Lenore’s Baby Food Recipe

Adapted from “Feeding Your Baby the Healthiest Foods” By Louise Lambert-Legace

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) uncooked Uncle Ben’s brown rice
  • 1 cup (250 ml) water
  • 1 lb (440 g) of tender meat (filet mignon, lamb, or veal)
  • 1 tsp. (5 ml) olive oil
  • 2 cups (500 ml) water
  • 3/4 cup (200ml) onion chopped fine (approx. 1/2 of 1 med onion)
  • 3/4 cup (200ml) carrots cubed or chopped fine (approx. 1)
  • 3/4 cup (200ml) zucchini (with peel, remove ends) cubed or chopped fine (approx. 1)
  • 3/4 cup (200ml) frozen peas

Preparation

In a small pot, stir brown rice into 1 cup water. Bring to boil, then cover and lower heat to simmer approx. 20 min. The rice is now half cooked. Set aside.

Cut the meat into pieces about 2" square. After 20 min, take a larger pot and cook the meat in the olive oil until it is brown on all sides, about 5 min. Add 2 cups of water, the vegetables (onion, carrots, zucchini, and frozen peas), and the half-cooked rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the rice is completely cooked, approx. 26 min.

Remove from heat and allow to cool down a bit so that you can handle the meat. Pick out the meat pieces and cut into smaller pieces, cubed or chopped fine. Add back to the rest of the mixture and stir so that the meat is evenly distributed.

To Freeze

Put half a cup (8 tbsp) of cooked food into an 8 oz breastmilk storage bag. Roll the top down and seal with a staple in the middle. Repeat until all of the food is now in the nursing bags. Put all of the bags into a large Ziploc freezer bag and label the large bag with the type of food (beef, veggies, and rice or veal, veggies and rice, etc), the serving size, and the date that the food was made. This will keep 10 -12 weeks in the freezer. Each recipe yields approx. 12 servings.

To Cook

Remove frozen meal from Playtex bag and place in microwavable dish. Microwave on High for approx. 1 min 40 sec.

Tips

If your baby refuses to eat, try adding 2 tbsp of prepared baby food. This acts like a sauce and babies love it.

For babies who cannot chew yet, puree the food before freezing and freeze in 4 oz portions.