Eating fresh food is always something Jared and I have strived to do. I've never been the type to buy a lot of pre-packaged, pre-made food. I grew up eating things fresh out of my mom's garden and there's nothing that beats home grown food.
After Xavier was born I looked into making my own baby food, but at the time we were living with my inlaws and I really didn't want to take over their kitchen for days at a time to make food - plus we didn't have a ton of freezer space for me to store it. With Shaela, I started making some of my own, but the small food chopper I had just wasn't cutting it, so I made a few batches of stuff, but ended up buying mostly jarred food for her. With Cohen, however, I was determined that he would never eat baby food from the store. Everything he ate would be made by moi. The one exception to that is cereal, since I don't really know how you would make that....maybe I'll research it for the next one....
Anyway....my foray into making baby food needed to start with a good food processor. Our blender is terrible and the small one I had when Shaela was a baby was not going to work. I needed to invest in a good one. After asking around, I determined I would buy
this one and then I sat around for two weeks eagerly awaiting its arrival. When it finally came, I was so happy! I went to the store the next day and spent about $30 on fresh produce - which should last us until Cohen is ready for more solid foods.
The next day I got started! So far, my list of foods made is: corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, summer squash, spinach with bok-choy leaves, green beans, apples, eggplant, and beef with some spinach thrown in. Still on my list of foods to make: plums, mangoes, chicken, rutabaga, and peas. After reading a few different blogs on methods for making baby food, I decided the simpler, the better. In order to make sure there are no allergies to anything, I didn't want a ton of additives in the food (like chicken broth, which is what a lot of people apparently add. I don't think babies really need all the sodium that's in that stuff!).
I basically steam or bake everything first, and then throw it in the food processor until it's a smooth puree. If I need to add a bit more liquid to thin something out, I either use breastmilk or water. Then once the puree is the right consistency, I freeze whatever I've made in ice cube trays. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap, so they don't get freezer burn and the next day, put the cubes in freezer safe ziplocs. Simple, fast, and oh-so-yummy for my little munchkin! Whenever he's ready for a meal, we pop two cubes in the microwave to defrost and warm the food a little and we're good to go. I love it! Just make sure you label your bags. :)
Of course, this post would not be complete without pictures of my handi-work!
Green beans being steamed. Corn in the food processor and then ready for the freezer.
Fresh Gala apples (our favorite!).
I peeled and cored them, steamed until soft, and they pureed like a dream! No additives needed!
Butternut squash frozen and waiting to be bagged, and the freezer, nicely stocked for the next months of meal-times!
{Did you also know you can make your own nut butters in a food processor? I made almond butter last week - delish! Can't wait to try peanut butter when the jar I just bought runs out! (Did you know there is added sugar in there?!?!?) Also did a batch of hummus two nights ago. This thing is seriously my new favorite kitchen tool.}
