Jars Are Overrated!

   
     Since Wyatt has been a little over four months I've been making his baby food. He's nearing his half year birthday and I want to bring some light onto the baby food topic. I know a lot of moms think that jarred baby food is the only way to go or some may not even know that you can make your own baby food. Its easy, very cheap and fun!
   
     In my opinion making your own baby food is becoming more and more popular with parents and that is a good thing. This way you know EXACTLY what is going into your peanut's tummy. Nutrition is so very important as an adult and even more so when you're a baby. There's loads of recipes out there and for the record you do not need to buy those big expensive baby food makers. A blender or a food processor works just fine and it pulls double duty in your kitchen instead of just making baby food you can use it on the rest of the family as well. Two thumbs up for me.

     I have a few recipes that I have tried and succeeded at so far. I'll share more as Wyatt's palette matures. Thus far I have made sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and butternut squash. His favorite is sweet potatoes and pumpkin. I haven't given him any carrots yet. (they don't recommend carrots until six months or older because of the nitrates) and he is getting use to the butternut squash.

YUMMM!!!

Sweet Potatoes

 Sweet Potatoes: At the grocery try and pick medium sized sweet potatoes. Get them while they are in season so you can stock up for the off season. I bought two for a dollar. Wash the skins and preheat your oven to 400*. Prick with a fork all over to release the steam. Do not skip this step you will have made yourself a sweet potato bomb in your oven. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for about an hour. Let them cool and scoop out the flesh. Do not get the skins in with the flesh. Although healthy for adults it can be harmful for a baby. Put the flesh in your food processor or blender. Add water a little bit at a time and pulse add more water and pulse. Continue to do this until you have a baby food consistency. Consistency is key. At first you want your baby to have fairly runny food to make a easier transition and also to prevent choking. Once you have the right consistency spoon your baby food into a container and place in fridge. Do no more than a serving or two in the fridge at a time to prevent spoiling. Spoon the rest into ice cube trays and freeze. Once they are frozen place each cube into a freezer bag. Mark the bag and date it. Place it back into the freezer. When you're ready to feed your darling just thaw and serve. DONE! That is it. Nothing more and nothing less. Those two sweet potatoes I bought made all of what you see in the ice cube trays! Literally Wyatt's meals cost me $1. Who can argue with cheap?!?

Pumpkin

I think this little duder cost me $2 and made four ice cube trays worth. (such a great unit of measurement!) Be sure to buy the pie pumpkin not the jack o lantern pumpkin. They don't taste as good. These are the same concept as the sweet potatoes with one or two extra steps. So I cut the top off at an angle just as if I was going to carve it. Then I cut it in half. Be careful not to cut yourself these things are a bit tough. Now once you've got your pumpkin halved, you wanna scrape out all of the seeds. There are some fibers in there that are stringy; you wanna get those too. (CHOKING HAZARD) This step might take you a bit longer.

Once you've got all your guts and strings removed place them in a glass baking dish. I rubbed them down with a little bit of butter, I mean very little, and cinnamon. Who says baby food has to be bland and tasteless? Add about an inch of water to your baking dish and place them cut side down. Bake at 400* for an hour. Scrape out the meat. Remember not to get the skin. Puree like you normally would do and freeze and label. BAM! DONE-ZO!!!!

Unfortunately I did not snap any pictures for the carrots or the butternut squash. Sorry I know I'm a bit of a slacker sometimes. I'll give you the recipes anyway. 

The butternut squash was done exactly the same way as the pumpkin minus cutting the top off. I also did not add any butter or cinnamon to them but you do what you wish. Scoop. Puree. Freeze. Label. Done.

The carrots I bought the full size ones. Peeled them and chopped them to about half inch thickness boiled them until soft and pureed them using the water I boiled them in so not to lose any nutrients. Freeze label and that is all.

I hope that helps you all. If you are nervous about making baby food its okay. Just remember its trial and error. Take pride in cooking for your baby and not letting some factory do it. 

Happy Pureeing!