Baby Series for Busy Moms: Quick & Easy Natural Homemade Baby Food
Before I got married, I imagined that one day, when I had kids, I would lead the same life as every other normal parent out there; buy diapers, buy jarred baby food, use formula, give the baby a bottle, let them watch tv, blah blah, you get the point.
Once I got pregnant, it's like some weird instinct kicked in, and things that I never once would have given a second thought to, suddenly were all up for debate, and I was totally stressed out and totally hungry for information. I needed to research everything.
For starters, I don't think I ever thought I would breastfeeding exclusively… then… that happened - and when I say it happened, I mean it REALLY happened. Since I work from home, Colton had literally every meal from me, with the rare, and I do mean RARE, occasion that dad or one of the grandmas gave him a bottle. This wasn't even a conscious thing and is more of something that just happened. I was blessed with a crazy milk supply, and if someone gave him a bottle, I needed to pump, which in turn made it easier to feed him instead of having someone else do it, mainly to save myself time and from having to spend that time pumping.
When it came time to start him on solids, I felt some responsibility to refrain from buying canned/jarred/packaged food. I couldn't be a work-from-home mom, no matter how busy I was, knowing that I would feel guilty had I not tried to make his food on my own. No judgment to those who do take the canned/jarred/packaged approach and more power to them, I say! I'm a pro-feeding baby, however, you may need to. Still, for me, I felt like I would be pulling out some “lazy card”, being that the kitchen is 15 feet away from my office. I'm fortunate to have this luxury of working from home. I have exclusive rights to my calendar, and so, I made it my goal to schedule time to make his food. Nothing like adding more stress to your life, right?
As we learned in my cloth diapering approach, I needed to maximize my time, so I researched how to make bulk meals and freeze items so that they were at my fingertips and could easily be warmed up on the fly.
I received lots of tips from my husband's cousin who has four kids and let me tell you, anything she told me she did, I did, because…hello, FOUR KIDS. As for "recipes," aka things I wasn't a master at cooking, I referenced this site, and seriously, it made it the least stressful experience of all time, and I have zero regrets.
Purees (for 6 months & up):
Apples/Pears/Sweet Potatoes/Butternut Squash/Avocado/Apricot/Peaches:
Buy a few bags of each of these from Trader Joes, or your local grocer.
Peel the skins off
Cut them into cubes (1/2" to 1" cubes work best)
Steam each of them separately and reserve some of the water that is leftover
Once they're nice and steamy, throw them into your food processor (I used my Ninja)
Add some of the water that is leftover from steaming them if need be, to get that purée consistency
Divvy up the pureed fruits or veggies into their ice cube trays. I used these, so that I knew each cube was 2oz
Store in your freezer to heat up as needed!
Broccoli/Cauliflower/Peas/Carrots/Green Beans:
Buy a few frozen bags of each (or fresh if you can find them) of these from Trader Joes, or the like
Steam each of them separately and reserve some of the water that is leftover
Once they're nice and steamy, throw them into your food processor (I used my Ninja)
Add some of the water that is leftover from steaming them if need be, to get that purée consistency
Divvy up the pureed veggies into their ice cube trays (I used these, so that I knew each cube was 2oz)
Store in your freezer to heat up as needed!
Banana
Throw in a bowl and use a fork to mash it up, or use this mashing bowl that I bought and loved. Easy peasy.
Chicken and Turkey
Buy a family pack of organic ground chicken (I like this brand) or a family pack of organic ground turkey (I buy this kind) from Whole Foods, or the equivalent
Cut into cubes (1/2" to 1" cubes work best)
Boil (I used this mom-tastic recipe to do so)
Throw them in your food processor
Add some of the leftover water that you boiled them into it to get the desired consistency
Add to ice cube trays and freeze!
Solids: (for 9 months & up):
I kept him on apple sauce (apple puree) and pear puree since uncooked apples and pears are a choking hazard until the age of 4. So my method for pureeing these has stayed the same, but then I started steaming the heck out of a bunch of other veggies and freezing those. It's all about convenience, people! Also, please note that he would eat different things, but these were the food options that I found were the easiest to prepare beforehand and heat up as needed.
Apples/Pears/Sweet Potatoes/Butternut Squash/Avocado/Apricot/Peaches:
Buy a few bags of each of these from Trader Joes, or the like
Peel the skins off
Cut them into bite-sized cubes
Steam each of them separately
Transfer to a plate to cool
Once cooled, store in a freezer bag that you've labeled with the fruit/veggie name and date that you made it
Store in your freezer to heat up as needed!
Broccoli/Cauliflower/Peas/Carrots/Green Beans
Buy a few frozen bags of each (or fresh if you can find them) of these from Trader Joes, or the like
For all but the peas, cut into bite-size pieces
Steam each of them separately
Transfer to a plate to cool
Once cooled, store in a freezer bag that you've labeled with the fruit/veggie name and date that you made it
Store in your freezer to heat up as needed!
Chicken, Turkey, and Beef
Buy a family pack of organic ground chicken (I buy this one), or a family pack of organic ground turkey (I buy this kind) from Whole Foods, or the equivalent
Cook on your stovetop, crumbling as you go
Transfer to a plate to cool
Once cooled, store in a freezer bag that you've labeled with the fruit/veggie name and date that you made it
Store in your freezer to heat up as needed!
Fruits are on-demand, cut into bite-sized portions.
Once he turned one and was cleared for all table foods, I still kept my nine-month foods in rotation for those lunches or dinners when my husband and I would make a meal that we knew was too spicy or "not-quite-in-his-palate-yet".
And as always, remember to always consult with your pediatrician regarding introducing solid foods to your baby and specifically discuss any foods that may pose allergy risks for your baby.
