Carrots as a first finger food

Our 10 month old wants to be a big boy and eat on his own! So, just when I've got my baby food making down, now it's time to experiment with finger foods and new textures. See guidelines for finger foods here: http://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/finger-foods/.

I've started with carrots from our produce box and our little guy loves them. He is very excited to feed himself!


Finger food carrots for older infant

Ingredients:
-2 carrots

Directions:
1) Wash, peel, carrot
2) Slice into approximately 1/4 inch slices
3) Cut each slice into quarters or sixths (small chunks pea-sized or smaller)
4) Steam in steamer basket until easily pierced with a fork (approximately 15 mins) I steam on med-low heat, in a medium-sized pot with approximately 1/3-1/2 cup water, with pot covered.5) Test mushiness but taking out a few chunks and mashing them with a fork. The chunks should mash with little effort. This is important, you want your baby to be able to easily mash the carrots with their gums, otherwise, there is a choking risk.
6) Cool and serve (or store)

White Sapote & Peanut Butter Sandwich

White sapotes are gem I'd never even heard of, but was thankfully introduced to them by Squeeze Play Organics. The variety we enjoy are deliciously ripe and sweet when they slightly give to pressure. Skin more yellowish vs green is also an indicator of ripeness. The flesh is creamy with almost a avocado-like texture, but the taste is quite different. Almost like a mild, creamy peach, in my opinion. Look out for medium sized and larger white seeds, don't eat 'em! Also, we don't eat the skin either.

Our now 10 month old loves just eating the flesh plain. I scoop it out with a baby spoon. White sapotes make a very easy and portable baby food, he loves it. My three year-old is much more skeptical of new things. She did try eating just the fruit, but that was a no-go. What worked instead was a white sapote & peanut butter sandwich. Wow was it delicious!

Ingredients:
-Bread
-One White Sapote
-Peanut or Almond butter

Directions:
1) Rinse of skin of white sapote
2) Scoop out flesh into a small bowl
3) Mash with a fork
4) Spread white sapote on one side of bread, and nut butter on the other