Recipe: Kiwi, Banana, Avocado Blend - Stage II

Recipe: Kiwi, Banana, Avocado Blend

I haven't posted in forever because well, work happened. Lots of work and stuff. However, now that I have some free time, I figured I'd share some of the recipes we've come up with over the last few months. This one became one of our favorites!

Ingredients:
1 banana
1 kiwi (we buy the Mighties)
1 avocado (or half)



This is super simple. Just chop up a banana, scoop out (or peel) the kiwi, and add in an avocado half (or whole)! Voila! Max will usually eat the whole portion, but you can also add some oatmeal cereal and substitute for an avocado half or a half of a banana. Note: since there's a banana and avocado, this does not keep well, if not used right away.

Stage 2 Baby Food Blend - Peach & Avocado Puree

As promised, here's the peach & avocado blend 'recipe'. Max loved this blend! The tanginess of the peaches was offset by the creamy avocado. Two delicious fruits blended into one = yummy breakfast!

I used one small avocado and a 2oz peach blend I made earlier. I didn't think Max would eat all of it, but he munched it! 

The blend came out looking more avocado-like, rather than peach-y. I'm guesstimating that it yielded about 4oz of food.

Stage 1 Baby Food Blend - Avocado & Banana

NOTE: Please use this recipe once your little one has tried at least one (or both) of these fruits without a reaction.

If you've been following this blog, you will know that these are my two favorite foods to waste in bulk. However, they are super easy to prepare (note I said prepare, not cook, yay!), but are best prepared right before serving.

I used half of a banana and a half of an avocado to make about 3-3 1/2 oz of puree.
1). Peel half a banana and a half of an avocado.

2). Chop the banana into rings and slice/chop the avocado.

3). Blend & let baby enjoy!

My husband was home when I made this and told me that he would never eat the two together, so naturally, I made him taste some. His words, "Pretty good...tastes like a fatty banana." Max pretty much inhaled it, we didn't even have to wash his hands because there was no mess.

Making Stage 1 (Stage 1) Baby Food - Avocados

Avocados 

I think this is my favorite recipe so far because there's no cooking involved! It literally takes about 5 minutes to prep and blend (or mash). Plus, avocados are basically a super food. The only downside is that I've read that avocado does not freeze well. If frozen, it may turn brown and become a bit runny. I chose not to freeze avocado. Another thing to keep in mind is that avocados oxidize quickly and turn an icky brown color, so they must be used relatively quickly or sealed air-tight.

I did not grow up eating avocados. In the post-Soviet era, there were about 8 vegetables on the market and the 'exotic' avocado was not one of them.
Here's one childhood memory: I remember that circa 1995 my dad bought a coconut for me for 'Christmas' (technically, it was New Year's, but whatever) and it was SUCH a big deal. I'm not sure which is weirder, the fact that I got fruit for 'Christmas' or that we had never seen a coconut anywhere else but TV up until that point in our lives. Just imagine, my drunk family (again, it was New Year's) trying to open a coconut with a butter knife, I mean, 'the household tool'. No one knew what to do with it. It was quite disappointing. Anyway, I'm 99% sure that I had not tasted avocado until I was at least 20.

Here's a quick avocado recipe (if I can even call it that):

Intro: Due to their thick skin and other factors, avocados are not on the 'dirty dozen' list and do not have to be purchased organic. These are not organic because well, my grocery store didn't have an organic option. Avocados should be relatively firm, but when you push on them gently they should be a bit soft. If they're too soft, they're too ripe. If they're super hard, they're not ripe enough...pretty easy, right?

I bought 4 - two that were pretty ripe and two that could sit for a couple of days.
Also, when I got home I saw this sticker...thanks Fry's for moron-proofing my shopping experience.

1). Rinse off the fruit, cut in half, and remove the pit.

                                                        

                           
2). I used my avocado slicer to remove the meat of the fruit from the shell. It is a handy little tool! I have yet to master perfect slices.

                                                    

3). Blend and serve! Mine came out a bit chunkier than I expected, but Max loved it just fine.

The next day, I used a bigger avocado and refrigerated one portion in a bullet storage container. If you cover the avocado puree with plastic wrap and make sure to expel all of the air before covering with a regular lid, it should keep in the refrigerator overnight just fine. I know that most unused baby foods can be stored in the refrigerator anywhere from 48-72 hours, but I wouldn't store avocado for longer than overnight.  

      

                    .
In conclusion, a half of one medium sized avocado yields about 3oz...just enough to be too much, haha! Figures, the one thing that's difficult to refrigerate and freezes poorly comes in quantities that a portion must be stored.