Real Baby Food: Easy, All-Natural Recipes for Your Baby and Toddler by Jenna Helwig

Womn sitting at computer in library

 

Real Baby Food Cookbook CoverHealthy and affordable — what’s not to love? 

Knowing our children are eating foods with only natural ingredients, at a fraction of the cost of mass-produced baby food, is a win-win!

Why This Book

If you’re a first-time caregiver wondering how to introduce your baby to solid foods, you’re in the right place! Real Baby Food by Jenna Helwig is the perfect guide for navigating your baby’s solid food journey. Helwig explains the building blocks of starting babies on solid foods, from recognizing potential food allergies to establishing how much to feed your child and a schedule at each stage of development.

The book progresses from single-ingredient purées to full meals that toddlers can enjoy with their caregivers. Each recipe includes flavor adaptations, helpful tips, and complete nutritional information.

What We’re Trying: Cauliflower PureeCauliflower Puree in glass jar

This month's featured taste tester is baby Christopher, who is 6 months old and enjoying his journey with solid foods. He already loves classic purées like sweet potatoes and bananas, so we were excited to introduce him to something a little different: cauliflower purée. Judging by his big smile, this recipe was a hit!

  • Simple Steps - With just two steps, this recipe is easy—even with only a few hours of sleep, we managed to prepare it with ease, proving that healthy meals don’t have to be complicated!
  • Flavor Tip - Helwig suggests adding turmeric for a boost of flavor. Bonus: This addition makes the purée a versatile and delicious option for adults too!
  • Big Batch Bonus - This recipe yields approximately 5 cups of baby food. We are freezing the extra and plan to mix it with other purees in the future for added nutrition!
  • For Young Readers - Healthy food goes hand in hand with healthy habits. That’s why we encourage families to join our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. Share the love of reading with your child, build routines, and earn prizes along the way!

Baby with spoon smilingMeet the Author

“After a childhood of not considering food much—other than the fact that I really liked to eat it—I fell in love with the delicious possibilities of food and cooking in my mid-20s after spotting a recipe for mango salsa in an issue of Cooking Light magazine. The rest is history. A few years later, armed with a culinary arts degree from the Institute of Culinary Education, I started a personal chef business, Rosaberry, and began a freelance food writing career. 

In 2013, I became the food editor at Parents magazine, tasked with helping families enjoy tasty, nutritious food. My career also included a stop as food director at Health magazine before I started my current role as food director at Real Simple. I’m the author of five cookbooks, including Bare Minimum Dinners and the bestselling, newly updated Baby-Led Feeding. 

I live in Brooklyn with my family, my adorable dog Pepper, and more than 200 cookbooks. While most of my hobbies revolve around cooking and eating, I’m also an avid reader (especially of mystery novels), traveler, and Yankees fan.”  
-Jenna Helwig