Mashed Banana Baby Food

Today at lunchtime, was the first for baby Joon to ever eaten a mashed up banana, and he absolutely loved it! Maybe because it is sweeter and more pleasant tasting than the puréed kabocha.

Mashed banana was his third solid food. It is very simple and so easy to make.
Bananas contain several vital nutrients, gentle on a baby's stomach, and simple to digest.

Besides all of the above fantastic healthy qualities, bananas are the one of the best convenience and common baby foods. it is often easily found in most grocery stores.

Unlike some other fruits, bananas usually do not need to be cooked when making homemade banana baby food. Here's how to make this type of baby food:

Mashed Banana Baby Food

*for babies (4)6 months+

Ingredients:

1 medium Ripe Banana

filtered Water, Baby Formula, or Breast Milk (enough to thin out the mashed banana)

Instructions:

Peel, and cut a ripe banana with a knife into chunks.

Mash them lightly with a fork.

*There should be no need to use any kitchen appliance as bananas have a very soft consistency and texture.
Add-in water, baby formula, or breast milk to achieve your desired (thin) consistency.

Note:

Depending on your baby's age and stage, you may not need to add any liquid to the mashed banana.

You may also purée the banana in a food processor or blender if desired.

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Although bananas are very healthy, one of the biggest disadvantages of banana baby food is that it can cause uncomfortable constipation, so this should be eaten in moderation. Avoid giving too much at once.

To prevent constipation in babies, parents should make sure children also consume enough liquids. This can include water, baby formula, and/or breast milk. Fruit juice, such as apple juice, can also help prevent constipation in infants.

Bananas have been associated with Latex allergies and sensitivities, so consult your pediatrician about introducing bananas to your baby if there is a history of Latex issues.

Bananas also contain tryptophan to help in getting to sleep, and they even contain serotonin to help in feeling better when sleeping.

Baby Joon fell asleep after having his mashed banana. haha~~!

The banana's tryptophan and serotonin got him to sleep.^^

Puréed Kabocha Squash Baby Food

Baby Joon is now showing interest in the foods he sees me eating, So i think now is probably a good time to venture into feeding him solid food. I prepared him "Puréed Kabocha" today, because It's the only veggie i have for now in the pantry. Anyhow, he seemed so happy after having his first solid food!

Puréed Kabocha Squash Baby Food

*for babies (4)6 months+

Ingredients:

1 medium Kabocha Squash

Filtered Water

Instructions:

Wash and cut kabocha squash in half; Scoop out seeds.

In a pan, place kabocha halves face down, and cover with an inch of water.

Bake in a 200°C oven for 40 minutes, or until the shell/skin puckers and halves feel soft.
Once cooked, carefully remove from the oven, then scoop out the flesh.

Place the scooped out kabocha flesh into a blender or food processor. 

Add-in water as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.

(*If you don't have any puréeing kitchen appliance, just simply mash the flesh lightly with a fork and add-in a little water as necessary to achieve a creamy consistency.)

Note:

Instead of baking, you can also just peel the kabocha, scoop out the seeds, and then cut into chunks; Boil or steam until tender, and mash the flesh. But this way is an extra work and rather time consuming.


Puréeing without adding any liquids is also a good option. Many parents prefer to thin their foods before they will serve them to their babies.


Store homemade baby food using the ice cube tray. Spoon or pour your purées into regular ice cube trays and then cover with plastic wrap. Prior to using your ice cube trays, thoroughly cleanse them with warm soapy water and/or run them through the dishwasher on the sanitize setting.

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*It is usually recommended that babies should be able to sit unassisted before introducing them to solid foods. If your pediatrician has recommended starting solids at 4 or 5 months, your baby may not be able to sit unassisted - he should, however, be able to sit well with support. This is important as it enables him to swallow food efficiently.

*Never leave any open containers of liquid or puréed baby food out at room temperature for more than two hours; Harmful bacteria grows rapidly in food at room temperature.

*Always practice the "4-day wait rule" when introducing new food (especially homemade baby food) to baby to test for allergies!

Hi, Meet my 4-month old baby, Joon.^^

Flashing his cute smile after eating puréed kabocha.

