Why homemade?
There are a lot of great reasons to make your own baby food.
*They can be much, much, much cheaper than the store bought versions, although I did see a very yummy(and expensive) baby recipe that included some expensive fruits and fresh vanilla beans.
*You always know exactly what is in your food as opposed to some commercial foods packed with preservatives and unpronounceable words. You would not believe the ingredient list on some of those popular commercial foods. I will say that many of the organic foods have simple ingredients and minimal natural preservatives.
*Homemade baby food often retains more of the healthy nutrients than their commercial counterparts. This has to do with the cooking process.
Yes, yes these are all fine reasons to make your baby food. Here are my reasons for making it. Taste and variety. My homemade food tastes better than the commercial stuff. It tastes like real food, the same stuff (minus the salt) that we eat. It looks better. The colors are vibrant. It is the consistency that is perfect for Peanut at whatever stage he is because that is the consistency I make it. We can make anything into baby food and we don't have to stick to the 5 different types of stage 1 foods available at the store.
Do you make all of Peanut's food?
No.
I make most of his food. Whenever I am out and I see a unique flavor combination I get it. If I see a product that uses food that I don't have access to or I haven't attempted to make yet then I buy that too. For example I bought green beans. I haven't tried to steam, puree and strain these yet and so I bought the commercial kind. That was an unsuccessful adventure. I also found some really great combos like "Luau Chicken" which Peanut loved. I'm not going to keep him from new flavors if I can find them and sometimes the commercial stuff inspires my homemade recipes.
Doesn't it take a long time to make?
Well, it definitely takes longer than buying and opening a jar. Then again, it doesn't take any more time than cooking your own food and it lasts a lot longer. Sometimes I roast or bake things and it takes a long time, sometimes I steam them, sometimes I cook them in a pan.
I never make single portions or cook individually for each meal. I make multiple portions that get refrigerated or frozen for future use. You could cook once a week or once a month depending on the size of your batches.
Do you taste the food?
Absolutely! I taste everything. I even taste the commercial food. I have tasted everything that Peanut has eaten including breast milk (which is quite sweet) and formula (which tastes even worse than it smells). The vegetables and fruits are just as delicious as ever. The meat takes a little bit of getting used to because well, honestly, who normally eats meat without salt? The meat and vegetable or fruit combinations are fantastic.
How do you store it?
I use a combination of baby food jars (saved from family members) and ice cube trays. The food frozen in ice cube trays then get placed into labeled freezer bags. I also have a few plastic 2 oz. baby food containers I purchased that have served me well.
Do you use a baby food maker?
I use a steamer (or baking pan) and a food processor. I have a large, and very old, food processor that I use for big batches. I use this 90% of the time. I also have a mini food processor that I use occasionally for fresh fruit purees like banana and avocado.
Are the recipes yours?
Unless otherwise stated, the recipes are mine.
Any other questions? Feel free to email me at dandy7321@yahoo.com
