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 2 Baby Food Blend - Peach & Banana Puree

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

This turned out to be a great no cook recipe blend. The peaches I baked had a tangy aftertaste, so I figured it would be a great fruit to mix with a little something-something. I'm also thinking that peach and avocado would go well together, too. Stay tuned! We're trying it tomorrow.

I already had some baked peaches I made earlier and one ripe banana. Simply mix the two, and enjoy!

It actually is a great consistency, too. The baked peaches were very soft and the bananas had a few tiny chunks, so they paired together very nicely. 

Making Stage 1 (Stage 1) Baby Food - Bananas (Uncooked)

You know the English saying, haste makes waste? Well, in Russian it's a bit more demoralizing, they say, 'If you rush, you'll be a laughing stock.' (Поспешишь -- людей насмешишь.) Go ahead, laugh it up...I can't see you.
When I think of baby food, I think of pureed bananas. Then why the *bleep* is it so hard to preserve them? I don't know...stupid oxygen. They're way worse than avocados when it comes to oxidizing. I wasted a bunch of bananas because I didn't read ahead, nor did I think it through, #mybrainispuree. How many bananas you ask? This many...NBD.

I read that people can freeze bananas, even banana halves...but for me, they still turned brown and gross, and I ended up tossing them. The mommies in the mommy group I'm part of say that they cut up bananas, place them in the freezer, and then make ice cream! Sounds delish...I'm too embarrassed to ask if it's brown. I'm just gonna avoid that one for a while.

After all that, I think it's best to buy as you go when it comes to bananas. I have been cutting up a half to puree for Max and eating the other half. It's a win-win! You do not have to cook bananas. I have not tried to steam them, I'm assuming they will turn brown in about five seconds, haha. Just chop them up, blend, and serve (super fast before they oxidize)!

Or you can do the following (this is where you can laugh)....

Step 1). Peel the skins, cut, and blend.

Step 2). Take the time to put them into their pretty little silicone trays.

Step 3). Consider placing plastic wrap on trays to salvage two pounds of banana.

Step 4). Place directly into trashcan.

Step 5). Leave them in the freezer for a week because you are mad and refuse to spend the fifteen minutes it will take to clean & sanitize everything. I'm still not over it. 

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.  

      

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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.