Homemade Baby Food Tutorial

I have been promising this post for a while, right?
So WHY on EARTH, would anyone make their own baby food rather than using the neat little pre-packaged items from Gerber? Let me preface by saying that I'm not crunchy-granola Mommy. Although I want to learn how to make things from scratch, it just isn't in the cards right now. So brownie mix and protein bars are currently a staple in my cabinet.

Back to why:

1. I really like to know exactly what is in the food that we eat, and the idea of Hania eating baby food that was older than she was made me really nervous. Of course there are all kinds of vitamins in Gerber products, but have you tasted their meat combos lately? Bleeech! We have cut down significantly on the processed foods that we eat since I became pregnant, and I can tell a difference in the way that I feel. I'd like to start Hania out with that same premise.

2. It saves MONEY! All joking aside, if you know me in real life you are most likely aware that I am slightly CHEAP. Now I love giving gifts and my daily Starbucks fix will be difficult to give up, but I'm always appalled at how expensive our food bills are. When I started buying baby food every week, it finally occurred to me that the ingredients are the same things that our family already eats for daily meals. When you factor in the 10 for 10$ deals on frozen organic veggies, or super deals on items around holidays, it actually works! I'm participating in something called Frugal Tip Fridays, hosted by Sherri at Kaysville Momma. Go check it out every Friday for new frugal tips!

3. I am probably overcompensating for the fact that I closed the Breastaurant at month 5. I intended to breastfeed for much longer but stress basically but the kibosh on that plan! So yep, Mommy-guilt probably factors into this too. Doesn't it always?

4. Hania LOVES the combos we've come up with, and doesn't really like pre-made baby food that well any more. From what I've read, it is likely that if she is introduced to a wider variety of foods and spices early on, that she will be a less picky eater. Here's hoping!

5. Somewhere in the process it became FUN! And EASY! Just seeing my freezer stocked full of healthy, homemade baby food makes me want to do an interpretive dance of joy! See? I'm doing a piroutte into a grande jete, followed by tripping over a cat and falling down. That's how we roll around here.
If you look below, this is basically all you'll need:
ice cube trays
blender or food processer
annoyed looking cat (optional)
dirty dishes (optional)

No one accused me to being a photography genius, okay?


The directions are basically the same for every food:
Steam or boil any foods that are too hard to mash. Put it all in the blender and blend until you reach the desired consistency. Freeze in ice cube trays covered in wax paper, then pop out and store in freezer bags for up to two months.
Follow your pediatrician's directions on how soon to start certain foods, and always introduce new foods individually for 4 days to ensure that there is not a food allergy.

Of course Hania eats each of the individual fruits and veggies, but the combos are where it becomes much more fun. Here's a list of the various combos that we've done. We add yogurt or cereal to them to change the consistency. Hopefully it will give someone good ideas on how to spice up their baby food!

Mango peach blueberry
Mango pineapple banana
Blueberry pear (a favorite!)
Raspberry peach
Pumpkin applesauce
Pumpkin banana w/ cinnamon & nutmeg
Pumpkin peach
Avocado brown rice
Broccoli, brown rice & cheese (a favorite!)
Broccoli & chicken w/ curry
Green beans & white potatoes w/ oregano
Carrots w/ ginger
Carrots, beef & applesauce
Turkey, sweet potato & acorn squash
Turkey, apricot & brown rice
Chicken & prunes (a favorite!)
Sweet potatoes & lima beans (I know, gross combo...)
Spinach & chick peas w/ garlic
Cauliflower, chicken, chick peas w/ curry
Peas w/ mint
Red potatoes w/ rosemary
Zucchini w/ basil

Any other ideas for combos? I'd love to hear them!