Strawberry, Spinach + Chives and Barley Baby Food Puree
Today is going to be an amazing day. The rain will stop. The sun will shine. There will be nothing but happiness. The babes will do nothing but laugh and smile all day. I will be an amazing mother and provide such laughter and smiles. The birds will sing.
I will sing.
Babes will sing.
Perfect day.
The chores will get done by themselves. There is no such thing as dishes. Groceries will magically appear in my fridge. I will have all the time to play on my hands and knees. I will have a never ending river of patience. The words ‘to-do list’ are not even a part of my vocabulary.
Perfect day.
But if for some reason the perfect day I have in mind does not appear, I will be making this recipe. A recipe that will make anyone happy – strawberry fields.
Earthy spinach mixed with spicy chives and chewy barley all topped with sweet strawberries.
Just look at it. Doesn’t it just make you smile?
Served hot or cold. In the rain or sun. With a spoon or by little hands.
Chop off their heads and warm them up.
Chop off their legs and warm them up.
Quick stir. Layer it up. Here we go on our way to a perfect day.
Strawberries + Spinach + Chives + Barley
1 16oz carton of organic strawberries
1 head of organic spinach or 1 bag of organic spinach
1 small handful chives
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
Wash strawberries and cut off stems. Put in small pot and cook on medium/low for 5 minutes to warm the strawberries. Put into food processor or blender and puree. Transfer to small bowl and let cool slightly.
Using the same small pot (giving it a quick rinse first) bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 cup of barley to water and simmer on medium/low for 30 minutes or until water is absorbed and barley is cooked through. It should be slightly chewy.
Meanwhile, wash spinach and cut off stems. Steam for 5 minutes. Put into food processor or blender, add chives and puree. The spinach mixture will be thick so you might need to scrape the sides off the blender or food processor a couple times to get everything incorporated.
Once baley is cooked, transfer to small bowl. Add spinach and chive puree and mix well.
Layer the spinach/barley mixture on the bottom and strawberry puree on top.
Makes 35 ounces to enjoy on a perfect day.
8 Comments on “Strawberry, Spinach + Chives and Barley Baby Food Puree”
These look delicious… do your kids always eat everything you try? I am wanting to make some of these, but I also do not want to make a huge batch only to find she doesn’t like what I make. I am hoping to help my baby be an exploring eater. I hate that my step daughter is so picky… and this is my plan of introducing new and fun flavors before she has a chance to get wind of what chicken nuggets are LOL What are some tips for starting out on these more cooler concoctions.
Hello Amanda,
Goodness NO!! but I never let that deter me from making my girls good eaters. It takes baby’s up to 15 different tries before deciding if they like something or not and then they enter their toddler years and like something one day and hate the same thing the next day. . For instance, I have given baby Parker (9Months right now) butternut squash over 6 times and she still gives me an evil face every time she tastes it. But I just mix it with different things and hopefully she will like it one day. So don’t give up on try one if they don’t like it. Secondly, I try to make combinations off of items that they do like. For instance, if I know she likes apples, then she like like apples + spinach. And don’t forget the spices. Baby’s and kids love some flavor in their foods! I have noticed that if baby Parker isn’t eating something and I add a dash of a spice to it, she will most likely eat it up!!
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
xoxo, Michele
Aside from a handful of ingredients that I can’t find locally my little boy has eaten everything on your purees list with out protest. In fact, half the time, he waits while I fill the spoon with more like a little bird with his mouth wide open. Thanks for all the fun foods!
This makes me so happy!!!!! LOVE IT!!
xo, Michele
ps- just curious, but do you know off the top of your head what you can’t find at your grocery store?
The purple carrots are the ones that I can directly think of off the top of my head. I know that there are a few more, I can go through it if you would like. 🙂 Also, one request. Since I am pretty much following your purees/finger foods would you be able to include a recipe for those of us that have/want to include peanut butter please? Thank you!
I have been finding purple carrots in a tricolor bag at Trader Joes, and of course the purple ones are always the ones that go the fastest:)
YES!!! – I am going to do a post about this very soon. For now you can add a couple nuts (cashews, almonds, peanuts) to purees that your little one already likes and you can add nut butter to bread or even toss some pasta in it.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Michele
Really excited to try this one, but waiting a bit till the little guy is a bit older (he’s six months now)! Question about the barley, can it be added in place of brown rice? Can it be ground up uncooked as well? Thanks! Love trying out your recipes!
Yes, barley can be used in place of the brown rice. I actually haven’t tired grinding up barley and then cooking it like an oat cereal, but you could definitely try it. I would imagine because the grain is so big it might take some time in the blender. You could also cook it, then puree it in a blender with a little water or stock. This could be frozen and used when needed.
Let me know what you do and if it works.
xo, Michele