Homemade Baby Food

      Several friends have inquired about making homemade baby food. Usually the questions are: How do you have time? Whats the cost savings? The answers are simple, and really making the food is easy, quick , and for the most part cheaper then store bought. This is my first "how to" post so excuse the time lapse, and feel free to ask questions.

        I usually make food in bulk, that way I can make one big mess and its over and done with. I have other friends that do weekly and even daily, but I don't have the patients for that. So last week I made a trip to WalMart, buying all different kinds of fresh and frozen produce. I don't buy canned because of the sodium and preservatives. It would defeat the purpose of making the food myself. I spent $29.40, I got all this (picture below) + 2 large jars of Natural Unsweetened Applesauce (you can make your own, but is hardly worth the time if you can find the natural unsweetened), plain Cheerios (we use instead of puffs now), 6 bananas, and 6 sweet potatoes. You can use all fresh, but for time sake I use frozen. Most frozen fruits and veggies are frozen during peak season, when the fruit has the most nutrients.

Peel and Clean potatoes

  I start with the sweet potatoes because they take the longest, and move though the frozen foods.

Dice and boil.. Boil for approx 20 min then drain.

Place in food processor

Process... I wouldn't be able to do this without this amazing kitchen appliance!

Pore into Ice Cub trays and freeze.

  I only have 3 ice cube trays, so once the first batch is frozen I bag it and pore the second batch. Since I do it all at once, I go ahead and cook (microwave) the rest of the veggies, puree them and pore into gallon ziplock baggies. I can now refrigerate them, and worry about freezing them later.  All in all I will get about 132 oz from these fruits and veggies! On which I spent (excluding apples, bananas, & cheerios) $19.80!! That is .06 cents an ounce!!

This is broccoli, sweet potato, peas, and sweet corn.

    When it comes to the fruit I start to get tired of the kitchen, so I don't cook any of them. The only fruit I have ever cooked though was apples (for obvious reasons). This fruit seemed a little more watery then the frozen I have gotten before, and Hunter has had all of them so I pureed them all together for a "fruit cocktail". 

This is Blueberries, Peaches, and Mango...Very Yummy!!

    After the fruit or veggie has been frozen in an ice cube tray, I pop them out on to the counter, label a quart size baggie, place in baggie and freeze. 1 quart bag holds 12 cubes FYI: 1 cube = 1 oz (in my trays). I have been told the food will last for up to 3 months in a freezer if air tight... I would say this is about right. Hunter usually eats it before it would have a chance to get freezer burned.

This is carrots after being frozen and placed in baggie to freeze again. 

      I also puree chicken breast for him to mix with veggies. Just boil a few breast, and throw them in the food processor until you get the texture you want. I have added a little water back in, to make the puree and little smoother, but you don't have to. We are now giving him whatever meat we are eating that night, so I didn't make any chicken this time around. I just cut the meat in really small pieces and he loves it!.

      Every evening I get out what I know Hunter will eat the following day. I haven't made a thing he didn't like yet, but hes not picky whatsoever! Hunter loves food, and it makes me so excited that I can provide a healthy preservative free meal for him.

Look at this face... Who could resist!