Do you still have baby paraphernalia strewn about the house that hasn’t been used in months or years that you’re not quite sure why you haven’t gotten rid of yet?
Sure it’s easy to know when it’s time to donate that exer-saucer that he can jump in and out of on his own now, or the high chair that has been relegated to the basement because baby is in a booster chair eating at the family table now. But what about those A,B,C bath tub toy letters hanging on the back of the bathroom door in the tidy catch all mesh net not hurting anyone? Or the little Ernie doll that still holds a place of distinction in his bunk bed along with the ninjas that look like turtles and the man that looks like a spider? My son used to play happily with those letters trying to put the A,B,C’s in order and now he’s raising questions like “is there a smaller battery inside a bigger battery to make it work”? Sadly he may be a little beyond playing with the A,B,C bath letters now.
These tub toys haven’t been touched in at least 2 years but somehow that little mesh bag reminds me that baby giggles once lived here. I think I’ll leave them for now.
Of course there are some homemade baby food purees that you start out with that have to be retired as baby grows for food with more texture, but take heart in the fact that there is one that baby will never grow out of. It is a Solid Food Apprentice first baby food that is also eaten by toddlers, teenagers, adults, seniors and unfortunate people who have had to have their jaws wired shut and therefore consigned to purees… Apple sauce!! Peter from the Brady Bunch can’t be wrong…”pork chops and apple sauce, ain’t that swell”.
Make sure to use some nice sweet apples for your sauce like Gala or Macintosh rather than tart like Granny Smith so it’s not too sour.
Ready…Set…Evolve…
Solid Food Apprentice Apple Puree
Ingredients
- 5 Ripe Apples
- Yes, that’s it
Baby Steps
- Peel, core and cut apples into thin slices. The thinner they are, the less time they will take to cook. For this recipe I sliced them about 1cm. in thickness.
- Place sliced apples in a large saucepan and add 1 – 2 tbsp. of water. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often for approx. 15 minutes or until apples are tender and juicy. Some apples are juicier than others so you can add a bit more water to the mixture if it’s not looking juicy enough.
- Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
- Transfer to a blender, food processor or use hand blender to puree to a smooth consistency.
- You can keep some in the fridge and transfer the rest to freezing trays. The frozen apple sauce will safely last up to 3 months and the refrigerated sauce approx. 48 hrs. But don’t worry…it won’t last that long. The rest of the family will be sneaking some!
Don’t feel pressured to rid the house of every last baby item once baby turns into a toddler. It really does go fast so let’s linger in the baby atmosphere a while.