Baby food

I've wanted to post about baby food making for a while now. So here it is..

Here's a picture of the food, food blender and ice tray to get you stared.

Why bother with making baby food you say?? What's wrong with baby food in a jar?? Take a look at that baby food in a jar and look at the expiration date. It's been designed to last 2rs after the purchase date. That doesn't sound fresh to me. Does it sound fresh to you? Also if you taste a jar of baby food and compare to homemade baby food there is no comparison in taste.

The ingredients of most commercial baby foods have been heated to a very high temperature and then cooled, in order to sterilize them. This gives them a long shelf life but destroys a lot of the flavor and some of the nutrients also. There's nothing better to do for your baby (after breastfeeding of coarse) then to make homemade baby food. It's also a whole lot cheaper to buy.

Is making baby food hard you ask? The answer is NO! Baby food making is more work then going to the store and buying food for sure, but it's not hard to make. Honestly I enjoy making my baby's food. It's easy and I can make enough to store in fridge and freezer. I guarantee once you start making baby food it will become second nature. It does require time and work though.

This is how I typically make my food. Peel, cut and steam a veggie (say carrots) let cool. I then put it in my Cooks blender (JcPenney off brand-looks just like the Bullet) blend it and I'm done. I normally make enough for him to eat one meal right away, store a couple days worth in fridge and freeze 3 meals worth in freezer.

Best way to seal in nutrients is to steam. You can also heat food on the stove in water or microwave. I wouldn't recommend the microwave, because it cooks a lot of the nutrients out. When re-heating from fridge or freezer I have a little tiny sauce pot for heating or I heat in microwave when only available.

Storing the food in freezer is easiest with baby food ice cube trays that have a lid to cover food. You can also use plain old ice trays and cover with plastic wrap. I also like using the 6 or 8oz glass Mason jars for storing on the go food to grab. It's much better to heat glass in microwave when out then to use plastic.

So give baby food making a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised and how much fun it can be.  :D