20120917 Macaroni with Chicken and Veggie

The Philips Avent Baby Food Steamer and Blender has made making fresh baby food so much easier. When I had time, I chop up all the vegetables in one go during the weekend and refrigerate them in ziploc bags. Then I simply make fresh lunch and dinner in the morning by throwing any combinations of vegetables into the steamer/blender. To make life even easier, I now steam, puree, and freeze different vegetables and chicken over the weekend. So I simply take out a combination of vegetable/chicken ice cubes the night before, and maybe cook some fresh pasta to go with the pureed food - like the below example. You can easily replace macaroni with other pasta, replace chicken with fish, and use any combinations of vegetables.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup cooked macaroni
3tbsp pureed vegetables (carrot, courgette, green beans)
2-3 tbsp pureed chicken
grated cheese (I used "jonge kaas" as it is less salty)

METHOD
1. To make the pureed vegetables, simply steam and puree the vegetables individually. Then freeze them separately. Defrost several cubes of vegetables (see below for suggested combinations) in the fridge the night before making the dish.
2. To make pureed chicken, steam little chicken cubes and puree them. They can be frozen and kept for 4-6 weeks.
3. Mix the macaroni, vegetables, and chicken together. Sprinkle the dish with grated cheese.

Veggie combinations:
My baby girl likes the below combinations with her macaroni.
broccoli + carrot + sweet potato
cauliflower + pumpkin + sweet potato
cauliflower + parsnip
cauliflower + carrot + courgette
butternut squash + courgette

20120909 Baby Congee

Congee (also called "jook") is a common first baby food in Chinese culture. I often make congee myself whenever I feel a bit under the weather. As Olivia is now 7 months old, I made her a thick congee with chicken and some vegetables. As the rice and vegetables are so soft, I can just puree the chicken and serve the congee to Olivia. As I made a huge pot of congee, I ate some for lunch and dinner myself. To add more flavors, I drizzle the congee with some soy sauce and sesame oil, yum!
(By the way, I haven't taken any pictures of the congee as baby food at this stage just looks like mush anyways.)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup short grain rice
4 cups water
4 cups home made vegetable stock*
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/3 cup diced courgette
1/3 cup tiny cauliflower florets
150g diced chicken filet

METHOD
1. In a large pot, bring the water, vegetable stock, and rice to the boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot (leaving the lid cracked), and cook for about half an hour.
2. Add the carrot, courgette, cauliflower, and chicken. Bring to the boil, then simmer over medium low heat for another 30-45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Cook the congee for longer or add some boiling water in order to get the right consistency.
3. Remove congee from heat. Scoop out the chicken to puree them. Return the chicken to the pot and mix well. Cool the congee with the lid on.

*To make baby-friendly vegetable stock, bring to the boil 4L of water and 200g of mixed vegetables (onion, carrot, celery stick, prei). Simmer over medium low heat for about 2 hours, or until the content is halved.