As your baby gets older it’s time to add some variety to his meals. Here’s a yummy chicken dinner that combines chicken, carrots and potatoes to make a complete meal.

I start by cooking a whole chicken in the Crockpot. Just simmer it with enough water until it is completely done and the meat is falling off the bone. You can then use some of the chicken for your baby and turn the rest into chicken salad or any other chicken dish for the rest of your family.

Alternatively you could also boil a boneless, skinless chicken breast in water until it is completely done and use it for this recipe.

Next bake a potato. You can do this in the oven or in the microwave. Cook the potato until it is soft. Allow it to cool, then cut it in half and scoop out the soft potato, leaving the skin behind.

While the meat and potato are cooking, steam a handful of baby carrots until they are very soft. Drain and reserve some of the liquid.

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, adding liquid as needed.

Feed a portion to your baby now and freeze the rest. I like to freeze them in smallcontainers in portions that are just large enough for one feeding.

Make your baby’s oatmeal cereal right at home. I like this much better thancommercial oatmeal cereal for babies because I control the quality of the ingredients and of course making it yourself results in much fresher products.

Step One… Make ground oats

Get some all natural ground oats. You don’t want to use instant or quick cookingoats for this. They have been altered making it harder for baby to digest them.

Step Two … Prepare the Oatmeal Cereal

3/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of ground oatmeal

Bring the water to a boil. Add the oatmeal powder while stirring the liquid. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes while continuing to stir.

At this point, you can mix in fruit purees if desired. If the mixture is too thick, add a little boiled water, formula or breast milk as needed.

Rice cereal is often baby’s first food. No need to buy a commercial baby cerealthough. You can make your own rice cereal for baby from brown rice.

Step One… Make Rice Powder

Add brown rice to a blender and blend until you have rice powder. I like to do this in batches of 1/2 cup and store it in an airtight container. Depending on the size of your blender, you may be able to blend more or less of the rice at a time.

Step Two … Prepare the Rice Cereal

1 cup of water
1/4 cup of rice powder

Bring the water to a boil. Add the rice powder while stirring the liquid. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes while continuing to stir.

At this point, you can mix in fruit purees if desired. If the mixture is too thick, add a little boiled water, formula or breast milk as needed.

Barley cereal is not quite a well known as rice or oatmeal versions, but it make a great variation. Give it a try and see how your baby likes this new cereal.

Step One… Make ground barley

Grind barley in a blender or coffee grinder until you have barley powder.

Step Two … Prepare the Barley Cereal

3/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of barley powder

Bring the water to a boil. Add the barley powder while stirring the liquid. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes while continuing to stir.

At this point, you can mix in fruit purees if desired. If the mixture is too thick, add a little boiled water, formula or breast milk as needed.

No need to buy pureed peas in a baby food jar. It’s very simple to make your own right at home.

Purchase a pack of organic frozen peas.

Bring a medium sized pot filled with water to a boil and add the frozen peas. Cook until they are tender. Drain the peas and set some of the cooking liquid aside.

Get out a blender and add the peas along with a splash of the cooking water and blend well. Add more liquid as needed to get a nice, smooth consistency.

If you still notice some pieces of pea skin in the mixture, push it through a sieve before feeding it to your baby.

Tip – for some variety, cook frozen green beans the same way. You can also add some cooked potato to the cooked peas and blend them together. Other variations like peas and carrots or peas and squash are yummy for your baby as well.

Babies love to snack… and finger foods are a great way for babies to experiment with new tastes and textures. It also helps them develop their motor skills. Please note, these recipes are intended for older babies that can sit up and are ready for finger foods. If in doubt, always check with your pediatrician to ensure your baby is ready for these foods.

Homemade Baby Finger Food Recipes:

Banana Surprise

Ingredients:

1 Banana (very thinly sliced)
Pancake batter

Directions:

Coat banana slices in pancake butter and place on a hot frying pan or grill.  Cook for about 1 minute on each side until golden brown. Let cool and serve.

Banana Cheerio Bites

Ingredients:

1 banana (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup cheerios (multi-grain, not honey nut)

Directions:

Place cheerios in a plastic bag and crush using the back of your hand or a rolling pin. Place sliced bananas in bag and toss gently to coat bananas in cheerios and serve. No more slippery bananas for babies!

Extra Tip:

This also works great with thinly sliced pear and apple slices. Instead of cheerios you can also use crushed graham crackers

Toast Soldiers

Ingredients:

Whole grain bread

Directions:

Simply toast a slice of whole wheat bread and cut into “finger” pieces and serve. This is a great finger food for teething babies to chew on.

Homemade Rusks

Ingredients:

6 slices of whole wheat bread

Directions:

Trim crusts from bread. Cut into 1 inch slices and place on a baking tray. Bake at 175F for approximately 1 hour or until bread is dry and crispy. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Bite Size Pasta

Ingredients:

Pasta of choice (we use curly pasta)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Preferably cook to “al dente”. Drain and let cool. Serve cooled and chopped into bite size pieces.

Sweet Potato Bites

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato (peeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Peel sweet potato and slice into 1 inch pieces or wedge shapes. Place in a pan with enough water to cover and boil for 10 minutes (no longer). Drain and place wedges on a baking tray. Toss with a little olive oil and bake at 350F for approximately 15 minutes or until tender. Potato wedges will be soft and mushy. Let cool and serve.

Mini Baby Muffins

Ingredients:

This recipe contains eggs and should not be used for babies under 12 months

2 cups of self-raising flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup milk
1 ounce butter
1 egg (lightly beaten)

Directions:

Grease a 12-hole mini muffin pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine flour, sugar and raisins in a large bowl. Add milk, butter and egg and gently blend. Do not over mix batter. Spoon batter into muffin holes and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until browned and baked through. Makes 36 mini muffins, Suitable for freezing or may be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.