We love to feature guest bloggers, especially moms just like you! This week’s guest blogger is a post from my sister, Jody with Life as a new mama. Jody has a new baby and a toddler. Here she is showing you how easy it is to make your own baby food!
If you are like me, I’ve often thought that making baby food would be hard and very time consuming. But the truth is, it is so easy! I was able to meal prep four different baby foods to get a total of 50 meals (all 4 ounce containers) Since this is stage one meals, I can probably stretch the 4 ounce container out to 2 meals, so this really gives me 100 meals. And guess what? It only cost me $13.30 to make all of it! I also used organic ingredients to see how expensive it would be. Healthier + yet so affordable!
Now, I know all of you are thinking that it takes too much time and the convenience of a jar of baby food is so much easier. If thats your thing, that’s good too. There is no right way to feed your babies, as long as they are happy, healthy and have a full belly of good food– that’s all that matters. I thought it would be a fun activity to make with my mother-in-law and my kids. I have a 21 month old and a 6 week old. My 21 month old still loves to eat those squeezable pouches on the road or when traveling. They are expensive, but yet I still buy them. My 6 week old will be gearing up to eat food in no time. So we went to the store and bought this amazing looking organic produce and everything else we need to get started. So here it is, it’s so simple! (I promise.)
1. You will need one for the following to make stage one foods for your baby: hand blender, blender, or food processor.
2. Water
3. Storage containers/ice cube trays
4. Produce of your choice.
5. Cooking supplies: cookie sheet or steamer, spoon, a pouring device.
I kept it simple: Organic carrots, Organic Apples, Organic Butternut squash, and Organic Sweet Potatoes.
To get started: I like to bake all the time in the oven at once. This way it frees you up to take care of your kids or do other things while they bake. Once all my items where cooked I started to puree each one in a single batch. It is important to wash your equipment when you are done with each recipe. Just in case the baby did have an allergic reaction, the other food is not contaminated in the other batches.
Organic Carrots
1. Wash and peel 2 large bags of carrots, place on cookie sheet and cook at 425 degrees until tender and you can pierce with a fork. Remove and add carrots into your mixer. Or you can place in a steam basket and steam until tender.
2. Once done puree until creamy, add small amounts of water into puree until desired consistency is achieved. Pour into desired container.
Organic Apples
1. Wash and peel 4 large apples of your choice, I used pink lady apples. Place on cookie sheet and cook at 425 degrees until tender and you can pierce with a fork. Cut into pieces and remove any stems and seeds. Add into your mixer. Or you can place in a steam basket and steam until tender.
2. Once done, puree until creamy, add small amounts of water into puree until desired consistency is achieved. Pour into desired container.
Organic Butternut Squash
1. Wash and cut in half (the long way) one butternut squash, place face down on cookie sheet and cook at 425 degrees until tender and you can pierce with a fork. Once cooked, scrape out seeds and toss. Use a spoon and scrape the squash out and add into your mixer. Or you can peel and cut up into cubes and place in a steam basket and steam until tender.
2. Once done puree until creamy, add small amounts of water into puree until desired consistency is achieved. Pour into desired container.
Organic Sweet Potatoes
1. Wash and peel 2 large sweet potatoes, place on cookie sheet and cook at 425 degrees until tender and you can pierce with a fork. Use a spoon and scrape the sweet potato out and add into your mixer. Or you can place in a steam basket and steam until tender.
2. Once done puree until creamy, add small amounts of water into puree until desired constancy is achieved. Pour into desired container.
For easy and convenient storage you can use individual containers. I bought a six pack of 4 ounce plastic containers from Walmart for $1.98. Or if you do not want to buy containers you can use ice cube trays. If you store the purees in ice cube trays you can also use the purees in soups, sauces, or mix them into other purees when needed. After freezing the trays, I popped out the puree cubes and stored them in freezer bags for easier storage.
The individual containers are a great option. They stack nicely in your fridge or freezer. The small containers are convenient when you are on the go. You can toss them in your diaper bag frozen when you’re walking out the door, and they are ready for your baby when it is time to eat. Since they are already in the container you do not have to transport them into another container for feeding. When running low on baby food in the fridge just take some out of the freezer the night before and place them in the fridge to thaw. I prefer to make baby food in bulk, I do not have a lot of free time, so this is the easiest for me.
So that’s it….How easy was that?
The best part of making your own baby food is you know it is in it. Baby food should not have an extra chemicals or anything else added to other than water. For stage one foods (4-6 months) it should be a single ingredient such as apples with water added to make it thin enough for the baby to eat. Stage two (6-9 months) can be two or more such as carrots and sweet potatoes with water added. Stage three (9 plus months) foods can be anything for your baby as long as they can chew. These are just guidelines, so make sure to also ask your doctor before giving your baby foods if you are unsure.
So what are you all waiting for? Give it a try and have some fun. This is a great way to introduce your kids to every kind of food. We would love to hear how it goes for you and see some photos of your process!
You can find more by Jody with Life as a new mama on FACEBOOK, HERE. Jody lives in the mountains in Colorado with her family, and is originally from Wisconsin. (She is Rachel of The Lake Country Mom’s sister!)
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