Simple Balanced Mashed Meals
Need some simple but super nutritious + balanced meal ideas for your baby? I have you covered. Plus, these are “mashed” texture-balanced meals, so they can be used for those who are opting to start with purees or those doing a more baby-led weaning style. Just remember, pre-load the spoon and let the baby self-feed, no matter what texture of food you are providing! We recommend introducing lots of textures and types of foods early on to help prevent texture aversions and encourage diet diversity to help meet nutritional needs.
Brief recap, if you aren’t sure what a balanced meal should look like – check out my full balanced meal blog post here that goes into the core nutrients we want to ensure we are serving at every meal we offer our baby.
- Butternut Squash and Chicken.
Butternut squash is a yummy complex carbohydrate that contains fiber and vitamin C. It can be easily cooked to be the perfect soft and mushy consistency for babies. We love roasting butternut squash in the oven with olive oil to add healthy fats.
Mix your butternut squash with finely diced or minced chicken (opt for chicken thighs if you want to ensure a moist texture for safe feeding) so baby is getting the iron-rich food they need at every meal for proper neurodevelopment.
- Sweet Potato and Ground Beef.
Sweet potatoes are one of the most common first foods for babies due to their versatility in cooking in many safe ways for babies (think sweet potato wedges, mashed sweet potatoes, and sweet potato pancakes!). Sweet potatoes are considered an iron-rich plant-based food source, and they contain a good amount of vitamin C.
Since some parents are a little nervous to start introducing meat due to their texture, you can mash the sweet potato and mix it with the ground beef to make it an easier texture for the baby to try. If you feel like the texture is too dry still, then opt to add some breast milk, formula, or low-sodium chicken broth for a thinner or smoother consistency. The ground beef, of course, adds a great heme iron food source, plus fat, protein, and zinc, which our babies need!
- White Beans and Salmon.
BEANS! These are nutrient-packed little bites of goodness that are full of plant-based iron, fiber, and zinc. Make sure that if you’re cooking dry beans, cook them extra soft and easy to mash. You can also use canned beans, but choose no-salt-added versions if so. Find more of our grocery staples for babies here.
Beans are also a fantastic complex carbohydrate source for babies. Pair the mashed beans with cooked wild-caught salmon to add another iron food source, as well as omega-3s and protein.
Salmon is a low-mercury seafood option, so it is a fantastic first food option for babies. Check out more details on our favorite and not-so-favorite seafood options for babies in our full blog post here.
- Avocado and Sardines.
If you didn’t know this already, babies need TONS of fat in their diet to fuel optimal brain development. We love recommending serving avocados early and often to help provide lots of healthy fats and energy to our babies’ diet. They are also so easy to make “baby-safe.” Try simply mashing them, or you can serve a ripe avocado cut into spears for the baby to self-feed between 6-9 months of age.
Mash the avocado with sardines to add iron, healthy fats, vitamin D, and protein for a balanced and yummy mix – don’t knock it until you try it. The smell may be a little overpowering at first, but if you know how much nutrition your baby is getting in every bite, it is worth it! Check out my full blog post on fat needs for children here.
- Iron Fortified Cereal and Chia Seed Jam.
If you are a little nervous that your child is not meeting their high iron needs through whole food sources, you can also try offering an iron-fortified cereal, which is a simple and easy way to provide a large amount of iron in a small volume.
To add some flavor without adding added sugar, which is recommended to be avoided for the first two years of life, try making homemade chia seed jam to sweeten the cereal and increase fiber and omega-3 intake. You can find our homemade chia seed jam recipes and hundreds of other baby-friendly recipes at 101beforeone.
- Quinoa and Banana Cereal.
Quinoa is a nutritious plant-based iron food source to offer to babies starting at six months of age. Mash in a banana and a small amount of peanut butter to provide a balanced meal.
Peanuts are a top 9 allergen and should be offered early and often to prevent food allergies. Make sure to avoid serving whole nuts, which can be a choking risk, and opt for baby-safe peanut butter puffs or thinned-out natural peanut butter. Peanut butter also contains fat and plant-based iron to help meet nutrient needs. The banana is a yummy addition to make this meal a perfect consistency and add some carbohydrates, potassium, and a small amount of vitamin C.
Need more ideas for balanced meals for baby? Download our free balanced meal handout for more “finger-food” ideas.
Want more? My course is a 100% evidence-based approach to starting solids in a way that encourages a healthy dietary pattern from the start.
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Cinthia Scott is a Registered Dietitian (RD) and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) with over 7 years experience in the field of dietetics. Cinthia focuses on ensuring optimal nutrition in the first 1000 days of life to ensure optimal growth and development as well as set the stage for long-term health. Cindy is an author, starting solids expert, and advocate for caregivers receiving evidence based education and support surrounding breastfeeding and starting solids.
Cinthia is co-author of the 101beforeone Starting Solids Book, “101beforeone -baby-led feeding cookbook,” and is the founder and owner of The Baby Dietitian LLC which is her private practice built to provide virtual 1:1 services for caregivers surrounding infant nutrition, toddler nutrition, and breastfeeding support. Cinthia is also the creator of the Starting Solids 101 Program which provides caregivers 1:1 support from a Pediatric Dietitian on how to provide optimal nutrition from the start and create healthy eating habits that will last their whole lifetime. To work with Cinthia, you can access her services here.
Cinthia provides tons of free information for parents on her social media accounts as well.
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