Kids Cuisine

I was so thrilled to see the first pumpkins appear at my local grocery store. To me, that is the signal of the unofficial beginning of the harvest season, the fall, pumpkin patches, pumpkin pies and jack-o-lanterns. The great thing about pumpkin is that it is associated with so many things that are fun for kids, but it’s also a healthy food that kids actually want to eat.

Pumpkin is low-fat, low-carb, high in antioxidants, and rich in vitamins A, C and E. But unlike some foods that are uber-healthy, pumpkin tastes like it should be bad for you. Kids love it. They even want to help find it, pick it and prepare it.

Last fall, I happened on pumpkins at a local organic market. It dawned on me I’d never seen pumpkin baby food, so I created this Pumpkin Banana Homemade Baby Food:

Ingredients

• Small pie pumpkin
• 2 bananas
• Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Preparation

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• Cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.
• Place the pumpkin in a casserole dish with an inch of water.
• Bake pumpkin for 45 minutes or until it’s soft when you press an oven mitt-covered hand against the side.
• Allow the pumplin to cool for 30 minutes.
• Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop the flesh out, placing it in a mixing bowl or directly into a blender or food processor. You want to avoid the skin and any remaining seeds.
• Peel the banana, and break off pieces to add to the pumpkin. Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon, if desired.
• Process, blend, or mash the ingredients until the food is the desired consistency (pureed for babies just starting on solids, and chunky for more experienced babies).

That was easily my twins’ favorite baby food. In fact, when the pumpkin season ended, I wished I’d made a huge batch to last several months in the freezer (as it froze very well).

This year, my babies are too old for pureed food (and my 4-year-old is way too old). I bought that pumpkin I saw at the store today, though, and I plan to dice it and then roast it for all three of my children to eat. I also look forward to taking all three kids to a local pumpkin patch so they can each pick out a pumpkin (or maybe two, with one to decorate and one to eat).

In fact, I just read that any recipe that calls for squash can actually use pumpkin with delightful results, according to this Pumpkin Nutrition and Recipes page at About.com. I am thinking already of the possibilities: pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin seeds. This time, I’ll make some extra to freeze for later, though.

Photo of girl with pumpkins, © Alx Sanchez.