Tags: Baby Purees DIY Fruit Purees Quick Recipes

Over the years I’ve created some excellent tasting purees for my little foodies—not to toot my own horn—and yet no matter how many wonderful options I give them, they all love simple homemade applesauce more than anything else. Even now that Liev and Silas have both stopped eating pureed food, applesauce is a staple in our fridge. I can’t say that I see the appeal. Don’t get me wrong, I love apples too. I just prefer my apples baked in a crust or with a crumble, and then topped with caramel or butterscotch sauce. I’m not an applesauce girl.

I’m not complaining, though. I’m happy they love applesauce because it has some amazing health benefits for digestion. There’s truth to that old adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, although I might change it to “an apple a day keeps you regular” (doesn’t have quite the same ring though, does it). Apples aren’t bursting with vitamins and minerals, like so many other fruits, but you can’t deny the substantial amount of fiber they have, and fiber is excellent for little ones just figuring out how to eat solids.

When I started introducing more substantial solids to Liev, I tried to keep the pieces pretty small because I knew he was still figuring out how to chew and break down the pieces properly in his little mouth. Even though I was modest with my “solid sizes”, more often than not, the pieces just ended up getting swallowed whole. With food not always being broken down properly, he started having constipation issues. I brought up the issue with his pediatrician and he said it was very common for little ones to have constipation issues when first starting solids because their systems were working overtime to process foods that weren’t chewed properly. He suggested apple juice to combat the constipation.

Adrian and I looked at bottle after bottle of apple juice and just couldn’t get around the amount of sugar in each bottle. We settled on the most natural option we could find, and while it did the trick, I just wasn’t comfortable giving Liev that much sugar in one sitting. I started racking my brain for an alternative. If apple juice was as effective as it was, why couldn’t apples produce the same results. I gave it a try. I made a batch of applesauce and had Liev eat a little with every meal. It worked wonderfully. I started making applesauce a regular part of his diet and to my great relief, the constipation issues stopped. When Silas started transitioning to solids, I had a huge supply of applesauce at the ready. I made it a part of his regular diet as well, and I’m happy to report we didn’t have constipation issues with him. Quinn is coming up on 7-months and I’m starting to think about transitioning to chunkier foods, so our fridge will once again be stocked with homemade applesauce.

Apples still have a pretty good amount of sugar in them, but it’s a natural sugar which doesn’t bother me as much. Full disclosure: a glass of apple juice is going to produce pretty immediate results, while pureed apples will take a little longer because you’re not consuming the same amount of apples in one sitting. Juice is a concentrated amount of apples and in order to replicate its effects, you have to eat quite a bit of applesauce. But if you make it and serve it regularly, you’ll be able to keep your little one regular without unnecessary sugar.

APPLE VARIETIES

Now, I know there are a million and a half varieties of apples out there, and it can be a little overwhelming when choosing, but, trust me, the type of apple is VERY important. Not all apples are created equal. To reduce the stress of picking the right apples, I’ve broken down my favorites into categories of usage. I’ve also listed my favorites in there.

Applesauce:

1. Gala– My #1 choice for making applesauce
2. McIntosh
3. Honey Crisp

Baking:

1. Pippin– My #1 choice for baking
2. Rome Beauty
3. Braeburn
4. Granny Smith

Snacking:

1. Fuji– My #1 choice for snacking
2. Red Delicious
3. Johnathan

**Golden Delicious – an all-purpose apple. Great for applesauce, baking and snacking**

NOTE: Unfortunately, conventional apples have a high level of pesticides, and rinsing them doesn’t help much. If you can, buy organic apples. If you can’t get organic, wash them in a solution of water and baking soda—1 teaspoon baking soda/2 cups water. This solution won’t remove 100% of the pesticides, but it helps significantly. Even though I buy organic, I still peel my apples. It might be all in my head, but I feel that it increases the cleanliness of the apples I give my boys.

Another wonderful thing about applesauce is its versatility. You can make it plain or mix it with other fruits and it’s always delicious. I’ve written out my applesauce below and included a quick recipe for strawberry applesauce, but feel free to try other concoctions. I’ve done apples and bananas, apples and peaches, and apples with blueberries and vanilla bean. Experiment and let me know what you come up with.

APPLE PUREE (4+ Months)

• 8 Apples, peeled and cored
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, optional

Dice your apples (try to keep the chunks as uniform in size as possible). Place steamer basket in large stock pot and add enough water to reach the bottom of the basket. Add apples to the pot.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until apples are soft. Cooking time will depend on the size of your apple chunks. Check your apples periodically by pricking with a fork to test for tenderness. Pour apples into food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. Add the cooking liquid to mixture until you reach desired consistency.

STRAWBERRY APPLE PUREE (6+ Months)

• Applesauce recipe above
• 1 Pint strawberries

Follow recipe above for homemade applesauce (leave out the cinnamon). Add strawberries to cooked apples before blending.

Some people cook their strawberries with their apples, but I find this method makes the strawberries taste peculiar. I prefer blending my apples with fresh, raw strawberries.