Essential In Season Produce for January: What to Buy This Month For Your Little One

January is the perfect time to introduce your baby or toddler to new tastes and textures! Check out this list of seasonal fruits and veggies that are gentle on tiny tummies. Follow these simple tips and ideas for preparing these nutritious foods to make mealtime fun and healthy for your little one this month.

Healthy Choices for In-Season Foods

January is a great time to introduce your little one to different flavors. Read on to discover vegetables and fruits in season in January that you can serve at snack times and mealtimes, to see what your child likes best.

Winter Citrus Fruits

Winter citrus fruits include oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes. Your little one might like to eat them in salads, cut up as a snack, or as a dessert. You can also use citrus fruit to make juice or add to meats.

Although lemons are a household staple year-round, they often peak during the winter season. Lemons are a versatile fruit that can be added to all kinds of recipes for foods and drinks. Lemons are high in vitamin C and can aid in digestion. Lemons are also helpful during wintertime to use as a natural remedy for sore throats.

Oranges are another fruit that are easy to prepare and serve to kids. Oranges are packed with essential nutrients like vitamin C, fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. They are also a great food to serve during wintertime because they can boost your child's immune system and help protect them from winter illnesses that are so prevalent during this time of year.

Citrus fruits give meals a healthy burst of vitamin C while packing on the flavor. Even toddlers can enjoy eating sliced oranges, or use a juicer to use fresh lemons for lemonade. A squeeze of citrus also adds extra flavor to side dishes like green beans, broccoli, squash, or pasta.

Citrus fruits are perfect for adding flavor without added sugars.

Root Vegetables

In terms of winter foods, root vegetables are a great choice to eat. Winter root vegetables include beets, celery root, turnips, and carrots. These vegetables can be prepared for a toddler in simple ways. Roast them in the oven, saute them on the stove, or steam and mash them.

When you're shopping for root vegetables for your child, look for foods that have firm, smooth skin and fresh green tops. Store them in a cool area to keep them fresh. You can store them in a crisper drawer if you want.

Root vegetables are beneficial for toddlers and kids to eat because they tend to be lower in calories and higher in fiber than white potatoes or white rice.

All it takes is a drizzle of olive oil or butter and a sprinkle of salt to make root vegetables a delicious snack or side dish for your child.

Brassica Vegetables

Brassica vegetables and cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and collard greens. These foods are packed with nutrients and flavor.

These veggies can be used for slaws, salads, roasted vegetable mixes, stir fries, and side dishes. You can roast or saute these foods to create a delicious, healthy meal for your child. These vegetables give foods a boost of vitamins and antioxidants.

Use greens like cabbage or kale in place of lettuce to create a salad with bolder taste. Steam and mash broccoli or cauliflower with some butter or cheese to create a tasty side dish that even a toddler will enjoy.

Winter Squash

Squash is the main ingredient in many winter recipes, but it is also one of those foods that many kids don't enjoy the taste of. However, prepared correctly, squash can be an amazing, delicious dish that your kids will love.

Winter squash include butternut squash, acorn squash, and other varieties of squash. Squash is easy to add to soups, stews, and roasted vegetables. Winter squash can be roasted or baked for a healthy, yummy side dish.

When you're shopping for squash, look for hard, smooth skin. Store squash in a cool, dark place to keep it fresh. If you're not planning on using it right away, you can store them in the crisper drawer.

Sweet Potatoes

As opposed to white potatoes, sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are a naturally sweet food without added sugars. This is a great food to use in many different kinds of recipes.

Parents can try roasting or baking sweet potatoes for a delicious and healthy side dish. You can even make mashed potatoes with sweet potatoes!

Use them in soups, stews, stir fry, or as a topping for salads. You can also slice them and make sweet potato fries in the oven or air fryer. Sweet potatoes are delicious when roasted with cauliflower, parsnips, carrots, or butternut squash.

Healthy Eating with In-Season Produce This January

Incorporate in-season produce into your family's meals for a nutritious and delicious diet. Try new recipes and flavors to keep meals interesting.

Make healthy eating a habit for your family by planning meals and snacks in advance. Try to serve a variety of fruit and veggies to your toddler to expose them to different flavors and textures.

Incorporate healthy snacks, such as sliced oranges, celery and peanut butter, kale "chips," or green smoothies made with spinach, into your family's daily routine. Try to cut down on sugary drinks, salty pre-packaged snacks, and desserts and focus on fresh fruits and vegetables and whole foods.

Meal Planning and Prep For Your Toddler

Busy parents should plan meals and snacks in advance to ensure they're getting the most out of your in-season produce. Prep your ingredients in advance to make cooking easier and faster! If your fruits and vegetables are already prepped and stored ahead of time, you'll be more likely to choose healthy foods at mealtime for yourself and your baby or toddler.

Use leftovers to reduce food waste and save time. Incorporate a variety of food groups into your meals to ensure your kids are getting a balanced diet.

Storing and Handling Produce

Store your in-season produce in a cool, dark place to keep it fresh until it is ready to be cooked.

Handle your produce gently to prevent bruising. Ensure older produce gets used before it goes bad by keeping track of when each food was purchased. Try to use airtight containers to store your produce and keep it fresh.

"Eat The Rainbow" Way of Eating

When shopping for what's in season in January, think about exposing your child to new foods by considering color. Try to pick January produce of many different colors and textures. Serving a rounded diet is vital for your child's growth and development.

Seasonal produce for picky eaters

You might find that your baby or toddler resists trying new food. This is completely normal, although frustrating for parents. Studies show that kids need repeated exposure to new food before they can actually decide whether they like it or not.

When you shop for January produce, keep in mind your overall goal: to help expose your baby or toddler to new, nutritious flavors!

Winter Produce and Meal Ideas

Try roasting or sautéing winter squash and root vegetables for a delicious and healthy meal or side dish. Babies can enjoy seasonal produce that is steamed and pureed, and toddlers can eat bigger chunks of food.

Here are some other ways your toddler can eat foods that are in season:

• Use citrus fruit in salads, smoothies, desserts, or as a snack.

• Bake squash into muffins or breads for added nutrients.

• Create a winter stew using in-season January produce and your protein of choice.

• Incorporate Brussels sprouts into your meals for a boost of vitamins and antioxidants.

Use foods that are in season in January to pack the most nutrients into your recipes.

Tips for storing food

You might find yourself needing ways to store leftovers from all the amazing recipes you've tried this month. No need to stress - follow these tips and tricks for easy food storage.

1. Freeze extra drinks (like from large batches of smoothies) into cubes to be stored in the freezer. When you're ready to prepare a new smoothie, just throw a few cubes into the blender.

2. Prepare your infant's weekly purees ahead of time and store in jars in the refrigerator. You can puree apples, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, squash, and other winter produce and store in the fridge or freezer to use throughout the week.

3. Use KeaBabies Prep Jars Baby Food Storage Glass Containers for leakproof storage capability.

Make your baby's health a priority this winter by shopping for in-season produce.

Shopping for in specific seasonal produce can lower costs and increase the nutrients in your little one's food. Winter produce like kale, squash, potatoes, apples, and other foods can be delicious additions to the recipes your create for your children.