Finger Food Mania: Sweet Potato Cubes

By Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers

Your baby will like the bright orange color and sweet taste of these little morsels. Babies have a natural sweet tooth developed from drinking breast milk or formula, which are sweet. The natural sweetness of sweet potatoes make them a favorite among babies!

Directions:
1. Wash, peel and dice a sweet potato into small cubes about 1/2 inch in size.

2. Place the cubes in microwave safe dish, cover and cook them in the microwave on HIGH for 5 to 7 minutes. Let them stand for 5 minutes. You’ll know they are done if you can mash them with a fork.

3. Add a little spice in her life: Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg or ground ginger on the sweet potato cubes before you cook them for a little extra flavor.

Storage: Covered container. Stays fresh 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator, or up to two months in the freezer.

Age to introduce: About 9 months

Sweet potato facts
Perhaps the most nutritious vegetable on the planet, the sweet potato tops the charts of numerous studies ranking vegetables by nutrient content. Yes, the sweet potato ranks higher than broccoli, carrots and spinach.

Sweet potatoes, like all vegetables should be eaten regularly. Studies have shown that sweet potatoes contain essential nutrients that can reduce risk of cancers, especially colon and lung, decrease cholesterol, reduce risk of stroke and heart disease, and may improve the effectiveness of the immune system.

Sweet potatoes are often called “yams”; and are sold as yams in stores. However, the two are actually different vegetables. True yams are imported in the US from the Caribbean on a very limited basis. A yam has white to yellow flesh . Sweet potatoes are native to North America and have a vivid orange color and sweet, moist flesh.

Sweet Potatoes for the whole family
Not only is the sweet potato one of the healthiest foods you can eat, they taste delicious and are extremely versatile. They can be eaten raw or cooked — baked, mashed, pureed or cubed. They are a great side dish to fish, meats and grains, and make wonderful desserts such as pies, cakes and breads.

Here are a few quick tips for packing more sweet potato punch into your family’s diet:

Add mashed or pureed sweet potato to your favorite pancake mix.�

Blend cooked sweet potato into a breakfast smoothie.�

Add peeled sweet potato chunks to your favorite stew.�

Add raw, grated sweet potato to your salad.�

Peel and cut sweet potato into strips and serve with your favorite dip.�

Mix sweet potatoes and white potatoes when making mashed potatoes.�

Substitute sweet potatoes in any recipe calling for white potatoes or apples.

About the Authors:
Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are the mothers of five children and founders of Fresh Baby. The Fresh Baby concept is simple — When you make it yourself, you know it’s better. Along with developing products for parents to get actively involved in making healthy food choices for their children from the first bite of food; they also publish Fresh Ideas, a free, monthly newsletter that provides healthy eating ideas for the whole family.