Homemade Baby Food

Yummy, squash!!

With baby number two, I decided to attempt to make my own baby food.  I read all over online and everyone made it sound super simple.  My first attempt was green beans.  They turned out kinda watery and a little too chunky.  I might save them and use them when baby is a little more of a skilled eater.

My second attempt was with butternut squash.  This time I do believe I can declare it a total success. 

The process really is simple.  If I can do it, anyone can.  Of course, I did buy a recipe book of sorts...I needed to have the directions in black and white right in front of my face while I was making the food.  The book that I used is called The Basic Baby Food Cookbook, which  I found on Amazon.  It is the absolute basic on how to steam, process and freeze your baby food.  Also, it is sorted by the age that your baby should eat certain foods, and lists the different minerals and vitamins your baby is getting when eating each food.

So, how do you do it?  Here's the abbreviated version.

Steam your fruit or veggie until well done....way more soft that you or I would prefer.  Do not add any seasonings to the food.  You can use either fresh or frozen foods.  Don't get rid of the water in the pan from steaming the food, it has some of the food's nutrients in it and you will add it to your food when you process it.

Next, let the food cool.  When it has cooled, remove skin if needed and then put in your food processor or blender.  Add about 2 ozs of the reserved water to begin with and start processing.  You may need to add more water, just make sure to do it slowly.  I found out the hard way that adding too much water is not very cool. 

If you have a baby new to eating baby food, you may want to strain the food before you freeze it.  To freeze, just put the processed food into ice cube trays, tap them on the counter to get any air bubbles out and put in the freezer.  Once they are frozen,  you can put them into a freezer bag, and label them with the food and date you made it.  It is good for 3 months!

To serve, put a cube or two into a small bowl, cover it and put it in the fridge overnight.  It should be ready for you the next day.