First things first

We have zoomed through baby food with Sydney. She was very aware early on that she wanted to eat what her sister was eating. She did purees for a bit but then quickly moved on to finger foods. We've been here for awhile now. So I'll try to continue to post some thoughts and ideas for baby foods as we journey along, but I will primarily be posting foods that are for a little older baby.

If your little foodie is in the puree stage of food....well.... celebrate! It really is so, so, so easy to make your own baby food. It's fresher, more cost effective, and you can know where the food is coming from. Once you get a rhythm, you'll soon be a pro. And that's not to say you might never buy a jar of baby food from the store again because there are times it is nice to just crack open a jar and not have to plan. I get that. I've done it. It's nice at times. Although I will warn you, Norah would turn her little nose up at jarred baby food when I'd attempt to give it to her. She was so used to the fresh that it took some coaxing to get her to eat it. Seriously.

Really all you need for making your own baby food purees is a good blender, food processor, or magic bullet type contraption. Other than that it's the food and water. Viola'. Baby food. You can play with consistency. Some babies are picky about their consistency. Experiment. Play. Create. Have fun.

I always like to keep the food raw, lightly steamed, or lightly cooked to keep as much nutrition as possible intact in the food. So a steamer basket is a nice thing to have on hand. Some veggies do better cooked, i.e carrots, beets, sweet potatoes. Some veggies do well lightly steamed, i.e., broccoli, kale, spinach, green beans, and peas. Fruits typically puree nicely raw if you have a good quality blender. A steamed apple is a nice addition to a puree, especially if it is something your little one is refusing to eat. I could get my girls to eat anything if I added a little apple puree to it!


So that's all there is to it. Pick out some fresh veggies or fruits. (If your able find local, organic produce. You want to avoid all those crazy pesticides and such, especially for your precious little peanut as they are still growing and developing). If needed steam. Toss it in the appliance of your choice with some water. Again experimentation is key. And there you have it. Final project of amazingly healthy, fresh baby food.

There are all kinds of ways to store and make batches of baby food so your not constantly pureeing. My favorite book that goes into this in detail is, "Super Baby Food." As you make bigger batches then you have food when your on the go or in a rush. Warning here. Don't go too wild and crazy making purees to freeze.. You never know when that little foodie might just decide to forgo the purees and move on to finger foods, leaving you with a freezer full of purees to try to sneak into something!