Cherry-Apps and Cloves Puree

We eat a lot of spices in our house. Spices as in, mouth-watering-forehead-sweating-get-me-water-now spice and spices as in I have two cupboards full of sweet and savory goodness.

When we first started purees, Baby G was more interested in her socks than in eating.

Oh, let's be honest, she was more interested in ANYTHING than eating. It was almost insulting. Then I started reading a book by Anni Daulter, Orgnanically Raised, and I realized that maybe my purees were just too boring. Daulter talks about how it's important to keep flavor in mind when we are feeding our babies.

We never eat plain food so why should I expect Baby G to like it? When I was pregnant, I craved spicy food and when I was breastfeeding I ate everything you weren't supposed- curries, garlic, broccoli, jalapeno peppers, she never minded.

When I started spices to my purees,  suddenly Baby G was more interested in eating than her socks. That's not saying much, but it is saying something.

A Note About Equipment

There are a lot of ways to make purees.  In this recipe, I steamed the fruit in the microwave for this recipe. Is that the best, healthiest way to do it? Nope. For me, it's easy, and steaming my fruit in the microwave is better than buying store-bought. Feel free to steam on the stove if that's your wish.

My husband likes to say that we bought a Vitamix so I could make baby food. That is a blatant lie. We bought a Vitamix because he always wanted one, we both make smoothies every day, and we have a blender graveyard downstairs. However, I do use it occasionally for baby food. Because we have a high powered blender, I don't peel anything. I make sure it's super clean and I buy organic, but Baby G gets rustic purees. Depending on what you are using, you may want to peel the apple.

If you haven't noticed, I use as many shortcuts as I can. For me, this whole making my own baby food is about setting myself up for success. Just because you spend a lot of time, effort, and energy on food does not necessarily make it taste better. Especially when we are dealing with purees.

Cherry-Apps and Clove Puree

Age: 7-8 months

Ingredients:

[1/2] cup organic frozen cherries, thawed

[1/4] cup dried apricots

[1/2] cup hot water

1 organic apple, sliced

pinch of ground cloves*

[1/4] teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Place apricots in hot water. Let seep for 10-20 minutes until tender.

2. Place apple slices in a glass bowl with 2 tablespoons of water (or a good healthy splash). Cover with a plate and microwave for 1-2 minutes until apple slices are tender.

3. Combine cherries, apricots, apple slices, ground cloves, and cinnamon in blender or food processor. Add 2 tablespoons to [1/4] cup apricot water. Puree until you reach your desired consistency. You may need to add more water depending on where your baby is at in terms of feeding.

*Don't have ground cloves? Try ground nutmeg. Or omit altogether and just use ground cinnamon.

Baby G's Review

The flavors are a little strong in this puree, but mama blends it with yogurt or another boring one ingredient puree and usually, I gobble it up. That is, unless I am wearing particularly cool socks. I really like socks. 

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Have you tried any spices in your purees?