[jaam]

I want to start making rice cereal for dd. How do you do it? (it'd be organic brown rice) She's 8 months now and has been bf pretty much exclusively up until now. So do you recommend definitely mixing it with breastmilk? Or is that necessary? I'd love any advice, thanks!

 

[deanna]

I'd say just skip it

My first child started solids at around 8 mos, and I thought I had to make "baby food" for him, but he wanted to eat off my plate, and he wanted to feed himself. With dd, I just went straight to table food. She was interested much earlier than ds--at 6 mos, she was feeding herself chunks of fruit and veggies, by eight months, she was using a spoon. The only kind of cereal I ever fed either of them was plain old oatmeal sweetened with mashed banana.

 

[cjr]

I make oatmeal for our son. I put 2 c. of quick oats with 6 c. of water and boil for at least half an hour. Then I take a stick blender and blend it until it's smooth. I then use recycled baby food jars and do a combination of things. I will either add some mollassas for added iron, or I will fill the bottom of the baby food jars with 1/3 jar of organic fruit...top with oatmeal...put the lid on and shake. I take all my jars and freeze them until I need them. Be sure to leave room for expansion while they freeze.

For rice I take 1 c. of rice plus twice the liquid required and boil until all the liquid is absorbed. Then I do the same thing with the stick blender. With the rice I will usually add some cooked lentil for the added iron. If you use it for cereal then the mollassas would be good too.

 

[KJP_starmama]

I think the one thing I got out of the Super Baby Food book was how to make cereal or porridge.

I buy whole grain barley, oat groats, millet or brown rice and put ¼ cup in a blender for 2 minutes to grind it up. Then, I cook it with one cup of water, stirring with a whisk. It makes a creamy porridge.

Usually, I mix in kale, broccoli, apples & blueberries or some veggie and freeze it in ice cube trays. I serve her one cube everyday for breakfast.

 

[cathe]

Here are my recipes:

Ground Rice, Barley, Quinoa, or Millet Cereal

In dry skillet over medium heat, toast 1 to 2 cups brown rice, barley, quinoa, or millet for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Grains should begin to pop. Cool completely. Store in covered jar. (This step is optional but keeps the cereal from becoming gluey.)

To serve: Grind desired amount of toasted grain to fine powder in seed grinder or blender. Whisk together 1 part cereal powder and 6 parts water. Bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, or until soft and smooth.

Variation: For the rest of the family, use 1 part cereal to 4 parts water. Cook 15 to 20 minutes.

Cooked Rice Cereal

Place 1/2 cup brown rice in 3 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Rice should be very soft, so cook longer if necessary. It is okay if water is not completely absorbed. Puree cereal in blender. Add extra water if needed for a thin, smooth texture. Refrigerate or freeze extra cereal.

Tip: To heat up refrigerated leftovers, mix desired amount of food with boiling water. The water will thin it out and bring the food to room temperature.

Baby Oatmeal

Place 1 to 2 cups rolled oats in blender or food pro-cessor. Grind to fine powder. Store in covered jar.

To serve: Whisk together 1 part oat powder and 3 parts water. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, or until soft and smooth. Add more water if necessary for a thin texture.