Hey there Moms (and Dads),
Have you seen the price of baby food lately? $.50-$1.10 per jar?! The prices are even higher if you decide to buy organic. Most non-organic baby foods contain added coloring and preservatives to make the foods look more appealing and last longer. But did you know you could still feed your baby HEALTHY foods at at a fraction of the cost, simply by making it yourself?
Now you may be thinking, "Who has time for that?". But for those of you Moms (and Dads) who have a couple hours on hand once or twice a month, you could prepare your child fresh, home made, all natural, and even organic baby food (for less than you'd pay at the store)! Hey, I learned that if I eliminated watching television or a movie once or twice a month, I could actually do something worthwhile with my time that would be so beneficial and worth it for my little girl!
Most children may begin eating baby food between the age of 4 to 6 months old. The best foods to introduce to their diet first would be:
- Bananas,
- Avocados and
- Sweet Potatoes (yams).
Doctor's reccomend parents introduce one new food every 3-4 days in order to check for food allergies. It is also been noted that it takes a child around 12 different tries to acquire a liking for a taste of foods. So if you introduce green beans or carrots to your child down the road and they refuse, don't give up! They may just need to taste it a few different times before it actually grows on them!
So where do you start? It's simple. All you need are some ice cube trays, a blender or food processor, some freezer bags and whatever type of food(s) you decide to make that day.
Depending upon the type of food you are preparing, you may have to do some cooking prior to pureeing. Here's a few helpful tips for certain foods:
- Yams: Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a flat baking pan with tin foil. Place the yams on the pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until a fork will easily poke through the yam. Remove from oven, peel, cut up and puree.
- Avocados: Peel, cut up and puree.
- Bananas: Wait until bananas are fully ripened. Peel, cut up and puree.
- Pears, Apples, Carrots: Boil some water, cook until tender, cool, skin, cut up and puree.
- Sweet Peas: I buy mine frozen, follow the microwavable directions and then puree.
- Chicken: I like to go Organic for this especially due to all the hormones used in regular chicken. Boil some water, place chicken in pot and cook until tender. Remove the chicken, let cool, tear apart into small pieces and puree.
Once your food is blended, you are ready to transfer it into your ice cube trays. Do the following:
- With a teaspoon, scoop the food into each individual cube.
- When your tray is filled, place it in the freezer until frozen.
- Remove from the freezer, empty the cubes from the tray and place them into your individually labeled freezer bags for storage.
- If you make enough food, you should only have to do this about once or twice a month at most.
When ready to use, place 2-3 cubes of choice in a glass container, microwave for 30 seconds and serve!
Feel free to comment and ask any questions~we're always here to help!
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