Saving Money by Making your Own Baby Food

Do you buy baby food for your kids? If so, then this may be an interesting read!

I have quite a few close friends of mine that find it hard to believe I have never purchased baby food for any of my little ones. Once in a rare while I’d buy cheap jars after coupon for traveling out of state – but given the cost.. ($.65 – $1) for most 2 packs of Baby Food, I always steered clear – as that seemed overpriced.

Even more, making your own guarantees that you know what goes IN to the food – which is more important to me than anything else.  I’m not too trusting of baby food companies  – – reading recent labels has led me to question much of what is on the shelf.

I like using my local Farmers Market for Organic squash, carrots, and strawberries – apples as well.  Usually each evening we eat a vegetable at our dinner table: whatever was left over I used for baby food.  The smallest amount of Vegetable really goes quite a long way to stretch into baby food – saving you money over those organic pouches (which usually run $1.00 even on sale).

Then I took an ice cube tray (I have several) and poured the blended veggies in the tray, a little in each square. Tossed in the freezer. Once frozen I used a Hefty OneZip and stored in the freezer. Each time my child needed some baby food,  I’d take a square and pop it in the microwave for a quick sec.

Some simple “do’s” on making baby food yourself:

:: Bake, boil or steam the vegetables until they are soft. Add as little liquid as possible!

:: Peel & Pit the produce to remove seeds. Some fruits don’t require liquid, others may – be sparing. You can also add a wee bit of water, or breast milk (which is what I did).

:: Preparing meat requires that you remove the skin and trim all fat before cooking. Chop the meat up super small, and use your processor to blend it – you can add a bit of broth, or water to help the consistency.

Remember…when serving the food, you need to ensure that you serve it no warmer than body temp.  If using a microwave, make sure you stir it evenly before serving (and test it too) – as sometimes the microwave can create hot spots.  Dish out only what your child will need, as any extra saliva that remains in the food is open ground for bacteria.

You can even mix foods together, and if they are too runny you can always add a little rice cereal or oatmeal.

Remember, this is a great way to use up extra soup or stew – you can even have friends keep used baby jars, wash out & store the food inside. I prefer the Ziploc method, but you may be different.  Lastly – the website “Wholesome Baby Food” was always a great resource for me – and helped give me ideas on feeding my kiddos with simple recipes, and guides as well.