Homemade Baby Food

I've been planning to do this post for awhile now and even planned ahead and took photos during the process...six weeks ago. So, Claire is a little bigger now, but the process is still pretty much the same!

While I was pregnant I started thinking about making baby food rather than buying jarred. I really wanted to try to stick to organic food as much as possible (and practical), and I liked the idea of being able to control exactly what was going into her food. I also heard that making your own food makes it easier later on to introduce babies to table food since they're already used to the flavors of homemade food. Finally - it's cheaper. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stick to it, but so far I've been pleasantly surprised at how simple the process is and how little time it takes.

Here's my routine:

Step One: Choose the food item. The photos were taken the week we introduced peas. I've found in some cases frozen foods work as well as fresh, so I bought some organic frozen peas.



Step Two: Cook the food (skip this step for foods like bananas, avocados, etc.). I usually steam the vegetables on the stove-top, but these had a microwave steamer bag. Even faster!

Step Three: Put the food into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Step Four: Using the super awesome Vita-Mix (or a regular blender or food processor), puree to desired consistency, adding water as necessary.

Step Five: Pour puree into an ice cube tray, reserving one portion for the next meal. Freeze cubes for next time.

Step Six: The taste test - looks like this one was a hit!

Since we're only introducing new foods once or twice a week, I usually just pick one day to make food. Everything makes multiple portions, and it's so easy to thaw a couple of frozen cubes every day for that evening's dinner. I've made butternut squash, sweet potato, peas, green beans, broccoli, corn, bananas, and avocado. I did decide to give her jarred carrots (Earth's Best) - apparently it's actually healthier to give her the jarred version as it has the nitrates removed. We've also fed her Earth's Best when traveling. I think it's a good option (organic, no additives, actually tastes good), but making your own is definitely cheaper. If you have any questions, let me know!