Making Mama's Kitchen: Peanut Post: My Baby, the Meat Eater!

Our baby food adventure is getting more and more exciting all the time! This week at her 6 month appointment, her doctor agreed that it's time to start feeding this little lady some meat. I was very torn with which meat should be her first, but in the end, I decided on chicken (mostly because I had some pears I needed to use and thought it would be a good way to introduce meat to Annalyn). I purchased skinless chicken thighs since the dark meat is higher in iron and fat (both good for growing babies! White meat, on the other hand, is higher in protein and lower in fat - good for those of us trying not to grow! Note that either is perfectly fine for baby).

I decided to use the crockpot so the ingredients really had time to mix and soften before being pureed, and because it's just so darn simple! You could also bake the chicken on a lightly greased baking sheet at about 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes per pound. Another method is to poach it by placing diced chicken in a saucepan with enough water to cover it completely, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink.

Chicken & Pear Puree

Ingredients:

-1 pkg boneless skinless chicken thighs

- 2-3 pears, peeled, cored and sliced

-water

**In the future, I think a little ginger would complete this recipe, but the only spice we've given her so far is cinnamon. Best not to introduce two things at once.

have I mentioned how much I love these slow cooker liners?

saves so much time on clean up!

Directions:

1. Peel, slice, and core the pears. Place chicken thighs and pears in a crockpot on low heat.

this is the greatest paring knife EVER

it's one of my favorite and most-used bridal shower gifts

they are hand-made in Dover, OH

check it out here

2. Cover with water. Cook on low for 4-6 hours until chicken is cooked through and pears are soft.

3. Puree with some of the cooking liquid until desired consistency is achieved. May take a few batches if you are using a small blender or food processor.

my kitchenaid food processor was perfect for this big job!

(it's an older version of this one)

I know, blended meat is not so appetizing

but I tasted it and I have to say...

it tastes like chicken :)

4. Can freeze the leftover puree for up to 3 months.

I had to use both my 2 oz. containers and

1 oz. ice cube trays because it made so much!

printable recipe

**Annalyn seemed to like the flavor (kept asking for more), but she had a hard time with the texture the first time (kept gagging). To help with that, we tried mixing it with sweet potatoes to make it a little easier to swallow. She did better with that, but she's still learning how to eat this new texture.