Welcome to the whole grains party! This is one delicious porridge of a puree! Speaking of porridge, when starting out your little ones with food, you may think you want to start the rice cereal route. I mean, we’ve all strolled through the baby food aisle and that’s what they offer you. So, you think that must be only the way to start feeding your little one. Well, I strongly urge you as a parent to only feed your baby (and yourself, for that matter) organic.
Researchers are saying that they have found levels of arsenic in rice baby cereal and other rice products. Others say baby’s tummy hasn’t yet developed the digestive enzymes necessary to properly digest rice. There are so many opinions out there and it made me rethink how I wanted to feed Elle. When I first started her out, I tried organic brown rice and pureed it in my Baby Bullet. Making cereal from scratch made me feel empowered!
So, these days, I’m getting more creative and recently whipped up this Quinoa, Barley & Broccoli puree. These are the best grains for her. Why? Because it’s been shown that barley kicks butt in fiber and our friend quinoa takes the cake in protein. Lastly, we needed a veggie in there for good measure, so I chose a favorite: broccoli.
Broccoli, Quinoa & Barley Puree
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup broccoli
- 1/4 cup quinoa, cooked
- 1/4 cup barley, cooked
Directions
- Steam the broccoli until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- To cook quinoa: In a sauce pan, add 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water and boil or until all the water is absorbed.
- To cook barley: In a sauce pan, add 1/2 cup barley and 1 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Cook about 5 minutes, until tender.
- In the Baby Bullet, add the cooled broccoli, quinoa and barley. Add a tablespoon of the steaming liquid, if necessary.
- Blend well and feed to baby.
Enjoy!