I think he loved it!

MiloMilk

MiloMilk

Ingredients:

1 1/2  tbsp Milo Powder

1 1/2 tbsp Condensed Mik

1/4 cup Hot Water

Cold Fresh Milk, just enough to fill the mug

Instructions:

In a standard size mug (about 250~300 ml size), add-in milo powder.

Pour-in condensed milk; then add-in the hot water.

Mix well to thoroughly dissolve the milo powder.

Pour-in cold milk, filling up the rest of the mug.

Mix well.

Drink and Enjoy its creamy chocolatey goodness!

Kkoma KimBap 꼬마김밥 (Kiddie Seaweed Rice Rolls) with Kkul-Gyeoja Soseu 꿀겨자소스 (Honey-Mustard Sauce)

Kkoma KimBap 꼬마김밥 (Kiddie Seaweed Rice Rolls)

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked Short-grain Rice

1 small Carrot, julienned

20 strips thin Pickled Daikon Radish (Danmuji)
6 pcs Ham, cooked and sliced
2 Eggs, well-beaten, with a pinch of salt

5 sheets Laver, cut into 4 equal squares

1 tsp Roasted Sesame Seeds

Asian Sesame Oil

Canola Oil
Salt and ground Black Pepper

Rice Seasoning:

1/2 tbsp Roasted Sesame Seeds, coarsely pounded

1/2 tbsp Asian Sesame Oil
1/2 tbsp Rice Vinegar 

1/2 tsp Salt

Honey-Mustard Sauce for dipping (*see recipe below; *or you can just simply use a store-bought honey-mustard sauce.)

Instructions:

Heat a pan, add-in cooking oil and wipe out the excess oil from the pan with a paper towel.

Lower the heat and add-in the egg mixture to cover the whole pan. (It’ll be easier to use a small pan to make the thick layer. Otherwise, carefully roll the egg layer from one end to the other end to make a thick layer.)

Cut the eggs into 1/4" strips, and set aside.

Sauté julienned carrots on the same hot pan drizzled with a few drops of canola oil.  Add a pinch of salt and blackpepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Slice the pickled radish same length as the cut laver. Set aside.

Place all the stuffing (egg strips, pickled radish, carrots, ham slices) for the kkoma kimbap on a plate. Set aside.

Prepare the Rice.

In a large bowl, mix the rice with sesame oil, rice vinegar, and some pounded sesame seeds; Season with a little salt.

Gently mix with a rice paddle to season evenly and to let the steam out. (Be careful not to mash the rice!)

Rice should still be warm, but not steaming hot. Cover the seasoned rice with a cling wrap so the rice won't dry out.

Roll the kkoma kimbap.

Lay the laver (shiny side down) onto a plate.

Then, spread rice on the laver to fill about 2/3.

Stack the stuffing (egg strips, pickled radish, carrots, ham slices) on top of the rice (in the lower part). Do not spread them around but put them tightly close to each other. Do not over stuff!

Roll it slowly with your clean hands. Occasionally press and squeeze to keep the shape tight. Repeat the “roll-press-roll-press” process using your fingers. (Rolling it tightly is very important!) Be careful not to tear the laver.

Squeeze gently to get a good shape of the roll.

Place on a plate, with the flap side down. (*These rolls will gel as the moisture from rice reaches all corners of laver.)

Apply some sesame oil on the surface of the rolled kkoma kimbap.

Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

Place on a serving plate, and serve with honey-mustard sauce on the side; Or pack in a lunchbox for picnic.

Happy eating!!

Note:

Have a small bowl of water ready, so that you can dip your fingers as necessary.  Sesame oil in rice helps, but your fingers will get sticky quite quickly.

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Kkul-Gyeoja Soseu 꿀겨자소스 (Honey-Mustard Sauce)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp Acacia Honey

i used these~ prepared mustard and organic acacia honey.

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine the dijon mustard and acacia honey. Mix well.

Serve with the Kkoma KimBap.

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Kkoma KimBap with (store-bought) Honey-Mustard Sauce

(Store-bought) Honey-Mustard Sauce