I never thought of making my baby's food when Nathan was little. I thought it was soooo hard & SURELY it wasn't something that I could do! Man was I wrong. It is actually easier & way more cost-effective. Not to mention that our babies are eating real foods, experiencing REAL flavor, & we're cutting out all the preservatives & add-ins. Have you ever tried baby food? It doesn't taste like the real thing. Some of them are not even close! Then we wonder why the transition to table food is so hard! We think, "Hey,my baby has been eating peas & carrots for MONTHS,so why won't he eat the real thing?" It is because of both taste & texture. By making our own foods, we can control how thick/thin we want it & adjust it for our little ones. Customizable baby food! We can control texture & build them up to the real thing. Is it really more work? No, not with proper planning. You may find it easier than going to the store for random jars, then realizing you bought the wrong stuff. Even working mommies can do it by just sparing an hour on an off day. How much of a super mom would you look like by dropping your little one off at day care WITH her homemade food? Other mommies would be so envious! lol
Ok, so here are my directions for making your own foods. I will be adding in pictures & a few videos soon. Any questions, ask away.
First off, pick a food to prep. Start out with one per week. I usually go with whatever is on sale that week. If you can, do 2 foods, like a fruit & a veggie. Now, we are starting with 1st foods, so these are simple, 1 ingredient foods. I am starting today with carrots.
CARROTSI used a 2lb bag of carrots. You can either steam them in a steamer, microwave them in a steam bag, or my way is to put them in a pot with just enough water to cover them. You will also need ice trays & a freezer bag.
-Gather your materials:
Ice cube trays, cutting board, peeler, knife, marker, pan & lid, food processor, freezer bags
-Wash carrots, then cut off the end:
-Peel & then wash again:
-Cut into chunks:
-Put in a pan with just enough water to cover :
-Put on the lid & cook over med/high for about 30 minutes.
Check & add water as needed.
When tender (not falling apart), drain & rinse.
DO NOT SAVE WATER!!! (Can contain nitrates)
-Process in a processor, or with a simple strainer, or masher:
See video below for straining instructions.
-When smooth, fill ice trays & freeze until solid:
-After solid, dump into a labeled freezer bag. Bag shoulbe labeled with the name & date:
Place bag in the freezer:
(I know some of you were wondering about sweet potatoes, since I said I was going to do that too, so here is a quick rundown to "hold you over".)SWEET POTATOES-Wash, poke holes, then wrap in foil. Bake at
375F for about 45 minutes. Check for tenderness. Allow to cool & then cut longways. Scoop out all the meat & toss the skins. Process in a processor. If you mash by hand, make sure to strain it through a strainer to get rid of the stringy stuff. Follow the rest of the directions as above. I always strain potatoes to get them smooth enough. A Magic Bullet will usually do a great job of it though. You can also add a little cinnamon, but I would wait until you have tried it out for a week to check for a reaction.
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