Beets for Babies Recipe
If your people hail from the Caribbean, chances are high that you’ve consumed your fair share of beetroot juice with lime, ginger and/or sweetened milk. It’s an island favorite! In America, beets are pretty polarizing. People seem to either love them or hate them. Even my own home is a house divided when it comes to beets. My husband is not a fan but I can’t get enough. Yum, yum!
No matter how we feel about beets, our babies are just beginning their journey with food. The more we can do to expose them to a wide variety of food (even the food we don’t like), the better chance they’ll have at getting the nutrients they need from the food they consume. This beet recipe is really simple to make and the beets can either be blended, mashed for a chunkier texture or left whole but cut into the appropriate shape and size for your baby to safely consume.
Food: Beets
Why it’s Healthy: Beets contain B-vitamins, folate, and most minerals. Their combination of copper and vitamin C helps increase your baby’s absorption of iron from the plant, which is key because iron is a critical nutrient (and one that babies often don’t get enough of).
Recipe: Roasted Beets
Ingredients:
Beets
Avocado or healthy high-heat oil
Directions
Wash the beets and remove the leaves and stems, which can be sautéed and finely chopped, if desired.
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Quarter the beetroots. Coat the wedges in avocado oil and place in a covered casserole dish.
Roast until soft, which can take between 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the beet. They’re done when a knife easily slides into the thickest part.
Uncover the dish and let the beets cool. Once cool to the touch, slip off the skin with your hands and cut into age-appropriate shapes per our suggestions above.
Beets for Babies Recipe
Ingredients
- Beets
- Avocado or healthy high-heat oil
Instructions
- Wash the beets and remove the leaves and stems, which can be sautéed and finely chopped, if desired.
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Quarter the beetroots. Coat the wedges in avocado oil and place in a covered casserole dish.
- Roast until soft, which can take between 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the beet. They’re done when a knife easily slides into the thickest part.
- Uncover the dish and let the beets cool. Once cool to the touch, slip off the skin with your hands and cut into age-appropriate shapes per our suggestions above.
Notes:
Why it’s Healthy:
Beets contain B-vitamins, folate, and most minerals. Their combination of copper and vitamin C helps increase your baby’s absorption of iron from the plant, which is key because iron is a critical nutrient (and one that babies often don’t get enough of).
