Baby Food Recipes with Kale
Everyone can agree with me that lakes are yummy and such a healthy selection for parents. But then, are they fine to be given to small kids? They are rough and leafy vegetables that have now become popular in the health food community. It was once ever named the top food sometimes back.
It is considered by many as a superfood by others since it’s rich in nutrients, protein, and fiber but they are low in fats and calories. This kind of vegetable normally comes in different colors and strains and they can be purple and even dark green.
In this article, we talk all about introducing kale to your baby’s diet and we name 3 tasty recipes that you can easily make at home.
The recipes in this article:
Recipe 1 – Kale with Fruit
Recipe 2 – Kale, Carrots, and Pear
Recipe 3 – Kale, Potato, and Tomato
You might also be interested in our recipes with cauliflower, spinach or aubergine.
When can a baby eat kale?
Different debates have been helping with this issue for a long time. There are those who say that babies can be given this food right when they attain an age of between 6-8 months old, but then, experts warn parents from feeding their kids before the age of 7 months as nitrates in the vegetable can make babies sick. At the age of seven months old, the baby can be freely introduced to this vegetable without much worry of them becoming sick.
The baby may experience gas or discomfort. In such a case, it would be best to wait until the child is older to feed him kale.
Conclusion: When can a baby eat kale? You can give your baby kale from the age of 7-8 months.
We recommend that you consult with your baby’s pediatrician on introducing solid foods as generalities may not apply to your infant.
How to prepare kale for baby food
Start it right by washing your batch of kale vegetable thoroughly and discard off its stems. Next, followed by cooking the kales, you can do this in boiling water for a period of like five minutes or likewise microwave for seven minutes on high stirring halfway through. In case you consider boiling it, you should preserve like a half a cup of boiling liquid to do blending, you can at the same time consider pureeing this food in a food in a blender or processor.
In case you use your microwave to do this, you should let the water droplets that were left after washing them to carry out steaming. While microwaving, you need not add any water. Lastly, it’s time to leave your fresh puree to sit and cool. It’s ready to serve your baby.
Recipe 1: Kale with fruit (age 7-8 months+)
Super healthy, easy, and tasty recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 Handful of kale
- 1 Apple
- 1 Banana
- 1 Cup of breast milk or formula
Instructions:
Step 1 – Boil the kale for 5 minutes.
Step 2 – Peel and cut the apple and slice it into pieces.
Step 3 – Peel the banana and slice it up.
Step 4 – Add the banana, kale, apple, and breast milk (optional) in a blender or food processor.
You can store this recipe in small kitchen storage containers or an ice cube form. The banana can turn a little brownish in the fridge or freezer, but that does not take away the taste or vitamins.
Recipe 2: Kale, carrot, and pear (age 7-8 months+)
A surprising combination of flavors, but very tasty!
Ingredients:
- 1 handful of kale
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Pear
Instructions:
Step 1 – Peel the carrots and pear and remove the core of the pear.
Step 2 – Chop them up and cook them in a saucepan for 15-25 minutes.
Step 3 – Add the kale to the saucepan in the last 5 minutes.
Step 4 – Pour the water off and let the carrots, pear, and kale cool off.
Step 5 – Add the ingredients to a blender, food processor, or use a hand blender. Blend until you reach the desired texture, preferably very creamy.
Recipe 3: Kale, potato, and tomato (age 8 months+)
A very sweet tasting, dinner recipe that your baby will love.
Ingredients:
- 2 handful of kale
- 1 Potato
- 1 Tomato
Instructions:
Step 1 – Boil the kale for 5 minutes, pour it off, and let it cool down.
Step 2 – Peel the potato, slice it up, and cook for 20-30.
Step 3 – Wash the tomato and slice it into pieces.
Step 4 – Add the kale, potato, and tomato to a blender or use a hand blender to blend it into a puree.
Are these recipes freezable?
Use of regular kitchen containers
Since the child only eats a small amount, the containers should be small in size or most of the food will get into waste. After packaging, you can comfortably place the food in the fridge. Dividing the food into portions is a better way of storage.
Use of freezer trays
These two do it fine. With the different compartments, they store food in various amounts for easy retrieval when the baby needs it.
Which kitchen tools to use
To prepare these baby food recipes, you will need the following kitchen tools:
Blender or food processor
Knife
Tablespoon
Vegetable peeler
Cutting board
Saucepan
Food storage containers or an ice cube form
Nutritional benefits
This vegetable contains some amount of nitrates just like the oxalates. This amount normally varies from plant to plant depending on how the plant was farmed and the age of the plant, but then, the amount contained in the kale vegetable is lower than that found in the carrots, lettuce and the spinach. This vegetable is rich in vitamin C and therefore this is enough as it will protect the baby against the nitrates contained in them.
There are some health benefits ass well:
1. Boosting the immunity
It consists of a whole lot of nutrients such as vitamin A. The vitamin is essential in aiding in the development of cells, facilitates sharp vision, and boosting the child’s immunity as they have carotenoids. They also have vitamin C, which also plays a part in developing immunity.
2. Growth and development of bones
Calcium is inclusive and has a role in bone development. It has soluble fiber that facilitates the digestion process and antioxidants that play a significant role in preventing diseases like cancer. The kale recipe thus has a very great nutritional value.
3. Boost blood circulation
Kales are rich in iron, which plays a significant role in the body by facilitating the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes. These, in turn, help in the process of blood circulation in the baby and hence healthy breathing system and eradicates blood-related problems.
Storing and selecting Kale for baby food
With the experts who have studied it, it’s believed that both collard and leafy greens normally don’t meet the dirty dozen ranking criteria since they have always been found to be contaminated with some kind of insecticides that are normally toxic to the nervous system of the human beings. It’s recommended therefore to purchase only organic kale when in need to prepare baby food.
Choosing Kale for baby
When making a selection on this, you should understand that the vegetable comes in two different varieties. These are the ones with smooth and flat leaves like for instance the dino kale and those with the crinkly leaves. A certain kind known as the Lacianto is normally sweeter than the purple and curly kale types. There are other varieties like the redbor and the red Russian kale. When out there selecting the right option for your baby food, consider the one with a deeply colored firm and with stems that are moist leaves.
You should avoid the yellow-colored kales, the ones that are brown in color and holes, or those that appear too dry/soft when touched. It can be better if you consider baby kale that is tenderer and the one with a sweeter taste. Baby kales can be kept for five days in the refrigerator but then, avoid consuming it as fast as possible as they have an increasing bitterness that builds up right after storage. Lastly, you should avoid washing of this vegetable before use as moisture in it shortens its lifespan.