Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Baby Food

I posted the picture below on IG and several people asked/commented that they'd like to know my baby food "recipes"...


I've made baby food for all three of my kiddos because I like doing it. Yes, it's less expensive as well - but it also takes some time.  I don't really follow recipes, I just kind of do it :)  

This weekend I made a BIG batch of food since Griffin is eating solids three times a day.  The first food I made was butternut squash.  I bought a BIG squash, cut it in half and then scooped out all the "guts".  I put it cut side down in a baking dish with a little big of water and then baked it at 400 degrees for close to an hour.  I like to use the heat to help me puree, so as soon as the squash was REALLY soft I scoop out the "meat" throw it in the food processor and pulse it until it's really really smooth.  I didn't have to add any water, but you could if you wanted it thinner.


Since my oven was already set and on at 400 degrees, I pierced a few sweet potatoes and put them in at the same time as the squash.  They also stayed in the oven for about an hour and then I just sliced them open, removed the potato part and pureed!

Once I have things pureed, I spread them into ice cube tray to freeze.  Then I just pop the "food cubes" out of the tray and into a big gallon ziploc bag.  Easy!

I don't have any special baby food making machine, steamer, etc.  I always boil or bake the veggies and fruits and then use my mom's 37 year old food processor to puree everything (my mom made MY baby food in the same robot coupe!)

Next, I made a fruit mix.  I peeled and sliced 4 peaches, 1 mango and 2 bananas (because that's what would fit in the food processor).  About 25 seconds of pureeing and I was done!  I also microwaved a bag of frozen peas, added a little water and made a pea puree as well.

Avocado is SUPER easy.  I bought 5 avocados, peeled and sliced them into eights.  I laid the slices out on parchment paper and froze the avocado slices. I dumped all the frozen slices into a ziploc bag and now about 15 minutes before a meal I just pull out a slice and let it thaw and then mash it up with a spoon.

 I also steamed carrots and pureed those as well.   All in all, I ended up with about 140 "cubes" of fruits and veggies.  I haven't  measured, but I'm thinking that's about the equivalent of 75 - 90 jars of food... so about $40 - $50 in baby food.  My bill at Sprouts was $18, but that also included $6 worth of dark chocolate covered honeycomb for me and strawberries for the boys :)

My method/recipe definitely isn't anything fancy - pretty much just bake/steam and puree!  It's easy, fun and rewarding and so far all three of my kiddos have loved the homemade food.  I'm not adding in any spices or anything like that at the moment... I'll probably do cinnamon apples the next go round, but for now I'm sticking with just straight fruits/veggies.  I also like to feed Griffin off or our plates... if we're eating spaghetti I'll squash some up and feed it to her.  If the boys have yogurt I'll feed her a few spoonfuls as well.  Since food allergies do NOT run in either of our families I'm pretty relaxed about what she has (except for eggs and honey).  

Let me know if you need any other info or have any questions! 

7 comments :

  1. Thanks for this post--so helpful!
    I can't believe your food processor is 37 and still going strong!
    It's so great how much money you save, and how easy it sounds to do it this way :)

    www.floralandfudge.blogspot.com

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  2. This may seem like a silly question, but how do you thaw them when they are ready to eat. Do you microwave them or just leave them in the fridge for a while? First time mom here. Also, how many cubes does she eat at one setting? My little girl is 3 months, so I know we will be starting solids soonish. Thanks so much!

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  3. Ashley - good question! I probably should have put that info on there :) I will typically pull out what she's going to eat maybe 30 minutes before (usually while I'm getting everyone else's dinner ready) and then just warm them in the microwave... if I forget to pull them out ahead of time I'll pop them in the microwave for 25-30 seconds on about 70% power and then just stir really well and make sure it's not too hot (and there are no hot spots).

    I'm not a huge fan of rice/oatmeal cereal... I just think if I"m going to fill up her belly I'd rather it be with fruits and veggies so she'll typically eat 2-3 cubes at a meal. OR maybe two cubes and an avocado slice.

    Hope this helps!

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  4. We love making homemade baby food for our kids (especially b/c it saves so much money)! I've been told that 1 cube is approx. 1 ounce which helps me estimate what to thaw - obviously you can microwave more easily if baby is hungrier than normal. Also, if you are on the go, it's so easy to just stick the frozen cubes in a container with a lid and then it will thaw on its own and be ready when you need it later. Great post!! :-)

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  5. Awesome info- I'll be putting it to use very soon. Thanks girl!!

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  6. I have been looking for this post for a sweet while now. I am trying to figure out how to save this or pin it to pinterest. Any suggestions??

    Thanks
    Bethany

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