Baby Food!

I've been meaning to write this for a long time...not to pressure anyone into thinking that you have to make your own baby food :) just as a resource for any moms out there who are thinking about it and don't know where to start (like me!)--its a lot easier than I thought, and since I'm home for some lengthy stretches of time it gives me something to "accomplish" which I love! And I know where Kallen's food is coming from---although Baby Food these days is pretty good...so many organic versions, and most don't have preservatives, etc etc! ANYways....

I've been using this book, First Meals by Annabel Karmel, although there are a TON of great books out there! This one (at least the chapt on 6-9 mos) is a lot of common sense, but still gives you a good starting point, and some good combination ideas. I really needed to walk through it step by step cause I wanted the food to be completely safe for Kallen! :)

My first batch was sweet potatoes, and they totally didn't turn out...they were really chunky and Kallen kept choking on them...but its just because I didn't steam them long enough. Potatoes need to be pretty soft in order to puree well.

I've also made pears which are really easy to get to the right consistency and he LOVED them! Right now I'm making apples, and I'm going to make carrots afterwards. Like I said before, I got the Babyfood Maker, but it hasn't come in yet, and you can totally just use a steam basket in a pot of boiling water, and a food processor/blender/etc.

I personally, have been using mostly organic fruits and vegetables. At least for this stage when his body is so little. I LOVE the list of the "dirty dozen" or the most contaminated fruits and veggies from pesticides...if you can't do all organic (which we def can't) these are the BEST to buy organic because of their levels of contamination:

Peaches
Apples

Sweet Bell Peppers

Celery

Nectarines

Strawberries

Cherries

Lettuce

Grapes (imported)

Pears

Spinach

Potatoes

We are by no means perfect on this list (in fact I have 4 of these in my fridge right now!) but I do try and do my best. Its amazing when we cut back on "processed food"/snack food and buy organic, our grocery bill is STILL less than typical...(did that make sense?) And to me organic fruits and veggies just TASTE so much better---but again, we def can't do ALL organic!

Then, when I've made a big batch (you'd be surprised how much food just 2 potatoes makes!) I keep some in the fridge for that day, and freeze the rest. I got my trays from Right Start but they're no longer on the site, but very similar to these...

They're in 2 oz portions which are perfect for feeding. After they've frozen, I pop them out and store them in dated freezer bags.

He also LOVE bananas and avocados, which, especially when they're ripe, can just be mashed with a fork and I usually mix them with a little breastmilk/formula and some cereal.

I hope this helps if you've been thinking of making baby food. I don't know why, but I was just so overwhelmed by the original concept, but now that I've got the hang of it, its kinda fun!