Homemade Baby Food From a Mama Who Doesn't Cook

Okay, so I have to admit... when I first read about mamas making their own baby food my first thought was "I don't even cook for myself and Mark, why would I cook for the baby". But then Jase was born, and the motherly instincts kicked in and I wanted to do it all... I wanted to be the cloth-diapering, strictly-nursing, baby food-making mama. Well, the cloth diapers are leaking, my milk wasn't coming in enough but the baby food... I CAN DO IT! And you can too...

Before we started at 5 months I researched everything... but I was hung up on what I needed. Do I get a blender or food processor? Baby Bullet or Beaba? Steamer or press? Silicone trays? Ice cube trays? And don't even get me started on storage... I have come to the conclusion that every mama has her own system and what works for one, might not work for another. Here is what I do... so take it for what its worth.

I start with fruits and veggies. I buy frozen... We eat frozen veggies so our son will too. All of this cost about $14.

I usually do one fruit or veggie at a time. I developed a schedule where every Sunday afternoon I set aside an hour and make one fruit and one veggie. Because they last so long I didn't need to do more than that a week. This allowed for a great rotation and many choices for him. I just started by peeling (if needed). This here is squash... one of his favorites.

Next, I cube it and put it in a pot with just enough water to cover it. Bring it to a boil for about 5-10 minutes.

I then drain the water but keep it in a bowl. For some fruits or veggies you may need to add water to make it the consistency that you little one likes/needs. If I do need to add water I use this excess water because it still has some of the nutrients in it. I just use a basic blender that has a puree setting. I debated on the baby bullet or some of the others but figured to try our brand new blender that has been sitting in our cupboard never used since our wedding... and it works!

Once I have gotten the consistency I want I spoon it into one ounce ice cube trays. I picked these up at Wal-Mart. Pros: Cheap in cost, comes with a cover Cons: It is hard to get the cubes out (I have to run warm water over the bottom) You can find the trays here.

I then place the cubes in a zip locked bag with the date labled on it and stick it in the freezer. These cubes are great when eating at home... I just pop one or two out, warm it up (be careful with the microwave) and dinner is served.

When we go out and feed him away from home I like to use these pouches. They can be bought at Babies R Us and the whole system is less than $30. You just scoop the food in then use the little tool to push it right in. You can find the Fresh Squeeze Station here.

These are great to throw in the diaper bag and eat on the run. They even have a spoon attachment so no bowl is needed.

Again, by no means am I a pro in the kitchen but I have found that this is so easy, healthier, and much much cheaper.