Peas!! And Pears!!
Last week I decided to start the baby-food making adventure.
Because, in case you weren't aware, baby food is expensive. Nothing against Gerber but DANG now that I know what it takes to make the stuff, they are making a KILLING!!
It was suprisingly easier and faster than I anticipated.
Want to know how I did it? Too bad, because I am telling you anyway!
You need:
Food
A blender (or food processor or whatever)
Ice Cube Trays [these were the HARDEST things to find!]
Saran Wrap
Freezer Bags
I bought these @ Target for $1.06.
I boiled them until they were cooked (mushy).I used my blender to do the pureeing and it worked awesome*.
So - I added the peas.
Then used the water they cooked in and added to just cover the peas.
**Note, DO NOT overfill whatever chopping device you use!! I blended in 2 batches**
I pureed until smooth.
Poored into ice cube trays.
Covered w/ saran wrap & frooze.
Covered w/ saran wrap & frooze.
Once frozen solid, pop out of trays and store in freezer bags.Label bags with food and date made!
For $1.06, I made 24 servings.
That's $.04/serving.
Need I say more?
Then I made pears. $.79/lb (I used 2 medium sized pears)
Then I made pears. $.79/lb (I used 2 medium sized pears)
Skin the pears, chop and boil until soft.Blend until smooth.
Portion out.Freeze.
Etc.
For $.79 I made 14 servings.$.06 per serving.
This adventure was TOTALLY worth it (for the cost and of course the benefit of knowing what my princess is eating....). I absolutely intend on doing much more.
I think next on our list will be sweet potatoes and squash.
I reference Wholesome Baby Food a lot (as recommended by a few bloggers as well) which gives great tips, reciepes and ideas.
I has babymaking SKILLZ people!
And, the baby liked it too.....
*I know some people do not have such great luck with a blender, but I wanted to try it before buying another kitchen gadget. Glad I saved the $$!
Thanks for demonstrating how easy it can be to prepare fresh food for your baby and for comparing the the savings to prepackaged food.
ReplyDeleteI totally made all of my younger son's baby food and now he's a MUCH better eater than my older boy. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteWhat is this world coming to? you are wayyyy too excited about making your own babyfood lol..but Gianna is worth it!!
ReplyDeletewoot woot! glad you had fun with it. i don't mind doing it at all and baby food is def. expensive! i'm glad the blender worked for ya. it could have been what i was doing (carrots and green beans) b/c i just could not get anything pureed except what was right around the blades. (grrrr!) but i already had a fp that i got for christmas last year. so i didn't have to go out and spend the 200 myself lol.
ReplyDeleteLooooved making my own baby food!! In fact, once Emma turned around 7-8 months I started pureeing EVERYTHING we were eating-- she LOVED the chicken and veggie lo mein we made one night lol. I also recommend avocado- you can just put it straight in the blender without cooking it. Word of advice- don't add too much water when freezing, b/c when you thaw them out, it'll be runny runny runny and you'll have to add cereal to thicken it out. I learned to leave it pretty thick when I froze it b/c when I thawed it out it was *perfect!* Congrats mama!!
ReplyDeleteRachel
yayyy!! how fun!! i commend you for making baby food! cheaper, healthier, so fun to make, you cant go wrong!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a better experience than I did. I felt like I cooked and cooked, blended and blended for such a little output. Maybe my kid was just a major pig and ate it way too fast. Or, maybe I'm just lazy :)
ReplyDelete