I am not a cook. I can make about 5 meals and most involve pre-cooked chicken and hamburger meat. Apparently all the cooking skills went to my brother (my brother is a fabulous cook) and I was left with nothing. I can barely boil water without burning down the house, so the thought of making my own baby food was extremely overwhelming. I have spent hours researching recipes/methods and bothering the heck out of my other mommy friends (holla Carrie...couldn't have done it without you!) with questions. I'm just that clueless. So...I say all because this was truly the easiest thing ever! Once I got the hang of it-I couldn't stop. It is so cheap and easy...I'm telling ya...if I can do it-anyone can!
It is extremely important to me to start Aubrey off on the right track when it comes to food and nutrition. I know that the choices I make for her early on will have a life long effect on her later in life. My pediatrician told me I didn't have to start solids until 6 months. I have waited to start Aubrey on solids because she has done so great with nursing and I figured...why rock the boat?
Well she is 5 1/2 months old now so I figured I better get myself in gear!
We have to introduce one food at a time and wait 3 days in between each introduction. The pediatrician gave me a list of stage 1 foods and so I decided to start with carrots and sweet potatoes.
I purchased a bag of organic carrots & three large sweet potatoes from Tar-Jay, total amount about $3.00.
I threw my carrots in a strainer and steamed them for about 45 minutes and put my potatoes in a baking dish and baked for about the same.
Once they were soft, I started by putting my sweet potatoes in a mixer. I thawed about 12 ounces of breast milk and added that in as well. You can play with the consistency depending on how much food you have. I gave it a few pulses and added more milk as needed.
Here are my sweet potatoes and carrots pureed to perfection!
Then I poured about 2 tablespoons into each ice cube tray.
Popped those puppies into the fridge for a few hours and here was my finished product!
I was beyond thrilled with myself. I honestly cannot cook worth a dime so this was a huge accomplishment for me. I say all that not to toot my own horn...but to encourage others who think they can't do it! I'm telling ya...If I can do it...anyone can do it!
So the big question is how did Aubrey Lane like her new food? See for yourself!
Clean as a whistle!
Whatcha got there mom?
Um...what the heck did you just put in my mouth?
I'm not too sure about this orange stuff.
Let me think about it for a moment.
I think I like it! Yay!
Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for this post. Evie is almost 5 months and we've been debating about starting solids sooner rather than later since I have been exclusively pumping and it's wearing me out...anyway...I was just starting my home made baby food research this week and I am LOVING the simplicity and encouragement of your post! Aubrey is adorable and seems to love her yummy orange food!
ReplyDeleteGirl, it is so easy! I was stressing out too but I'm telling ya...it was no big deal! She did great with the carrots, haven't tried the sweet potatoes yet! I hope to try squash next week! Let me know how it goes with Evie!!
DeleteI love that you make homemade baby food. If there is one thing I regret about mothering, its NOT making homemade baby food. And, your baby is too cute for words!
ReplyDeleteLove it! I need to do this for Henry before he is too big for babyfood. It's so much cheaper and you make it sound so easy. Aubrey is such a big girl!
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly how the mama did it when i was a nanny. It's been several years, i was afraid i'd have to call her for a refresher when the time came! HAHA! I'll definitely be coming back to this post. ;)
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