By Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers

Rice is easily digested and has low allergen aspects, so it is commonly recommended as the first food you introduce to your baby. Many of the recipes for making baby cereals are time consuming, but with the use of the freezer and a blender, homemade rice cereal is simple and convenient.

This recipe is perfect for infants, but by adding a few "extras" it will tempt the taste buds of kids and adults.

Ingredients

  3 cups of brown rice, cooked according to package directions
  12 ounces breast milk, water, or infant formula

Directions

Place the cooked brown rice in a blender with the breast milk/water/formula. Puree until completely smooth - you cannot make this cereal too smooth. Pour the cereal into ice trays, cover and freeze overnight. Once frozen, pop the cubes out of the trays, place in a freezer bag or container, labeled with the date and return to the freezer. Lasts up to two months.

To serve

Defrost the cubes, and add breast milk or formula to develop a smooth consistency. For babies just starting solids, thin the cereal to a semi-liquid consistency. Warm the cereal, if desired. You can also change the flavor of the cereal by adding fruit or veggie baby food, once your baby has started to eat those foods.

Extras for the older crowd

[editor's note: When starting your baby on solid foods, be sure to introduce one type of food at a time. It is possible that your little one may be allergic to such things as nuts, etc.]
  Ground nuts and maple syrup
  Cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins and honey
  Fruit preserves
  Cinnamon sugar and dried fruit

Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are sisters, the mothers of five children, and founders of Fresh Baby. Raised by parents who love fresh foods and entertaining, their mom, a gourmet cook, ensured that they were well-equipped with extraordinary skills in the kitchen. Both with long track records of business success, they decided to combine their skills in the kitchen with their knowledge of healthy foods and children to create Fresh Baby.

Cheryl and Joan put a modern twist on the conventional wisdom that when you make it yourself, you know it's better. Their goal at Fresh Baby is to make the task of raising a healthy eater a little bit easier for all parents. Fresh Baby's breastfeeding accessories and baby food making supplies provide parents with practical knowledge and innovative tools to support them in introducing their children to great tasting, all-natural foods -- easily and conveniently. Visit them online at Fresh Baby and subscribe to their Fresh Ideas newsletter to get monthly ideas, tips and activities for developing your family's healthy eating habits!

All content copyrighted ©2001-2006 Cheryl Tallman & Joan Ahlers. Permission to republish granted to Pregnancy.org, LLC.

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