adventures in babyfood

Last year if you would have asked me how I was planning on feeding my baby I would have told you “open jar, insert spoon”.  Then my friend Erin started Mama Mondays where she gave tons of advice to novice Mamas like myself.  I’m so thankful she did a post on making homemade baby food.  I know most of our readers here don’t have babies, but maybe someday you can come back and check it out 🙂

Why make your own baby food?  Making baby food is CHEAP!  The store bought versions cost about 50 cents a serving, but if you go organic then it is about 75 cents… I think (I’ve never actually bought any so I’m not totally sure).  I can make Aiden’s food for 2 – 50 cents a serving (50 cents because of expensive foods like Avocado).  Making Aiden’s food means that I know exactly what he is eating.  It is the real thing, tastes like the real thing and is the consistency I want it to be.

I’ve gotten all of my information from Wholesomebabyfood.com.  Awesome for anything I’ve needed to know.

Making the food can be as easy as peeling a banana and mashing it with a fork (you can do the same with Avocado).  Other things take more time to cook and then puree.

When it comes to pureeing I use this food processor.  I have a food processor/blender combo from our wedding (also cuisinart) and it was LOUD and small.  If you make your own food I HIGHLY recommend getting a good food processor.  I can have a conversation while running the food processor and it doesn’t scare Aiden.  The other one did.  It isn’t just for baby food either I made cobbler dough in it last week EASY!

After all the food it made I freeze it in ice cube trays or baby cubes.  I <3 my baby cubes.  They are perfect for throwing in the diaper bag or taking over to Nanna’s house.  Our good friend Joslyn got Aiden the tupperware bowls, plates, and sippy cups.  They have been really great!

I don’t make ALL of Aiden’s food and has box rice/oatmeal cereal (recommend because he is nursing and I lord knows I wasn’t going to take that on) and “adult” applesause.  Apples are annoying to bake when the organic natural stuff from costco is just as good.  We go through about a jar every two weeks.  Now that Aiden is older he eats more “adult” food like yogurt, cheese, cheerios, etc.

I was surprised at how little time it took to make the food and how long it lasted.  I usually make one food at a time and do it while I’m making dinner.  It takes a couple hours (cooking is usally 1 hour of that) and you can multi task while its being done.  I just made carrots last weekend because I found a carrots at Costco.  A 10 lb bag!  I usually made 2 lb bags and didn’t even look at how many carrots I was buying, but it was only $5 and a few hours later I had 8 ice cube trays of carrots, and orange finger nails ;-).

Ryan was a skeptic at first, but now he tells everyone how easy (he has never actually made any of it) and cheap it is.

If you have a question just email me or comment and I’ll help you if I can.