Baby Food

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Here are three easy and nutritious baby recipes: Rice and Veggies. Cheesy Beans and Rice. Avocado, Tomato and Sweet Pepper Salsa.

<img src="/sites/default/files/images/recipes/medium_baby-food.jpg" alt="baby with spoon" title="Baby Food" width="200" height="200" style="float: left; margin: 10px;" />Rice and Veggies This is an easy, nutritious recipe with lots of veggies. Use only whole grain brown rice, as white rice is much lower in nutritional value. You can use the slow-cook rice if you like, but if you are short on time, instant whole grain brown rice is an easy alternative. Prepare 1 cup of brown rice. Set aside most of the rice (less a normal serving size for your child) and save it an airtight container in the fridge for future meals. Use within one week. Thoroughly wash and prepare the following fresh vegetables*: Broccoli - Use only the florets, the stems can cause gas. Carrots - Remove skin, chop into rounds Green Beans - Cut off the ends and remove any strings Yellow Squash - Leave the skin on, chop into rounds. Steam vegetables for approximately 10 minutes, or until very tender. Carrots tend to take the longest to steam, so put them in first. Cut into small pieces for advanced eaters, or puree in food mill for beginners. Combine rice and veggies for a colorful, delicious and healthy meal! *Extra Tip - this recipe is even easier if you prepare the vegetables ahead of time in batches and freeze them in individual serving sizes (ice cube trays work best). All you have to do is pop out a frozen cube of each veggie, and heat it up. Cheesy Beans and Rice So simple, so nutritious, so good. Make the beans and rice in batches ahead of time and freeze to use in a variety of meals. Use the dry beans in the bag, canned beans are typically very high in sodium. If you do use canned, rinse them well before cooking to remove the extra sodium in the liquid. This recipe works best with red or black beans. Rinse beans and sort out any bad ones Soak beans overnight (6-8 hours) Drain Beans Put beans in a large pot and cover completely with water Lightly simmer beans for 2-3 hours or until soft Set aside most of the beans (less a normal serving size for your child) and save in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze them for future meals. Puree beans in a food mill, or mash thoroughly with a fork (make sure there are no skins intact as they can be a choking hazard). Use some of the rice set aside from the first recipe. Cut mild or medium cheddar cheese into small cubes. Combine beans, rice and cheese and enjoy! Avocado, Tomato and Sweet Pepper Salsa A fun, colorful dish for summer days. Parents will like this one too. Cut one red and one orange sweet pepper in half and remove the core and seeds Roast over the grill or on stovetop until soft Chop peppers into small chunks Cut one quarter of a soft, fresh avocado into small chunks Cut one quarter of a ripe tomato into small chunks Toss avocado, peppers and tomato together for a zesty salsa treat!