Baby eats!

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Without further ado...the baby food post. I made most of Charlie's baby food when he was Izzy's age. I wasn't attempting to be super mom, I just thought it sounded like fun and it was easier than I thought. This time around, I'm not making any promises about how much I will make for Izzy. Its already proving more difficult to find the time. But at least for these very early stages when the foods are simply one-ingredient, its doable.


Stocking up on fruit while it is in season is the best place to start. I started with peaches, plums and apples. I have a feeling we'll be having lots of homemade applesauce given the great apples available right now.


I borrowed a book from my sister-in-law to get me started with Charlie. It is from Williams-Sonoma and I like how it is neatly divided by ages, from 6-9 months on up. Each set of recipes gets more complex with advancing age but even the earliest steps use fresh herbs and some spices. I think this helps give babies a taste for real foods and a variety early on.


I have an ancient and cheap steamer-pot that I use for steaming fruits and veggies. Its pretty simple - chop the fruit into big pieces and put them in to steam with the skin still on (this keeps in more nutrients).


The fruit is done when it is soft and can be pierced with a fork. Harder fruits like apples take a bit longer, 10-12 minutes compared to 5-7 for peaches.


The skins can be easily peeled off once the fruit cools a little. The liquid that collects while they cool can be used to thin the purees as needed.


It is best to have a helper for pureeing the fruit. Charlie loves pushing the button on the mini-cuisinart. A blender will also do the trick.


Ta da! Looks good enough to eat!


Freezing the fruit in ice cube trays (or these baby food trays with lids) makes it super easy. After they are frozen, pop them out of the tray and store in zip lock bags.



I write on the bags with a sharpie so I won't forget what's what. They last ~ 6 months in the freezer. I take out a cube or two the night before and put them in a small container in the frig and we're all ready for the next day. Now the ultimate test...

First time in the high chair. What is going to happen??
 
Dear Izzy, you must remove your fingers from your mouth to eat!





Roxie is no stranger to this process. She knows something is bound to hit the floor soon.

Success!

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