DIY Organic Baby Food

 

I don’t enjoy cooking all that much.  I do it, but not with much glee.  So I was totally surprised at how much I enjoy making my infant’s baby food.  It’ SO easy and I love knowing exactly what is in his food – which isn’t much – organic fruits, veggies and water.  I like the versatility that I can make changes when I need to.  At 6 months, I started with thin purees but quickly realized that my son could handle chunky so I changed the texture.   I also love coming up with new concoctions – and seeing my son squeal with delight – for a little guy, he LOVES to eat.

If you haven’t ever made food for your baby, I promise you it’s EASY PEASY.   I make a new batch of food every 2-3 days, it takes about 15 minutes.  Here’s the method I use:

1.  Buy fresh or frozen fruits and veggies.  You can make the whole process even quicker by buying pre-cut items like broccoli florets or baby carrots.  I’ve also found butternut squash at Costco that is already cut and sliced apples. 

2.  Cut into small chunks unless they are pre-cut.

3.  Put fruits and/or veggies in a steamer basket until you can pierce with a fork – depending on the item, it’s anywhere from 5-12 minutes.   Save the water used to steam the food.

4.  Put the steamed items in a food processor and puree them until you get the texture your baby needs.  The thinner the puree, the more water you add.

5.  When you’re done, pour it into ice trays and put into the freezer.  Once they are frozen, put them into a freezer bag or freezer container to store. 

6.  Take cubes of food out when you need them and defrost in the microwave or refrigerator.

There are a dozen or more ways you could modify this to make it work for you.  There are tons of recipe books, I reference one called The Petit Appetit.  Better yet, there are great websites dedicated to making baby food, like Weelicious.   You can also find tools made just for making baby food like food grinders and baby food mills but if you have already have a handheld blender, blender or food processor then there is no need to buy something new – any one of these will work.  There are many ways to store baby food from the simple, like ice trays to the classic, like jars.  Again, you can buy storage made just for baby food but I’ve found that ice cube trays are easy to find and inexpensive – just make sure they are BPA free.

I’d love to hear how you make food for your baby!  What works for you?

 

Comments

  1. I too loved making my son’s baby food and can’t wait to start making it for my second son in just four months. It was tedious at times because I would sometimes make rather large batches but I did it knowing that I was giving him the best food possible. It was great to try so many recipes I never would have come up with on my own. I loved Annabel Karmel’s books. I froze everything in tovolo silicone cube trays and then stored everything in ziploc freezer bags. You are correct. Easy Peasy!

  2. We have always made our babies food too. Check out this blog…http://weelicious.com/ I love her blog! Great ideas and so kid-friendly.

  3. Oops, didn’t read your whole blog! Hahaha! You have weelicious already.

  4. I don’t cook for the rest of my family but I make all of the baby’s food! It’s actually fun! (and very easy!)

  5. Katie Yardley says

    My sister used a little gadget called the wean machine which you can take anywhere with you to turn fresh food into good, healthy, green babyfood – I wish it had been around when my two were babies.

  6. Where was this post when I was struggling to make baby food 5 months ago?! Well I missed the boat – Nate is pretty much eating all “real” food now. But next kid, I will definitely be on board. I have to chime in that I did get the BPA free baby cubes for my attempts. They are cheap, easy and convenient. And when you stop making baby food they become great holders for snacks.

  7. My girlfriends daughter is getting ready to give birth any day now. They have got everything they could green, I can’t wait to share your blog with them.. Major brownie points for me!!!! Thank!

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