Mommy Thoughts Thursday {BABY FOOD, revisited}

I love making homemade baby food! It was a decision I made long before Madison was born. I typed out this  post and was able to get a lot of wonderful tips and advice. No, I don't have it all down pat like this girl, but I still feel like I am providing my girl with the most nutrition possible. 

At our local Winn Dixie I bought 

2 Large Red apples for $1.61,

2 Bartlett Pears for $1.54

2 Red Plums for $1.67

and 4 cups of green beans for $4.19

{the green beans are more expensive because they were frozen, not fresh}

The apples yielded 20 Tablespoons {10 servings}

The Pears yielded a little more at 24 Tablespoons {12 servings}

The plums didn't make quite as much yielding 16 Tablespoons {8 servings}

Two cups of green beans yielded 20 Tablespoons {10 servings}

Free sweet potatoes from my mom yielded 30 Tablespoons {15 servings}

So, in short, I spent about $7 on 55 servings of wholesome, preservative-free, baby food.

I tasted all of them. Every single one, and they all tasted great. The pears were definitely my favorite!

How did I prepare it?

For most everything, I saute on the cook top and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Just until the fork slides right through it. Then I add a little bit of water and puree it in our baby bullet. There are so many methods, though - baking, microwaving, steaming - You just gotta find what's right for you.

The amount of water to add kind of depends on the baby. Madison really likes pureed food, so I add enough to make the puree to the consistency that she likes. Some babies enjoy a little more "solidity" to their foods, and those mommies should add a little less. You can add no water if you prefer. It simply depends on the baby. I would suggest starting with more water when you are beginning solid foods and as baby grows, she will be able to handle a little less runny puree. Madison also eats bananas, but we do not puree them. We simply scoop it out of the peel with a spoon. 

How did I store it?

Several different ways. 

We have these awesome silicon trays from the baby bullet system. I like these a lot. you can just pop them out when you are ready to thaw with little to no work. The baby bullet system also comes with these nifty plastic containers {pictured below} with a date label! I also have some other ice tray looking things I bought from a yard sale. Those I don't like so much. It is hard to get the food out of them. They unlike ice trays in that they don't bend. I just have to coax the food out with a spoon. I should really just invest in some ice trays, huh? That way I can pop them out and store them in freezer bags. Baby food can be frozen for about 3 months!

I love making baby food, and I enjoy know exactly what goes into my girl's food! I let her taste the pears last night for the first time. WIN! She's always loved green beans, so she gobbled those up last night. She was kicking with excitement with every bite. She had only had store bought green beans because I thought they'd be harder to make. Duh, meg. Just buy frozen ones. She went crazy over these homemade green beans and cried when they were all gone. 

This website has some fabulous recipes, too! I just use this book, and I think it's got some amazingly fabulous recipes. I can't wait to start combining more foods! We just have to introduce them one at  a time for allergy purposes!