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Blender Baby Food: Over 125 Recipes for Healthy Homemade Meals by Nadine Day RD, Nicole Young
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Nadine Day RD, Nicole Young Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2005-08-06 ISBN: 0778801187 Number of pages: 192 Publisher: Robert Rose Accessories:
Book Reviews of Blender Baby Food: Over 125 Recipes for Healthy Homemade MealsBook Review: Commonsense advice for those making thier own baby food. Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great book for those who want to control the content and quality of the food their baby eats and save money in the process. Although some of the "recipes" seem awfully self-evident (Cook peas. Put in blender with water. Blend.), what this book does well is give you an idea what foods to offer when. I also liked that this book gave sample menus, so I'd know how much food to offer. The absolute best thing about this book, however, is the confidence it gave me to move beyond the standard peas, squash, and sweet potatoes. My 7 month old loves avocado, cauliflower, lima beans, and other foods that he'd never get from Gerber. Cost wise, we did the math. Two Gerber cups of food cost 80 cents at our local Kroger. That works out to $1.83/pound. So, any food that costs less than that whole is cheaper when you make your own food, especially since you add water most of the time. I also love that I control the texture. My son is an adventurous eater, and likes things much thicker and chunkier than you'd get in a container of Gerber. Lastly, I especially liked this book because we don't eat organic, we aren't into soy products, we just want to feed our son the best possible diet on our limited budget. This book doesn't give you the guilt trip about how if you feed your kid a non-organic broccoli floret they're going to grow up stupid, if they grow up at all. I read some of the other baby food books out there, and many of the others assume that you are making your own baby food because you are one of those organic, whole foods evangelists. This book just gives you the recipes without the rhetoric.
On the negative side, and the reason that I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5, is that there is no discussion of nitrates. For example, there are recipes for carrots, spinach, kohlrabi, and other very high nitrate foods in the book. Buying organic will NOT result in fewer nitrates because it depends on the region of the US and the soil in the specific plot where the food is grown. You are safer feeding Gerber carrots and spinach, because at the very least Gerber screens for nitrate levels and you cannot. We are simply holding off feeding these foods until our son is old enough to handle the nitrates, around 12 months old. (My husband does public health research for the State, and did research on nitrates in foods for work).
Lastly, if you are even thinking about making your own baby food, give it a try. My mother raised three daughters and bought very little baby food, and I thought I'd give it a try, but didn't expect to keep it up since I work 50 hours a week. It's been surprisingly easy. We just keep the cubes in the freezer, and thaw as needed. I make extra veggies at supper to blend, so it's not extra work. I think that almost anyone could do this. Also, get a little food mill. Then, when the baby is old enough, you can just grind up a little of whatever the family is eating for supper. My mom even used to take her little food mill out to eat.
Summary of Blender Baby Food: Over 125 Recipes for Healthy Homemade Meals Making nutritious, homemade baby food has never been so easy! Baby food doesn't have to come in jars, and making your own at home is not difficult. Baby food is strained, puréed or mashed adult food - just a different version of the food you prepare for yourself. Here are three good reasons to make baby food at home: - Knowing what's in it, therefore ensuring healthy and wholesome meals.
- Tailoring the texture to your baby's preferences.
- Shaping baby's tastes and helping him/her learn what fresh foods taste like.
Whether choosing to make all baby's food at home, or just some of it, the blender is a great way to offer new flavors in a baby-friendly texture. Once a child begins to eat table food, there is always an occasion for a fruit smoothie or a nutritious blended dip. Here's a sampling of the deliciously easy recipes: - Six Months and Older: Peach and Pear Bananarama, Melon Madness, Zucchini and Nectarines, Roasted Vegetable Purée
- Eight Months and Older: Vegetable Paella, Humus for Beginners, Chicken with Red Peppers and Corn, Beefy Broccoli
- Nine Months and Older: Lemon Raspberry Yogurt, Over the Top Applesauce, Spinach and Tomatoes with Ricotta, Fisherman's Pie
- Twelve Months and Older: Orange Banana Smoothie, Very Berry Pears, Broccoli and Cauliflower Melt, Veggie Cream Sauce
All the recipes in Blender Baby Food are accompanied by suggested age guidelines. Also included are lots of great tips for making baby food, storage and freezing guidelines as well as the appropriate way to thaw and reheat food. Plus, none of the recipes calls for any of the salt, sugar, starches or fillers found in many commercially prepared baby foods. Blender Baby Food helps parents give their baby the best nutritional advantage. (200511)
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