When your baby is first introduced to solid foods, it can be a challenge to understand the nutrient levels present in fruits and vegetables. Here are 5 recipes for your toddler that are both healthy and tasty.

Recommended Read:  Baby-Led Weaning: All You Need To Know

Rice/ Oatmeal/ Barley Cereal

Ingredients:

• 1/4 th cup ground brown rice/ground oats/ground barley (use a food processor)
• 1 cup water
• Breast milk or formula milk
• Chopped fruits

How to prepare:
Boil the water and add the rice powder/ powdered oats / powdered barley, while continuously stirring the mix. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Then, add breast milk or formula milk, and add chopped fruits for taste. Serve it warm.   

Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

• Any number of apples
• Water (according to the number of apples used)
• Cinnamon (for taste, only after consulting your pediatrician)

How to prepare:
Peel the apples, remove the cores and cut them into small chunks or slices. Place these chunks in a pan and add some water. Let the apples tenderize; mash the apples for a smooth consistency. Reserve some water from the pan. Then use a blender to make this puree thick.  Add the reserved water if you wish to make the puree thin. If your pediatrician approves, add a little cinnamon for taste. Serve it warm.

Baked Peaches

Ingredients

• Any number of peaches
• Water
• Cereal

How to prepare:
Cut the peaches into halves and place them in a pan. Fill the pan with an inch of water and bake it at 400F until the peaches become tender and their skin begins to pucker. Peel the skin and get rid of seeds and pits. If any water is left over from the pan, reserve it. Use a blender to make a puree and add the reserved water if you want thin consistency. Add some cereal if you want a thick consistency. Serve it warm.

Pumpkin Puree

Ingredients

• A sugar pumpkin of medium size
• Water

How to prepare:
First, cut the pumpkin in half and remove all seeds. Place these pumpkin halves faced down in a pan and add water 1 inch high. Bake this for 40 minutes at 400F till the pumpkin shell puckers. Then scoop out the pumpkin “meat” from the shells and puree the pumpkin in a blender. Add water if you want thin consistency. Serve it warm

Carrot Puree

Ingredients

• Carrots
• Water

How to prepare:
After peeling carrots cut them into little chunks. Place these chunks in a pan with enough water and steam the carrots until they become soft. Puree the carrot chunks in a blender. It is recommended not to add the reserved water from the pan if your child is below 8 months, as nitrates can harm your child’s health. Add fresh water if you require a thin consistency.

Recommended Read:  9 Healthy Meals for Kids and Toddlers

Keep yourself updated with the latest on Health Recipes . Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more on Health , Diet & Nutrition and Fitness . Also, check out our Health Tools and try out our health-related Quizzes .