Baby Food {finger foods}

This is not an exhaustive list but rather a few ideas that get us out of the rut of chunks of home canned fruits and veggies...

Baby's Acorn Squash & Apple Bake

{WholesomeBabyFood.com}

What You'll Need:
1 acorn squash
2 or 3 Macintosh apples
pinch of cinnamon

What To Do:

1. Peel and dice apples
2. Cut acorn or butternut squash in half, scoop out seeds
3. Place halves face UP in a pan and add with an inch of water to the pan
4. Place diced apples in the squash “holes” where the seeds were
Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired

5. Pour water over the apples so that there is water in the squash holes – cover pan with tinfoil
6. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the “shell/skin” puckers and halves feel soft. {It took ours a little longer than 40 minutes.}
7. If you're serving as finger foods, you can peel the skins off once they cool and dice the "meat" into small pieces. If you'd prefer to puree it, scoop squash “meat” and apples out of the shell and puree in a food mill, food processor, or blender.

 Fruit Dutch Baby

 {WholesomeBabyFood.com}

I love the note tagged to this recipe on the Wholesome Baby Food site...

The only difficult thing about making this is trying to remember – DO NOT grab the frying pan out of the oven unless you are wearing oven mits! {I have done this way too many times and leave a pot holder on the handle at all times once it's out of the oven as a reminder!!}

What You'll Need:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 medium apples (or try a 1/2 cup peaches, thinly sliced or 1 thinly sliced banana)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 Tablespoons sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour

What To Do:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Put butter into a 3 to 4 quart frying pan and place in oven to melt. While butter is melting, prepare fruits
Remove the pan from the oven and add cinnamon and sugar to the melted butter. Stir in the sliced fruit.
Put pan back into oven for about 3 minutes

 Put the eggs and milk into a blender and blend at high speed for about 1 minute.
Set the blender to low speed and slowly add the flour until well blended.
Remove the pan from oven and pour the egg batter over the butter and fruit.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pancake is raised and golden brown. The pancake will start off tall in the pan and quickly "fall" as it cools. This is totally normal!
Cut in wedges and dust with powdered sugar.
Serve immediately

This recipe makes enough for 2 adults and 2 very hungry apple loving children.  If you want to make this bigger, then add 1/2 of an apple, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of flour and a little more butter & cinnamon for each additional serving.

Broccoli Nuggets 

{Slight Adaptation from WholesomeBabyFoods.com}

What You'll Need:

1 16-oz Package frozen broccoli, cooked, drained, and chopped {I use a potato mashed... you can use a food processor too}

1 cup Seasoned bread crumbs 

1 ½ cups Shredded cheddar cheese

3 Large eggs or 5 egg yolks

What To Do:

Pre-Heat oven to 375
Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil or cover with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. *Add seasonings if you like - garlic powder, pepper, extra basil & oregano for example. Add a fruit or veggie puree to substitute for the eggs if desired.
Shape mixture into nuggets or fun shapes such as squares or squigglies etc..and place on baking tray. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turn nuggets over after 15 minutes.

Serve warm - Chop or mash these broccoli nuggets if your baby isn't able to handle bigger finger foods.

 Black Bean & Sweet Potato Hash

{WholesomeBabyFood.com}

 
What You'll Need:
1 large onion, chopped
3 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet red pepper, chopped (optional)
4 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes (1/2 inch cubes)
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed or 4 cups dried black beans that have been cooked
Pepper

What To Do:
In large skillet, saute onion and thyme in oil until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper and sweet potatoes; saute until potatoes begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Stir in beans and cook until potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with pepper. Serve with Baby Omlettes or as a great finger food "meal" full of protein and iron. Recipe Adapted from the American Dry Bean Board

There are more great recipes on the Wholesome Baby Food site