Making baby food from scratch seemed like a daunting task when I was first thinking about introducing my daughter to solids.
All that peeling, chopping, boiling and blending is a military operation, not to mention time consuming; which is why making up batches to freeze is so the way to go.
Here's how to make one week's worth of baby food in ONE hour...
Equipment:
- Steamer
- Food processor or blender
- Ice-cube trays
- Freezer bags
- Foil
Food:
- 4 apples
- 3 pears
- 4 bananas
- 2 avocados
- 1/3 lb green beans
- 1 butternut squash
- 2 sweet potatoes
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200c.
- Wash everything.
- Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds. Place face down on a baking dish and fill with 1/2 inch of water.
- Use a fork to make holes in the sweet potatoes, then wrap them in foil.
- Put the sweet potatoes and butternut squash in the oven for 40 minutes.
- Fill a steaming pot with water and set over a medium to high heat.
- Peel the apples and pears and cut into thin (1/4 inch) slices.
- Cut the ends off the green beans and snap into 1-2 inch pieces.
- Starting with the green beans, steam each of these items for 12-15 minutes, until tender.
- Put green beans in food processor.
- Steam apples for 10 minutes.
- Blend green beans, then place in freezer trays.
- Rinse food processor before putting in apples.
- Steam pears for 10 minutes.
- Blend apples, then place in freezer trays.
- Rinse food processor, then blend pears.
- Blend pears, then place in freezer trays.
- Take the sweet potatoes and butternut squash out of the oven.
- Scoop the butternut squash out of the skin and blend. Place in freezer trays.
- Scoop out the sweet potatoes and blend. Place in freezer trays.
- Once all the cubes are frozen, place them in freezer bags and write on what it is, as well as the date.
- Bananas and avocados just need to be peeled and mashed with a fork when they are ready to be eaten.
Pat yourself on the back and BREATHE. Until next week.
Images and recipe via
A Step In The Journey
