Okay, so I have to admit that avocados gross me out. The only way I can handle them is if they are hidden away in the middle of a sushi roll, otherwise it’s a “no-go” for me. However, just because I am not in to something doesn’t give me the right to decide if Penelope is or not, so I went ahead and got an organic avocado for her to try out.
Organic Avacado
Avacados are a bit easier to prepare for baby food than the previous fruits and veggies. You actually do not have to cook or freeze them at all. They can be cut open, mashed up and served fresh to your little one, same as bananas. This would work perfect in a household where more than the baby enjoyed avacado so that the entire thing minus two teaspoons full wouldn’t go to waste. Here in my house, Penelope will be the only one munching away on it, so i had to figure out a freezing method in order to avoid being wasteful.
There are actually two ways to prepare avacado to be frozen for your baby. You can pre-mush it up, but this often results in a browned mush when thawed. This is perfectly okay and healthy to eat, it’s just a color change. However, I wanted Penelope to be able to enjoy the beautiful green of the fruit (yes, avacados are fruit!) so I went another route…
Freezing Avocado for Baby Food
- Pick out a nice dark green avacado. You want it to be semi soft, but not overly squishy, nor too hard.
Avacado ready fro slicing and bathing
- Cut the avacado in half lengthwise, twist apart and remove the seed.
- Using a small paring knife, slice the halved avacado (still in its skin) into wedges about 1/4″ thick.
- Once each half has been sliced, run your knife between the bottom of the segments and the skin so that each segment is freed and can be removed from the skin.
- To avoid browning in the freezer you will want to bathe the slices in a water/lemon juice mixture. Acidic fruits are not recommended for your baby (such as lemon) but a couple of drops in a water bathe to prevent browning will do no harm.
- Fill a small bowl about 2-3″ with water. Add 2-3 drops of lemon or lime juice. Place all the slices in the water.
Avacado slices in a lemon/water bath
- Remove all the slices form the water (they don’t have to soak, it’s more just like a quick dunk) and lay them out on a paper towel. Be careful, as the slices are very soft and breakable.
- Blot each slice with another paper towel to remove any excess water. You want to do this so that there will not be a layer of ice formed on the outside of each slice while frozen. It will also help keep the sliced from freezing together.
- Take a freezer bag, mark it with the title and date and carefully place the slices in the bag.
Slices ready for freezing!
- Place the bag in the freezer. That’s it! When you go to use the slices, just take out one or two from the freezer, thaw them out and then mush them up. Instant baby food!
Did you know??? Avocados are often shunned because of their high fat content…but the fat in avocados are healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. They are also high in protein as well as potassium. (boasting more than even a banana!!!) Babies can only tolerate so much potassium, so be sure to give them to your little one in moderation. ;)
NEXT RECIPE: Apple Pear Blend!
That’s right! I am going to end this series of “babies first stage of foods” with a sweet and tart blend! Penelope has already shown she can tolerate pears so it will be safe to try out a pear blend. If she reacts to it then we know that apples are the culprit. If you are trying out a blend on your little one, please make sure that you have ruled out allergies to one or both ingredients first! <3