Starting Solids! How to make them yourself

Preparing baby food is fun, easy and saves a lot of money!

Starting solids is very exciting. Once baby has mastered cereal its time for veggies and fruits. But the first time I opened a jar or carrots for baby the color and smell was a little funky to me. I wanted to make something fresh.

Depending on how much room you have in your freezer you can easily make enough baby food to last a long time. It costs less and you know the exact ingredients since you made it. I still buy prepackaged baby food so I can grab something when I’m on the go but I don’t need very much. And I found that I love the WalMart brand called Parents Choice. They gave me the idea to mix veggies with fruits and it enabled me to give my picky eater some squash or peas even though she refused them when by themselves.

You can start off by either steaming or baking (wrapped in foil) individual fruits or vegetables.

You should peel anything with a tough exterior first. You can bake or steam until soft .

Then you just throw it into the food processor until you get your desired texture, you may need to add a little water to carrots or other firm vegetables.

Then spoon your baby food into as many ice cube trays as you need.

Cover and freeze.

Once frozen pop them out and put them in labeled freezer bags. (I learned this the hard way after mixing up yams, squash, peaches, carrots and pumpkin..is everything orange?!)

Then you can thaw them as needed either in the fridge or out on the counter. And you can mix them up if you want to try different flavors!