Homemade Baby Cereal Recipes

Did you know that baby’s first food does not have to be a commercial infant rice cereal? Many paediatric resources are acknowledging the fact that avocado, banana and sweet potato make great first foods for baby.

“For most babies it does not matter what the first solid foods are. By tradition, single-grain cereals are usually introduced first. However, there is no medical evidence that introducing solid foods in any particular order has an advantage for your baby.” Source: 09/2008 -Starting Solid Foods (Copyright © 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics)

Whisk Whisk Whisk … For less clumping and more smoothness.

Oatmeal Cereal (4-6months)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of ground oats (do NOT use instant or Quick Cook), ground in blender or food processor
3/4 cup – 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Bring liquid to boil in saucepan. Add the oatmeal powder while stirring constantly.
3. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly, mix in formula or breast milk and fruits if desired
3. Serve warm.

Barley Cereal (6-8months)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ground barley (barley ground in blender or food processor)
1 cup water

Directions:

1. Bring liquid to a boil. Add the barley and simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly
2. Mix in formula or breast milk or juice and add fruits if desired
3. Serve warm

Many of our Visitors have suggested that using 2 cups of water per 1/4 cup “cereal powder” has worked well to create a really liquid cereal.

Rice Cereal  (4-6months)

Ingredients:

1/4 c. rice powder (brown rice ground in blender or food processor)
1 cup water

Directions:

1. Bring liquid to boil in saucepan. Add the rice powder while stirring constantly.
3. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly, mix in formula or breast milk and fruits if desired
3. Serve warm.

What type of Rice do I use for Homemade Baby Rice Cereals?

The type of brown rice that you would want to use for cereals would ideally be a short-grain brown rice. Short-grain rice cooks up more soft than does long or medium grain rice. The only caveat is that it may become sticky and “pasty” when pureed so keep an watch over the rice when cooking and pureeing/blending it. You may use a blend of any type of rice that you like; ensure that it is whole grain however.

Brown jasmine rice and plain brown rice make a nice blend for cereals as do basmati and plain brown rice. If you find that your baby does not like this blend, then consider switching to the plain brown rice type until the palate has become used to solid foods.

Do I Need to Cook the Powder Before I Serve it?

You need to cook the rice-oatmeal-barley powder prior to serving because when you make your own cereal(s) you are taking a whole grain and grinding it into a powder. This powder should be cooked because the grains were not cooked prior to your processing them into a powder. This powder would not be easily digested if left in its “raw” state.

Why Doesn’t Commercial Baby Cereal Need to be Cooked?

The reason that you don’t “cook” commercial baby cereal is that commercial baby cereal is precooked and then dehydrated. Commercial baby cereal is most often made from grain that has been processed and then milled into a flour. You notice this difference when you dump out some “flakes” of commercial cereal(s) and also when you mix up some commercial cereal and find a thin pasty substance in the bowl.

Can Homemade Baby Cereal be Stored in the Refrigerator?

Homemade Baby Cereal may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours maximum. As with thawing frozen homemade baby cereal, you may find the texture changes. Simply warm the baby cereal and then add liquid of your choice, as needed, to reconstitute to a texture your baby prefers.

Can Homemade Baby Cereals be Frozen?

Yes, you may freeze homemade cereal. You would use the ice cube tray method (or whatever method of freezing you currently use) as you would for other baby food purees. It tends to be easier to grind and then store the uncooked grains and simply cook a day’s worth as you go. It often happens that when you thaw the cereal, it becomes rubbery and does not reconstitute well. We do hear from parents who have great luck in freezing cereal. You may want to try freezing a few portions and see how it works for you.

Storing Grains You Have Ground for Homemade Baby Cereal:

Grains that you have ground should be stored in an airtight container in a dry area of your cupboard or in the refrigerator. Whole grains may be stored for several months in a cool dry place. If the temperature becomes extremely warm in your home, you may wish to store the grains in the refrigerator.

Milled whole grains, such as rice flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour and the like, should be stored in an air tight container and preferably in your refrigerator. You can store them in a cool dry place however ensure that you check on the status of the grains if you use them infrequently. Since these are whole grain flours, the natural oils that come from the grain may become rancid without refrigeration. When purchasing any type of milled whole grain, it’s always best to buy smaller quantities to ensure that your whole grains are used prior to them going rancid.

The same “rules” apply for rice powder or oat powder, barley powder etc. that you have ground (milled) for your homemade baby cereal. You should store it in an air tight container, in a cool dry place but preferably in the refrigerator if your home is warm.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/cereals.htm

Homemade Baby Food: A Fresh start to healthy eating

Allah (SWT) commands us to consume not only what is Halaal (lawful) but also what is ‘wholesome’ (Tayyib) [s2:v172].

