Making My Own Baby Food - It's easier and cheaper than you think!

For my first born son, I made 90% of his baby food myself. It wasn't because I wanted to be different or all organic. It was basically for cost reasons. If I pureed the food myself, I could save SO much money. I also knew exactly what he was eating and I feel like it helped him to try new flavors and eat what we ate.

Here's a picture of some of my little girl's sweet potatoes (frozen cubes and thawed puree)

I googled and read recipes, finding the method and technique I liked the best. I watched produce sales and would stock up when the price was right.  At meal times, it was so easy to just pull a couple cubes out the freezer, mix some items into a palatable combination and thaw. If the puree seemed too thick, I could add more water. If it seemed to runny, I would thicken it with baby cereal.

I purchased these ice cube trays because they make flat cubes - I could easily fill a gallon sized freezer bag with the frozen cubs and store them easily and efficiently in our deep freezer in a wire basket.

I had four of these trays and it was more than enough. (Amazon seemed to have the best prices - here or here. They sell them in sets of two). If you don't make large quantities of food at one time, you could get away with just two trays.  I would use a tiny spatula to smooth the tops of the puree. And I found that if I made sure that all the little lines of the tray were wiped clean of the puree, the cubes would release from the trays much easier once frozen. I would just use a paper towel to clean up the tops of the tray and then seal the tray in plastic wrap before freezing. After 24 hours, the cubes were solid enough to be placed in the large freezer bags. I would date and label each bag with a sharpie before filling. 

For some reason (maybe it's just because I don't get that much sleep) all these little colorful cubes of frozen food make me really happy. I had tried regular ice cube trays, but they didn't stack as neatly in the freezer (and they weren't half as cute). It really didn't take that much time. I enjoy cooking and with the help of my food processor/blender, I could quickly puree, pour and freeze a certain food in no time. 

I wish that I had found this book two years ago when I was trying to figure out the best methods and recipes. The Amazing Make-Ahead Baby Food Book is an ideal resource. In beautiful picture filled glossy pages, this hardback gives more than enough information to make the reader feel confident in their abilities to make their own baby food.

The pictures are beautiful and the pages are filled with those colorful little frozen cubes! And the instructions are easy to understand.

There are example shopping lists (how much to buy and what to look for), step by step instructions, ideas for finger foods, and my favorite - cooking session charts that easily illustrate how to prepare and puree the different foods.  The book describes how to introduce foods to your babies (and her descriptions were very similar to what my pediatrician had told me). There are menu planning charts (3 months at a time), tips for traveling or on-the-go meals and a flavor compatibility guide. I appreciated that her "on the go" tips included sometimes just purchasing baby food. Or you could buy an avocado or banana while you are out. Her tips are realistic. 

There are some new flavor combinations and different foods that I hope to try with my second child. I so wish I would have had this book when I was making my son's food. It's a great resource.

Here's some more easy and yummy recipes to try! I love finding new flavor combinations!

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.