Healthy BLW Meal Ideas

For all my BLW mamas, one of the hardest parts of this path (besides the fear of choking and the crazy mess...) is coming up with new and creative meals. I wanted Sloane to try a wide variety of healthy and organic foods - getting exposed to all kinds of flavors, allergens, and food groups. I am a pretty routine eater; I know what I like and I tend to stick to it, so having her eat what I eat isn't always helpful. But I've put together some of my favorite healthy meals that I've made for Sloane. Most of these are easier than they look and enough food for cooking in the morning and then serving for all her meals throughout the day! You don't necessarily have to buy organic (I know it's not always available or affordable) but I do when I can and know that that's enough. Without further ado, here are some of our favorite BLW meals. You can follow us on Instagram for more - we post meal ideas in our stories daily!

1. Avocado Toast, Orange Slices, Oatmeal  

• Whole grain bread - Slice into strips appropriate for baby's age and then toast in the toaster oven (FYI it's easier and less messy to cut before you toast).

• Avocado - Mash in a bowl, spread on the toast, and then sprinkle with a variety of seasonings (I've tried garlic powder, pepper, lemon juice, and even a little crushed red pepper).

• Orange - Wash WELL if leaving the skin on (it can help baby hold on); then slice into age-appropriate sizes (seeds and membrane should be removed). Younger babies get large slices/quarters while older babies can grab bite-sized pieces with their pincer grasp.

• Oatmeal - Add breastmilk/formula to oatmeal powder and mix (I use Ready Set Food allergen oatmeal and I love it! You can also add another fruit, veggie, or yogurt mixed in but it's also perfect as is). 
  
  

*This took five minutes and was plenty of food!

2. Oatmeal Pancakes, Banana, Peanut Butter and Strawberry Toast

• Oatmeal pancake - Once again I used the Ready Set Food oatmeal mix and mixed it with a ripe banana, Greek yogurt, milk, and finely chopped spinach. This was still pretty runny when cooking, so next time I'm going to add an egg, which should help (*Update, it did*). Mix and pour into a pan with oil or butter. I ended up having to bake them in the toaster oven afterward to harden them up!

• Whole grain bread - Cut and toast, then spread with peanut butter and pureed strawberry.

• Banana - Slice into age-appropriate pieces, in this case, long strips.

*You can add additional spices or produce to the pancakes - but the spinach was great to sneak in!

3. Fried Tofu, Spinach, Steamed Peppers

• Tofu - Wrap the tofu in paper towels and press to remove excess water, then slice into strips. I sprinkled with garlic powder, onion powder, and ground ginger. Pan fry with sesame oil until golden brown (2-3 minutes). They were still pretty soft on the inside so she could bite into them easily.

• Spinach - Cut and sauté spinach with chopped garlic in the sesame oil. Spinach cooks in less than a minute, so add the chopped garlic for a minute before the spinach!

• Red peppers - Cut into slices with the pith, seeds, and stem removed. Steam over boiling water until soft. Then remove the skin. Older babies can have bite-sized pieces.

*Surprisingly, this took less than 10 minutes and was plenty of food. A brick of tofu would be too much for one day - I think a small brick lasted her over three!

4. Baked Chicken Drumstick, Sautéed Asparagus, Peach Slices

• Chicken drumstick - Season a raw drumstick with choice of spices (I used oregano, garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder). Grease a pan with EVOO and set oven to 350 (lower heat for longer helped make sure the bone didn't get too brittle and break off). I just kept checking until there was no pink left, cooking for about 20-25 minutes.

• Asparagus - Cut off about an inch on the stem end, season with EVOO, pepper, and garlic powder. This time I sautéed them in a pan until they were cooked but not too crispy (3-4 minutes). The other day I roasted them in the oven instead and thought that texture was perhaps a bit easier for her to bite into!

• Peach - Wash the peach thoroughly, but leave the skin on to make it easier for baby to grip. Slice into halves for babies 6-9 months or thin slices for 9+.

5. Spinach and Cheese Toast, Cinnamon Peanut Butter Apples, Greek Yogurt

• Whole grain bread - Slice and toast, add cheese (swiss, mozzarella, and goat cheese are naturally low in sodium), and let melt or warm. Sauté spinach in a pan with EVOO, then add cooked spinach and breastmilk/formula to a blender and blend until smooth. Add on top of cheese toast.

• Honeycrisp apple - Wash, peel, and slice into age-appropriate sizes. Add to a pan with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover and cook until soft. Drizzle with peanut butter if desired.

• Greek yogurt - I used plain, full-fat Greek yogurt and added chia seeds overnight (or at least two hours before to let soften). I pureed strawberries/raspberries and mixed them into the yogurt. I ended up adding the remainder of the spinach puree that didn't fit on the toast as well and Sloane didn't notice - any way to get more veggies in!

6. Turkey Meatballs, Roasted Bell Peppers, Blueberries

• Ground turkey - roll into 1-2 inch balls and add whatever spices or vegetables you want (I added diced onion, spinach, garlic, and pepper). Obviously, in a true meatball you have some kind of binding component, but because I didn't need that consistency, I just baked the ball of ground turkey as-is. I greased a pan with EVOO and cooked in the oven at 375 until completely cooked (approximately 15 minutes).

• Red pepper - I wanted to try these roasted instead of steamed, so I put them on a pan with EVOO and cooked them in the oven until they started to brown. Remove the pith, seeds, and skin and cut into slices. In my opinion, steaming was easier to remove the skin.

• Blueberries - Wash and flatten berries for baby to grab (I leave them whole for the Instagram aesthetic only lol).

*This made a lot more than the photo, but I forgot to take a picture until she had already started eating!

7. Baked Chicken, Raspberries, Avocado Slices

• Chicken breast - Season with choice of seasonings (I used pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves). You can coat the breast with EVOO or put it on the bottom of a covered dish like I did. I baked the chicken in the oven at 375 until completely cooked (about 30 minutes and it was a little dry, but I was worried about it being undercooked...Sloane didn't complain!) Slice into long strips.

• Raspberries - Wash the berries and smash flat for baby to grab! Always an easy fruit to use but the juice is messy!

• Avocado - Cut the whole avocado in half, remove the pit, and slice into long vertical strips. I found scooping the strips out with a spoon kept them more intact until they were on the plate.

As I said, I try to buy organic whenever I can. I was able to find organic versions of everything here, including the oils and seasonings I used. No matter what you choose to do, these meals are still healthy and beneficial for your baby's fine motor skill development! For more recipes, make sure to check out our other posts:

- Healthy BLW Meal Ideas, Part 2 

- Healthy BLW Meal Ideas, Part 3

- Healthy BLW Meal Ideas, Part 4 

- BLW Meal Prep Ideas

- BLW Pasta Ideas

- BLW Toast Ideas

- BLW International Themed Cuisines

- Healthy On-the-Go Baby Snacks

- Homemade Baby/Toddler Snacks

- 50 Baby & Toddler Breakfast Ideas

Our Favorite Non-Toxic BLW Feeding Tools

- WeeSprout silicone suction plates

- mushie silicone suction plate

- mushie silicone suction bowl
- NumNum preloading spoons

- mushie fork and spoon

- Elk and Friends silverware

- mushie silicone open cups

- Elk and Friends straw cups

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