Ugh, peas. I have bad memories associated with peas. Here's why...when I was a kindergartner in what one of my students called, 'Soviet occupied Ukraine' (haha, this still cracks me up! I knew it just as USSR), lunch consisted of two courses. Every so often, the 'first course' was pea kasha (not buckwheat, just mashed peas or something). I HATED it. The lunch lady would make you eat ALL of it in order to get the second course. One time, I remember going up and telling her that I couldn't eat it and she told me to go sit down and finish it. I went up again and told her I didn't want to eat it, and she told me to take two more bites...I took a bite, gagged, and started crying. That was the end of that, I never had to eat pea kasha ever again! Score! I'm pretty sure they didn't tell my parents though.
Well, I finally reached the end of my Stage 1 list and the only veggie left is peas, so here we go! Please learn from my mistakes, just buy frozen peas (maybe organic if you want to make yourself feel better, like me) and NOT fresh peas. I will show you why.
While I was at the store I picked up about a half a pound of fresh peas (I emptied the bin and all I got was a half a pound) and then I thought about how little peas there actually are in there....so I walked over to the frozen section and found some perfectly acceptable frozen peas.
Here's 1 pound of frozen peas (yield=20oz):
Here's the half a pound of fresh peas (unshucked) (yield=1oz)
Also, it took me a good 15 minutes (at least) to shuck the pods. I guess when they said, "Two peas in a pod." They meant that there are LITERALLY two peas in there. This might be a great activity for LO that are a bit older, they might like it...or this can also be one of those tasks Cinderella's evil step mother made her do.
But they're so pretty!
.
Ok, enough of that, here's the actual recipe.
1). Wash your cooking area and bring about 4 cups of water to a boil (make sure to keep the lid on the pot). If you are not using breastmilk, or formula keep the leftover water (decoction) to blend with. Peas are so small and have tough skins and I've read that it is difficult to get a smooth puree out of them, but mine turned out alright.
2). Steam the peas for about 15-20 minutes, or until soft. I steamed them for a bit longer than what was listed on the package instructions, to make sure the skins were thoroughly .
3). Keep some of leftover liquid to blend with.
4). Blend! Yum, #jklol #peasaregross!
5). The 1lb bag of peas yielded 20oz of food:
Here's my sad little bundle of fresh peas, steaming away into nothing-ness:
And an even more pathetic yield (HALF of the 2oz baby bullet container):
.
NOTE: Max liked the peas. Maybe I'm crazy, but I thought that they weren't that sweet (kind of like avocados), so when I offered it to him on the second day, I added a couple of baby spoons of sweet potatoes and (it made me feel WAY better) he ate them right up. Again, #FTMinsecurities.
Well, I finally reached the end of my Stage 1 list and the only veggie left is peas, so here we go! Please learn from my mistakes, just buy frozen peas (maybe organic if you want to make yourself feel better, like me) and NOT fresh peas. I will show you why.
While I was at the store I picked up about a half a pound of fresh peas (I emptied the bin and all I got was a half a pound) and then I thought about how little peas there actually are in there....so I walked over to the frozen section and found some perfectly acceptable frozen peas.
Here's 1 pound of frozen peas (yield=20oz):
Here's the half a pound of fresh peas (unshucked) (yield=1oz)
Also, it took me a good 15 minutes (at least) to shuck the pods. I guess when they said, "Two peas in a pod." They meant that there are LITERALLY two peas in there. This might be a great activity for LO that are a bit older, they might like it...or this can also be one of those tasks Cinderella's evil step mother made her do.
But they're so pretty!
.
Ok, enough of that, here's the actual recipe.
1). Wash your cooking area and bring about 4 cups of water to a boil (make sure to keep the lid on the pot). If you are not using breastmilk, or formula keep the leftover water (decoction) to blend with. Peas are so small and have tough skins and I've read that it is difficult to get a smooth puree out of them, but mine turned out alright.
2). Steam the peas for about 15-20 minutes, or until soft. I steamed them for a bit longer than what was listed on the package instructions, to make sure the skins were thoroughly .
3). Keep some of leftover liquid to blend with.
4). Blend! Yum, #jklol #peasaregross!
5). The 1lb bag of peas yielded 20oz of food:
Here's my sad little bundle of fresh peas, steaming away into nothing-ness:
And an even more pathetic yield (HALF of the 2oz baby bullet container):
.
NOTE: Max liked the peas. Maybe I'm crazy, but I thought that they weren't that sweet (kind of like avocados), so when I offered it to him on the second day, I added a couple of baby spoons of sweet potatoes and (it made me feel WAY better) he ate them right up. Again, #FTMinsecurities.