Homemade Baby Food

I'm so thankful that last year I had the opportunity to nanny for a sweet little girl and practice so many things before John Ryman arrived.  I had never thought of making my own baby food until I started nannying.  The mom had received several baby cookbooks as gifts and as I read through them, I realized not only did it look really simple, but delicious!  I would make tons of food for her during naptime and freeze little cubes...servings that would last over the next few weeks.  Not only is it healthier for your baby, but it also made me try new vegetables and fruit and start eating healthier myself.  So far, John Ryman has had carrots and yellow squash.  I plan on doing apples and sweet potatoes next.  By 4 months, JR was already wanting something more than a bottle and his Dr said it was okay to start him on a little cereal (Earth's Best Organic- Whole Grain Rice Cereal).  He LOVED it and ate so well from the spoon.   After a month of cereal, I went ahead and picked up some carrots to try some real food! (If you buy regular carrots, peel of a little of the skin because it can taste bitter, but if you buy the little carrots, they should be sweet enough)

All you do is peel (if necessary), chop up the vegetable/fruit, steam until soft and place in blender to puree.  I have found that my blender purees the best for now, but when he is able to eat a thicker mixture I can start using the food processor/ baby bullet.

Start Fresh is my favorite cookbook- not just for baby food, but there are some awesome recipes towards the end that Patrick and I have already tried!  For right now, I am just storing JR's food for the week in the fridge in small containers, but once he starts eating more I can make larger batches and freeze in ice cube trays, making it easy to pop out and warm up for each feeding.

JR sure loves the new tastes and fresh vegetables he has had so far :)  Patrick and I love it too!  I try to take out some for us before pureeing- after a little seasoning it's so fresh and delicious!