The Instant Pot Baby Food Cookbook: Wholesome Recipes That Cook Up Fast - in Any Brand of Electric Pressure Cooker

The Instant Pot Baby Food Cookbook: Wholesome Recipes That Cook Up Fast in Any Brand of Electric Pressure Cooker

Introduction

While it can seem intimidating to cook baby food from scratch, an electric pressure cooker makes it easy to cook nutritious food fast. We’re here to show you that, with very little planning, you can make your baby food with fresh ingredients without having to spend hours in the kitchen. We’ve included a wide variety of recipes in this book that will take you through baby’s first foods to baby’s first birthday celebration. Whether you plan to cook just a few foods, batch cook a week’s worth of meals, or make every bit of your baby’s food from scratch, this book will guide you through the process.

First Fruits and Vegetables

When introducing babies to solid foods, pediatricians recommend starting with just one new food at a time. These single-ingredient fruits and vegetables are gentle and great for baby’s first solids. Plus, these made-fresh purees look and taste so much better than commercial first foods-you may find yourself eating some of them along with your baby.

Grains and Legumes

Grains and legumes you make at home are generally not as smooth as commercial cereals, so take that into consideration as you decide when your baby is ready for grains. We’ve listed the recipes in the order we prefer to introduce them-oats, corn, rice, wheat, quinoa, then legumes; however, use the order that works best for your baby. Since babies eat very small amounts at first, one small batch of grains will last a long time. We like to make a batch and refrigerate enough for a day or two and then freeze the rest in individual portions to combine with fruit or meat purees.

Fruit and Vegetable Blends

Once babies have shown that they can handle simple fruits and vegetables and grains, you can expand into more robust flavor combinations and start adding texture. These combinations are meant to be blended with a little more texture, and they work well when mixed with grains, yogurt, or cottage cheese.

Meats and Dinners

Our babies didn’t enjoy the store-bought baby food meats; however, they loved when we started serving them homemade dishes that included meat. This section begins with single ingredient meats and then expands to include simple meat and veggie dinners. If your baby is hesitant to accept meats at first, try serving them with a favorite vegetable puree.

Desserts For A First Birthday Celebration

Jennifer’s babies didn’t get foods with added sugar until their first birthday, and even then, she liked to keep the sugar content low. Barbara fed her babies healthy foods but allowed for the occasional indulgence. Therefore, we combined our styles and created two fantastic options to celebrate this happy milestone-one healthier, no-sugar-added option and one finger-licking introduction to chocolate for these fun smash cakes.