Babies are the light and happiness of every family. It is important that we take most care of the growth and development of the little ones. The most important factor is the proper nutrition for them to grow as healthy and young individuals. Here is a list of easy baby food recipes that you can make at home. They are healthy, nutritious, tasty and perfect for the young toddlers.
1.Ragi Malt
Ragi malt is the most common baby food and is very well known for its nutritional content (proteins, amino acids, and minerals) and an easy preparation method. To prepare Ragi malt, ragi powder is heated in a pan and stirred well. This is added to hot boiling water and stirred continuously so that there is no lump formation. To this, one cup of milk is added along with sugar or jaggery. Finally, a small amount of elaichi powder is added and mixed thoroughly. Dry fruits may be added if required and served to the baby.
2.Rice and Dal Khichdi
Rice and dal khichdi is simple to make and nutritious as well. To prepare this, soak rice and dal in water for half an hour. Cook the mixture in a pressure cooker along with garlic and hing(both optional) for up to 2 whistles. After the steam is released, serve the hot khichdi along with one tablespoon of ghee.
3.Rava Payasam
This sweet dish is delicious and healthy for your newbie. To prepare rava payasam, heat rava in a pan and stir well. To this, add a cup of milk and stir in such a way that there are no lumps formed. Slowly bring it to boil. To this, add required amount of sugar, elaichi and saffron (optional). The dish is ready to be served.
4.Carrot Paste
Carrot paste is a healthy, finger-licking and delicious food for your little one. To prepare this, peel and cut carrots into small pieces and boil them till they become soft. Blend the cooked carrots in a blender with very little water and sugar till it becomes a fine paste. Now, carrot paste is ready to serve for the baby.
5.Apple Paste
This easy recipe is quite similar to the previous one. Peel off the skin of apples, then chop into small pieces. Boil them in an open vessel until they become soft enough to make a paste. Blend the soft apple pieces to make a paste. The paste can be fine or coarse depending upon what the baby likes. A pinch of cinnamon can also be added according to the baby’s choice.
6.Banana Paste
To make the delicious banana puree, peel bananas and cut them into small pieces. Puree the bananas in a blender with a little water. For extra creaminess, add a little milk instead of water while blending. The paste can be thick or thin and also smooth or coarse based on the personal choice of the baby. This can be served with other fruits like strawberries, blueberries, plums, etc.
7.Spinach Paste
Fresh spinach paste is colorful as well as healthy for the newbie. Fresh green spinach is taken and cleaned thoroughly. The leaves are plucked and steamed for about 3 minutes to make them soft and ready to be blended. The steamed spinach is then pureed in a blender with a small amount of water. If required this can be mixed with carrot paste (recipe mentioned above) to enhance the flavor.
8.Sweet Potato Paste
Sweet potatoes have high amount of beta-carotene and healthy which is an essential part of a baby’s diet. Sweet potatoes are cleaned and cut into small pieces. They are boiled in water till they become tender. These are then blended in a blender along with a small amount of water. A pinch of cinnamon can be added to enhance the taste. This paste can also be mixed with carrot paste and served.
9.Curd Rice
Curd rice is one of the best and cooling dish for the little ones. Take a bowl of cooked rice and mash it well. Mix it with curds and a little water. Curds provide the necessary calcium essential for bones and teeth. In another pan, heat ghee, to this add cumin powder and a little-chopped ginger. Mix this with the plain curd rice kept aside. You can also add chopped coriander and curry leaves if the baby is not very small. Else, coriander juice can be used as it is very rich in Vitamin-C.
10.Oats and Curd Porridge
To make the healthy oats curd porridge, heat powdered oats in a pan and keep aside. In another pan, boil water and add oats to it and stir until the right consistency. After the mixture is cooled down, add curd and mix well. A pinch of cumin powder and salt can be added. Also, this can be topped with grated carrots if the baby is big enough to chew it else this can be skipped.
11.Mixed Vegetable Puree
Vegetables are rich in minerals and vitamins, and are an essential food for a baby’s diet. Carrots, potato, sweet potato, spinach are cleaned, peeled, cut and Boiled (or steamed) until they become tender. They are then blended,and less quantity of water is added to make a paste of required consistency. This dish is healthy and easy to prepare.
12.Pear, Fig and Carrot Puree
Fresh pear is peeled and diced. Figs are washed and cut and kept aside. Carrot is peeled and cut into small pieces. The three are then steamed until they become tender. After steaming, they are blended into a paste whose consistency depends on the personal choice of the baby. Pears are rich in fiber, potassium and vitamin C while figs are rich in fiber. Carrots, as we all know are rich in vitamin C.
13.Oats Apple Porridge
Oats are rich in fiber and apples are rich in vitamin-c. Oats is powdered and boiled in a vessel. Finely diced and peeled apples are mixed with the oats. The porridge must be cooked until the oats and apples are mashed fully. This mixture is then blended and served to the baby.
14.Mini Banana Idli
To make this super healthy and delicious dish, soak urad dal and rice in two different bowls for 3 hours. Blend Urad dal in a wet grinder and keep aside. Also, blend the rice along with poha in a wet grinder to make a smooth paste. Mix the two pastes, add a pinch of salt and leave it aside overnight. Next morning, add a few mashed bananas and coconut milk to this batter. Make mini idli out of this batter with your mini idli steamer and serve.
15.Papaya Melon Paste
Papaya melon paste is rich in folate and vitamin-C. A simple way of preparing this is to peel the papayas and melon and remove the seeds from them. Then, they should be cut into small pieces and blended in a blender. This consistency of the paste must be according to the baby’s personal preferences.
16.Mango Rice Pudding
To make this healthy dessert rich in vitamin-c, add rice, milk and one drop of vanilla essence in a pan. Bring it to boil and make sure that the rice is soft now. To this add diced mangoes and mix well. This can be cooled and served to the baby.
17.Ghee and Salt Rice
Ghee and salt rice is one of the most authentic baby foods and simple to make. Take a bowl of rice and mash it. To this, add the required amount of salt and ghee and mix well. This dish is healthy as the ghee is good for the development of joints of the baby, as well as lip-smacking!
18.Rice Cereal
To make the super healthy rice cereal, firstly blend the rice into a powder in a food processor. Add this powder to boiling water in a pan and stir continuously so that there is no lump formation. To this, add breast milk and mashed fruits if required and serve to the baby.
19.Moong and Dalia Khichdi
Moong and dalia are a good combination to get proteins for your baby. Soak both moong and dalia for about an hour. Meanwhile, in a pan, add oil, cumin powder, salt and mashed vegetables like carrots and tomatoes. Add the dalia and moong which was earlier kept to soak after draining all the water. Fry for 2 minutes, then add the required amount of water and cook it in a pressure cooker for up to 2 whistles.
20.Vegetable Sprout Soup
This soup is rich in proteins, provided by sprouts and minerals, provided by the vegetables. In a pan, bring water to boil. To this boiling water, add vegetables like carrots and tomatoes along with sprouts(previously boiled in a separate vessel).Mash the vegetables and sprouts after they become soft and tender. Blend this mixture in a blender to make a paste. In a pan, saute ghee, cumin powder, salt, ginger, and garlic (optional). Add the blended paste into this and stir well. Now, add sufficient amount of water to not make it very thick or thin. Cook for about 2 minutes and serve to the baby.
