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Baby Food Recipes: Pears and Cherries

My toddler daughter is a foodie. Ever since she started eating solid foods, she wanted the same foods as mommy and daddy. Although she will eat store bought baby food when hard pressed, she prefers the homemade baby food that I make her from mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. Two of the most recent baby foods that I made her were pears and pears with cherries.

Although high in natural sugars, pears are very low in sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat. Pears are also a good source of vitamin C and a very good source of dietary fiber. Cherries are also high in natural sugars but low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. The fruit is also a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C. When eaten in moderation, fruits are an excellent part of a healthy diet.

Pears in Colander in Sink Sliced Pears
To make the pear and pear with cherry baby food, I started with fresh pears that I purchased from my local grocery store. I then washed and cut the fruit into slices using my apple slicer. I left the skin on because the skin of pears contains at least three to four times as many phenolic phytonutrients as the flesh. Phytonutrients include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory flavonoids and potentially anti-cancer phytonutrients like cinnamic acids, making the skin even healthier than the flesh.

Cooked Sliced Pears Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries
After sticking the pear slices in a microwave safe bowl, I added a little distilled water to the bowl and microwaved the pears for about twenty minutes, checking the progress after ten minutes. While the pears cooked, I thawed a bag of frozen dark sweet cherries. You can also use fresh cherries that you pit and cook, but, because cherries are currently not in season in my neck of the woods, I opted for frozen without any sugar added.

Pureeing the Cooked Pears Pureeing the Pears and Cherries
Once the pears were cooked and had cooled slightly, I transferred some of the cooked fruit with a little additional water into my baby food processor. I pureed the mixture to make plain pear baby food. I also combined the pears with the cherries to make pear and cherry baby food. I spooned both purees into ice cube trays for easier freezing. Once frozen, I moved the cubes into freezer bags for easier storage. As my daughter needs food, I simply thaw the number of cubes that she usually eats.

Pear and Pear with Cherry Baby Food Cubes

What kind of fruits do your children like? Do you make your own baby food or opt for store bought?

Image Credits

Pears in Colander in Sink © 2013 Heather Johnson
Sliced Pears © 2013 Heather Johnson
Cooked Sliced Pears © 2013 Heather Johnson
Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries © 2013 Heather Johnson
Pureeing the Cooked Pears © 2013 Heather Johnson
Pureeing the Pears and Cherries © 2013 Heather Johnson
Pear and Pear with Cherry Baby Food Cubes © 2013 Heather Johnson

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Simple Past Tense of Regular English Verbs

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Simple Past Tense of Irregular English Verbs