Friday, November 28, 2008

Breakfast cereal for babies who need prunes!

Ever since my daughter was an infant, we have battled issues of constipation. There is always something that is bound to stop her up, so we quickly integrated prunes into her daily diet.
I grew tired of buying baby food (especially when much of it came in plastic containers instead of glass). I read that you could cook prunes and make your own cereal, and that's exactly what I started doing

Ingredients:

- large bottle of prune juice (I get Knudsen organic)
- prunes (I buy Newman's Own organic on Amazon.com)
- cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
- frozen berries (I buy Cascadian Farms berry mixes)
- flaxseed meal


I basically start the recipe by boiling several packs of prunes in prune juice. You can alternately use another type of juice or just water. I add some cinnamon and either ginger or nutmeg - I guarantee your kitchen will smell fantastic while cooking this cereal!

The prunes are done cooking when they are soft and have absorbed some liquid. I allow the mix to cool on the stove, and then mix with about 2 bags of frozen berries (usually strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries). Because I am making a large batch to store, I don't need the mix to stay hot, and it's also been bad news to put hot foods in the blender (read, large mess - the lid doesn't stay on!). I puree everything together and it's set to go.

You can also add a dash of flaxseed meal in there if you feel comfortable enough for it to have little bits of flax in it (I would probably wait until your baby is more toddler age, so that they are comfortable swallowing the little bits). Flax adds a little bit more fiber and health benefit, but keep in mind you aren't supposed to cook/heat it, or it loses it's benefit.

I pour the mix into baby food jars, put in a tray in the freezer, and I am set for a few weeks.

As for consistency, I go for a thinner consistency. In the morning, I heat a frozen jar in my microwave, pour into a bowl, and mix with Happy Bellies cereal (I get from Amazon.com), as well as Rainbow brand Nutristart vitamin powder. The thinner consistency allows me to add the cereal and the powder. And we're ready for our day! My daughter enjoys the cereal and there is a lot of nutrition in it from each and every ingredient.


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