Baby Food Factory

Disclaimer:  I certainly do not think I'm the only person to have ever made her own baby food.  I know it's easy and a lot of people do it.  This entry is meant more as a, "Yay!  A kitchen moron overcame her intimidation and did something" kind of tale.

When we were chosen by Momma T to be Annie's parents, I was so thrilled to begin planning my future as a stay-at-home mom.  I've wanted to stay home with my babies as long as I can remember...well before I was married and definitely as soon as my yearning to become a mother set in about three years ago.

I knew I do fine with daily chores like cleaning and doing laundry, but let's face it-the kitchen and I aren't great friends.  I'm easily intimidated by the thought of making a big meal and if there are more than five steps to a recipe, I'm often crying by step three.  Of all of my responsibilities as a "domestic engineer", cooking is the one I dread most.  Don't get me wrong-I do it, but I don't like it.

So...going back to late December when we found out our baby was on the way, several people asked if I planned to make my own baby food.  Rob immediately laughed out loud at the thought, which is partially why I was determined to at least try.  (We won't even discuss how he told Annie the other day, "Your mommy is becoming a good cook."  What?!! I said I didn't like to cook, not that the stuff I make tastes bad!!) Then, I asked one of my friends about her experience with making her baby's food.  Once she gave me a quick overview of how she does it, it didn't seem too difficult.

Well, this past weekend,  I took a deep breath, bought everything I'd need for baby food manufacturing and took the plunge!

Whoa...talk about being worried for nothing!

I started with the veggies.  For green beans, peas and carrots, I used frozen (with no salt added), cooked them in the microwave, put them in the blender and voila! pureed veggies!  Then, I transfered the puree to ice cube trays, put some press n' seal on top of the trays and put them in the freezer.

Next, I did the sweet potatoes.  I just peeled and cubed them (actually Rob did that part for me) and cooked them for about 20 minutes.

The sweet potatoes probably pureed faster and better than anything else I made.  I used three sweet potatoes and it made TONS.

 I also did some yellow squash, but it seems pretty watery once thawed, so I may try butternut squash next time instead.

Most of the fruit I bought had to ripen, so I just finished it tonight, but I did apples, bananas and pears.  All of these were super easy and quick to puree.

The best part about my baby food factory (besides the fact that I feel like I conquered the intimidation) is the money it saves!  We actually did a rough calculation of the cost per ounce of home made baby food versus store bought and it saves 15 to 20 cents per ounce!  When you consider that the Gerber first foods are sold in  5 ounce packs, that really adds up!  AND...we have enough baby food to last for a good two or three weeks.

So far, Annie hasn't rejected a single thing I've made, but she is definitely not a fan of bananas, which really upsets her banana-loving daddy and dog.

Now, if I could just master cooking for the two adults in the house, we'd be in good shape!

Until next time...

~M