So, I think it would be fun to start my own blog just about making baby food but...I have a job and a baby and a life so, I have no time to consistently blog about things. BUT I wanted to at least share a little about it. So many people have said "you must be supermom" to be able to make HG's food, but the secret is- it is SO easy. I want other people to be able to do this as well, should they so desire. Also, this post is not meant as a judgement on people who use (*sarcastic gasp*) jarred baby food. I grew up eating jarred food. HG eats jarred food occasionally too. I really enjoy cooking and have time to whip up food for her (although, after you read this post, you'll see that you probably do too!). I don't think you are bad or wrong or notasgoodasme for not making your baby's food. Just like you didn't think I was bad or wrong for not breastfeeding (oh wait...but that is another blog entirely and a fiery issue as well so I am not going to touch that with a 10 foot pole!). I just want to share what I do in case someone else is curious.
So- why do I make my own baby food? #1- I enjoy cooking. It is relaxing and fun to me. If you loathe cooking this is probably not something you should do. Except some 'recipes' are easier than cooking! #2- If you look at the date on a jar of baby food you'll see the expiration date is sometimes as much as two years past the date of purchase. That isn't exactly fresh. Also, in order to get food to stay good for that long you have to cook it at such a high temperature it becomes pretty bland. How can babies develop a sense of taste if this jarred food doesn't have any? I want Harper to enjoy eating and be willing to be an adventurous eater (not Andrew Zimmern level, just willing to try new things!). The second 6 months of life is the time to introduce babies to a variety of new flavors to help develop their taste buds. #3- I have a secret desire for Harper to become a foodie. #4 (Addendum)- Thanks Jenn for reminding me of this VERY important reason- IT IS CHEAPER! That was one of the main reasons I got started and I totally forgot to mention it here!
So, how hard is it? If you can use a fork, you can make baby food. Some of my favorite 'recipes' are bananas and avocado. Here is the recipe: Mash the banana (or avocado) with a fork with a little of your baby's usual milk. Feed to baby. Ta da! The bananas actually stay fresh for a while, so I can make it at 5:30am and Harper can eat it at 10:30am at daycare (when it is refrigerated). Making baby food requires no fancy equipment. I do use some great products that make it easy, but in all honesty, I could just as easily use my blender or food processor. To make baby food what you'd need is: a steamer (a simple metal steamer insert is less than $8 at Target or Walmart), a food processor or blender (to puree the food), cutting board, knives, pots/pans, and ice cube trays. One thing that makes cooking baby food so easy is putting the prepared food into ice cube trays, freezing it, and thawing only what you need. That way all your (not so) hard work lasts longer!
Pictured is my Beaba Cooker (it steams and blends all in one- fancy and fun but not necessary), what I use instead of ice cube trays to make individual portions, and my bags of preprepared food in the freezer (sweet potato, flounder with peas and cheese sauce, cinnamon applesauce, chicken with apples and sweet potato, and strawberry/peach/applesauce). Harper loves eating all of it and hopefully will not be a picky eater as she gets older! If you ever want to know more or want some of these fabulous recipes just ask!
1 comment:
I made almost all of Meg's baby food. So easy and so much cheaper than store bought! Of course, that's not counting the cost of my nice big food processor we bought, but that was really more of a present for me than a necessity! :) The easiest stuff I made was buying bags of frozen veggies, microwaving them, and throwing them in the food processor. Careful with peas, though - I had to buy organic because all the others had salt added!
Post a Comment