With this in mind, I have adapted the following article regarding your child’s first solid meals:

Homemade Baby Food: A Fresh start to healthy eating

Introducing solid foods is a very important step in your baby’s development and well-being. In fact, studies show that babies who are fed nutritious, healthy diets grow into stronger kids and better-adjusted eaters than those who are fed poor diets.

Many parents don’t realize that making baby food at home is a simple and economical plan to provide your baby with the best in quality, nutrition and taste. It makes it easy for you to ensure your child gets the best start possible. Making baby food using fresh, all-natural ingredients has many benefits, including:

• Increased nutritional value
• Elimination of additives
• Improved freshness
• Added variety
• Enhanced control
• Lower costs
• Increased nutritional value

Vitamins and other nutrients are critically important to your baby. For the next three years, your baby will experience rapid growth and development. It is essential that he be fed a healthy and nutritious diet to maximize his growth and development process.

Processed baby foods have added water, sugars and starchy fillers. While these products are not nutritionally bad for your baby, their use in baby food dilutes the nutrient content of the actual foods. To make matters worse, processed baby foods are cooked at high temperatures to kill bacteria, so they can be stored in jars at room temperature.

Bacteria are not the only things that are eliminated in this process. Vitamins and nutrients are also destroyed. Many baby food manufacturers compensate for the loss of vitamins by artificially adding some of them back in after the food is processed.

When you make baby food at home, you can cook it quickly. This process not only preserves the wonderful colour and taste of the food, but most importantly it maximizes the foods’ nutrient content for your precious baby.

Elimination of additives

Processed baby foods contain trace amounts of chemicals, including pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. Although food authorities have approved these chemicals, you may choose not to feed your baby products containing them. Buying certified organic produce (fresh or frozen) and preparing food at home eliminates agricultural chemicals from your baby’s diet.

In addition, many varieties of processed baby foods add ingredients that are not essential or beneficial to your baby’s diet. These can include ingredients such sugar, butter and salt. Most healthcare professionals will recommend you avoid the introduction of these foods until your child is much older. Homemade baby food is pure, wholesome food with nothing added that you did not add yourself.

Improved freshness

Have you compared fresh green peas to a jar of pea baby food? Even though they are the same food, they don’t look, smell or taste similar. While your baby does not have the refined palate of an adult, he does respond to taste, colour and smell. With the enormous availability of fresh produce in your grocery store and the simplicity of making baby food, there is really is no reason he needs to be deprived of colourful, tasty, great-smelling baby food. And serving fresh food from the very beginning will help your baby be more open to tasting new flavours and types of food.

Additional variety

Processed baby food is developed for the mass market and, as a result, is limited in variety. Variety is key to a balanced diet and healthy living. Today’s grocery stores offer a tremendous variety of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. There is no reason why your baby should be limited by what food manufacturers consider the most popular foods. What’s more, preparing baby food at home enables you to add herbs, combine flavours, and easily introduce new textures, making your baby’s mealtime a pleasurable, gourmet experience.

Enhanced control

As a parent, you want to understand and trust the ingredients in your baby’s diet. Similarly, you want assurance concerning the purity, safety, quality and consistency of such ingredients. Preparing baby food at home provides you with control of your baby’s diet and knowledge of exactly what goes into your baby’s food. The more involvement you have with what you are feeding your baby, the more likely you are to nurture healthy eating habits.

Lower costs

Processed baby foods are expensive. The average baby (in the United States) will consume 600 jars of baby food. Making baby food at home is extremely cost-effective, as foods may be purchased either in season or on sale.

With all these benefits, you may think that it is difficult to make baby food, but it is a lot easier to make than you may imagine. Using fresh produce, a blender and set of ice cube trays, you can make food in quantity and freeze it in single servings. This means you only need to make food once or twice a week. Bottom line, it takes about 30 minutes a week. Here is a simple and easy recipe for a common first food.

Sweet Potato Puree

2-3 medium to large sweet potatoes

Step 1: PREP – Wash, peel and chop sweet potatoes into 3 cm cubes

Step 2: COOK – Place sweet potatoes and 2 Tablespoons (30ml) of water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover. Cook 8-10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. They are done if the sweet potatoes can be mashed easily with a fork.

Step 3: PUREE – Place sweet potatoes and cooking juices into a blender of food processor. Add ½ cup (60 ml) of water. Puree. Add additional ¼ to ½ cup (60 – 100 ml) of water, as needed, to develop of smooth texture.

Step 4: FREEZE – Spoon into or ice cube trays. Cover. Place in freezer 8-10 hours or overnight. Remove cubes from trays, place in storage container or freezer bag, and return immediately to the freezer.

Makes 24 one-ounce servings. Stays fresh for 2 months in the freezer.

To serve, select frozen sweet potato cubes from the freezer, defrost and warm, check the temperature and feed.

Adapted from pregnancy.org