Although most of my readers probably already know HOW to make baby food, I thought I'd do a baby food making post. The reason(s) being:
1) I couldn't think of anything else.
2) I'm thinking of finally doing a Part 2 to this post, and making my own baby food is ONE way I help save our family money.
3) Because it's my blog and I can.
4) This little guy needed some (half) face time, and as you can see from the dirty highchair, hims likes some baby food.
So, here goes:
Today's lesson will be on how to make baby carrots. With baby food reaching an alarming $.69 a jar, it not only disgusts me to spend that kind of money, but I also can't help but wonder what extra "stuff" they put in it to make it stay the color that it should be (AKA..baby bananas, why aren't they brown?).
Anyway, I start with plain old carrots (or any other fruit/veggie I can find on sale).
Next, I dice the carrots as small as my knife and patience will allow. Smaller cubes means faster cooking time.
After cubing, I steam the carrots in AS LITTLE WATER AS POSSIBLE. I do this because I know that while cooking, the water gets all the good stuff, vitamins, minerals, etc. Then, I can just blend the water right in after they are cooked and I can keep all the goods from the "juice."
When the carrots (or whatever) become fork tender, I place them, a few tablespoons at a time into the blender. I blend after every few tablespoons so that I can get the desired consistency. For Stage 1 baby food, add LOTS of water. As your child progresses through the stages, you can make it lumpier and thicker. Baby D likes his food THICK, so if it's too runny when you go to feed them you can always add some rice (or oatmeal) cereal to thicken it up.
Once pureed to the consistency of your choice, I put my baby food into ice cube trays. Each cube holds about 1 tablespoon of baby food. Baby D will eat as much as 6 cubes at 1 meal!
I cover the ice cube trays in tin foil or saran wrap and freeze for at least 36 hours.
Once the cubes are frozen, I pop them out and bag them in zipper freezer bags.
Yeah, I'm just like a cooking show. I already had a bag of Sweet Potatoes prepared, so that's what you're getting to see.
When it's time to feed your little person, just pop a few cubes into a microwave safe dish, and microwave on high about 10 seconds per cube. Be sure to test the temperature though before you feed your baby so that your little one doesn't get burned.
And there you have it. This is my small way of helping ease the cost of our ever rising grocery bill. What are your secrets to making your grocery bills cheaper?
1) I couldn't think of anything else.
2) I'm thinking of finally doing a Part 2 to this post, and making my own baby food is ONE way I help save our family money.
3) Because it's my blog and I can.
4) This little guy needed some (half) face time, and as you can see from the dirty highchair, hims likes some baby food.
So, here goes:Today's lesson will be on how to make baby carrots. With baby food reaching an alarming $.69 a jar, it not only disgusts me to spend that kind of money, but I also can't help but wonder what extra "stuff" they put in it to make it stay the color that it should be (AKA..baby bananas, why aren't they brown?).
Anyway, I start with plain old carrots (or any other fruit/veggie I can find on sale).
Next, I dice the carrots as small as my knife and patience will allow. Smaller cubes means faster cooking time.
After cubing, I steam the carrots in AS LITTLE WATER AS POSSIBLE. I do this because I know that while cooking, the water gets all the good stuff, vitamins, minerals, etc. Then, I can just blend the water right in after they are cooked and I can keep all the goods from the "juice."When the carrots (or whatever) become fork tender, I place them, a few tablespoons at a time into the blender. I blend after every few tablespoons so that I can get the desired consistency. For Stage 1 baby food, add LOTS of water. As your child progresses through the stages, you can make it lumpier and thicker. Baby D likes his food THICK, so if it's too runny when you go to feed them you can always add some rice (or oatmeal) cereal to thicken it up.
Once pureed to the consistency of your choice, I put my baby food into ice cube trays. Each cube holds about 1 tablespoon of baby food. Baby D will eat as much as 6 cubes at 1 meal!I cover the ice cube trays in tin foil or saran wrap and freeze for at least 36 hours.Once the cubes are frozen, I pop them out and bag them in zipper freezer bags.Yeah, I'm just like a cooking show. I already had a bag of Sweet Potatoes prepared, so that's what you're getting to see.When it's time to feed your little person, just pop a few cubes into a microwave safe dish, and microwave on high about 10 seconds per cube. Be sure to test the temperature though before you feed your baby so that your little one doesn't get burned.
And there you have it. This is my small way of helping ease the cost of our ever rising grocery bill. What are your secrets to making your grocery bills cheaper?