Easy Apple Baby Food Recipes

Apple baby food
Apples are one of the most widely available fruits in the world and are a tasty and nutritious member of the Rose Family - weird? think rose hips.

This lovely fruit originated from Western Asia and can now can be found in almost all the corners of the earth. There are over 7000 varieties of apples on earth today, so finding apples that your baby will like will not be a problem at all.

When Can Babies Have Apple Baby Food?

Apple baby food can be introduced to babies by the age 6 months. Apples for baby food must be washed thoroughly, peeled, steamed, grated or boiled in as little water as possible before serving.

A lot of babies will easily accept apple baby food especially if you use the sweeter varieties. Adding sugar to homemade baby food is not recommended as sugar will only encourage a sweet tooth and tooth decay. There are a lot of sweet varieties of apples that you can use, that are not as tart as the granny smith apples which are more ideal for baking and cooking.

An Apple A Day - The Nutritious Apple

We have all heard of the old saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". Apples are a very nutritious fruit. Fresh whole apples contain a lot essential vitamins and minerals that will help us maintain good health.

Apples are a great source of vitamin - C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which helps protect us from heart disease and cancer of the colon and more. Whole apples are also a good source of dietary fibers, riboflavin and thiamin.

Selecting And Storing Apples For Babies

Babies and young children (and a lot of adults) seem to prefer sweeter tasting apples to tart ones. Making apple baby food using the sweet tasting apples might yield positive results and your baby's mouth will keep opening for more apple puree.

Select/pick apples that look the healthiest. Healthy apples must be firm and must have healthy looking skin with no bruises or pressure marks. You can store your apples in the crisper center of your refrigerator to maintain both freshness and nutritional qualities for quite a long time. If you are going to make cooked apple puree, it is a good idea to cook and freeze the apples as soon as you can after buying them to preserve all those nutrients.

Sweet Tasting Apples For Babies

Apples for babies - Sonya apple. This apple is absolutely delicious and really sweet. It will easily please any baby fussy or not. Can be grated or steamed.

Apples babies - Honey Crisp. Really sweet, slightly crunchy and very juicy. A lot of children like this apple.

Apples for babies - The Golden Delicious apple is very popular the world over. It is a sweet tasting and is also very juicy and crunchy.

Jonagold is a very sweet and large sized apple variety. These apples usually have a red- yellow color. They are sweet and not too tart either.

Gala apples are firm and have a nice sweet and mild taste and are among the most popular apples.

Red Delicious apples are sweet and have a good crunch, although not as crunchy as the Fuji apple.

Fuji apple, a hybrid of pear and apple. These apples are usually very huge and very juicy (really refreshing) and normally very sweet and have a mild flavor.

Easy Apple Baby Food Recipes

Basic Apple Puree

Wash, peel and core 1 or more red apples of your choice.
Steam on medium heat for about 8- 10 minutes.

Once the apples have cooked and are nice and soft, puree until smooth. Add breast milk or boiled cooled water for a thinner consistency.

Apple and Pear Puree

Ingredients -

• 1 red delicious or any red apple of your choice
• 1 medium ripe pear
• A cup of water

Directions
Wash, peel and core both the apple and the pear and slice (not to thick). Bring water to the boil in your steamer and spread the fruits on the steamer basket starting with the apple slices and then the pear slices. Reduce heat to medium (I use mark 5 on my stove) and steam for about 8-9 minutes or until tender. when cooked, transfer to a bowl reserving the water you used for the steaming. Puree to a smooth consistency using a bit of the reserved liquid for a thinner consistency.

Creamy Polenta with Apple

(From 8 months)
Ingredients -

This recipe contains Oranges and should therefore not be offered to babies with a sensitivity to oranges.

• 50 g Polenta
• 100 ml water
• 100 ml juice from a freshly squeezed orange
• 200 ml milk
• 1 red apple of your choice

Directions
Combine water, juice and milk in a non-stick sauce pan and bring to the boil. Whisk in the polenta and then add in the apple pieces. Reduce heat and sima for about 9 - 10 minutes.

Mash the apple pieces using a potato masher or the back of a fork. You can also puree the mixture with a hand held food processor for a much more creamer and smoother texture.

Apples can also be combined with:
Butternut Squash
Chicken
Banana
Prunes

                                                                                                                                                                      

Links Within:
Baby Fruit Purees
Chicken Recipes
Vegetarian Baby Food Recipes

Resources
Allergy-clinic.co.uk
WHFoods.org

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Go From Apple Baby Food To Strawberry Baby Food Recipes