Simple Homemade Baby Food

I have this reputation among my family for being somewhat…crunchy. I cosleep when my babies are young. I cloth diaper. I babywear. I (try) to avoid a lot of processed food (though, keeping it real, I just ate a fistful of M&M’s, so it’s not like I’m perfect!).

I also make my own baby food.

Now, honestly, many of these choices stem from ease. It’s EASIER for our family to do a lot of these things. Some of it it’s ecologically or philosophically driven, sure, but mostly, I’m all about doing what’s easiest.

So, baby food, then? Really? Here’s the thing with making baby food: it is embarrassingly simple. Cook food. Blend it. Feed your baby.

I got into this with Xander because 1) I had the time and 2) I like cooking and thought it sounded fun. It turned out to be fun, yes, but also time and money saving. I would make “batches” of food, then freeze the leftovers until the next meal time. I liked knowing what he was eating, and I liked knowing that it was something that I would be willing to eat myself (have you ever tried those jarred green bean purees?). I kept it up long into his toddler years, until he discovered independence and crackers and, well, now I’m happy if I can get him to eat anything that’s not an orange cracker in the shape of some animal.

But I digress.

Baby food.

It really is as simple as I said before.

1. COOK

Steam, roast, blanch, microwave, whatever. At first, start with one or two ingredients, fruits and/or vegetables. Cook until fork tender.

2. BLEND

Use your blender or food processor to blend until smooth. I usually add some of the cooking water to it to thin it out as needed (this adds back some of the vitamins that can get lost from the cooking process; don’t do this with carrots, though, add fresh water). You can add formula or breastmilk to thin the food, too, but if I do this I tend to do it right before serving.

3. STORE

Put food into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for a few days, or the freezer for a few months (rule of thumb is 3 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer). Ice cube trays make the PERFECT container to freeze leftover food in. It is in a simple 2oz portion. I freeze in the trays, then dump the frozen food out into a large ziplock baggie. No need to separate them into different bags.

4. FEED

Feed your baby! Start small, a tablespoon or two. Remember the general adage “food before one, just for fun.” It’s all about experience and texture and taste, not really about calories.  As your baby grows, you’ll learn what his/her appetite is. Right now I know that Luna really only eats in the evening, and takes 2 or so cubes. Mostly she just likes being included at dinner.

See? Easy! Here are some of the combos that I’ve done with my kids:

• Avocado and mango (I used frozen mango because it’s what was on hand).
• Asian Pears and oatmeal (blend the dry oatmeal until it’s a powder, mix with water in a 1:4 ratio; then add in steamed and blended pears)
• Sweet potato and apple (admittedly, Luna was not fond of this one)
• Butternut squash soup (I made some for the family and took out a portion before adding the cream – this is her current favorite!)
• Carrots and cinnamon or dill
• Beets and blueberries (Uh, a big hit, but VERY messy)
• Peas and mint

Don’t be afraid to add some spices, or even some butter or olive oil. I stay away from extra sugar (the soup I made did have a little bit of maple in it, though) and salt, or anything too spicy. But, in general, I try to make food that I would like the taste of.

I rarely buy ingredients specifically for baby food; I simply use food that I have and make it baby friendly. I don’t have special equipment, just a run of the mill blender and a very old steamer basket for the stovetop. Making baby food does not have to be a big production or intimidating. As Luna gets older, I plan to not make separate food at all, but just adapt what we’re eating so that it’s safe for her.

Give it a try, I think you’ll find it to be more fun and much simpler than you expect!