I want to welcome you to my homemade baby food blog! I have noticed on Facebook and in talking with my mommy friends that there is a need to explain the process of making baby food. THERE IS NO NEED TO BUY AN EXPENSIVE BABY FOOD STEAMER/COOKER/PUREER!! I will get into that a little later though.
Our 1st experiment with making baby food included butternut and acorn squash, and carrots. We went to a local farm to get the squash and the carrots came from Pick N Save. A 6 oz jar of Gerber carrots is $.65. A 1 lb. bag of carrots from Pick N Save is $.89. That's 4 servings, approximately of carrots for $.24 more than 1 serving of Gerber!
Personally, I think it's healthier. Homemade veggies are more vibrant in color than jarred veggies. In culinary school we were taught, the brighter the vegetables, the better. The color is more appealing to those eating/ serving it and the vitamins and nutrients are still in the veggies. For green items, beans, spinach, asparagus, etc, you want them to be bright green. Think of fresh spring grass, not camouflage green.The longer you cook them, the more nutrients are cooked out of them. Many store-bought baby foods add water, sugars and fillers to their product, which is nutritionally bad for your baby. Also, many store-bought baby foods are cooked at extremely high temperatures to kill bacteria, thus killing flavor and vital nutrients. Many manufacturers also add things like butter and salt to their product, which your baby doesn't need in their diet.
Now, let's get into the topic of baby food makers. DON'T DO IT! I know it's intriguing and looks like it will save you time and money-- it won't. Don't get a Baby Bullet or a Baby Brezza or the like, these companies are targeting us who make our own food and simply making tons of money off of us! What you need is an immersion blender. This is the one I have: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSB-77-Blender-Chopper-Attachments/dp/B0006G3JRO/ref=sr_1_2?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1325441323&sr=1-2. I love it! I use it to make pureed soups as well as baby food. It's extremely versatile and a lot less expensive than the machines specifically developed for making baby food. Believe me, I nearly bought a Baby Brezza at $99 + the cost of storage containers which are $14.99 for 4, and that's not nearly enough storage to stock up. The immersion blender that I have has a chopper, like a mini food processor that attaches to the immersion blender and I even make my own baby cereal with it! We take oatmeal, put it in the container and process to desired grit. It takes all of 5 minutes to do and it's a lot cheaper than oatmeal specifically for babies. And guess what?!? It's the same exact thing!!
As for storage containers, don't get the specialized ones just for baby food. Glad storage containers come in a 4 oz size and you get 8 in a pack for about $3. They are BPA free and freezer and dishwasher safe, just like the specialized baby food containers. There is a down side to these containers, however. They don't stack very nicely in the freezer. We have a chest freezer though, and it has baskets in it, so we put all of the containers in the baskets. Be sure to label what everything is and date it before putting it in the freezer though. Many items start to look alike in the containers. Baby food can remain in the freezer for up to 6 months but the best time to use them is within 3 months for nutrient retention. If you use ice cube trays, 3 months tops, as they will form ice crystals.
* I haven't broken down the cost of organic veggies vs. organic jarred veggies.
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| Yum! Squash!!! http://www.sharecare.com/question/why-homemade-baby-food-healthier |
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