2 Yummy Purees By Request

For those of you who haven't friended us on Facebook, you can ask questions and make comments on our wall and we will answer right away, especially since Nicole is a social media junkie and probably should seek some sort of therapy for it. Anyways, one of our "students" who recently took a puree class requested some more puree recipes on our blog so .... you ask and you shall receive. Here your go!! See; if there is anything you are wondering or if there's a class you'd like to see us add to our upcoming roster let us know on our Facebook page and we'll address it. For now enjoy a couple super yummy puree recipes that are a perfect fit for a beautiful autumn day.

Butternut Squash & Apple Stew

Ingredients:

½ small, peeled, and diced butternut squash

1 medium apple, peeled, and diced

1½ cups low sodium chicken stock or water

Grape Seed or Olive Oil

Directions:

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add squash, and apples and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Apples will begin to turn golden. Add stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and simmer until vegetables are soft, 30 to 35 minutes.

Place in a food processor, or food mill and puree to the consistency appropriate for your baby.

Nutrition:

Butternut Squash is high in vitamin C, beta- carotene, potassium, and folate. Apples are high in fiber and antioxidants.

Red Lentils & Rice Super Soup

Ingredients-

2 ¾ cups low sodium vegetable broth

⅓ cup brown rice

½ cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed

Directions-

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the stock to a simmer. Add the rice and lentils. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until the rice is tender, the lentils are very soft and mash easily with a spoon, and most of the liquid is absorbed, 30 to 35 minutes. (The mixture will continue to absorb liquid as it cools.) Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process to a smooth puree. Add the necessary broth or water to reach the desired consistency for your baby.

Nutrition-

Lentils and brown rice are a nutritious, protein-packed pairing, and lentils have the added benefit of being high in folate. (Folate: Folate helps produce and maintain new cells [2]. This is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as infancy and pregnancy. Folate is needed to make DNA and RNA, the building blocks of cells. It also helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer [3]. Both adults and children need folate to make normal red blood cells and prevent anemia [4]. Folate is also essential for the metabolism of homocysteine, and helps maintain normal levels of this amino acid.)