Baby Food- What to feed the baby?

Anybody with a baby can know the feeling which gets you when you see her/him sleeping peacefully in your arms. Its a perfect mix of love and contentment.


 You want to do everything which keeps the smile  on that face from fading. So, mothers do not give food to their babies, they feed love.


Sounds mushy?….well it is …and its true .
:)
In the quest to give my baby the right foods I've given her an array of mushy, gooey, pasty  (but healthy) things. Here I've made a list of those foods and she ate them too…..yes….seriously (Ok, sometimes coaxing is required….but mostly yes).


1. Suji kheer/ semolina pudding
2. Suji upma/ salted semolina (with veggies and without veggies)
3. Ripe banana (mashed)
4. Ripe avocado(mashed)
5. Ripe papaya (mashed)
6. Mango puree/ aamras
7. Banana and strawberry smoothie
8. Apple and banana smoothie
9. Dal-rice khichri/ lentil -rice porridge
10. Sheera
11. Home-made baby food mix (recipe by Anushruti)


 She gets bored with everyday gruel (I can't blame her.) I'm continually in search of new ideas to make her food more interesting. You are welcome to add to these ideas.

Sooji upma as baby gruel

Sooji upma is an amazing dish in itself. I love it. We make it almost every week as breakfast. 

Here I'm giving a recipe which I have adapted to suit my baby's need. It's easy and made quickly. Moreover, it can be improvised to suit the taste of each child. It is one of the staples in my kitchen.

Ingredients for 1 serving

1. Sooji - 2tsp
2. Ghee/clarified butter- 1tsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Jeera powder- 1 pinch
5. Haldi/turmeric powder- 1 pinch
6. Baby carrot-1 (boiled and mashed)
7. Peas-5-6 (boiled and mashed)
8. Onion- 1 tsp (grated)
9. Water - 2 tbsp

Method

1. Take a thick bottomed wok/Kadhai and put it on the flame. Put ghee and let it melt.
2. Boil the peas and peeled carrot in a pressure cooker and mash them. Do not drain any extra water.
3. Add sooji to the ghee and roast till it smells cooked and is slightly golden brown.
4. Add the onions , immediately follow by adding the mashed veggies and water.
5. Add salt, Haldi and jeera powder.
6. Combine everything and cook till it thickens on a medium low flame.
7. Serve hot or at room temperature.

 Other vegetables of your choice can also be added.

Sooji kheer/ Semolina milk pudding

Sooji kheer is one of the easiest things to make and is ready in a jiffy. It can be served hot as well as cold, depending on one's preferance. My baby loves this one so I make it practically everyday, hence I'm giving measures for a single serving. You might need to add more milk though, if you feel that its gotten too thick and adjust the sugar accordingly. The sooji has to be toasted but not burnt to get a proper flavor.

You need: (for 1 serving)

1. Sooji - 2tsp
2. Milk- 1/2 cup
3. Sugar- 1 tsp
4. Ghee/clarified butter- 1tsp
5. Cardamom- 1, peeled and crushed
6. Dry fruits (optional)- crushed almonds, cashews, pistachios etc.
7. Kesar/saffron- 1 strand (optional)

Method:

1. Take a thick bottomed wok/Kadhai and put it on the flame. Put ghee and let it melt.
2. Add sooji and roast it till a cooked smell comes and it is slightly golden brown.
3. Add milk and let it come to a boil. Lastly, add sugar and cardamom. (add kesar too, if you are using it)
4. Remove from flame and garnish with dry fruits.
5. Serve immediately or after cooling for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Pineapple crumble

An experiment with dessert.


I took a risk when we had guests over for dinner.


But, hey life is about taking risks…even foolish ones…:p


 (psst... I had a backup plan, a tin of Rasgullas..;)


Thankfully, this Tarla Dalal recipe did not disappoint.


You need:
1. 1&1/2 cups chopped freash pineapple
2. 2tbsp sugar
3. 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
4. 1/2 cup rolled oats
5. 3/4 tsp  cinnamon powder
6. 3/4 tsp nutmeg powder
7. 2 Tbsp butter+ butter for greasing the baking tray
8. 1 Tbsp chopped mixed nuts (optional)


How to make:
1. Combine the chopped pineapple with 1Tbsp of sugar and mix well. Keep the pan on fire and cook on slow fire till the fruit becomes soft.
2. Combine the flour, oats, butter ,cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder and remaining sugar and mix well using your fingers till the mix resembles bread crumbs.
3. Spread the pineapple in the greased oven proof tray. Sprinkle  the dry mixture evenly over this. Top with nuts.
4. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 20-25 min. Till the topping is golden brown and serve hot.

Aamrus/ mango pudding

This is one of my favorite summer recipes. The scorching heat of summers had only one welcome respite.. MANGOES!!
 With mangoes arriving in big crates at home and made into "aamrus" in every single meal! I used to to ape my father by dunking 2-3 chunks of ice into it and relishing it to the last spoon (or lick in my case..:) ). Bliss.

The recipe is super simple and easy and basically if you have nice juicy mangoes, you can't go wrong with it. In my mom's version, milk and dry fruits were not a daily happening. Just mangoes, sugar and a little water would go a long way but my mom usually used ripe Alphonso/ Haphous variety which is the most juicy and flavorful variety of mangoes.

As I said, you can't go wrong if you have some ripe good quality mangoes.

Ingredients

1. Mangoes-2 small sized
2. Sugar- 1 tsp for sweet mangoes (you may need more for ones which are a  little sour)
3. Milk- 2 Tbsp
4. Dried fruits (optional)- chopped,for garnishing

Method

1. Peel the mangoes and remove the stone/seed.
2. Take the mango pulp, add milk and pluse it in a blender. (If you want mango chunks to remain then add less milk or just stop blending before its totally smooth)
3. Add sugar and blend again.
4. Pour into a bowl, garnish with nuts and enjoy!

PS: You can omit the milk and replace with water for a vegan version.
You can increase the quantity of milk and add ice to make a mango shake.
Diabetics can enjoy this by omitting sugar because the fruit itself is sweet enough. People with very high sugar will have to avoid it though.