The Sweet Potato Apple Chicken Baby Food Mash That Saved My Baby’s Appetite (And My Sanity)

Before This Mash, My Baby Was On a Hunger Strike

Let me be clear: I wasn’t raising a baby—I was negotiating with a tiny, furious food critic. Every mealtime was a passive-aggressive standoff. I’d lovingly steam a veggie. He’d look me dead in the eye and drop it on the floor like a mic.

We tried all the parenting tricks:

• Let him feed himself (he flung kale at the dog)

• Let him touch the food (he touched it, sighed, and wiped it on his high chair tray)

• Eat with him (he made a gagging noise while watching me eat broccoli)

At one point, I genuinely thought he might be subsisting off air and spite.

Then Came the Sweet Potato Apple Chicken Baby Food Mash (a.k.a. Baby Crack)

Desperate, I turned to my two most reliable allies: sweet potatoes and apples. They’re naturally sweet, gentle on tiny bellies, and universally accepted by babies who believe dinner should taste like dessert.

I steamed two sweet potatoes and a Gala apple together. It smelled like fall and false hope.

Then I got sneaky:

• I added minced spinach for iron and color

• I baked and grated chicken breast into the mash—like a protein ninja

• I sprinkled in cinnamon, because why not? My baby may have hated peas, but he deserved flavor

  
  

I plated it. I offered it with my usual “please just try a bite” face.

And… he ate it. Then he smiled. Then he demanded seconds with a grunt that said, “Bring me more of this sorcery.”

Why This Mash Works (According to a Tired, Relieved Parent)

This isn’t just a baby recipe. This is emotional salvation in puree form. It checks every box:

Sweet (but no added sugar)

Soft and easy to swallow

Full of iron, fiber, and protein

Smells good, looks good, and disguises the green stuff

Takes 20 minutes to prep and gives you 3 nights of peace

It also restored a piece of my sanity. After weeks of worry, one bowl of mash made me feel like I might not be failing as a parent. I guarantee success with this sweet potato apple chicken baby food mash.

The Recipe: Sweet Potato Apple Chicken Mash for Babies (Perfect for 6–12 Months)

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped)

• 1 Gala apple (peeled and chopped)

• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast (or 2 small tenders)

• 1–2 tbsp minced spinach (fresh or frozen)

• Pinch of cinnamon

• Optional: a touch of olive oil for baking the chicken

Instructions:

1. Bake the chicken:

   • Preheat oven to 380°F

   • Bake for 12 minutes per side (24 min total)

   • Let it cool, then shred it using a cheese grater

     
     

2. Steam the produce:

   • Steam sweet potatoes and apple until soft (about 10–12 minutes)

   
   

3. Mash it all up:

   • Combine the sweet potato, apple, shredded chicken, spinach, and cinnamon

   • Mash for texture or blend for younger babies

   • Let cool slightly before serving

   
   

Storage Tips:

• Keeps for 3 days in the fridge

• Can freeze (leave out spinach for best texture, add fresh when reheating)

Real Parent Review: He Licked the Spoon

My son licked the spoon. Then he looked at me like, “You had this power all along?” And I did. I just didn’t know it until I used it for good.

This mash is now a staple in our home. He’ll eat it warm, cold, or straight from the spoon mid-tantrum. It’s one of the few meals I can make where I’m not negotiating with a tiny dictator while googling “why won’t my baby eat?”

How to Know If Your Baby Needs This

• Mealtime ends with crying (yours, not just theirs)

• They hate “healthy food” unless it’s hiding under something sweet

• You want them to eat more iron and protein without wrestling them

• You just want one easy, guaranteed win

You’re Not Alone If You’re Struggling With Baby Meals

We’re all winging it. Some babies eat everything. Mine needed sweet potato bribery and covert chicken tactics. That doesn’t make him “difficult.” It makes him… opinionated. Like his father. And honestly? I respect it.

But now we have a win. A go-to dinner. A sigh of relief in bowl form.

Try it. Freeze it. Reheat it. Watch the spoons fly.

And if you’re still in the “throwing food on the floor” stage, hang in there. Your baby’s signature dish might just be one apple away.

Want More Baby Meals?

I’m working on The Sweet Tooth Baby Cookbook—a full collection of the recipes my baby actually eats (without bribery or threats). Subscribe to the newsletter and I’ll send you the PDF when it’s done.

Or check out the Baby Meals category for more toddler-safe hits coming soon.