Since becoming a mom naturally one of my biggest concerns is my child's well-being. More specifically the nutrition she is getting, not only from my breast milk but also from the solid foods that I feed her. For me personally the only option I was truly comfortable with was making her baby food myself.
Now I know what you're probably thinking, “Oh good grief who has time for that?” Well quite frankly it doesn't take much time at all and doesn't require anymore specialized equipment than a nice food processor. For instance it is not uncommon for me to have several things cooking while I'm doing the laundry and the baby is down for a nap. Typically I can have everything done in about an hour or so and I only make baby food two or three times a month.
I'll walk you through my process from prep to freezer to tummy. Please note I am only sharing advice based on my own experiences with my own child. I am not a medical or nutritional expert of any kind. If you have any questions regarding your child's health or nutrition I recommend that you speak with your pediatrician. My daughter's pediatrician recommended introducing solid foods between 4-6 months depending head and neck strength and trying new foods every three days to screen for allergies.
When I started my daughter on solid foods she was nearly 5 months old. I started with easy to digest, hardy, nutritious fruits and veggies such as apples, squash, parsnips, sweet potato, carrots, pears, etc. Once I had introduced these foods individually I then started mixing these base foods together. For example sweet potato and apple. And expanding from there. I like to mix a fruit with a vegetable typically, but you can of course choose any combination you wish. The trick is to mix foods that will compliment each other well. I find that mango is a favorite that tends to pair well with a variety of foods that I wouldn't have initially thought of, such as spinach or chicken. Sounds a little odd but “Don’t knock it until you try it”, as my mother always said. Don't be afraid to experiment a little, believe me when I tell you that your little one will alert you if the combination sucks. Normally I don't mix more than three different things into one dish. As you can imagine it can take some time to introduce new foods every three days,
When making baby food I start by including in my grocery list items that I know that I want to make into baby food such as whole grains, beans, lean meats, fruits and vegetables. As a convenience I also like getting some fruits in the freezer section such as organic berries, peaches, mango or whatever I can find since they are simple to use and often cheaper this way; especially when buying organic. The freezing process tends to break the food down a bit so there isn't any cooking needed with these, I simply let them thaw in the refrigerator.
Some staples in our house include:
Apples
Acorn squash
Parsnips
Spinach
Pears
Sweet potato
Zucchini
Carrots
Blueberries
Peaches
Mango
Strawberries
Avocado
Tofu (6 months +)
Whole milk yogurt (6 months +)
It's always good to have a nice variety on hand. When possible I try to buy local and/or organic although in the area we live this can be no small task. Once home I wash them up and get started. Harder foods like squash and potatoes I typically roast in the oven with a little coconut oil or olive oil. Now that my daughter is a little older I've started to add a few herbs here and there as well. I will also boil things like apples or steam spinach and broccoli which only take a few short minutes. A warning here, DO NOT over cook! I've found that less is more. It's better that your greens are a bit more on the crisp side or even raw, especially if you plan to use a microwave for reheating like I do. Otherwise I simply cook each item separately until it is tender but not overly soft or mushy, the food should still have some nice color. The only exception I make for this rule is for meats. Meats should always be well done. My personal preference is to roast meats in the oven to retain flavor.
After your food is cooked, simply puree using your food processor making sure to get a nice smooth consistency and wash thoroughly between foods. As your child grows the more “chunky” the consistency can be. Then fill ice cube trays with your puree. I find that labeling the trays with a piece of masking tape helps identify the purees, especially if you have several of the same color.
The average ice cube tray holds approximately an ounce which is a nice serving size for most foods but I do like to use smaller trays sometimes for certain things. Here I have peaches, blueberries and strawberries. And yes I do use the tray from a deviled egg carrier for the strawberries (and normally the blueberries).
Then once they are frozen I break them apart and put the individual cubes into their nice little labeled baggies and that's it! You have perfectly pureed baby food already stored in the freezer ready to go!
All you have to do is go to the freezer pop a few into a microwave-safe dish for about 30-40 seconds or so. You can also thaw the cubes in the refrigerator overnight if you already know what you know what you want to feed your child the next day or on the stove in a pot of water using an old fashioned egg poacher.
This method of making and freezing baby food has been a lifesaver for me. It's also a sure fire way to make sure that she gets the most nutritious and flavorful food I can give her. Have you ever tried package baby foods? Typically they have all of the flavor and I suspect most of the nutrients boiled out of them it's really no small wonder that many children grow up to hate their vegetables when that's their introduction. Yuck! I wouldn't like them either! As it is one of the first vegetables that I introduced my daughter to happened was parsnip and they are still one of her favorites. Yes, my daughter loves parsnips, a fact that does this mama's heart good.
Earlier I had mentioned that I use herbs in my baby food. Allow me to elaborate a bit. This is of course a personal preference and I waited a few months before I started introducing them into her food. I followed the same guidelines for herbs as I do for food and only introduce a new one once every three days. For obvious reasons I tend to use herbs with a more mild flavor and/or smaller amounts, perhaps a small pinch. Some herbs can upset a baby's digestive system especially in larger quantities.
A few good herbs that my daughter seems to like are:
Dill
Parsley
Basil
Rosemary
Mint
Choose herbs that you enjoy and add them accordingly. Some of my daughter's favorites include potatoes with dill or parsley, mango and strawberry with a hint of mint, sweet potatoes with rosemary. Use your imagination your child will tell you if they don't like something or are simply not ready for it. Cinnamon is one of those for my daughter, if there is any more than just the slightest hint of cinnamon she won't eat it. However I haven't lost hope that it will grow on her in the future but for now I don't press the issue. On that note I would recommend to always start with the smallest amount possible then increase later if needed.
I hope you found this information useful. My best wishes to you and your little one on this new adventure!
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