Home Made Meals for babies aged 4-6 months

Fruits and Vegetables

Kiwi and Banana Kiwi fruit are very good for your baby as they have more vitamin C than an orange! Make sure you choose a very ripe fruit, otherwise it may be very sour. MAKES 1 PORTION 1/4 ripe kiwi fruit, peeled   1/4 ripe banana, peeled Puree the kiwi and strain throug a fine sieve to get rid of the black seeds. Puree the banana and mix it with the kiwi. Eat straight away or the banana will turn brown.

Apple and Banana with Orange Juice This makes a change from mashed banana or apple puree. When your baby is 6 months the apple can be eaten raw. MAKES 1 PORTION 1/4 apple, peeled, cored and chopped   1/2 teaspoon orange juice 1/4 banana, peeled and chopped Steam the apple until tender(approx 10 minutes) then puree or mash together with the banana, orange juice. Serve as soon as possible

Peaches, Apples and Pears This is a good puree to make when peaches are in season. When they are not just use apples and pears. MAKES 14 PORTIONS 2 eating apples, peeled, cored & chopped  2 ripe peaches, skinned & chopped 1 cm/1/2 inch vanilla pod(optional)  2 ripe pears, peeled, cored & chopped Put the apple pieces in a sacucepan with 50ml/2floz of water and the vanilla pod. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the peaches and pears and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod and puree.

Mixed Dried Fruit Compote Dried fruits and fresh fruits are delicious combined. When you baby is older you cna mix these with natural yogurt or fromage frais. MAKES 18 PORTIONS 50g/2oz each of dried apricots, dried peaches and prunes 1 eating apple and pear, peeled, cored and chopped, or 1 apple and 3 fresh apricots, skinned stoned & chopped. Put the dried fruit into a saucepan, cover with plenty of boiling water and simmer for 25 minutes until tender. Add the apple and pear or apricots to the saucepan. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Puree in a mouli.

Vegetable Stock Vegetable stock provides the basis of many vegetable meals. It is worth making your own supply which is free from additives and salt. You can freeze it as you would any other stock. MAKES ABOUT 900ML/1&1/2 PINTS 1/2 onion, peeled      1 bouquet garni(bought/homemade) 1 carrot, srubbed      1 sprig of fresh parsley 1 celery stalk       1 bay leaf 175g(6oz) mixed root vegetables(swede, turnip, parsnip, etc), peeled a few black peppercorns Chop all the vegetables, place in a pan and cover with water. Add the seasonings, bring to the boil and simmer for about an hour. Strain off and discard the vegetables and use the flavoured water as stock.

Courgette and Banana Puree This may seem a strange combination but they taste very nice together. MAKES 2 PORTIONS 1 small cougette, washed, timmed & sliced  1/2 small banana, peeled & sliced Steam the cougette slices for about 8 minutes and puree in a mouli with the banana(mashed)

Baby Cereal and Vegetables Sometimes vegetable purees can be very watery - particularly those made from vegetables like: courgettes that have a high water content. So you can use baby rice, which can help thicken it up. MAKES 16 PORTIONS 1/4 small onion, peeled   25g(1oz) green cabbage, shredded 2 courgettes, trimmed   25g(1oz) fresh peas 50g(2oz) broccoli, cut into florets   vegetable stock(as above) 2 medium carrots, peeled   3 tablespoons baby rice Chop all the vegetables, put them into a saucepan and just cover them with all the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the baby cereal and stir over a gentle heat for 2 minutes. Puree the vegetables in a blender until you get the desired consistency

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