Monday, October 25, 2010
Making Baby Food
Yum-o! Last night my facebook status spurred some new moms' attention when I posted this comment, "It is so interesting how homemade baby food looks true to the vegetable color but jarred food is all variations of brown. It goes to show that preservatives and processed foods lose their vitamins. I am proud that I have kept up making it all for Bailey."It's true I have made it all. We have used jarred food only when absolutely necessary, like on vacation....otherwise its all been homemade. I don't want you to think I am a chef or an expert in the kitchen because I am not. I am just a mom trying to provide the best for for her baby! And you too can do it too...with just a little knowledge and a bit of love and care in the kitchen.
Ok first things first! Here are the things you need to have in order to be able to get off on the right foot...a food processor, spoons, and some ice cube trays. Now I knew I was in for the long haul so I bought ice cube trays with lids from Babies R Us. Kinda expensive, but if you plan on use them every week, you'll surely get your money out of them. I have 8. I love them and use them A LOT. But if you are not sure that making baby food is for you...you might just want to buy some ice cube trays and cover them aluminum foil. Or if you want to go the cheap way..this is the route for you! Either way is acceptable.
Once you decide on the route you are going to go with the ice cube trays, wash everything thoroughly and get ready! If you are just starting solids for the first time, we need to talk about cross contamination---This means that you have to wash everything, soap and water, between different foods. Just in case your LO is allergic.
When I started making foods for Bailey I started with avocado...it is as bland as they come. I mushed it with a fork very finely and fed it to her...easy peasy! Right?? No work involved yet!
Now it's time for the real business to begin. After Eric and I waited three days, just to make sure she wasn't allergic to avocado- we started butternut squash!
Here's what to do: First buy and wash the outside of the butternut squash. I usually buy two at a time. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then cut off each of the ends.Cut the butternut squash in half, so that you have the bulb part and the neck part. Then split the two pieces in half and scoop out the seeds. Place in a 13 x 9 pan skin side up. Fill the pan half full of water and cook for 40 minutes. When the timer rings, pull each piece of squash out of the oven and place in an ice bath. (A bowl full of ice water.) This stops the cooking process and will help for easier peeling off of the skin. Peel off the skin and any tough strings that you might find on the squash. Put the "meat" in the food processor and puree. Depending on your child's eating habits you will need to thin it out with water to make the right consistency. New moms: thin it out coffee creamer consistency. Last place in molds and freeze. Label your ziploc bags with the food and the date cooked.
And BINGO you did it you made butternut squash! Pictures of the process will be posted soon.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Thursday!
Yesterday was a rough day for my Bailey girl- she had to get her four month shots. Yuck-o!!! I hate watching them stick her with two needles-one in each leg, while she turned bright red and screams. It makes me want to cry. I feel as if I cause her so much pain for bringing her there. The nurse reminded me though "you'd rather vaccine than watch her lie sick in a hospital." I know she is right, but ouch!
Needless to say she consumed my time for the rest of the day. The rest of her appointment was great. She is in the 75th percentile for height and weight. And now weighs in at 14 pounds and 10 ounces. Also she in 25 inches long. Boy, she is growing fast!
Today we went to mommy and me class in the morning which was good fun :) 17 moms and babies were there-we laughed and played and chit chatted about all things baby. I realized that among all the babies that were born within a few weeks of Bailey, she was the most alert and aware of her surroundings. Now if she could only roll over... Huh! Come on sweet girl roll over :)
Anywho- one if the moms brought up cloth diapers. There are a lot of cool products out there for moms that want to commit to this. I started thinking about all of the money you could save until I talked to Alison who brought me right back to reality. I give any mom props for saving the environment and using cloths diapers instead of disposable. I can't imagine dumping the poop into the toilet and then having to spray and wash them. For me it'd never work. Ewww...
