Beef for Baby Food - Age for Introduction to Baby: 8-10 Months Please note: Many Pediatric authorities, specifically in Canada, the EU and the U.K. recommend meat as one of baby's first solid foods. The reason that meat is now being recommended as a first food is due to it's heme iron.
The Goodness of Beef for Baby Food
Beef contains heme iron which is the form of iron most bioavailable and utilized by the body! Beef also contains protein and even calcium! Beef is a great way to get some iron into your baby's diet!
Beef (100 grams - roasted eye of round, trimmed 1/8" fat)
VITAMINS:
Vitamin A - 0
Vitamin C - 0
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - .06 mg
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - .16 mg
Niacin - 5.34 mg
Folate - 10 mcg
Contains some other vitamins in small amounts.
MINERALS:
Potassium - 241 mg
Phosphorus - 186 mg
Magnesium - 20 mg
Calcium - 6 mg
Sodium - 38 mg
Iron - 2 mg
Also contains small amounts of manganese, copper and zinc.
PROTEIN:
Protein - 29.73 g
When can I introduce Beef to my baby?
As mentioned above, most pediatricians in the United States recommend beef and other meats and proteins between 8-10 months of age. In many European countries, the UK and Canada, the national health services and many pediatricians recommend meats as one of baby's first foods due to the level of heme iron in meats. Offering your baby's meats earlier rather than later helps baby maintain proper levels of iron.
How to select and store Beef for baby food
When selecting beef to make for your baby, select a cut that is mostly lean. You ideally want to purchase a cut of beef that has light marbeling (lines of fat running throughout) as a bit of fat makes the meat more tender. Some cuts of beef that would be good for baby food are Eye of Round roast, Top Sirloin, Lean Fresh Ground beef
The best way to cook Beef:
I always recommend cooking any food by baking it. Baking helps retain the most nutrients with steaming being another method to retain nutrients.
Using a crock pot to cook and stew meats is another great way to cook beef. Keep in mind that nutrients will leach into the liquid that you add to the crock pot. If your baby is not used to the taste of beef and you are making a plain beef puree, using the juice/liquid from the crock pot may make the flavor too strong. Strain the liquid if need be and use water to make beef puree instead.
A Few Beef Baby Food Recipes:
Beefy "Hash" (a twist on corned beef hash)
6 large potatoes, peeled and diced
3/4 pound of thinly sliced stew beef cubes or 1/2 ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup beef broth (homemade or low sodium/low fat)
In a large deep skillet, over medium heat, combine the potatoes, beef cubes, onion, and beef broth. Cover and simmer until potatoes are of mashing consistency, and the liquid is almost gone. Add more liquid as needed.
Mix well, and serve either mashed, pureed a wee bit or as finger food.
Beef Purée (Basic)
1 cup cold and cooked boneless beef - chopped into chunks no bigger than 1 inch
1/4 c cooking juice or plain water
Place beef chunks in blender or food processor and puree until a powdery mix is formed. Slowly add water and puree further until a smooth consistency is created.
Add as much liquid as needed to make a consistency appropriate for your baby! You may add veggies or fruits to this puree as you like.
Beefy Apple Purée (Basic)
1 cup cold and cooked boneless beef chopped into chunks no bigger than 1 inch
1/4 c cooking juice or plain water
1/4 cup applesauce
Place meat chunks in blender or food processor and puree until a powdery mix is formed. Slowly add water, then applesauce, then water etc. and puree further until a smooth consistency is created.
Add as much liquid as needed to make a consistency appropriate for your baby!
Sweet Potato Beef Shepards Pie
2-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed (or 2 tablespoons precrushed garlic)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock (make your own!)
2 eggs, beaten
(if using egg yolks only for those under 12 months old, use 4 egg yolks)
1 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 baked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Brown the beef in a large skillet then remove the beef and place it in a bowl for later.
In a medium sized saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter and then saute the onions and garlic for until they are clear. Remove the saucepan from the stovetop and stir in flour (like you would when making a roux). Gradually stir in the beef stock. Bring the mixture to boiling, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Gradually stir in eggs (or egg yolks). Add the sauce, rosemary, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to meat; mix well.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an baking pan with non-stick vegetable spray. (We like to use a light coating of pure olive oil!)
Spoon half the meat mixture into prepared pan. Arrange hard-boiled eggs, end to end, in a circle in center of pan;spread the spinach over the meat.
Puree the sweet potatoes in food processor with remaining butter, nutmeg and pepper. Spread 1 cup puree over spinach. Add the remaining meat mixture and then spread over the remaining pureed sweet potatoes.
Bake for 35 minutes or until heated through.
Baby Beef Stew
1/2 cup cubed cooked beef
1 peeled potato
¼ cup shelled fresh or frozen peas
1 peeled carrot
1 stalk of celery
1/4 cup uncooked pasta (try ditalini as it's small and makes for great finger food!)
4 cups of water
Wash vegetables thoroughly and chop very fine.
Simmer the veggies for 20 minutes or until softened
Add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes longer or until very soft.
Drain but save the water.*****
Mash or puree the mix until it is of a consistency adequate for your baby.
Cheesy Beefy Shepards Pie
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup beef or veggie stock (make your own stocks!)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups mashed cooked white Russet potatoes
1 cup shredded Colby longhorn cheese (optional)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and lightly grease (use olive oil) a 2 quart baking dish.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir and cook ground beef, onion and celery until juices run clear. Drain. Pour mixture into baking dish with vegetable soup and thyme; stir well. Spread mashed potatoes on top.
Bake 20 minutes and remove from the oven. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake 5 minutes more, or until cheese has melted.
Some Foods Good to Mix With Beef
Apples
Pears
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Green Beans
Peas
Sweet Potato
White Potato
Barley
Lentils
Pasta
Rice
