When making a sweet potato dish for the Holidays, I never, ever use those canned yams drowning in syrup but I do like to achieve a nice, natural sweetness with good ‘ole brown sugar. However, using copious amounts of brown sugar might not be a good idea if you will be serving the holiday sweet potato dishes to your little one.
For the babies at your Thanksgiving table, choose the sweet potato dishes with care and ask about the ingredients. Many sweet potato pies for example contain eggs and dairy. If your little one has not had any of these ingredients, you don’t want this to be the day you have to rush to the pediatrician. If you are in the kitchen while the sweet potatoes are being prepared, grab some and set aside for your little one.
Make a Sweet Potato Pie for Babies by mixing plain yogurt with sweet potatoes and a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg; top with crushed cereal such as Cheerios.
You could always take along this old favorite
Maple Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 3 medium sized sweet potatoes/yams
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ*
- cinnamon and/or nutmeg to taste – start with 1 teaspoon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Peel then rinse the sweet potatoes, cut into small chunks.
3. Put the chunks into a medium bowl, then drizzle on 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/3 cup maple syrup.
4. Sprinkle on the cinnamon and/or nutmeg then sprinkle on the wheat germ and mix to combine.
5. Place sweet potato chunks into baking dish and cover with foil.
6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake another 15-30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
7. When finished baking, remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and stir to combine all the wonderful flavors. Serve warm.
*Wheat is typically introduced around 8 months of age and after baby is tolerating other grains. It is a possible allergen and celiacs should not eat it; it should be offered with the advice of your pediatrician.
Options:
- Puree and serve
- Puree and add peaches and/or yogurt for a juicy twist
- Mash in some applesauce
- Mash and serve in a bowl with a baby spoon. Let baby use the spoon to practice; this mix will cling well to the spoon!