But these same very green moms gave great advice on making your own baby food. I have committed to myself that I am going to make all if Bailey's baby food. I am getting pretty good at it. Tonight I made butternut squash, acorn squash, and bananas. Some of their advice was to vacuum seal it with a heated seal, otherwise you may lose out on the nutrients in the freezer. So on that note, I have invested in a heated vacuum sealer, Seal-a-Meal. I used it tonight with some carrots that were already pureed in the freezer. Worked great! I highly suggest picking one up if you plan on making your own baby food.
Needless to say she consumed my time for the rest of the day. The rest of her appointment was great. She is in the 75th percentile for height and weight. And now weighs in at 14 pounds and 10 ounces. Also she in 25 inches long. Boy, she is growing fast!
Today we went to mommy and me class in the morning which was good fun :) 17 moms and babies were there-we laughed and played and chit chatted about all things baby. I realized that among all the babies that were born within a few weeks of Bailey, she was the most alert and aware of her surroundings. Now if she could only roll over... Huh! Come on sweet girl roll over :)
Anywho- one if the moms brought up cloth diapers. There are a lot of cool products out there for moms that want to commit to this. I started thinking about all of the money you could save until I talked to Alison who brought me right back to reality. I give any mom props for saving the environment and using cloths diapers instead of disposable. I can't imagine dumping the poop into the toilet and then having to spray and wash them. For me it'd never work. Ewww...
But these same very green moms gave great advice on making your own baby food. I have committed to myself that I am going to make all if Bailey's baby food. I am getting pretty good at it. Tonight I made butternut squash, acorn squash, and bananas. Some of their advice was to vacuum seal it with a heated seal, otherwise you may lose out on the nutrients in the freezer. So on that note, I have invested in a heated vacuum sealer, Seal-a-Meal. I used it tonight with some carrots that were already pureed in the freezer. Worked great! I highly suggest picking one up if you plan on making your own baby food.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Summer is finally here!
Summer is finally here! 24 hours a day and seven days a week with Bailey! I am so super excited :) Each year I will have the opportunity to get to spend eight weeks with my precious baby girl! Can you tell that I am thrilled!
Today started my summer off with a bang! I did the laundry, loaded the dishwasher, made Spicy Chicken soup, and started down the road of making all of the baby food that Bailey will eat!
Mom really got me started on the journey when we made some banana baby food last week when they were here with Bailey. The banana baby food was really simple. I peeled ripe bananas and sent them through the food processor and bingo just placed them in the freezer.
Over the weekend Eric and I made sweet potato purée. We peeled and boiled the potatoes and then sent them through the food processor. And then added just a bit of water to get a smoother consistency.
I was getting pretty confident in my skills, so I thought I would try to make carrots. I learned a three valuable lessons. Lesson #1: Make sure to boil them until they are completely soft otherwise you'll get shredded carrots. Lesson #2: Use the carrot water to add into the food processor for a smoother consistency. Lesson #3: Cut carrots into smaller chunks for faster boiling. All in all the carrots are in the freezer!
Tomorrow I need to get two things to make my baby food process easier: a thinner strainer (smaller holes) and some ice cube trays. I am going to attempt making broccoli tomorrow!
Today started my summer off with a bang! I did the laundry, loaded the dishwasher, made Spicy Chicken soup, and started down the road of making all of the baby food that Bailey will eat!
Mom really got me started on the journey when we made some banana baby food last week when they were here with Bailey. The banana baby food was really simple. I peeled ripe bananas and sent them through the food processor and bingo just placed them in the freezer.
Over the weekend Eric and I made sweet potato purée. We peeled and boiled the potatoes and then sent them through the food processor. And then added just a bit of water to get a smoother consistency.
I was getting pretty confident in my skills, so I thought I would try to make carrots. I learned a three valuable lessons. Lesson #1: Make sure to boil them until they are completely soft otherwise you'll get shredded carrots. Lesson #2: Use the carrot water to add into the food processor for a smoother consistency. Lesson #3: Cut carrots into smaller chunks for faster boiling. All in all the carrots are in the freezer!
Tomorrow I need to get two things to make my baby food process easier: a thinner strainer (smaller holes) and some ice cube trays. I am going to attempt making broccoli tomorrow!
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