Making Time for Homemade

Something I have become very passionate about is making homemade baby food for my daughters. It takes up a lot of time, which quite frankly as a mother of seven month old twins I do not have very much of. But it is a sacrifice I make because I want my girls to grow up eating healthy. By making all of their baby food I know exactly what is going into their mouths - pureed fruits and vegetables. No preservatives, sugars, salts, or other ingredients. It is also well known that commercial baby foods are heated to very high temperatures so they can last a long time in those little jars. This depletes some of the nutritional value of the food. I mean meat in a jar…I don't know how you feel about that, but um, BARF! I want my girls to enjoy fresh, homemade food as much as possible.



                          




The other main reason I choose to make my own baby food is because it is SO MUCH CHEAPER! Kids are expensive and having twins is twice as expensive, so I try to save money where ever I can. Even if you find jarred baby food on sale there is still no comparison to the amount of money you save making your own baby food. For example, a one pound bag of frozen green peas sets me back a mere $1. That one bag yields about 20 ounces of baby food. Bananas are cheap, averaging about 59 cents per pound and each banana makes around 8 ounces of food for my little ones.

                                

I still use some store bought baby food. Some fruits and vegetables are just too time consuming and cumbersome to prepare for me. To be 100% honest I am not going to peel, core, boil, and then puree a bag of apples to make applesauce. I am not Wonder Woman! So I settle on store-bought, organic, unsweetened applesauce. I am also not going to go through the same process for pears. I buy organic pears in 100% juice. A jar of pear halves runs about $1.19 and stretches a bit further than pears in a jar. And homemade prunes… I think it's pretty self-explanatory why I don't want to go there. All in all, I am a firm believer that everything is good in moderation. My girls get the majority of their foods homemade by me and I am so proud I can say that.

I use the Baby Bullet because it was given to me, but a blender or food processor works just as well. I make most foods ahead of time and freeze them in storage bags. Foods stay good in the freezer for one month and it is easy to take out just the amount I need for meals. The Baby Bullet system is great because it comes with 2 ounce storage jars and a freezing tray. But an alternative to that would be to use regular ice trays. Once the food is completely frozen you can pop each one out and place into a freezer bag. Each ice cube is about 1 ounce. There are also other brands that sell baby food storage trays and containers, but of course they are a bit more pricey.

                            



I truly enjoy making baby food for my girls and I look forward to the new fruits and veggies they can try as they grow. I can't wait to start experimenting with new recipes and combinations as their palettes expand. I know making baby food is not for everyone. But if you have the drive to do it and dedicate the time it is well worth it for your little one!