Cranberry Pear Applesauce (and Traveling with Baby)

We are getting ready to leave for our first trip with Baby G. We will be flying for the first time so there are piles throughout the house. I can't believe how much stuff a little person needs! Before I leave, I wanted to share with you our current favorite recipe, but first a few notes on traveling clean....

Eating Clean While Traveling

This is our first real eating challenge as we are still determined to keep her off processed foods while we travel. Believe me, I've been tempted in the last few days. We are lucky in that we are visiting my parents so we will have our own kitchen in our hotel suite as well as all of their gadgets at their place, namely a really nice blender so we can make our own purees. It also helps that we are going to Southern Texas where the produce is cheap and plentiful. I am packing my Pampered Chef microwave steamer and I made some banana bread sticks that are great teethers and snacks for her (recipe will be posted when I get back). I have frozen purees that I am going to pack in my OXO containers for the airport. Other than that, we will rely on produce we can find at the airport and when we get there, we will make a trip to the grocery store for some puree and finger food ingredients.

To cut down on packing, I ordered feeding bibs, spoons, bottles, and some other baby supplies (diapers, sunblock, swim stuff) on Amazon and because of our Prime account, it's free shipping. We will have that stuff waiting for us when we get there. Anything to make it easier!

I will be tweeting about our adventures in feeding, so follow me to get our updates.

Cranberry Pear Applesauce

I read about using cranberries in purees in Anni Daulter's book Bountiful Baby Purees. She talks about not being afraid of giving baby's sour food and despite her kind warnings, I was still nervous. Would she really like cranberries? Would she purse her mouth and turn away?

Not. At. All.

Baby G LOVES this puree. The pears and raisins give it some added sweetness, but don't get me wrong, this is tart. She has been gobbling it up since I made it up. Cranberries are a great source of Vitamin C. With its refreshing taste, it's a particularly great puree during cold and flu season.

I made it in the slow cooker, but feel free to make this in a regular steamer. I just wanted a hands off method as Baby G is now mobile and I have less time to monitor anything besides her.

Ingredients:

1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen

3 small apples, sliced

2 small pears, sliced

[1/2] cup raisins

[1/2] cup water

3 cinnamon sticks
 
1. Combine all ingredients** in a medium slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours, or until pears and apples are tender.

2. Remove cinnamon sitcks and transfer to a blender. Puree until you reach your desired consistency. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

**The cranberries made a bit of a mess in the slow cooker. To avoid the mess, you could add them for the last 1-2 hours. Or, if you are like me, just soak the slow cooker over night before washing it. If I did it again, I'd live with the mess because it requires less thought.

Recipe Review:

We will definitely be incorporating cranberries into more recipes. I love the idea that Baby G is being exposed to a wider variety of flavors and cranberries are so good for you!

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Have you made any sour purees yet?

Any tips for traveling with a baby?