Baby Food 101

I have had several people ask me recently how I have been making Finn's baby food, so I figured I would write a blog post about it. Since we started our little guy on solid food around 5 months, I have been making all of his food. I've always known I wanted to do this, but didn't imagine just how easy it would be. You don't even have to buy all of the fancy gadgets. By making it all, I know exactly what's in it. Did I mention that it is way cheaper?! I still use organic baby food pouches when we are traveling or on the go, but he eats the homemade stuff 95% of the time. Here is my method for easy veggie purees.

1. I start with fresh or frozen veggies (organic when available). I either boil, steam or roast them just how they are without adding any oil, butter or salt until they are nice and tender. 

2. Once fully cooked, I transfer to my food processor. I have a regular Cuisinart food processor- nothing fancy or specifically for baby food. I then puree it until it has a nice smooth consistency- adding water as necessary. If you cooked your veggies long enough, this shouldn't take too long.

3. Once fully pureed, I spoon it into my freezer trays. I use these that are actually for baby food, because I like the lids but you can definitely use regular ice cube trays. Personally, I would not recommend the individual glass (or plastic) storage containers, because a. they're more expensive. b. they take up more space. and c. they limit your portion. I never know how much Finn will eat during a meal. Sometimes it's 2 cubes and others its 6. If you have the individual containers, you have to thaw out the whole thing regardless of if he'll eat it all.

4. I slide the lids on the stick them in the freezer for at least 6 hours or usually overnight. I pre-label my Ziploc bag (date included) and lay it on top so I remember what's inside.

5. Once frozen, I just pop them out and store in the labeled Ziploc bag.

 For serving, I just take out a few cubes, heat them in a small microwave-safe dish for about 30 seconds, stir and they're ready to go. For breakfast, I will heat a peach and blueberry or banana cube to mix into his rice cereal. For lunch and dinner, you can mix and match any veggies/fruit that go together (e.g. carrots, squash and sweet potatoes, green beans, broccoli and apple, spinach and blueberries). I have one happy customer and I can rest easy that I know he's eating good wholesome food without added sugars or preservatives.

 That's it, friends. Easy peasy. I typically do this two or three times a week or whenever he's running low on something and it can easily be done during nap time.  I have done this with carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, peas, green beans and spinach. For fruit, the method is exactly the same except I don't cook it first. If it's frozen, I will thaw it in the microwave. I have made peaches, blueberries, pears and bananas. Yes, I realize that I can easily mash a banana as needed, but this is a great way to use up bananas that are browning quicker than I can eat them. I don't do this for apples, but rather I just buy Trader Joe's organic unsweetened applesauce as it's just plain apples without added sugar. I have a lot of recipes in my head once he starts eating actual meals, so I hope to post them as well.