Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby Oh-Oh Baby....

You'd have be a Karen Carpenter fan, either listen to retro music or be born in the 1970s to get the humor behind my post title...

Since my BIG FAT life is centered around a little 8 1/2 month old diva right now, I thought I'd do a little post about what I'm up to my elbows in - baby food!  

In an attempt to save some time, I'm taking an hour or two each week to make a big batch of baby food.  I try to make something orange (either butternut squash or steamed carrots) and green (steamed green beans, spinach and/or Swiss Chard), and then mix them together at feeding time. These cute little two-ounce containers I got from Babies R Us make it a pinch to freeze ahead AND they're BPA and Phthalate free.  

My recipe-ish follows at the end of this post.  PLEASE don't let these recipes take the place of your pediatrician's recommendations for your kiddos.  My baby tolerates cashew milk well, but ask your doctor before giving ANY nut milks to your babies...(whew, I feel better now).

Butternut Squash Baby Food

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash

couple of spoonfuls (or is it spoons-ful?) of ghee

cashew milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line oven rack with aluminum foil. Prick squash in several places.  Bake until a knife or fork easily slides into squash.

Remove squash and carefully cut in half.  Scoop out seeds.  Scoop squash innards (love that word) into food processor.  Process with ghee and enough cashew milk to desired thickness.

Spinach/Swiss Chard Baby Food

Ingredients:

large package spinach

2 bunches Swiss Chard

extra virgin olive oil

ghee

cashew milk

Instructions:

Wash and coarsely chop spinach and Swiss Chard.  Heat a saute pan to medium.  When hot, add a few swirls of olive oil.  Add spinach and Swiss Chard and stir.  Cover pan and allow to steam until soft.  Keep checking so it doesn't get too dry.  Add water if needed.

Drain greens in a colander and press with the back of a wooden spoon.  Add to food processor along with 1-2 scoops of  ghee and cashew milk to desired consistency.

Mangia baby!