Mixing Baby Food

Now that Caelyn has had a variety of things, I was thinking about introducing her to mixed foods such as apples and bananas. Well, then I began to think that I would have to buy both and mix.. blah blah blah..

Then I had a good idea!

I have both apples and bananas made separately. I have a bunch of the gerber plastic containers that baby food comes in now and I unfreeze the previous night what she will eat the next day in these containers. They are also perfect for taking out somewhere the baby food you made.

Anyway, if I want her to eat apples and bananas.. I take out one of both and unfreeze them together in the same container.

This way eliminates waste. This is the perfect idea, I think because it opens up a variety of mixtures like...

apples & bananas

apples & peaches

apples & pears

peaches & bananas

pears & peaches

carrots & peas

sweet potatoes & apples

sweet potatoes & squash (caelyn hates so we won't be doing this!)

sweet potatoes & peas

The variety is endless! Some of the ones I am looking forward to trying.. but remember.. make sure you have introduced each ingredient separately, following the 4 Day Rule (more to come on this!).

apples & kiwi

kiwi & mango

mango & bananas

zucchini & carrots

avocado & bananas

Boy, there are so many good mixtures!

An Easy How-To Guide

Making your own baby food is not difficult. I thought it would be, but it is not. In fact, you can do this while doing other things like cooking dinner! This is an easy how-to guide on how to make your own baby food!

You don't have to buy anything to make baby food except a blender or food processor, if you do not already have one. I find that a blender is better because I can get a really good texture with this. What you use is up to you!

First, wash the vegetable/fruit. If it requires peeling, so do. Most do such as... carrots, apples, sweet potato, pears, etc, just to name a few.

Chop them up and boil them in water on the stove in order to soften them.

Once they are nice and soft, save the water or some of it.

Add the food into the blender. I find the puree setting is the best. Don't overstuff the blender, otherwise it won't do a good job. Slowly add the food in and add the water as need.

Once you have the food the way you want, pour the food into the ice cube trays.

Cover with either a lid or cling-wrap or whatever you have handy.

Freeze for 8-10hours.

Pop them out and store in ziplock bags.

Make sure to write on front of the bags what it is (because a lot look alike) and the date you made them.

Most can stay fresh for 3months. One ice cube is 1oz!

The directions can vary slightly depending on what you are cooking, but each recipe I post I will include the directions for that specific food!

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

One of the most important things to remember and I cannot stress enough to you is to clean the area in which you are making your baby food. This is super important because we are unable to achieve the amount of sterilization that factories can get. This is not a reason not to make your baby food though. All you truly must do is....
WASH YOUR HANDS!
Wash the countertops down
Clean the knives and pots in which you will be using
Clean the blender, food processor, etc.. what you are using
Make sure the ice cube trays, if you use them, are clean.
Clean the vegetables/fruit in which you are using
If you are making fruits/vegetables and meats, make sure that you change the cutting board because uncooked meat juices can transfer bacteria to fruits and vegetables.

All I am stressing to you is that you need to clean the area in which you are making the baby food.