fifteen minutes or until thawed completely.

Recipe by Amanda Jenks

Yield: 12-14 banana puree cubes

You can find the supplies you will need to make baby food in my amazon store.