For Delicious & Nutritious Baby Meals

Nearly a third of parents spend their time whirring, puréeing, and blending different combinations of fruits and veggies for their growing babies. This stat might surprise you, or it might not. For many parents who already cook with locally grown, organic ingredients, it’s not a big stretch to simply set aside a few portions for homegrown baby food. Plus, it’s an easy way to avoid the excess sugar and sodium that comes from preserving and processing even the most natural foods. 

As it so happens, a more mindful kitchen is also a pretty economical one. Including your baby’s meals in your zero waste routine can help you save money. When you strip away the jars, pouches, and packing, something as simple as a puréed banana is much cheaper than its store-bought counterpart. 

Remember that it’s still ok (and safe!) to buy their meals when you need to, and to focus on weaving these recipes into your daily life for a nourishing approach to food that sustains you and your baby. 

We’ve hand-picked five recipes from around that web to help you curate a delicious and nutritious menu. They are easy to whip up and are packed with essential nutrients to support babies’ evolving bodies and minds. Bon appetit! 

Apple, Spinach, + Pea Purée 
Recipe by Baby Foode

Babies need plenty of iron to develop their learning and memory processes, and when paired with Vitamin C, it helps them absorb those nutrients, explains Michelle Davenport, Ph.D., RD. Luckily, this simple recipe has both of those in spades, and you’ll appreciate how easy it is to source these ingredients organically. Plus, the sweet taste of two apples will ensure those greens go down without a hitch.

Review | “I made this today and my 9 month old loved it. I gave it to her for lunch and dinner. Once warm and once cold, she ate it up either way!” – Janicke 

Make Apple, Spinach, + Pea Purée

Tropical Avocado Pudding
Recipe by Camille Styles

Did avocados just become a family favorite? Oh, yes they did. Thanks to this quick and blendable recipe, you can feed yourself and your baby all the healthy fats of an avocado without worrying about eating the leftovers before they go brown. 

Review | “I tried the tropical pudding & my son loves it!” – April

Make Tropical Avocado Pudding

Eat Your Greens Purée
Recipe by Weelicious

This quick recipe is packed with folate (a vitamin that’s great for building a healthy nervous and digestive system in babies), and versatile enough to add to other meals. Nearly every ingredient can easily be bought as organically grown, and better yet, in bulk! That means you can skip the packaging all the way from the shelf to the first spoonful. 

Review | “I added this to spaghetti sauce. Kids and adults alike thought it was good.” – Sara

Make Eat Your Greens Purée

First Applesauce
Recipe by Smitten Kitchen

Smitten Kitchen’s catalog of well-loved recipes also has some meals designed just for your little one. Her recipe for applesauce is a classic that you’ll love to come back to, especially during the fall when apples are abundant and in season. Another highlight? You don’t even have to peel them! How’s that for zero waste?

Review | “I haven’t bought a single jar of applesauce since making my first baby-intended batch about a year ago. Homemade is SO much better! I cant wait to see what other delicious yums you come up with for your wee one.” – Dori

Make First Applesauce

Baby Rice Cereal
Recipe by Little Miss Momma

For the little one with a sensitive tummy, rice cereal is easily digestible—it’s also a great way to introduce solid foods. On its own, it’s not loaded with nutrients but is a great base to add other fruits or veggies to the mix. This recipe from Little Miss Momma is approachable and demystifies the process of homemade cereals.  

Review | “I didn’t even know you could make your own rice cereal, even though I have always made my own baby food, however, I have been reading about all the ‘bad batches’ of organic infant cereal and thought there has got to be a better way! And there is! Thank you so much for sharing!” – Tiffani

Make Baby Rice Cereal

Got a recipe your little one loved? 🍼 Share it in the comments below!

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Based in the beautiful city of Portland, Maine, Katherine Oakes Englishman is a writer and yoga teacher with a passion for empowering others to live a more conscious and connected life. She is a contributing writer for The Good Trade, Wayward Collective and pens articles on outdoor travel as the East Coast correspondent at Bearfoot Theory; Katherine is also the former web editor of Pure Green Magazine. Offline, you can find her on a yoga mat or in pursuit of adventure in the wilds of Maine and the neighboring White Mountains.