A new adventure I’m taking on in the kitchen includes feeding a super fun 7 month old. We’ve been playing around with different purees and foods which is a lot of fun. I’ve decided I should share my successes with you so those of you who are or are planning to become parents can get right to the source.

So far we’ve played around with carrots, peas, sweet potato, squash, apples and apple sauce, strawberry, peanut butter, and eggs. I plan to add banana, pear, apricot, green beans, and some spices soon. I’m also playing around with different preservation techniques. With some upcoming travel in our future, I’m hoping to find a way other than canning to bring homemade baby food with so I’m not stuck relying on store bought. 

Being a stay at home mom has its advantages, such as being able to easily make my little one homemade food. After seeing reports of baby food containing toxic heavy metals, I was more assured that making food at home was the right choice. Not only is it healthier, it’s also a lot cheaper. You can control exactly what goes in as well, which is an added bonus.

We’ve been playing around with different fruits and vegetables. We skipped the cereals for now, I’m looking into different ways to prepare quinoa and other grains currently! So far her favorites are carrots and apples. We’ve tried watermelon, strawberry, and apple chunks through the mesh of these Munchkin feeders. She’s definitely a fan of all the fruits. 

Our pediatrician recommended we started occasionally introducing her to peanut butter and eggs to help reduce her chances of getting allergies. So far I’d say peanut butter is her favorite food. I mix it in sweet potatoes and it’s been a hit every time.

Considering making your own baby food? Here is why you should.

For those of you who are considering making baby food at home – do it. It’s rewarding because you can see exactly what is going in to your baby’s mouth. Whether or not you’re into organic foods you can control exactly what you’re feeding your little ones. It’s going to save you money. A bag of peas makes about 20 servings of baby food (~1-1.5 tbsp), all for under $2 for frozen peas. Baby carrots are around $1 per bag and that makes around 30 servings. 

Another perk is that you can experiment with spices and herbs. I prefer to eat rather rich flavored foods. They say that when breastfeeding, baby gets the flavors from what mom eats, so hopefully that is true. That said, we will start playing with spices like cinnamon, dill weed, cumin, coriander, and all the delicious herbs that make food taste delicious. 

How do you make baby food? It’s really quite simple.

Baby food is quite easy to make at home. You need whatever produce you plan on feeding the little one. For most foods you’ll need to cook them or bake to soften them up. Something like a banana doesn’t need to be cooked though. Once you’ve cooked the food, cool it off. For something like apples or carrots, you can run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. The longer they cook for the less nutrients that survive the cooking process.

Once you’ve gotten the cooked food, next you’ll need to mash or puree it. I’ve done purees for everything up to this point as we tried feeding her finely chopped scrambled eggs and she is not quite ready for solids yet. However, if you feel your little one is ready for more chunks, mashing works well too. I blend my food in a high performance blender, but a food processor would work similarly. 

I’ll feed her fresh food when it’s done, once it’s blended or mashed, it’s ready to serve. Left overs can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 3 months. Personally I freeze them into silicone ice cube trays (we personally have these and they hold about 2 tbsp, so the perfect size!), and then place into air tight tupperware or freezer bags for storage.

Check back in the next week as I’ll start sharing my baby food recipes! Let me know in the comments below if there is any particular food you’d be interested in feeding your baby!

-Cassie