strawberry chia oatmeal - homemade organic baby food
When I was pregnant, I was convinced that I would make my own baby food. I work from home + run my own business, so I have the time to do it. When it came time to start P on solids (he was about 4 months when we began purees), I was overwhelmed! Some of my mom friends told me about Beech-Nut foods - they only use the best organic + natural foods + don't add extra ingredients, so I jumped on that bandwagon. We love them + I will still purchase jars / pouches for him (including Plum Organics + Happy Baby), but I had a Baby Bullet and wanted to try it out (one feature it's lacking is the ability to also steam - I learned that some baby food makers have this component as well). I mean, what new mom doesn't want a new hobby for all their spare time? ;)
But after using it once, I LOVED IT! And ironically, I'm not a cook (my wife handles that), but it makes me really happy + makes me feel really good to make our son healthy, delicious foods. I get super excited now when we're in the grocery store and I see new things for him to try - I'm all about the combos now!
I do look to the brands I mentioned for inspiration because they have very interesting combos, but I also want to try out new things because I want Parker to try all the foods! And hopefully, enjoy them as well.
If you read my post on breastfeeding, you know I'm a big fan of oatmeal and even made my own vegan superfood oatmeal to help with my milk supply and also to have good ingredients for Parker. So I wanted to make something that Parker could enjoy as well.
ENTER: STRAWBERRY CHIA OATMEAL
Ingredients:
1/2 cup steel cut oats
2 cups of strawberries (cut tops off + I cut them up a bit)
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
spoonful coconut oil
Serving Size: about 10 oz
In a sauce pan, add strawberries with a little bit of water and cook until soft.
Place strawberries into blender and mix until desired consistency (mushier is better for younger babies).
In a small pot, boil 1 cup of water. Once boiled, turn down to a simmer + add 1/2 cup of steel cut oats. Stir continuously until water has evaporated.
Add oatmeal, chia seeds + coconut oil (the more coconut oil, the more runny it will become) to blender with strawberries + mix until desired consistency.
Portion out + enjoy! (tip: when reheating, add a little bit of coconut oil to make it softer)
When I made this for Parker, I had some leftover, so I had breakfast with him! For my bowl, I added flax seeds, extra oats + coconut milk. Since I'm breastfeeding, I try to eat a lot of extra oats + flax seeds for milk supply as well as nutrition for him! I definitely plan on adding some of these ingredients when he's older but for now, the less ingredients, the better for his little tummy.
First time with a thicker food was a success! He was hesitant at first and made the funniest faces but he ate the whole 2oz and I now have breakfast for him for the next two days!
Adorable bandana bib by Oliver + Kit -- use code PARKER15 for 15% off your purchase!
Disclaimer: please make sure that your baby has tried different foods individually before you start mixing. I am not a nutritionist or in the health field. This recipe is just one that I tried with my son.
I am also an Amazon affiliate for the Baby Bullet.