There are any number of great reasons to make baby food: it’s inexpensive, you have complete control over what your baby is eating, and you can offer a wider variety of foods than what’s available in jars. Cooking  food for your little one isn’t complex, but it can be time-consuming if you feel like you have to do it in big batches.

If you feel like you don’t have enough time to devote to making big batches of pureed fruits and veggies, here are five foods you can make for your baby using only a knife and fork.

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Bananas

This was the food our pediatrician recommended for my boys’ first solid food, and it couldn’t be simpler to make. Cut a banana in half, slice it lengthwise and smush it up with a fork until it’s a paste. If your baby is a brand new eater, you might want to thin it a bit with breast milk or formula.

Avocado

Another great choice for a first food is avocado. Dice the avocado by cutting it right in the skin, scoop it out and smash it into a paste with a fork.

Strawberries and Cantaloupe

Strawberries and cantaloupe are a bit firmer than bananas and avocados so they require a smidge more effort, but they’re still simple to prepare for a baby. Start by choosing fully ripe fruit, then dice the fruit fairly fine. At this point, it should be small enough that you can “puree” it with a fork.

Pears

Pears need to be very ripe to smash them with a fork, but if they are diced fine smashing works really well. If you find yourself having trouble, you can microwave the pears for a minute or so (depending on your microwave) to help soften them.

Do you make purees for your baby?