Nutrition Expert: Christina Schmidt
Expert Bio
Christina Schmidt is a Santa Barbara-based nutritionist with a focus on creating a healthy nutritional foundation during pregnancy and early childhood years. She holds an M.S. in nutrition science, and is a certified Nutrition Educator. She is the author of the Baby Bistro Box® and Toddler Bistro Box® and president of Baby Bistro Brands
She strives to bring valuable feeding advice to parents in an easy, fun, accessible format. She has been featured on NBC Today and in a wide variety of news and magazine publications. Her work has been reviewed and strongly supported by nationally recognized pediatricians and allergists.
Click the links below to view all of Christina's features, articles, and other content!
DIY Baby Food
It’s easier than you think!
The Bump - Nutrition Expert: Christina Schmidt
Baby is ready to switch to solid foods—and that means a whole new set of choices for mom. While there are many ready-made and organic baby food options on the market, making your own baby food has never been easier. Here’s what you need to know before you steam, chop, and puree.
Always check with your pediatrician before starting solid food.
- What you need: Food processor, blender, or baby food grinder
- Before you start: Make sure your kitchen is clean! Wash your hands with soapy water and scrub all cutting boards and cooking utensils.
- Best produce picks : Fresh or organic is best.
- Veggies: Sweet potato; pumpkin; squash varieties; carrots; asparagus; broccoli; spinach; green beans; split peas; green peas; parsnips
- Fruits: Cantaloupe; nectarine; peach; apricot; avocado; banana; pear; apple; plum; watermelon. (Laundry Alert! Bananas, nectarines, and peaches stain!)
- Prep and Cook: Wash fruits and vegetables well. Lightly steam or microwave veggies to retain most of their nutrients. Remove all strings, seeds, and skins from fruits and vegetables to prevent choking. Cook meats, poultry, fish, and egg yolks thoroughly (meaty meals begin around 7-8 months). Skip egg whites until your baby is 12 months old to avoid risk of food allergies. Slice and chop meats against the grain to avoid stringiness. Plain food is best for baby, so skip adding extra sugar, salt, or strong spices.
Puree away!
Blend purees to a thin, smooth, creamy consistency. To thin purees, try adding in a little breast milk, formula, leftover cooking water from vegetables, or broth.
Store It!
Cover and refrigerate your homemade baby food for up to two days. Freeze purées and blends in ice cube trays enclosed in a freezer bag. Empty frozen cubes into another freezer bag and store up to two months. Don’t forget to write the date on the bag! Tip: 1 ice cube = 1 oz.; 1 jar of baby food = 3 to 4 ozs.
TRY THESE RECIPIES
Simply Sweet Potatoes
Makes 8 ozs.
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 6 TBS veggie broth
- Poke holes in the sweet potato and microwave or bake until soft.
- Peel off skin and puree with rest of ingredients.
Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A and iron!
Broccoli-Pumpkin Purée
Makes 3-4 ozs.
- 1/2 cup fresh broccoli florets
- 1/4 cup canned organic pumpkin
- Lightly steam broccoli in microwave or on stove until soft and bright green.
- Puree with food processor or food mill.
- Stir in pumpkin.