Peanut's Green Grinchy Goo (Banana, Avocado, and Green Bean Puree)

As I've mentioned before, one of my biggest motives for making my own baby food is to give Annalyn the opportunity to try lots of different flavors so that she's not a picky eater as she gets older.  Obviously, I understand that this isn't a sure-fire way to guarantee that my future toddler will be an adventurous eater, but a mama can hope!  So far, this girl will try anything and usually eat it until it's gone or her little belly is full.  The only food she ever refused to eat was a pouch of store-boughten baby pears (no idea why, she normally loves pears). 
I can't remember exactly how we got to this combination, but her latest favorite food baffles me.  Green beans mixed with avocado and banana.  I know, sounds disgusting, but to my little Peanut, it's heaven on a rubber-coated spoon.  I think it started because homemade green beans are a little gritty, so I added some mashed banana I had in the fridge to make it easier for her to eat.  Also, I often add avocado to her food because it's so nutritious for growing babies and makes a beautiful, creamy mixture.  It also turns out a really nice shade of green, which happens to be her favorite color.  How does a 5 month old have a favorite color?  Beats me, but she absolutely prefers green when given the choice. 

We named this "dish" after Annalyn's favorite green toy, her stuffed Grinch.  Here is how Mama makes it:

Peanut's Green Grinchy Goo
(Banana, Avocado, and Green Bean Puree)

it's sooo yummy!

Ingredients:

-green beans (I used frozen)

-ripe banana (some brown spots on the peel)

-ripe avocado (should be pretty soft)

-water/formula/breast milk to adjust consistency

Directions:

1.  Make the green bean puree.  I had the steam-in-the-bag green beans, so I steamed them in the microwave, then blended them into a smooth puree (will be a little gritty).  Then I freeze them in ice cube trays until hard, and store in the freezer in quart-sized Ziplock bags (be sure to label and date), so they are ready to use when needed.  One bag of frozen green beans made about twelve 1 oz. cubes, plus a little leftover that I gave her the next day.

2.  Mash the banana.  Bananas are one of those wonderful "instant baby foods" that can actually be served to baby raw.  Simply peel and mash with a fork.  I used about 1/3-1/2 of the banana, then stored the rest of the mashed banana in the fridge for the next day.  Bananas can be frozen, but I recommend freezing them whole in the peel.  When you thaw them out, they are very soft and sweet. (This method also works well for making banana bread).

3.  Slice the avocado and mash with fork.  Avocados are a baby super food.  The unsaturated fats are so healthy for brain development.  Like bananas, they can be served without cooking as long as they are ripe and soft.  I like to buy avocados when they go on sale, then freeze them in slices (freeze flat on a plate or baking sheet until hard, then store in labeled freezer bag).  That way, all I have to do is thaw them (using defrost setting on microwave) and toss them into her food. 

4.  Mix all ingredients together until smooth (I just use a fork, but you can puree it if you want it super smooth). 

a beautiful Grinchy green!
printable recipe