Homemade Baby Food

Happy Wednesday friends! Recently when I asked about what posts readers would be interested in, there were quite a few about baby food, so giving all the details today!  I am about 10 months into the baby food making journey, and have really enjoyed it, especially because I love to cook. I do want to preface this post by saying that store bought baby food pouches are wonderful, and I'm real thankful for them when out and about.

Honestly, when Everette hit the 6 month mark, I never really insisted upon making all her baby food, it just kind of evolved, and once I realized how easy it was, I was hooked.

To prepare the fruits and veggies I clean, peel, and then roughly chop them into cubes. Then I just boil them in a large pot until they are soft enough to mash with a fork, and then strain them. Then into the blender they go. You can absolutely buy a baby food maker, such as the Baby Bullet, but I have found that our good old blender gets the job done just fine.

For softer fruits and vegetables, such as, avocado and peaches, I skip this step and just put them directly into the blender without boiling them. Once in the blender, I always add a little water from the pot the produce was cooked in. I always start with a less, and add as I go until the consistency is correct. Then I just pour the purees into these baby food storage trays I purchased from amazon, and pop them into the freezer, where they are good for 6 months. Every day when I decide what I want Everette to eat the next day, I just take the trays out of the freezer, run them under cold water for about 10 seconds and then pop the cubes out to thaw.

We started out with avocados, and every three days we added a new fruit or vegetable to make sure there were no allergies. We also started with just one "meal" a day which typically consisted of two cubes of food at dinner time. Then we added two cubes to breakfast, and then lunch.

My method today is a bit different than when Everette first started solids, because then everything was of course pureed. As she grew and could digest different consistencies, I would puree less and less. Now, I like to make an easy batch of veggies like carrots, green beans and broccoli that don't need to be pureed and can just be stored in the fridge and warmed later.

I do still always try to keep some pureed staples in the freezer like, avocado to use as a side on taco night, as well peaches, pears and prunes to add to oatmeal or yogurts, which is what's pictures above.

Some of our favorites so far, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, green beans, pears, apples, avocado, peas, carrots, peaches, and blueberries.

I really do love the fact that I know exactly what she is getting, which is strictly fruits and veggies mixed with water. No additives, no preservatives. Not to mention, what a huge savings it is! Next up, I really want to start making my own baby food pouches for on the go. Veteran Mamas, what tips and tricks would you share?