Once a baby can handle foods with a bit of texture (somewhere around 7 to 10 months old), it is a great idea to get familiar with the bulk aisle of a natural grocery store. This aisle, which is often intimidating for someone not used to cooking with whole grains, is chock full of nutritious, easy to cook, and very inexpensive foods for your baby.

Below, I've compiled some favorite recipes for cooking bulk aisle picks for babies. All of these recipes involve simmering, which as a bonus means that if you transfer the final product directly into the fridge, the food will easily keep for 3 or 4 days. I always make at least 1 cup (dry) of whatever at a time, which typically yields 3 to 5 cups cooked. For easy of translating these recipes into different quantities according to your needs, I listed all the amounts as ratios instead of cups or pounds. The one caveat to this is that once you get below about 1 cup of liquid, recipes tend to go haywire. So, for instance, if your recipe is 1:4 grain to water, cook at least 1/4 (and preferably 1/2) a cup of grains so that you are at or over 1 cup of liquid.

Here are a few bulk aisle picks that my baby loves:

Beluga lentils

• Ratio: 1:4 lentils to liquid


• Directions: Bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes. Drain if desired.


• Tasty tip: Extra flavorful if cooked in dilute stock.

Steel cut oats

• Ratio: 1:4 oats to water


• Directions: Bring oats to a boil, then simmer very low for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.


• Tasty tip: Especially tasty with a tiny dash of maple syrup (for moms and dads)

Pearled barley

• Ratio: At least 1:4 barley to liquid


• Directions: Simmer in water or dilute chicken or vegetable stock for 35 to 40 minutes. Drain if desired.


• Tasty tip: Great if cooked in the same pot as the beluga lentils!

Quinoa

• Ratio: 1:2 quinoa (KEEN-wa) to water.


• Directions: Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes. Quinoa will be soft and translucent when done.


• Tasty tip: Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top for extra flavor.

Polenta-style cornmeal

• Ratio: 1:3 polenta to water or dilute stock


• Directions: Simmer very low for 25 minutes.


• Serving tip: Make sure to let it cool adequately before serving - polenta will retain heat more than the other recipes here.

Whole wheat couscous

• Ratio: 1:1.5 couscous to liquid.


• Directions: Boil liquid, stir in couscous, return to a boil, then cover and set on the counter for about 5 minutes.


• Tasty tip: A mixture of tomato soup and water is really tasty for the liquid portion.

Bon appetit! - Leigh G.