Baby’s Gotta Eat!
Hey Mamas! This week we’re talking about making our own baby food. This topic seems quite timely, given the recent recall of popular baby food brands due to dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Even some of the organic brands we’ve grown to love and trust have been recalled, so it’s becoming extremely difficult to decipher which brands are reliable and which are not. In moments like this, we know that the one person we can trust is ourselves. So, why not test out your skills at making baby food?
I made all of Kairo’s baby food from the moment he started eating solids at 7 months old. The secret to having success at this is preparing meals in advance! I used to have 3-5 different frozen purees for him in rotation each week. I would meal prep his purees every other Sunday, freeze them in ice cube trays, and be good to go for 2 weeks at a time. Kairo started eating table food around 10 months so when you think about the time commitment to making your own baby food, it really is only for a relatively short period of time. It is absolutely doable!
Before I get into 2 of my favorite (and extremely easy recipes), let’s talk about some of the benefits to making your own baby food:
1. You have control over what goes in it. This is especially helpful for babies with allergies or dietary restrictions.
2. You can introduce a variety of foods and flavors. The earlier you expose your baby to different tastes, the better they will be equipped to enjoy those taste later.
3. You can ensure they are getting all the fruits and veggies they need.
4. You can take a sense of pride in yourself. Your baby will grow and thrive off of the food you make. Go mama!
5. It saves money! (I know, I should’ve led with this one, huh?)
Now, that I’ve persuaded you to give it a try, here are 2 of the many different puree recipes I’ve made for Kairo throughout his solid food journey.
Berry Puree
Ingredients
Blueberries
Strawberries
Blackberries
Blender
Steps:
- Wash your berries
- Cut off the stems and leaves
- Puree berries together
- Portion into ice cube trays
- Store in freezer.
- Thaw out ice cubes as needed.
- Enjoy!
Sweet Potato & Lentil Puree
Ingredients
1 Medium Sweet Potato
1 cup of Red Lentils
Water
Steps:
- Peel and slice sewwt potato
- Rinse Lentils
- Boil water. Add sweet potatoes and lentils together. Cook until all the water is gone.
- Mash or Blen cooked lentils and sweet potatoes.
- Optional: add turmeric or curry powder and mix
- Portion into ice cube trays
- Store in freezer.
- Thaw out ice cubes as needed.
- Enjoy!
Whether you decide to try making baby food yourself, or just switch to a brand that wasn’t on the recall list, do what’s best for you and yours. A fed baby is a happy baby!
Talk with you next week!
Stay ViKtorious, Mama!
