Mama-made Baby Food

When it was time to begin Cakes on solids I decided that I wanted to make her food. The commercial baby food seemed extremely bland to the point of tasteless, and there wasn't much in terms of variety of vegetables and fruits available. I wanted her to have fresh, flavorful food in a wide variety so that when she began to eat "real" food it wasn't much different in taste, just texture. I also didn't want to have one of those kids that will only eat chicken fingers and mac-n-cheese! I guess my thinking was that the more flavors I could get into her early on, the better my chances of having a child that would eat a diverse diet. My strategy seemed to work because my now 3-year old daughter will eat pretty much anything. And hopefully, my son will too!

When most people find out that I make my children's baby food, they are curious about it. They ask me how I do it, and if it is hard. It is actually quite simple. I'm surprised more people don't make their own baby food. It's fresher, has a lot more flavor, and I'll dare to say, it is nutritionally superior. And it is economical!

So, here's a brief how-to on making and storing baby food. In this example I am making a fresh pear puree.

All you need - fresh ripe pears, food processor, ice cube trays, plastic wrap, and freezer bags

Wash, peel, pare, and cut up the pears

Puree pears until smooth

Spoon puree into ice trays

Cover trays with plastic wrap and freeze

Once frozen, place cubes of pear into a labeled and dated freezer bag and store in the freezer

Each cube is approximately 1 ounce or 1 serving

And that's it! Easy peasy!

Purees can be made with any age appropriate food. So far, for Sparky, I have made sweet potato, acorn squash, butternut squash, peas, green beans, sweet potato/banana, mango, and pear. The vegetables were first steamed or boiled and then pureed with some leftover liquid to thin it. I also fork smash bananas or avocado on an as needed basis as these do not freeze well.

Preparing for mealtime is simple, just heat in microwave and serve. I typically pull 2 cubes and heat for 1 minute. Depending on what it is, it may need more or less, so be sure to stir and check temperature before giving that first bite!