when i think of green beans for kids, i think of soft olive colored overcooked 1-inch beans. i didn’t want to serve that to my child – after all, the nutrients would have been cooked away!

so i made sure i didn’t overcook the beans but that means after i cook them, i need to put it in the food processor for a litter longer to make sure they are ground into fine shreds since baby can’t chew yet. but remember you can save the water used to cook the beans so you don’t lose any of the nutrients!

cooking tools

• small saucepan
• small strainer
• food processor
• small food storage container
• liquid storage container

ingredients

• 2 or 3 string beans, organic if possible
  *read note 1
• 1 cup water

preparation

1. boil water in the small saucepan.
2. cut string beans into 1 inch length pieces.
3. put string beans in the strainer and place strainer on the rim of the saucepan. steam string beans until cooked.
4. after you cook the beans, allow the pan to cool. then pour any remaining juices into a liquid storage container to save for future dish prep.
5. grind string beans with a food processor and save ground string beans in the small food storage container.

NOTEs

1. EWG produces an annual list of the “dirty dozen“, i.e. the fruits and vegetables that are recommended to buy organic due to pesticide residue. green beans is outside the top 12 but is on the “dirty” part of the list so when possible, it would be safe to buy organic. here’s the whole list: EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce

2. nutrition information from:
– Wholesome Baby Food Guide by Margaret Meade
– World’s Healthiest Foods: Green Beans