4 ways to use leftover baby food

What new parent can resist a great stock-up sale? After all, starting solids is an exciting step, and you want your little one to have the very best. However, what do you do with all that baby food when your little one doesn’t finish it, doesn’t tolerate it or just plain doesn’t want it? Here are a few ways you can repurpose that pantry full of purées.

1. Body scrub

Start with: Happy Baby Mango Purée

Add:

• Raw sugar

• A couple drops of essential oils, like lemon and patchouli

• Coconut oil (room temperature, doesn’t have to be liquid)

Directions: Combine purée, coconut oil and essential oil into a small bowl until you get an applesauce-like consistency. Slowly add the sugar till desired texture is reached. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week.

2. Cocktail

Start with: Once upon A Farm “The Fairest of Pears”

Add:

• Coconut vodka

• Ice

Directions: Combine purée with flavored vodka and shake with ice. More purée will yield a daiquiri-like texture, while more alcohol (or adding a juice to balance) can add exotic flavor when flavored liquor aren’t available.

3. Smoothie

Start with: Plum Organics Grow Well Bone

Add:

• Frozen berries, like a mix of blueberries, blackberries and strawberries

• Ripe banana

Directions: Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth. Any baby food makes a great substitute for liquid in a smoothie recipe, but I especially liked the Plum Organics mixture, which included super-food kale and Greek yogurt. Adding baby food to smoothies gives an extra punch of calcium, iron, DHA and healthy fats, since baby food blends tend to be high in those nutrients.

4. Dinner

Start with: Once upon a Farm “Wild Rumpus Avocado” and “Magic Velvet Mango”

Add:

• Cocktail sauce

• Puréed red peppers

• A little sriracha

Directions: Fruit purées make great bases for sauces when you’re feeling inspired or when your TV’s been stuck on Food Network. We made a tangy, tropical spin on cocktail sauce that went great with homemade crab cake burgers. Other ideas might include a mango remoulade or puréed apple and sage pork chops.

So next time you’re at the grocery store, stock up and experiment with a new flavor or three! With a little creativity, no jar, pack or pouch will go to waste. And your friends will never have to know how you got all that fresh fruit out of season.

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