Parsnips in Baby Food Recipes – Serve up some yummy roasted parsnips to your little one!

Jan 28, 2009 Fruits and Veggies

Did you know that parsnips are kept in the ground even when they are ready to harvest? According to the University of IL Extension. you can leave parsnips in the ground over the winter season! You must dig them up in early spring so that they don’t start sprouting! Also of interest is the fact that parsnip is considered a winter vegetable! This is because its flavor is not fully developed until the roots have been exposed to near-freezing temperatures for 2 to 4 weeks in the fall and early winter. The starch in the parsnip root changes into sugar, resulting in a strong, sweet, unique taste.

Parsnips may quickly become one of baby’s favored veggies especially if you roast and puree them. Their natural sweet yet nutty taste is quite pleasing to baby’s taste buds!

Roasted Parsnips are simple to prepare:

Peel parsnips then cut them lengthwise, in half.
Lay parsnips on tinfoil and drizzle olive oil over them.
Close up the tinfoil and then bake in a 400F degree oven for approx. 30 minutes or until tender.

You can also roast them in an oiled baking dish – toss them in olive oil and add them to the prepared baking dish; then bake in a 400F degree oven for approx. 30 minutes or until tender. Be sure to peek in on them and turn them if necessary so they don’t burn/stick

Visit our Parsnips for Your Baby page to learn all about the nutrition in parsnips as well as information on storing and selecting them. You’ll also find a few recipes!

Tags: parsnip, parsnips

Dried or Fresh Herbs & Spices in Baby Food Recipes?

Jan 26, 2009 Spices

When you make homemade baby food, a great benefit is that you are able to incorporate herbs and spices into baby’s meals. Using herbs and spices that are common in the family’s meals helps get your baby ready to transition to “table foods” and eating foods the family eats during mealtime.

Jolianne had asked if it is best to use dried or fresh herbs and spices when adding zest to baby’s meals. The answer is use whatever you have; any herb or spice, dried or fresh, is wonderful. Of course, using fresh herbs and spices will give you more flavor than their dried counterparts. However it may be difficult to find fresh herbs and spices during certain times of the year, depending on your location.

Here are a few ideas for incorporating spiced and herbs into baby’s foods.

Fruits:

Apple(Sauce): use cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla

Pears: use ginger, cinnamon, a drip of vanilla

Bananas: use cinnamon, ginger, allspice

Dairy:

Plain Yogurt : use with mint, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, vanilla

Vegetables:

Sweet potato: use with nutmeg, cinnamon and/or cardamom

Pumpkin: use with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and dash of vanilla

Carrots: use with basil & garlic – baked cinnamon carrots are yummy too!

Green beans: use with garlic powder

Mashed potatoes(white) : use with dill weed or garlic

Winter Squash (acorn, hubbard, butternut etc.): use with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger

Visit our Spice Up Your Baby Food page to learn more about adding spices to baby food recipes.

Tags: cinnamon, garlic powder, herbs, nutmeg, Spices, vanilla

Is the Peanut Butter Item You Have A Part of the Peanut Butter Recall?

Jan 21, 2009 Food Recalls

While we’re busy posting new Alerts from the FDA, we thought you might want to check out this page.

FDA Peanut Butter Recall Searchable Database

If you’re not sure about a product you have, check out this page.  You can search by Brand name, Lot number and even product description!

Tags: Food Recalls