Apple, Squash & Yam Medley Baby Food Recipe

Diced organic Gala Apples, Yams & Acorn Squash

After making some other baby foods I had 3 things left over: gala apples, acorn squash & yams, so I decided to put them all together! You can use acorn or butternut squash for this recipe and yam or sweet potato. If you are buying a squash for this recipe, keep in mind that acorn squash is (in my opinion) very difficult to peel! If you do use acorn squash I recommend cutting it into strips along the furrows then cut off the peel.

This recipe can be pureed for a smoother consistency, mashed for a thicker/lumpier consistency, or served as is as a finger food.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Squash (approx 1 lb)
• 2-3 Apples 
• 1 medium Yam (approx 1 lb)
• Water as needed to achieve desired consistency

Recommended for:

• 4-6+ months

Yeild: 

• Approximately 24 oz 

Cost Comparison:

• $0.12 per oz (I used all organic) vs. $0.27 per oz for the commercially prepared organic baby food (based on $1.20 per 4.5 oz glass jar).

Directions:

• Peel apples, yams and squash and chop into cubes.
• Put diced apples, yams and squash into a baking dish. You may want to add a splash of water in with it. I also lined my dish with foil, because I didn't use any oil or anything the veggies have a tendency of sticking to the pan.
• Cover and bake at 400° for 45 min, or until the yams are tender. You should be able to easily mash them with a fork.
• Allow the mixture to cool a bit before transferring into the blender/food processor/baby bullet.
• Add water as desired and blend. I added about 8 oz of water to reach a consistency suitable for my not-quite-6-month-old. Because yams are more starchy than most veggies it may be a bit harder to blend than other veggies. You can stop and kind of shake the blender a bit to help it along.

Before roasting

After roasting

In the Baby Bullet and ready to blend!

 Storage:

You can use whatever type of containers to have on hand to refrigerate or freeze your baby food, but there are a couple things that you should keep in mind:

• Any baby food you put in the fridge should be consumed within 3 days.
• Frozen baby food is optimal if consumed within 30 days, but can be used for up to 60 days.
• Keep baby food in small portions, as you will have to discard any left over from each feeding. This is because babies (and adults!) mouths are full of bacteria, once this bacteria touches the spoon and gets into the food it starts to grow. If you put this food back in the fridge the bacteria will continue to grow, and feeding this to your baby later may make them ill. 
• Do not freeze puree that has been made with previously frozen breastmilk. If you want to use breastmilk in your puree, it is best to use fresh breastmilk.