Homemade Baby Food: Easy as 1-2-3

Any time I mention the fact that I make my own baby food, people tend to be rather impressed. The truth is, I'm not so much ambitious as I am cheap. I actually don't buy organic fruits and veggies and I'm lazy enough that I don't make my own applesauce or baby cereal. With S-Boogie I did make my own cereal, but this time around I don't care. I like the nutritional assurance that comes with fortified commercial cereal, and when I can find it I'm going to buy the whole grain kind. The last time I went to the store they were out of stock. So, the baby food making. All you need is a blender, a few ice cube trays (I have some I bought just for baby food), and freezer bags. Oh, and a marker to write on the bags. It doesn't take that much time or that much money at all. For instance, the other day I bought 3 sweet potatoes. They were on sale for a dollar a pound (probably cheaper in Utah, but that's cheap for here). I took those sweet potatoes home, peeled them, cut them in chunks, and boiled them in a little water until tender. Then I used the blender to puree the chunks (in small batches), adding some of the cooking water to get it nice and smooth. Spoon the puree into ice cube trays, cover with plastic wrap, let them sit overnight, then pop out the cubes and store in a freezer bag. When you're ready to feed baby, put some cubes in a bowl, thaw in the microwave for 20 seconds, and you've got food. The preparation time was really only about half an hour (I think) and cost about a dollar, and I got 48 1-ounce portions of sweet potatoes. That bag should last for a month or two. This website is one of the best ones for finding out more info; I've also used this book, but I think the website is just as good. I like making my own food because it's cheaper, I don't have to worry about little containers and waste, it's more flexible to have food in 1 ounce portions, and I just have a bias toward homemade stuff. And now you know how to be as cool as I am.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I am still so impressed. But I think I'm going to try it, at least with a few foods, and see how it goes . . .
Melyngoch said…
Next time I need babyfood, I'm coming to you.
Becca said…
Thanks for the baby sleeping commiseration and tips.

Here's a little tip in return -- You don't have to peel sweet potatoes with a peeler; the peels come off really easily after you boil them.
Anonymous said…
All right, I'mk inspired for next time. I'll just keep excusing myself (and Gerber) on the grounds that I was working full time when Patrick was that age. Also, he moved to mashed up versions of real food pretty quickly, so it was only about four months worth of his life.
Mrs. Hass-Bark said…
Further evidence that you are practically perfect in every way!
Anonymous said…
I did the same thing. My reasons: 1 part health and 3 parts cheap. $1 for a tiny jar of baby food is insane.
Th. said…
.

Even though we (sorta) followed you lead, I'm still impressed.

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