Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Food pour le Bebe.

A good friend of mine sent me a text today, asking how I made Cub's baby food and if I planned on doing it again for Naomi. I knew I had written a blog post about it back in the day and sure enough, after lots of digging around on the old bliggity-blog, I found my entry. I was excited, thinking that Yes! I can just copy and paste! So, I did. And then I realized that, as is true to form with myself, I did not have very many exact measurements. Nor references. Sigh, so typical.

But, what I do have, is the blog post! Here it is! Written during an ice storm.

My Mom made mine when I was a baby, with a blender, so I think that has inspired me. Since we have been sequestered to the house, I've taken it upon myself to brew up some food to store in the freezer. It took some time to get used to it, but once I did, I was on a roll. I would steam the veggies or fruit and then scoop some into my electric food mill (it was a gift, purchased at Pottery Barn Kids). Then I would remove the steamer from the pot and ladle some of the water into the food mill as well (the water is nutrient-rich from the veggies/fruit and helps thin them out). Then I would place the covered steamer back on the pot, to keep the veggies/fruit warm, and would proceed to blend the veggies/fruit in the food mill. After they were the right consistency, I poured 2-3 tablespoons into little plastic Gladware containers (they were on sale) and stuck a label on them before putting them in the freezer. After much peeling, chopping, steaming, and ladling, I have a good portion of green beans, peas, spinach, pears, and sweet potatoes in the freezer.

(I saved the sweet potatoes for last, just in case there were, you know, leftovers. That I would need to eat. Which I am eating right now.)

I loved doing this. It felt so empowering to do all of this work for Cubbie, knowing that I was giving him something that was healthy, that I made myself. I know I won't always be this industrious and that there may be days when he is older where his lunch will consist of goldfish crackers and Kool-Aid. And I'm sure someone will tell me that Gladware is made of some sort of toxic plastic. But, tonight this all felt really good. I feel like I did something really good for Cub.

I feel like ... well, a Mom.

An industrious one at that.

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I know I started Cub on green veggies first and worked my way up to sweet potatoes and pears and applesauce (you know, the good stuff). I've heard that www.wholesomebabyfood.com is a great resource (I checked it out and it looks good). When it came to correct measurements of veggies and water (some people suggest using juice to blend the veggies--I always preferred the water), I just started with a little of the steamed water and added it until the fruit or veggie was the consistency I wanted. Cub always preferred his food thicker rather than thin. In fact, I remember the first time I bought packaged baby food, I was amazed at how soupy it was! So, it just depends on how your baby rolls. Cub liked his rice cereal thick, so I knew he'd like his "solid" foods to be thick as well.


I know you can buy containers specifically designed for baby food. I liked the Gladware just fine, but anything works. Also, I steamed EVERYTHING. I never microwaved any of the fruit or veggies (unless they came in a steam-ready bag). Steaming on the stovetop was just easier for me!


And yes, I definitely plan on making Naomi's food in a few months. It was incredibly cost-efficient, plus I enjoyed doing it!


I hope that answers your questions, friend!


Have a lovely day.

3 comments:

  1. I lived and breathed by the book "Super Baby Food" when I made Owen's food. I still use it because it has great recipes for toddlers and a wealth of nutritional information. Love it! http://www.superbabyfood.com/

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  2. I'm a Super Baby Food fan, too! I liked making my own baby food because I could give Eli (now 16 months)foods that you don't typically find in stores (especially in rural Southern Illinois). Recently, I made up my own recipe. I baked and mashed some sweet potatoes. Then I added a few eggs and homemade bread crumbs and formed them into patties. Then I covered the patties with more bread crumbs and milled flax seeds. (Think salmon/tuna patties, but with vegetables instead). They were very well received! Eli calls them cookies. I like to have something in the freezer for nights when mommy and daddy aren't exactly eating healthy.

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