Monday, September 26, 2011

How to make your own baby food!

This is a repost from my old blog. I've had several people interested in it in the past, so I thought I'd post it here too. I hope this helps some of you!





How to make baby food
It is really very easy and economical!
Basic supplies: cooking pots, utensils, blender or food processor, ice cube trays, freezer
Here are the steps:
1. Cut and cube the fruit or vegetables you want to cook. Carrots are an easy one to begin with, but they have to be peeled too.
2. Place in a pan of water, enough to cover the veggie. Cover and boil. Reduce heat and cook for 10-20 minutes, depending on how thick the veggie is. Thicker carrots and sweet potatoes take longer.
3. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, leaving the veggies in the water.
4. Place cooked food in a blender with some of the cooking water.
5. Puree the veggie, adding more water until it is thinner, like tomato soup.
6. Pour the pureed veggie into ice cube trays (old ones can be found at Goodwill or thrift stores, if you have an ice maker like me!)
7. Freeze the food into these portions. After freezing, put the veggie into ziploc bags and keep in your freezer. Label the bags with what food is in it, i.e., carrots) It is easy to give your baby one, two or three veggie cubes for their meal. Defrost in your microwave in a bowl for approx. 30 seconds.

Note: I do this most often for veggies: carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, green beans (sometimes they are stringy) but also some fruits: peaches, pears, plums, apples. But applesauce is easy to buy in the unsweetened variety and you can feed that to your baby. Fruit does not need to be cooked, but it can be to make it softer. I've pureed bananas too, and added water to them. They are a little thinner and more palatable for the baby. 


MY 3RD BABY- NOT SO SURE
ABOUT SQUASH... (I THINK!)
Sometimes potatoes and sweet potatoes can be too starchy for the blender. You can try those in your food processor on pulse. You can add cereal to the fruit or veggie for variety, or if they don't seem to like it. Also good for thickening it! Hope that helps! It is SOO much cheaper, and healthier for your baby!

6 comments:

  1. oh, my days are over with homemade baby food but i will be sure to pass this on to friends of mine that have little ones! when my twins were still wee ones i scoured the web for good recipes. i love this and will share it on facebook!

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  2. I had great fun with this with baby #1. #2 went straight for sausage off my fork and never turned back. :) for #1 I would add cinnamon, curry, paprika or ground cardamom and he loved it. He is still an adventurous eater. From VB

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  3. The squash picture is priceless! Great post...I too will share it. In this day and age it's much cheaper to make your own baby food.

    Jen
    Member to Remember

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm Already Following. You Have A Great Site. Anna

    ReplyDelete
  5. I wish I had read this post a couple of years ago. I remember that I tried to make baby food, but I was not successful at all. LOL!

    Thank you for stopping by my blog. Visiting from VB members to remember and following you on GFC and NetworkedBlogs.
    http://www.essentialmamababy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am a supporter of homemade baby food.. and I have always given homemade babyfood for my little girl. I appreciate your effort and a great post indeed!

    Btw, thank you for dropping by and following my blog. I am following you back.
    Nishana

    ReplyDelete

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