Homemade Baby Food

I decided pretty early on that I wanted to make Gabriel's baby food. The pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. It's fresher, more nutritious, without additives & fillers, and often times cheaper. Ready-made baby foods are heated to very high temperatures in order to withstand a longer shelf life but this destroys many of the natural flavors, aromas and key nutrients (credit: The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet). On the down side, it does take more time than swiping jars off the store shelf and it requires more planning to take on-the-go.

After cooking the fruit or vegetable by steaming or baking it, I would let it cool down and puree it using my Ninja Master Prep blender {thanks, Mom & Dad W!}. To get the right consistency for the stage Gabe was at, I would mix in a little water or Bmilk. My Ninja came with 5 different containers and lids. It worked perfectly for making baby food, and I've also used it to make mixed berry sorbet & soups, too!

For freezing, I used OXO Tot Baby Food Freezer Trays {thanks, Mom!}. I also used them for stockpiling my freezer stash of Bmilk in Gabriel's first few months. They come in a set of 2, and each tray holds fourteen (14) 3/4-ounce cubes. Looking back now, my baby food-making probably would have been more efficient with more than two; it's doable, obviously, just slower because I could only freeze a little at a time. I just cooked a few foods at once and refrigerated the purees until I could get them in the freezer trays, one after another.

Once the cubes were frozen, they easily rocked out of the trays to be stored in freezer bags! Initially I swore by Ziploc brand but quickly realized it would be easier to get a good seal with a slide-lock instead of a zipper you have to pinch all together, especially when you have your arms full with a hungry baby! I switched to Hefty One Zip quart & gallon size freezer bags.

When it came time to introduce Gabriel to meat, I made several chicken & beef combinations with fruits and vegetables. I'll be honest, making meats into baby food intimidated me, but I was determined to give him the freshest, yummiest, most natural things to eat!