I did not think that I would be one of those moms who makes homemade baby food. Why? I am running my own business and involved in so many things, I just figured I would let Gerber take that task off my plate. We started out buying the Gerber Organics and Mini Whipped was happy with everything. Thank God, I did not get a picky eater!
What first inspired me to make her food myself was all of the little containers. She is eating more and more at nearly 8 months of age and I felt like every day I cracked open these little jars and plastic containers one after the other after the other. After a visit to the doctor, I learned that she can eat anything except eggs, fish and nuts and to be watchful of too much sugar and salt. I felt so elated…. but wary.
Caroline: You mean ANYTHING else I want to give her?
Doctor: As long as it isn’t a choking hazard.
Caroline: So, what about spaghetti and meatballs all blended up?
Doctor: Sounds good.
Caroline: What about mango, banana smoothies.
Doctor: Sure.
Caroline: Well, what about Kale? What if I cooked Kale?
Doctor (losing patience): Yes.
Now I have become obsessed with making baby food. And, so far, Mini Whipped likes everything except black beans and mashed potatoes. On her “love it” list: pancakes, mango, Ropa Vieja (Cuban Beef Stew), swiss chard…the list is growing daily.
You may not want to be as brazen as I am with your little one’s palate. I am such a food junkie (addict?) that I feel warm from my inside out when I make a delicious Cuban Beef Stew and my little cherub kicks her legs in delight with each bite. Below are some simpler more tame ideas to start with. Please note that I am not an expert and you should get approval from your own doctors before feeding new things to your babies.
STORAGE: Put baby food in ice cube trays, pop them out and store them plastic freezer bags and remove a few as needed.
YOGURT PARFAIT: These are great when you will be on the go. In a jar, layer plain yogurt, applesauce (no sugar added) and a sprinkle of baby food rice or oatmeal cereal. Mix it all up before feeding.
TURKEY DINNER: Saute half a package (3/4lb.) of ground turkey meat. Put it in a food processor or blender with about 1 cup of sliced, cooked carrots and 1 cup of cooked rice. Use water little by little as needed to process until thick and smooth.
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP: I used chicken thighs to make a basic chicken soup. I removed some of the chicken, noodles and a little broth before adding any salt or spices and blended it up.
CINNAMON PEAR BANANA: Steam pears for about 3 minutes. Blend them with banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
FOR NON PARENTS: If you do not have children and you have read this whole post anyway, I will reward you with an idea! I just found this idea in the magazine ReadyMade and I wish I had thought of it sooner. Freeze leftover coffee in ice cube trays and use it in iced coffee drinks so they don’t get watered down. And, freeze leftover wine in cubes to pop into sauces easily.
November 21st, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Is it wrong to admit that I used leftovers for baby food bases? It seems to have worked. My son, 12 in a week or so, is 5’7″ so things seem to have worked out.
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
[...] Homemade Baby Food Ideas – Whipped [...]
November 23rd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Great ideas! I’ll tuck this away for March when my son is born. Happy to have aided your idea generation!
November 23rd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Dudette, that is so clever!! I love it. I don’t have a baby but you know, one day… :-)
November 24th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
we have a little one on the way (coming in february). How many months old is your little one? I have always heard that you start “real” food at 6 months.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Look at you fancy pants! Making your own baby food. I knew it was just a matter of time when your curiousity got the better of you. Of course the little one has a great palate :)
K
November 24th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I felt right at home with this post. Fortunately my second son will eat anything and everything I put in front of him and our freezer is full of little bags with frozen cubes like yours! Avocado is another easy one b/c it mashes up with a fork.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
You go, Mom! I loved making my babies’ food back in the early 90′s. (Though then in New Jersey where we lived I had to make special outings to find organic fruits and veggies to use.) So cheap, so unwasteful, so connected to what we were eating. I asked a local day care center for used baby food jars, and was given about 2 dozen. In addition to the ice cube thing, I’d put food in these to freeze (after a run in the d/w to sterilize). They were easy to grab on the way out of the house, to warm and serve at a friend’s or cafe or wherevere I was going. And, to back up Dana at #1, my 15 year old is over 6’3″, so no growth was stunted…
November 24th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Oh, how I miss those days! I just thought of the perfect gadget I wish I had known about when I was in your shoes. Seen recently in my Wiliams-Sonoma catalog—it’s an all-in-one steamer/processor/warmer/defroster for making baby food at home. True, you can do all these things with stuff you already have, but 1 gadget makes it so handy. Plus it’s cute & small, not taking up much counter space.
In case you haven’t seen it, it’s called a Beaba Babycook. I’ve seen them online at Williams-Sonoma and Amazon. Just thought I’d pass on the 411…
November 25th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Though I don’t have any children yet, I am so encouraged by your post! I hope I am brave enough (and have the time) to do this for my child! And I hope I too don’t have a picky eater…someday…when I actually have a child that is. ; )
November 25th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
I am childless and yes read through (thank you for the tips) but um…. leftover wine? Really?? Really?
I’ll definitely pass this on to my parent-friends.
December 6th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Have you seen this fabulous article?! More inspiration for you…
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/dining/01baby.html?scp=10&sq=keith%20dixon&st=cse
April 20th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
[...] A child’s first year of life is a whirlwind. Some days, if you watch close enough, I swear you could see them grow right before your eyes. Mini Whipped’s palate has evolved as fast as her motor skills. It has kept this cook on her toes! By 5 months, we were feeding her rice cereal. A few months later, I started making her homemade baby food and freezing it in ice cube trays. (Find first set of baby food tips here.) Now, at 1 year of age, she will eat just about anything. Still, I have found that having readymade meals in the freezer makes things easy when our schedules are taxing. [...]
May 1st, 2009 at 2:44 pm
this is so good. i have never heard of this. i will have to try it.
June 18th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Wonderful idea and freezing homemade baby food ahead of time makes things so much easier. Great post, thanks for sharing.
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:48 am
While salt is an important ingredient of a balanced diet, too much of salt consumed regularily leads to a lot of health complications. Salt can be minimized in our diet by various ways and at the same time keeping the taste of the food delicious.
January 28th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Just searched back for this post. I need to get more creative with Pens, so thanks for the ideas. Our 22 pounder is getting tired of plain old carrots.
June 12th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
I do not have any children (I’m 23) but read this post anyway.. and I’m glad I did. I LOVE the idea of freezing coffee to put into iced coffee!! That is such a simple idea… why on earth didn’t I think of that? Thanks!!
August 3rd, 2011 at 5:02 pm
[...] the spoon into her mouth as fast as possible. I am excitedly dusting off the blender, remembering baby food recipes and eagerly awaiting the many “food firsts” coming down the pike for our littlest. [...]
August 13th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
[...] entire community of them into the house last week on some extra ripe bananas I bought for making baby food. Luckily, I remember a trick my dear friend Stephanie taught me. Remove the fruit that is causing [...]
August 15th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
Baby Girl is only 3 months old & I’m excited for when she starts solids. i was not expecting to find baby food on this blog but so happy I found it. These are some great ideas that I hope to implement in a couple of months. My hope & prayer for baby girl is for a healthy appetite/palate & and a healthy digestive system :-). Lets see. Thanks for sharing.
February 11th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Scotsman Ice Machine…
[...]Homemade Baby Food Ideas :: Whipped[...]…